Ming Bling at the IMAI was out to the IMA on Saturday to see the just-opened Power and Glory exhibit. Because my friend was gifted an IMA membership for her birthday [and decided to share her good fortune with me], we had free passes to see the show a day before  Sunday's public opening. The Power and Glory exhibit takes a look at court arts from China's Ming Dynasty. And some of these pieces have never been shown outside of China. As you walk through the exhibit, large plaques offer  some historical notes of significance -  background on the time, culture and lives of the Dynasty's people and leaders. I love this part. Seeing parts of a grand world from long before Columbus even sailed the ocean blue. And considering the passing of. that. much. time.

After walking through the exhibit, we headed downstairs for a lecture by Yale University professor, Jonathon Spence, one of the foremost scholars on Chinese civilization. Arts, music and sports were of utmost importance in the Ming Dynasty. And those who exhibited exceptional talent in these areas were often granted positions of power. I wrote down a few notes and item numbers from Mr. Spence's talk, but I wasn't able to go back upstairs to the exhibit after he finished. I plan to go back before the exhibit closes on Jan. 11, 2009 and find a few things he discussed last weekend. Here's what I have --
The frames on my doors aren't this pretty!
  • Watch for gardens throughout, they were important in the Ming Dynasty.
  • Catalog #144, a depiction of 4 children with Buddah. There are questions as to if the children are in worship or mocking him.
  • A scroll, depicting women playing soccer. The ball is use is modern-looking soccer ball.
  • Catalog #62, I hurridly wrote down the number, but I wasn't able to catch what the piece was. Let me know what you find!

The IMA is one of my favorite Indianapolis attractions. The galleries and special exhibits, paired with the beautiful grounds at the IMA - I could spend countless hours wandering. The next time you find yourself looking for things to to do in Indianapolis, head over to the IMA at Michigan Rd.& 38th Street. Here, I even made you a map!