Philadelphia Museum of Art
Before planning my visit to the sacred site, I chose two websites, which contain the most important and useful information about the logistics. These websites helped me to find out all I needed to know about this site.
The sacred space, which I have chosen, is called Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is the third largest art museum in the United States. The location of Philadelphia Museum of Art is Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia (Visit Philly). The museum is open on all the days of the week except Monday. It is open from 10 am to 5 pm. However, the main building is opened on Wednesday and Friday until 8.45 pm. The museum is usually closed on Monday, but it can be opened on this day for some holidays. However, it is closed on such holidays as 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The admission fee varies depending on the age of visitor. For adults it is 20 dollars. Senior people, who are 65 years old or over, can visit the museum for 18 dollars. Admission fee for students who have valid ID is 14 dollars. Young people whose age is from 13 to 18 years can enter the museum for 14 dollars. Finally, the admission fee for children and members is free. There are different kinds of transport which people can use in order to get to the museum. It can be a car, a bus, or a train. SEPTA provides Philadelphia with bus roots. The bus roots, which numbers are 7, 32, 38, and 48 can take the visitor to the museum. If talk about trains, Amtrak provides the comfortable trains, which make stops in Philadelphia. These trains arrive and depart from the station, which is called 30th Street. It is near the museum. If visitors go to the museum by car they can use parking services. They can leave their car at parking garage. Visitors must pay 12 dollars for the first 4 hours, and then 2 dollars for additional hour. Visitors can find the parking garage on the west side of the main building. Visitors can also leave their cars at the upper terrace. However, it is limited, and visitors can live their vehicles there if there are available places. The fee for upper terrace is 12 dollars (Philamuseum).
Philadelphia Museum of Art was established in 1876 during Centennial Exhibition. In the first decades, the museum exhibited the objects of the industrial nature. Moreover, its collections also included the objects of fine and decorative art. Among the earliest property of the museum were different books, enamels, jewelry, etc. Then, in the 1900s, Philadelphia Museum of Art presented the first collection and created the education program for the public. The main building of the museum was opened in the 1920s. It established the record of one million visitors in the first year after the opening. Such acquisitions of the museum as A. E. Gallatin Collection determined the importance of the museum as the place where people can see the masterpieces of modern art. Nowadays, Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the world’s famous places where visitors can observe the prominent examples of the different art. There are a lot of different people who use the museum. They can be teachers, children, senior people, or students. Moreover, the museum offers different programs, which are designed for teachers and pupils of different ages. Tours also include different interactive lessons for students who have the opportunity to see and examine objects through various activities (Philamuseum).
I decided to observe different symbols, which represent in Japanese art. Artists in Japan often used such symbols as the motifs in their works of art. They mixed specific symbols to depict different wishes of good fortune. The first example, which I saw, was the painting of Hata Senrei. The author illustrates the tale about Eight Immortals who belonged to Daoist religion. Every immortal uses different magic powers in order to cross the sea. They symbolize the ability to outdo the obstructions. The author used different symbols, such as the green tree, in order to reveal the theme of long life (Philamuseum).
The second example, which I observed, was the dragon and the tiger. These symbols belong to Chinese mythology. The dragon and the tiger are considered to be companions. The first one rules the heavens and the second one controls the earth. These symbols firstly appeared in Buddhism in the 1500s. When this religion spread all over the country, the tiger began to represent courage and cooperation. It is said that the combination of these two symbols represents the balance of power. The dragons usually appear in the form of a snake. They have four legs and fish scales. It is believed that these creatures are able to control the weather. Moreover, they can bring typhoons and floods (Philamuseum). I was really impressed by these symbols because they gave me the opportunity to become closer to the culture of Asia.
Works Cited
Philadelphia - Official Visitor Site - visitphilly.com,. "Philadelphia Museum Of Art — Visitphilly.Com". N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/philadelphia-museum-of-art/
Philamuseum.org,. "Philadelphia Museum Of Art". N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. http://www.philamuseum.org/
