Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Belz Museum of Asiatic and Judaic Art


During a recent visit with The Daughter to the Belz Museum of Asiatic and Judaic Art on South Main Street in Downtown Memphis, I came across this lovely tea set and decided to share it for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's weekly T(ea) Tuesday gathering. Isn't it wonderful?

The entire museum is a treasure. I'll try to take you on a mini-tour to give you just a taste of our experience, but it must be personally experienced to be truly appreciated. The museum is located on the Main Street Mall just around the corner from my car's home-away-from-home -the Parking Can Be Fun garage. Here's the entrance:


You go in here, then you go down a flight of stairs to the gift shop/ticket booth. Admission is only $6 for adults. We saw the Judaic exhibit first, including the new Holocaust Memorial rooms. I wasn't able to get good photos in that section -the lighting, maybe? I didn't want to use a flash. There is a photo gallery at the web site showing some of the art in that collection. The Daughter was able to get a good shot of some of the portraits in the Holocaust exhibit:


All of the people whose portraits were on display when we went live here in Memphis. At some point they will begin rotating some of them to include folks who live in other areas of the state. Here's the sign explaining that display:


There are other related historical artifacts displayed, but I was particularly struck by these portaraits with their short biographies. There's a press release at the museum web site, which says, in part:
The Holocaust Memorial Gallery focuses on the struggles and triumphs of the survivors, refugees and liberators of the Holocaust of World War II. Working in conjunction with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, the “Living On” portrait exhibit gives a face and a voice to the survivors, refugees, and liberators now living in Tennessee. Each person displayed reveals their own stories, and the stories of loved ones who did not survive to be heard. Other displays in the gallery include Jewish ghetto currency, photographs of Jews in concentration camps, sculptures and artwork, World War II information panels and timeline, and other personal memorabilia that provides insight into this dark period.

The art works in the Asiatic galleries were easier for me to photograph for some reason, and The Daughter got some good shots, too:







There is a short history of the museum here. There are other photos at their site. They offer guided tours with a boxed lunch for groups. The lovely woman in the gift shop says they get people who come to the museum from far away, including someone from the Smithsonian, who are very impressed with this collection; and she told us that only about 10% of Mr. Belz collection is on display here.

The I Love Memphis blog has a positive review and photos. Yelp gives it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Trip Advisor ranks it #6 of Memphis' 86 ranked attractions.

Amazing! We are fortunate here in Memphis to have such excellent and diverse museums!


34 comments:

  1. Yes, you are fortunate to have such great museums. I enjoyed looking at the displays you were able to show us.

    Darla

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    1. i'm so glad you enjoyed it. it really is a gem :)

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  2. such a fantastic museum-love all the gorgeous pieces! Thanks for sharing and happy T day!

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    1. i was surprised by how much was there. happy t day :)

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  3. I know I'm supposed to be admiring the artifacts from the museum you visited, but I'm still laughing at the "Parking Can be Fun" garage! Is that truly the name of it? What a hoot!

    Happy T-day!

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    1. yes! that's actually its name. it's very colorfully painted. we get a kick out of it.

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  4. Oh Wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to show us!! Its all amazing!! Hugs! deb

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  5. Oh I love to go to museums. This was a great tour, thanks.
    That tea set had me oohing and aaaawing..
    Thanks for the visit and Happy T-day

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    1. i enjoy museums, too. :) i'm glad you liked this one. and the tea set! i was impressed.

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  6. What a great day out - thanks so much for sharing. Chris # 14 xx

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  7. This is an AMAZING museum, and will be on my list if I ever make it to Memphis. I am in awe of both the Asian side and the Judaic side. I can't believe how some people still deny the holocaust ever happened. This is a wonderful testament to the horror and memories of it all.

    The Asian art is spectacular. it looks like a nice sized museum to spend a day in, too. The tea set was the perfect opener for this T, too. Loved it ALL.

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    1. i'm glad you liked it. it is quite impressive. i hope you get to see it someday.

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  8. WOW, awesome finds at your museum visit! Great pictures!! Happy T Day!

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    1. we were actually surprised how much was in this museum. happy t day :)

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  9. This looks a wonderful museum. I only wish I could pop over and see it, but budget is limiting. If I find myself in Memphis I will try and look it up.
    It is strange but I don't automatically think of US and Holocaust. I always associate Europe. Thank you for opening my eyes.
    Hugs
    xx

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    1. we do have a fairly diverse population, but i hadn't realized how many european holocaust survivors ended up living here. the display of portraits is moving.

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  10. Wow, what a fascinating museum, including the tea set. Tea Day greetings to you!

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    1. isn't that tea set something! happy t day to you, too :)

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  11. You are lucky to have such things as this fine museum in Memphis.
    Thank you for the tour.
    That tea set is quite something too...bet it really keeps the tea nice and hot
    Hope you had a happy T day
    oxo

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    1. i wish i could've done it justice. i'd love to test that tea set out ;)

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  12. Fabulous post love all the fun pictures.

    Hugs Diane

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    1. i'm glad i had my daughter along so i could use some of her pictures. good pix are sometimes hard to get. happy t day!

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  13. Wow! I haven't been to a museum for decades. Thanks for bringing us along. :):)
    Happy T-Day!

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    1. i love museums, big or small. i'm glad you enjoyed the "tour" ;)

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  14. You're right :) the tea set IS wonderful :) very unique! Thanks for sharing your museum, so very interesting.
    Hope your tea day is perfect :)

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    1. i'm glad you found it interesting :) i haven't even _had_ tea today! lol

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  15. What a great museum. Love that tea set. Happy Tuesday!

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    1. happy tuesday :) we were very impressed. i'd known it was there but had never been. it is indeed a great museum :)

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  16. What an amazing Museum! I love the tea set, so different!

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  17. Oh, I love Asian art...truly outstanding pieces you've shown! gorgeous tea set, and a wonderful tribute and remembrance of Holocaust survivors and liberators...

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    1. i'm so glad you thought so. it is an impressive display :)

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