Contemporary Western Art
Welcome to the Art Wing of the museum. Here you see permanent displays of contemporary western art, as well as bronze sculptures. Some noted artists you can see in this wing are Olaf Wieghorst, Marjorie Reed, R. Padre Johnson, Gene Locklear, Jack Jordan, Ted DeGrazia, John Carrol Hooper, Mark Lueck, and Alfredo Rodriguez. Sculptures in the wing include A Nest of Eagles by Jack Riley and Coming Through the Rye by Frederic Remington.
The journey continues back in time where you see a festival of colors in Peruvian textiles and Huichol beaded jaguar heads. Paintings of Mayan temples are visions of the mystical jungles of Central America.
Traditional Asian Art
And then there is the jade. The Chinese felt that jade was the "Stone of Heaven." Impressive Chinese jade pieces and bronze statues grace the entire Art Wing. At the end of the wing, is a rare "Jade Burial Suit" from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE -221 CE). The Chinese believed encasing a body in jade would ensure immortality to the wearer.
Your journey culminates with a spectacular display. Referred to as the Stone of Heaven collection, it includes more than one hundred exquisite Chinese jade artifacts of the late Neolithic through the Ming Period. A remarkable 15 ft. long Song Dynasty (960 CE - 1200 CE) scroll, Festival on the River, depicting daily life in and near the Sung capital is displayed, as well as a breathtaking, five-level, intricately-carved Jade Dragon Ship from the Qing Dynasty (1644 CE - 1911 CE). Measuring 5 feet long and 52 inches tall, the elaborate openwork of the vessel is detailed with phoenixes, birds and dragons.
