Maridon again shows off its treasures
Visitors once again can view the Maridon Museum's samurai doll exhibition in real life rather than through a screen.
The Butler museum, at 322 N McKean St., opened June 10 for physical visits, said Roxann Booser, the museum's executive director.
The reopened museum's hours will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
“We have been preparing to ensure extra precautions while still allowing you to comfortably explore our collections,” she said.
Booser said visitors to the museum should be wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Hand sanitizer will be available.
The Samurai Doll Collection, which was prepared for display shortly before the mandatory COVID-19 virus closures in March, has not been seen by many.
“So we are excited for visitors to view these ornamental Japanese dolls for the first time,” Booser said.
The exhibit is slated to remain until August.
The next exhibit is still in the works, Booser said.
In addition to art, activities will return to the Maridon with the opening of the museum.
“Mahjong games will return,” she said. “Some people are a little hesitant.”
Also returning will be dharma talks on July 9.
Cynthia Marshall is an ordained Zen Buddhist chaplain who leads the Butler Buddhist Sangha, which has the open dharma talks at The Maridon Museum.
Dharma talks, lessons based on the words of Buddha about love and compassion, are one form of community outreach at the museum, she said, adding meditation is nondenominational.
“We are going to be offering it by Zoom for those who may be uncomfortable in a group setting,” Booser said.
The book club, with an emphasis on Asian books, to scheduled to meet again next month.
The Maridon, which opened in 2004, is the only museum in Western Pennsylvania with a specific focus on Asian art and culture coupled with German Meissen porcelain.
The Asian art collection includes jade and ivory sculptures, tapestries, landscape paintings, scrolls, and artifacts.
The Maridon's permanent collection includes over 800 art objects that date to the Neolithic Period (2nd and 3rd millennium B.C.), as well as a set of 6-foot by 8-foot ink-on-paper scrolls by the contemporary Chinese artist, Wan Qingli, which were painted in 2002.
Three hundred pieces of Meissen porcelain are also included in the museum's collection. Many works date back to the early 18th century.
The museum — both the building and the art collection — are a gift of the late Mary Hulton Phillips, a longtime Butler philanthropist, who died in 2009.
