story and photos by Kayte Deioma
To escape a passing shower in Boston, stop in to the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity at the Christian Science complex on Massachusetts Avenue. If you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids thinking about the world and their place in it, the Library has designed a variety of interactive exhibits that can spark great discussions, whether you agree with the Christian Science philosophy or not.
When you have just a little time, visit the Mapparium and Hall of Ideas. The Mapparium is a three-story stained glass globe, which visitors can enter and view from inside. The countries represented in the Mapparium reflect the world as it was in 1935, when the globe was created. A seven minute audio tour and a short video clip highlight some of the significant changes that have occurred in the geo-political divisions of the world since then.
Next door, in the Hall of Ideas, philosophical quotations are projected around the room in playful swirls and streaks. They dance around a central fountain and flit across the floor before climbing the wall to a screen where they disassemble and reassemble themselves into the words of famous thinkers and young philosophers-to-be.
If you have more time, head upstairs, where The Quest Gallery uses technology and age-appropriate content to ask questions such as: Who am I? What is my purpose? Is there a higher power? The Monitor Gallery gives you a glimpse into the workings of a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, including history, “how to” exhibits and a window that looks into the offices of the Christian Science Monitor.
For more information, visit www.marybakereddylibrary.org or call (617) 450-7000 or 1 (888) 222-3711.
The Mapparium is included in the Go Boston Card.
The Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, MA, is a gem. Located north of Boston, it has been recently transformed into a splendid showcase featuring exceptional artistic and cultural collections from Asia, Asia Export, and Africa, as well as Native American, American, Oceanic, Maritime, and Photography exhibits. The museum is sprawling, and contains parks, gardens and 24 historic properties.
Entering the spacious, glass-filled, atrium main lobby can somewhat brighten an otherwise dreary day. The museum’s displays, descriptions/interpretations, and lighting are quite up to date, and most inviting to visitors. One very special feature is a 200 year old house from China, the only example of Chinese domestic architecture – from the Late Qing Dynasty – on display in the US. Experiencing this home gives one insight into family life long ago and far away.
Art of Central Thailand, 1350 -1800, is on display until October 16, 2005. Eighty treasures from Ayutthaya, a kingdom that flourished for more than 400 years, are displayed in their magnificence. The exhibit includes gold, bronze and stone Buddha images, Hindu sculptures, temple furnishings, jewelry and illustrated manuscripts. These priceless pieces are from collections in Thailand, Europe, and the US.
There are four rooms to peruse; exhibited items are spaced appropriately so that viewers can give each object ample reflection time. The short film shown in the back of the first room in periodic intervals serves as a good introduction to the exhibit. Curators lead guests to Thailand to view ruins of Ayutthaya, and bring understanding of this religious, architectural, diplomatic and trading center
and informative reading materials – in case you need to rest and contemplate the majestic exhibit. The last room centers on architecture, temples and furnishings. The miniature temple buildings are fascinating. On a nearby wall is a large fragment from a full-size temple’s gable decoration with Vishnu, a Hindu deity, mounted on Garuda, the manbird, being surrounded by numerous demonic figures. Mother-of-pearl inlay, seen in a door and cabinet, attest to the high artistic achievement from this period. The catalog, prepared for this exhibit, is remarkable.
When I have some time on my own, I tend to make my way to a bookshop. Not only are they usually warm, dry and usually not too crowded, but they offer a certain comfort that you don’t often get from other kinds of shops. Of course there is always a Waterstone’s – the huge, find-every-book-that-you-could-dream-of-wanting bookshop. There’s one in Picadilly, just off Picadilly Circus. But there is another very special bookshop just down the street, which, despite being owned by Waterstone’s has retained its olde worlde charm. Hatchard’s, at 187 Picadilly, comes by its charm honestly from being open since 1782. They have been offering the reader or browser a wonderful selection of books for over 200 years.