By Anna Gerber and Alicia Kelso
Spend a little time in Egypt this year – without leaving Columbus.
The Columbus Museum of Art and COSI have partnered with local community libraries to create Egypt in Columbus, a seven-month-long exploration of archaeology, history and all things Egypt.
The Columbus Museum of Art is currently presenting the exhibit To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum through June 7. The traveling display is on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art and features more than 100 objects from its extensive, world-renowned collection.
“Brooklyn has one of the most important Egyptian collections in the world. They have about 8,000 total objects and usually show 1,000 of them. But this (Columbus Museum of Art) show includes objects from the 7,000 pieces that have never been shown in public before,” says Nannette V. Maciejunes, CMA’s executive director. “Egypt is really the first great art cultures we learn about. It’s our first realization that there are other people and other places and I think it will have great resonance in the community.”
A mummy, coffins, jewelry and vessels highlight the exhibit, which centers on the Egyptian belief that death could be defeated through proper preparation. There are also dog mummies, make-up, statues, dishes, lucky charms and mummy masks. The oldest piece in the collection – a female dance sculpture – dates back to sometime between 3600 to 3300 BCE.
“What I love the most about the exhibition is it makes so much sense. These objects tell us about Egyptian beliefs and culture,” says Dominique H. Vasseur, CMA curator of European Art. “This exhibition will be a rare and important treat for our audiences. Everyone loves the beauty, mystery and power of ancient Egyptian art.”
The exhibition includes explanations about the process of mummification, the Egyptian economics and rituals, funeral accessories and more. It also entails interactive activities, including a costume photography studio and Egyptian shop. For more information, visit www.columbusmuseum.org.
Also, from May 30 through Sept. 7, COSI will feature Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science. As research for the exhibit, a team from COSI traveled to Egypt with a photographer and videographer to interview archaeologists. Three years in the making, this world-premier exhibit will feature real human and animal mummies, a life-sized replica of a camel, and a replica of the Rosetta stone. Guests can virtually un-wrap a mummy to view forensic reconstructions and experiment with different methods Egyptians could have used to build the pyramids.
In addition to the museum exhibits, participating Central Ohio libraries will host Egypt-themed educational activities. Young guests are invited to print a passport from the Egypt in Columbus Web site and have it stamped at CMA, COSI and participating libraries to win a prize.
For more information about the exhibitions and library events, visit www.egyptincolumbus.com.