Featuring early 20th century German Christmas and New Year’s decorations, Christmas in Relief, a new exhibit on the ground floor entry hall of the MSU Museum, will be on display to the public until Jan. 31.
The pieces come from the personal collection of the museum’s Curator of History, Val Berryman, and are made from die-cut, heavy paper that is pressed into three-dimensional forms.
In addition to prints, the exhibit features a variety of original works of art and wood carvings revolving around the theme of Christmas.
Lora Helou, the communications director for the museum, said Berryman creates a different exhibition every year for the museum that centers around a specific theme.
“(Berryman) has a special interest in depictions of Santa and holiday related artifacts,” Helou said. “He’s been collecting Christmas items for close to 30 years, so he has a huge collection to work from.”
In the past, Berryman’s exhibitions have featured international depictions of Santa, with masks and holiday art from Russia, Europe and Japan, Helou said.
This year the exhibit consists predominantly of old advertising memorabilia, which have been turned into decorations for the common household.
“(The pieces are) not only nostalgic, but you also get a sense of how elaborate and elegant they are,” Helou said.
History senior Joe Foster volunteered with Berryman for the majority of last year.
“Working with Val (Berryman) was a blast,” Foster said. “He’s a really smart guy, and he does a great job with everything behind the scenes at the museum.”
As the clerk for the museum’s merchandise store, Foster was able to view the exhibit on its opening day and said he enjoyed Berryman’s pieces.
“The whole setup is really cool, and it’s a great holiday exhibit for people to come see,” he said.
Wanting an inexpensive way to expose her students to history and art, Ann Krest, a first- and second-grade teacher at Attwood Elementary School, 915 Attwood Drive, has planned a field trip to the museum Wednesday to view Berryman’s exhibit and several others currently on display.
The field trip will be an introduction to the class’ second social studies unit, which covers the history of Lansing and the holiday traditions of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Each student will arrive with a list of questions and tasks to follow as they travel through the museum.
“We do it every year, and it’s a great way to introduce them to what history actually is,” Krest said. “Our students can’t afford that much, so we look for things that are practically free, that way we just have to pay for transportation.”
The MSU Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, but there is a suggested donation of $5 for adults.
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