Palmer Museum of Art and Lion Shrine

"The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what is in between."

On June 6th, 2012 we visited the Palmer Museum of Art and the Lion Shrine.  Before we went to these landmarks, as a class we asked ourselves a couple of questions in order to try to observe.

What history can we discover?
How many toes does the lion have?
How big is it? (comparison to people, lay on it, stand next to it, shoulder to shoulder, how many can fit on it)
--> compared to real lion?
--> shadow?
--> yard stick?
Whats the texture like?
What is the environment around it?
Who is there?
Why the location?
Distance and time (in footsteps)?
What are the emotions?
What are some memories?
What are the people there discussing?

As a group, we discussed some things we wanted to be aware of while recording our journey..

• Landmarks
• Nature
• Events 
• People
• Animals
• Smells 
• Taste
• Buildings
• Streets
• Sidewalks
• Paths 
• Signs
• Smells

As we traveled to the museum, we recorded our observation by a variety of ways.  Becca audio recorded, Julia took notes and observations in the field notebook, Kortney took pictures, and Taylor video recorded.  We took the back path to the museum so we could record some more observations.  It was interesting to make this trip, even though it was short.  During our brief walk, we picked up on many things that we may not have observed before.

Before having this class, it would be a completely different walk to the Art Museum.  We would have been talking to a friend or texting while making the short trip.  Today, we took the time to notice the variety of things going on around us.  We would notice the different architecture around the campus, along with who made it and why it was there.

At the museum, we noticed how the two paws were constructed differently.  One of the paws hung over the concrete base, while the other sat completely on top of it.  While we were at the museum Becca stated, "Of all the times I have been here, have been taking pictures, or just walking past, I have never noticed how the paws looked different from each other.  I always just figured they were the same size and in the same position, but today I noticed how they differ."  We discussed how it takes us to be told to document in order for us to notice specific things about our environment that we are in everyday.  However, we noticed on the way to the Lion Shrine that we are becoming accustomed to being more aware of our environment around us.  We noticed "small" details such as the lighting and shadows on buildings, the texture of structures, who designed structures, the people and objects around us, the noises we hear, and the different smells around certain areas on campus.  We also noticed the types of people that were walking through the campus.  It was no longer all college students, but instead people going for a walk with daycare children or business men and women walking past us.  Instead of the usual Penn State attire, you saw people walking in dress clothes in order to get to a conference or their everyday jobs.  We noticed the different types of trees that were planted around the campus and how it made the campus look brighter than it usually does throughout the school year.  We noticed how many tourists came to specific spots on campus as well.  There were not many tourists around the Palmer, but instead there were more at the Lion Shrine.

As a group, we discussed how it has become second nature to be aware of our surroundings, even when we are not in class.  As we continue to walk through campus, more and more details are becoming more apparent that we have never noticed before.  We are looking forward to learning more about our campus that we have been walking through everyday for two years!