Low Art Museum

The Low Art Museum opened to the public in 1952. At the time it opened, it was the first art museum in South Florida. With the generous gift of philanthropists Joe and Emily Lowe on 1950, the University of Miami transformed the original three-classroom space containing the art collection to a free-standing museum facility. It is home to more than 17,500 object collection spanning the history of art from ancient civilization to contemporary artworks. The museum has permanent exhibits including, Egyptian (see image I), Greek, Roman Antiquities as well as European (see image II), Asian (see image III), African and Native American art as well as seasonal exhibitions and traveling exhibitions, which focus on many different types of artists every

It is inconceivable that some of this art was created thousands of years ago, given the intricacy and mesmerizing beauty of some of the pieces there. The exhibits that captured my imagination the most were those collections from the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilization. I have always been intrigued by ancient civilization for their vast contributions to the present time. In large, this fascination is a product of the vast amount of knowledge that we have about them from the countless art pieces, sculptures, tombs, literature, writing scrolls, artifacts, clothes and other things that we have been able to uncover and preserve. Moreover, the material that I have acquired in this Humanities class, not only has broadened my knowledge and understanding of those civilization, but also has forged strong connection with them. We know so much about their daily lives: the way they govern; the way they conducted their religious and burial rituals; the gods they worshiped, the tools they used, and even the way they bonded with each other. It feels like these civilizations never left us. They are still part of us as much we are part of

The museum holds an impressive collection of pottery from the Greek era (575-500 BCE). The pottery of the ancient Greeks with their intricate forms and elaborate decorations are truly awe-inspiring. The painted decoration in the pottery is the work of a laser beam guided by a highly sophisticated computer programming. The lines flow with extreme precision to form a perfectly shaped images. Moreover, the materials (paint, wood, clay, etc.) they used to create these astatically pleasing pieces are of quality that we have not seen in modern time. Those potteries have been subjected to the most extreme geological condition for thousands of years. Yet, they are still holding strong to their breathtaking appearance, showing little to no sign of decay or deterioration. They stand tall, filled with pride as to convey a message of respect and admiration for the artists that had created them (See image V). That message resonated strongly with me as I have emerged a transformed person with much deeper appreciation and admiration for the artists that created them and the civilizations that inspired those artists to flourish to produce such high quality of work.
The Lowe Art Museum is an important cultural venue in South Florida and is really a wonderful cultural resource which is global in its view and reflects the community aspiration to be one of the premier venue for art enthusiasts. This is evident with the community hosting of contemporary art during Art Basel and monthly events