Since moving to Waterloo, and upon completion of my studies
of travel I have wanted to go and see some of the museum's in the
Kitchener/Waterloo area. For some reason I kept putting it off, whether going
back to my family's farm, going to the movies or sleeping, no matter what I
could always come up with a reason not to go.
This past month the children's museum in Kitchener opened a
new temporary exhibit of Treasures of China - featuring the Dazu Rock Carvings.
I love the history, culture, and religious beliefs of different countries, I
thought this was perfect just the thing to get me up to see what these
treasures are like. When I arrived at the Museum I learned this is only the
second time the Dazu Rock Carvings have left China.
After purchasing my ticket I was told the exhibit was located on the 4th floor and there was no elevator access to the exhibit and that no photos were allowed because of the age of the artifacts. I was shocked to hear this because this exhibit would not be accessible to people with walking disabilities, but I understood about the photography, unfortunately there is no photos with this blog. With artifacts as old as these the flash of the cameras can do damage and will eventually break down the carvings.
After making the short climb up to the 4th floor, at the top
there were 3 huge stone carvings behind a glass wall. They were beautiful, I
could help but think what love, care and dedication was put into each and every
carving, and if these three carvings were at the beginning of exhibit I could
hardly wait to see what was on the other side of the door. With a deep breath
of anticipation I closed my eyes, opened the door walked in. In the middle of
the room was three big gloss covered carvings. The carvings were very worn yet
mesmerising. I couldn't possibly imagine trying to make these carvings with
what would have to be very small tools and lots of patience. Around the walls
of the same room were many pictures of much large rock carvings that are still
located in China, and a picture of a map where each of the Dazu Rock Carvings
were found.
I walked into the next room were the rest of the carvings
were, and what I saw not only shocked me but also disappointed me. Along three
of the walls were shelves with remaining carvings, all of which were amazing,
some still had the paint on them from when they were originally painted, others
were quite worn down making it difficult to see the magifanct carvings that
were once there. What really disappointed me was the fact there was nothing
telling people where these rocks were, when and by whom they were found, but
the biggest disappointment was there was nothing protecting these amazing works
of art, there was no glass wall protecting them from people touching them. This was a blow to me, because with artifacts
as old as The Dazu Rock Cravings, you would think that a museum would make sure
that these carvings would be as protected as possible.In my opinion The Dazu Rock Carvings are amazing, was the Children's Museum the best place to hold such an amazing exhibit, I don't believe so. My reasoning for this: There is no elevator access to the exhibit thus making it very difficult for the handicapped patrons to view it. The fact the Museum staff didn't take the time to have a protected glass wall around all the carvings. There was no picture book or leaflet explaining the history or importance of The Dazu Rock Carvings. Finally the cost, $17.50 is a lot of money to go into a museum which is geared toward children, to see an exhibit which will mostly be appreciated by adults.
If you have children and want to spend an amazing day out,
The Children's Museum in Kitchener is a great place to go.
The Dazu Rock Carvings on on display from Sept. 21 2012 - Mar. 17 2013
Hours of operation:
Monday & Tuesday: school groups only
Wednesday & Friday: 10am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am - 4pm
Admission:
General Admission (14 and up): $17.Children (3 - 13): $10.00 - must be accompanied by an adult
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