I decided to visit the University of Michigan Museum of Art after flipping through the local Ann Arbor paper. An exhibit called The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter was running only until the end of summer. I was staying only a week, so I wanted to see this exhibit before it left.
The bus stops at the museum, so I hopped on a bus. When I got there, I asked the front desk directions to the pottery exhibit. Umbrellas had to be stored at the desk. I left my umbrella and followed his directions to the coat hangers at the stairwell. I took my valuables and left my coat hanging with a lip balm inside the pocket to identify my coat in case someone else happened to have a coat just like it. Then I walked upstairs to the exhibit.
I never knew much about art, since I majored in science in college, while my sister was the art major, so I took my time reading through the information. I learned about Korean history as I was learning about Korean pottery. I never knew that Koreans invented celadon, although most Western art historians mistakenly attribute it to the Chinese. There are many historical facts that are being corrected presently. I’m sure it’s due to how difficult it is to communicate with those that don’t speak the same language. It’s hard enough to communicate with those that do speak the same language. There were numerous urns. Some were ceremonial, used for Buddhist rituals; others appeared to be vessels for food. There were terracotta styles and glazed ceramic styles. Some were clay decorations for roof tiling. There was even an ink blotter and a paperweight.
It took me a long time to get through the exhibit. Several people came and went. The security guard came in a few times to monitor my movements. I had intended on checking out the other exhibits, but I had spent two hours in that one exhibit. I was sure that my friend was worrying about me, since I had taken the bus to get to the museum. I hurriedly went through another exhibit, then went downstairs to claim my coat. Because I was not familiar with the Ann Arbor buses, I asked at the front desk how to get back to my friend’s house. The folks there didn’t really know, but they tried to help. They made sure that I didn’t forget my umbrella. As I scurried out, I made a mental note to myself that the next time I was in Ann Arbor that I’d come much earlier to walk around the museum as long as I wanted.
Since then, the museum has extended its run. The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter will now run until November 6, 2005. Go see it before it’s gone. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Thursday 10am-9pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm, and closed Monday.