DIA

Museum Blog

            I visited the Detroit Institute of Arts on April 19, and although it is not my first visit to this museum, it is big enough to spend longer amounts of time in areas you have previously avoided when visiting. During my visit I spend the majority of my time in the Egyptian exhibit. The impact of this exhibit is overwhelming, seeing hundreds of artifacts from a civilization that prospered almost 2000 years ago can be hard to grasp, and it is incredible knowing each artifact has its own personal story attached to it. It can be somewhat disheartening to see artifacts from foreign lands on the complete opposite side of the world; and when one encounters these artifacts it is hard to ignore the fact that they might be better off in their country of origin. The accessibility of the DIA is a bit of a letdown. The entrances are poorly labeled and it can be hard for first timers to find the appropriate entrance, as there are many side entrances that for some reason do not allow visitors to enter through. Once inside things are also poorly labeled, and the museum becomes a maze if you do not have a map. I even find myself lost with the help of a map and it is my fourth visit to the museum, so I can only imagine the difficulties one might have if it is their first visit to the museum.