Meadows Museum at SMU

Have you ever been to the Meadows Museum? I hadn't even realized that it was there until recently. It's right on the campus of SMU. It opened in 1965 and was a gift to the university from Algur H. Meadows, a Texas oil man. He began collecting Spanish Art in the 1950s and eventually donated it all to the museum.

The entrance to the building. The building is a work of art in itself. The white sculpture at the top of the stairs is called "Sho" by Juame Plensa. It's a sculpture of a female head. It's pretty cool.

Just outside the building is this piece of artwork called "The Wave" by Santiago Calatrava. 

When you walk in, there's this beautiful staircase to the second floor. There were two special exhibits there. Both were photography exhibits that were pretty cool. But also up here are permanent galleries.

The painting that you see on the landing at the top of the stairs is called "The Immaculate Conception" by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Apparently that was a popular painting topic. There were several versions of this in the museum by other artists. 

At the top of the stairs you are greeted by this lovely statue called "The Three Nymphs" by Aristide Maillol.

There's also a porthole window that offers a nice view of the campus.

On one side there is a room full of these beautiful altar pieces. This one is called "Altarpiece of St. Peter" by Martin de Soria. It was done in 1480. It's 545 years old. Holy cow!

One of the photo exhibits was called "Roaming Mexico" by Laura Wilson. This is one of her photos. It's a mother and child in a border camp in Sonora. Her photos were great.

On the other side of the building were rooms displaying the beautiful Spanish paintings. Paintings are my particular favorite type of art. 

This is called "Still Life in a Landscape" by Pablo Picasso. 

Jacob Laying Peeled Rods before the Flocks of Laban (1665) by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. You can't tell by this photo but this painting took up a good portion of the wall. It was huge!

Saint Justa (1665) by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. I really liked this one.

It's a small museum but it's got some really nice paintings. It's $12 to get in and they are open Tues - Sat from 10 - 5 and Sunday from 1 - 5. They have a parking garage and will validate, so check it out!

The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is a cool museum that is just outside the West End in downtown Dallas. It was started in 1984 by a group of Holocaust survivors who settled in Dallas. In 2005, it moved from the basement of the Jewish Community Center to a rented space in the West End. In 2019, it moved to its permanent location. The museum is open everyday from 10 - 5 except for Tuesdays. It is $19 or $17 for seniors 55 +. If you're going to go, make sure you set aside enough time.

We went on a Friday and it was relatively busy. We also underestimated how much time we'd need to really see everything.

It started out with a little movie that talks about hatred, the holocaust and human rights in general. They don't just discuss the persecution of the Jewish community but also gays, blacks and...well, anyone not white.

When the film is done, you walk up some stairs (or you can take the elevator and skip this part) and at each landing there's another little discussion.

On this last landing before you go into the main room, there are family photos of  Jewish people that survived. The photos are all from BEFORE the Holocaust. 

When you go through the doors, you start off with Hitler's rise to power. The things that he did really resonate today in the current political climate.

There's is also a film that gives you a pretty good summary of Hitler's rise. It's interesting to be sure. At several of the stations, there are options to listen to a survivor's personal account. I did not anticipate that these accounts would be available and we did not allow ourselves enough time to take it all in.

All of the Jews in Europe at one point had to wear the yellow star on their clothing. These are the various types based on location.

They also have a World War II boxcar. Boxcars were essential to the "final solution" to move the Jews from their homes to the concentration camps. It's very eerie to step inside. 

On the other side of the box car is a list of the various camps where the Jews were taken. Again, you have the option of listening to personal accounts from survivors. 

These are actual uniforms that were worn by survivors. To the far left is one from Auschwitz worn by Aaron Rozenberg. The middle one is from Mauthausen worn by Ilso Loeb. The third one is from Offenburg worn by Victor Moravcik. All three prisoners were liberated.

Obviously we have to go back, and we will. But for now, it's a glimpse of what you can expect. We didn't even have a chance to look in the Human Rights Wing or the Pivot to America Wing. In addition, they have special exhibits that we, once again, didn't have a chance to check out.

Learn from me and plan your time. When we go back, I'll have updates! Enjoy..