A trip to the Cultural District

Hi UB! For my first post, I thought I'd venture a little beyond the campus of UB.

Summer is a great time to get to know UB. I would add that it is also a great time to get to know the area around UB. After all, we're located in the Mount Vernon Cultural District. But what does this mean other than we're across from The Lyric and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall? This past Sunday, I ventured a little further into the heart of the district to find out.

I've lived near Baltimore City all my life. I've been to the Inner Harbor, the Science Center, the Aquarium, and Zoo many times. School trips (both as a student and a parent) have taken me to the Balt. Museum of Art, The Lyric and Symphony Hall. But until now, I've never been inside The Walters Art Museum. What a mistake!

My venture began when, determined to see the exhibit "The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision Through Medieval Methods," I convinced my husband and 17 yr old son to take the trip into the city with me. The Museum is located on North Charles Street in the heart of the historic Mt Vernon district, and across from the Washington Monument.

After seeing the main exhibit, which was fascinating, we soon found ourselves wandering through a maze of hallways and staircases, each leading to a different section of the museum. Along the way, we discovered rooms featuring everything from ancient world artifacts to 19th century art. We found medieval manuscripts and Renaissance masterpieces. Sculptures guarded the halls, and tapestries hung above the stairs. At one point, we made it to the Hackerman House, circa 1850, which now houses the Asian Art collection. My son was particularly impressed with the Japanese and Chinese rooms which included Samurai armor and weaponry, as well as ivory carvings and other treasures. The House itself is an architectural masterpiece with its decorative ceilings, and grand circular stairway in the front hall. Needless to say, we spent several hours exploring the museum; at times, we were the only ones in the room.

We did pay a nominal fee to see the Bible exhibit, but anyone can visit the rest of the museum for FREE.

Unfortunately, the Bible exhibit is now closed, but don't let that stop you from going. In addition to the Permanent Collections as described above, here is a quick list of current exhibitions:

Mummified - now through Nov. 8, 2010: a revealing look at what lies beneath the wrappings
Prayers in Code - now through July 19, 2009: a collection of various 'Book of Hours' from the Middle Ages
Rembrandt Peale's Portrait of John Meer - now through Aug. 23, 2009: featuring portraits by American painter, Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) which traces the artist's development

And coming June 28, 2009 through Aug. 30, 2009 -- Herman Maril: An American Modernist: a native Baltimorean, Maril (1908-86) was a graduate of MICA and faculty member at UMUC

So I guess my point is ... UB is located in a special section of the city ... it's up to us to learn just how truly special it is.

For more information, go to www.thewalters.org