I had a little time over lunch today to walk across the street from my new office in Olds Hall to check out the MSU museum. Inside I saw several examples of regional handmade art including ducks hand carved out of wood, painted eggs, and very detailed woven containers. There also were a historic exhibit showing off some of the items from MSU’s collection of artifacts. I saw a skeleton of an asian elephant, a wooden phrenology bust, and a samauri’s armor.
There was also a photo exhibit from Mali. Students there had been given instruction regarding photography composition and story telling. The photos were really beautiful and included descriptions written by the young photographers. I liked the honest and simple approach of the photo captions. It felt like I was seeing the world from the perspective of a young person. I saw their day-to-day life, their family, heros and friends. Many of the photos showed the connection these young budding phtoographers had with their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
Really cool stuff. I’m going to have to go back soon and check out the rest of the museum — I only had time to check out part of the first floor! I’ve heard that there is also a cool art museum on campus.