museum of religious arts

I visited the museum on the recommendation of a friend of mine. It was wonderful. The museum was displaying various versions of the nativities from around the world. While this is a temporary exhibit, there seemed to have literally hundreds of interpretations of the Nativity. There is a section where the various scenes of the life of Christ are displayed. And the figures are life sized which makes it more real. One can't help be moved by the display. There is also a section of drawings from the Holocaust made by someone interred in the camps. This is a sobering but moving exhibit. To say the least this museum is not to be missed. There are also displays outside such as a pond with a Jesus and Peter entitled Jesus walking on the water and also a display of the three crosses on a hill. The only distraction was there were 3 dogs from a neighboring farm that came on the property and were growling and appeared threatening. While they did not come near me, they followed me back to the main building growling the entire way. Beyond that it was a perfect visit. I HIGHLY recommend this stop to anyone and everyone.

The Museum of Religious Arts opened in April of 2001 and is located Out in the beautiful countryside of Southwest Iowa just east of Missouri Valley, Iowa or a little north of Omaha, NE just east of I-29. Even though I have lived not far from the Museum this was my first visit. I was certainly impressed by the size and number artifacts the Museum contained. It is a large beautiful building that sits along Highway 30. Since I grew up in a very Catholic family I was very impressed with the number of items that reminded me of my childhood parochial upbringing. When I visited it was Chreitmas time and I have never seen so many different nativity sets in one place. There are artifacts from all over the word that date back into the early 1800's. They have several paintings that were done by the young artist Akiane, the internationally know child prodigy who did her beautiful paintings of Christ and others at the age of 8 years old. Akiane made a personal appearance at the Museum I 2004 which drew over 2000 visitors. The Museum has a tunnel that leads you through the life of Jesus with lifelike figures that will bring a chill to anyone who is a believer in Christ. The Museum has a little gift shop and the staff is very friendly. I only wish I would have gone to see it sooner. The admission fee is only $5.00 and they offer a group reduction for more than 15 persons. It is a great way to reminisce about the past or to learn more about religion. I highly recommend this little trip not far off of Interstate 29 in Iowa!