New exhibits offer summer fun, learning
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Visiting Utah's Wasatch Front this summer and hoping to escape the near-record heat for a few hours? Or, Utah residents, maybe you're smarting from rising fuel prices and considering day-tripping this season instead of taking that distant, gas-guzzling family vacation.
Whatever the circumstances, visitors or residents of northern Utah should plan to visit a Church-owned museum this summer. All are boasting a diverse lineup of permanent and temporary exhibits that will appeal to folks of all ages and backgrounds. Each museum is free.
Museum of Church History and Art
The Church's flagship museum has long been popular to visitors of nearby Temple Square, Primary and Mutual organizations and tourists to Salt Lake City hoping to learn more about the Church.
The permanent exhibit on the first floor remains the anchor of the museum, offering a visual narrative of the history and people of the restored Church. Enlisting artifacts and elaborate sets, the exhibit begins with a recounting of Joseph Smith's First Vision then traces the organization and growth of the Church from its humble first moments to the vibrant present day. First-time museum visitors with limited time would be wise to spend it walking through the museum's permanent exhibit.
Meanwhile, several temporary exhibits on the upper-floor of the Museum of Church History and Art offer a deeper glance into the LDS history and experience.
The exhibit "Something Extraordinary" chronicles the evolution of the Relief Society from a small group of faithful Nauvoo women into the world's largest women's organization. Textile arts, paints, sculpture, pottery and the original Relief Society minute book are highlights of this popular exhibit.
Other exhibits on display this summer include a history of the recently re-opened Salt Lake Tabernacle, an art exhibit that pays tribute to the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers and an interactive family exhibit entitled "I Am A Child of God."
The Museum of Church History and Art is located at 45 N. West Temple. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
Call (801) 240-4615 for additional museum information.
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Besides its rich permanent exhibit of American and international artwork, this on-campus museum is enjoying a diverse summer season of temporary exhibits.
"Splendor and Spectacle: Images of Dance from Court Ballet to Broadway" opened July 6 in the museum's Paul & Betty Boshard Gallery. The exhibit demonstrates how the development of ballet was captured in art, beginning in an era before documentary photography.
Other temporary exhibits found in the museum's basement include "American Dreams," a selection of works that tell the story of American art from its Eden-like beginnings to its contemporary, sometimes critical voice. An exhibit celebrating the work of LDS artist Minerva Teichert is also featured this summer.
The BYU Museum of Art is located on North Campus Drive in Provo, Utah. Hours are Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, noon — 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Call (801) 422-8287 for additional information.
BYU's Monte L. Bean Museum of Life Science
Opened in 1978, BYU's life science museum offers visitors an excursion into the natural world.
Marsh and forest ecosystem dioramas are featured on the museum's main exhibit floor. Other highlights include a permanent exhibit demonstrating Africa's diverse wildlife and a temporary exhibit on the whooping crane and an educational show on the many environmental factors essential to a deer's survival.
The Monte L. Bean Museum of Life Science is located at 645 E. 1430 North on BYU's Provo, Utah, campus.
Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday. Call (801) 422-5051 for additional information.
