Newswise — For families looking for summer activities providing the perfect mix of fun and education, the Petra: Lost City of Stone exhibition on display through August 15 at Calvin College, provides the best of both worlds.
The exhibition allows families to truly experience Petra, as over 200 artifacts highlight the ancient Middle Eastern city's history, art, architecture, engineering prowess and importance in a critical part of the world. Included is a virtual tour of Petra, which provides a 360-degree look at the Petra site.
Children can test their archaeological skills at the Al Beidha excavation site at the Prince Conference Center. At this specially created dig site, children can unearth artifacts, pottery shards and even a few bones, under the direction of a real-life archaeologist.
As part of the many events connected to the exhibition, Calvin College will present Scheherazade and the world-premiere Petra Ballet from July 21-23 in the Calvin Fine Arts Center Auditorium. The Petra ballet is inspired by the ancient city and its culture. The premiere performance, created by Grand Rapids Ballet artistic director Gordon Peirce Schmidt, will accompany a special encore of Scheherazade.
Then, on August 5, Calvin offers the Mezze and Music event in the Sultan's Tent at the Prince Conference Center. Guests will enjoy "Mezze," Arabic for hors d'oeuvres, as well as two hours of live entertainment by the talented Jordanian singer Emad Batayeh and his band.
The Petra Grande Finale on Saturday, August 13 includes an afternoon festival and an evening concert. This great bash will be held in the Sultan's tent of the Prince Conference Center from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will feature a host of vendors, providing Middle Eastern goods, souvenirs, jewelry, music, books and even non-perishable groceries. There will be stations of all types, including henna art, caricature, as well as dance and a Dress Petra photography station where families are able to dress up in Middle Eastern garb and take home a complimentary photo from Calvin College.
Petra is at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the third and final leg of its U.S. journey. Many of the 200 exceptional objects in the show are on display for the first time in North America.
Organized by the American Museum of Natural History and the Cincinnati Art Museum, and presented under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, Petra is the first major cultural collaboration between Jordan and the United States. Air transportation generously provided by Royal Jordanian. The lead, local sponsor for Petra is Huntington Bank, West Michigan.
For more information about the Petra: Lost City of Stone exhibit, running through August 15, 2005, at the Prince Conference Center, contact Calvin College at 616-526-7800 or 800-PETRA05 or see http://www.calvin.edu/petra.
Exhibit hours area Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 9 pm. The exhibition is closed on Sundays.
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