The new year brings new exhibits and events to the MSU Museum.
"Seeing China: Photographic Views and Viewpoints"
Culture, community, commerce and change are at the center of a new exhibit opening at the MSU Museum on Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. “Seeing China: Photographic Views and Viewpoints” features photographs of China by six contemporary, Western photographers, along with stereographs from the MSU Museum’s history collection, made in China between 1901 and 1905.
“Seeing China” will challenge viewers to consider environmental change and political responsibility, rapid urbanization and economic expansion, human and civil rights, cultural diversity and change. An opening reception and student performance will begin at 4 p.m. in conjunction with MSU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration: “Crossing Borders, Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges.”
Deep-Play: Creativity in Math and Art through Visual Wordplay
A new exhibit at the MSU Museum invites visitors to look deeply and decipher playful and thought-provoking visual wordplay where math and art intersect.
“Deep-Play: Creativity in Math and Art Through Visual Wordplay” introduces visitors to “ambigrams” to bring together the mathematics of symmetry, the elegance of typography and the psychology of visual perception. Ambigrams are a way of writing words so they can be read or interpreted in more than one way.
This visual wordplay uses interaction and perspective: how the letters interact with one another, interplay in the space and focal points. For example, some ambigrams might be read the same forwards and backwards or rotated at 90-degree angles, some can be read using mirrors to reflect them and others require lighting, 3-D effects or oversize designs to make sense.
Darwin Discovery Day
The MSU Museum presents its 11th annual Darwin Discovery Day from 1 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 8. Researchers and graduate students from across MSU are taking part in Darwin Discovery Day to help share their research and education with the public. The theme for this year’s event is “Teeth, Horns, Claws, Thorns: Nature’s Weapons.”
Chocolate Party Benefit
The MSU Museum Chocolate Party marks its 26th year in 2015. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, culinary competitors will create their elaborate and edible masterpieces inspired by the feature film “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.” Proceeds from the annual Chocolate Party Benefit fund proper care of the Museum’s collections – ensuring preservation and access by future generations.
Attendees can view prize–winning creations from the chocolate competition, sample chocolate confections from the region’s leading chocolatiers and select a favorite in the People’s Choice Award.