Museum Project

Ronny pham Professor Kunu 4/13/25 HUM 2250 For my Cultural Event Project, I explored the Museum of Art in Orlando riches with symbolic artifacts and painting portraits from famous artists- dating over hundreds to thousands of years old. The Museum of Art in Orlando specializes in American art from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries and pieces from ancient global cultures. The Museum of Art in Orlando is located at 2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803. I chose this museum because it blends history, culture, and contemporary creativity all in one place which was taught in my humanity course. The museum architect is visually striking- calm and spacious. Its intricate architectural design makes the artifacts and painting’s special. In addition, the museum was my perfect match for the cultural event project because it displayed contemporary art reflecting issues, culture and technology of humanity's growth and progress and ancient artifacts from those of the Mayan civilization. In the Museum of Art in Orlando, I get to explore and take photos of ancient artifacts like those from the Mayan civilization and various paintings such as American Icon as well as statutes. During my tour of the Museum of Art in Orlando, I was welcomed with a docent who specialize in educational tours for the ancient artifacts and paintings which have their own uniqueness of display. My most favorite was their ancient artifacts as it immersed me in the rich history of the ancient Mayan civilization. These artifacts contain ancient pottery, jade artifacts, figurines made from clay and stone (showing priests, goddesses of noble people). For instance, The statue below shows a female figure with a skirt and ornament. By looking closely, her body structure has a full hip or a rounded form. It represents a fertility figure. The skirt symbolizes fertility and motherhood. In addition, another fascinating artifact below shows a Shaman Figure Vessel from the ancient Mayan civilization: This figure is a Shaman. A Shaman was a deeply respected spiritual healer, guide and intermediary between the human world and the God or Spirit. Shaman was believed to communicate with Gods, ancestors, and spirit. In this photo, Shaman wears a special ceremonial garb. The garb is made from feathers, jaguar skins, bone shells and Jades. The garb is decorated with sacred symbols. In either hand, Shaman is holding a serpent, this symbolizes: spiritual authority, communication with Gods, and protection of the people. Overall the event is astounding. I have never anticipated such excitement and awe. I do not like visiting the museum because it is boring and abstract. But after visiting this museum made me appreciate the fine art and understanding of their stories. The Museum of Art in Orlando is full of contemporary arts and ancient artifacts as it immersed me into a whole new world. When entering inside the room of ancient artifacts from the Mayan civilization. I got goosebumps seeing these artifacts. In my course, I learn that symbolism is a recurring theme and that it reveals a bigger meaning than the abstract perception. Instead of understanding the symbolism of these artifacts, I learn I can feel, sense and use my imagination of what these really meant by looking at these artifacts and paintings. In addition, what stood out to me the most is this sculpture below showing a father and son shooting an arrow sculpted by Hermon Atkin MacNeil. This sculpture of a Sioux elder and a boy depicts a ceremonial rite of passage. A ceremonial rite of passage is a formal ritual or event that marks a new beginning of adulthood. The young boy who is in a turning point to adulthood, must shoot an arrow to the sun. The Sioux elder watches the arrow flight, and if it is so straight that it vanishes in the sun glare, the boy has succeeded. This sculpture symbolizes the boy warrior's strength, protector, and spiritual growth. Internally, I can relate to this sculpture as my father has raised me to be a fine man just like that boy. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed my time in the museum. I would recommend my friends to visit the Museum of Art in Orlando because they can learn and discover the rich history of contemporary art and cultural history like that of the Mayan civilization. In the end, this cultural event has opened my eyes to many opportunities to explore, discover, and learn about humanity. I feel grateful and lucky to have lived in a time to witness hundreds and thousands of years of civilization's progressiveness to modern times. Most definitely, this won’t be my last time I am going to a new museum.