Eight floors of interactive displays, rare tablets, manuscripts and collapsing columns
When Museum of the Bible opens its doors on November 17, just three blocks from the US Capitol building in Washington DC, guests will enter through two towering, 12-metre-tall gates, each weighing more than 12 tonnes.
Made of bronze, the so-called “Gutenberg Gates”, created by artist Larry Kirkland, bear the first 30 verses of the Bible in Latin as found in the Gutenberg Bible, the first major work created using the printing press. However, the text is in reverse, as in a printing plate, so that visitors can create souvenir rubbings.
The giant gates serve as a dramatic introduction to a museum of biblical proportions. Over eight floors, covering 40,000 square metres, visitors are encouraged to engage with the Bible through its extensive collection of rare tablets, scrolls, manuscripts and printed books. It’s been estimated that it would take 72 hours to read every placard, see every artefact and experience every activity.
Created at an estimated cost of $US500 million, the museum located close to the seat of US power is the brainchild of Christian philanthropist Steve Green, the president of arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby, whose lightning-fast acquisition of artefacts has created controversy. Earlier this month, the museum hosted a scholarly panel discussion about the rigorous process used to create content displayed in the museum and answer questions about its collection practices, some of which have been challenged.
The board of directors has also engaged a nationally recognised authority on cultural heritage preservation, attorney Thomas Kline, to advise them on cultural property, governance and museum operations.
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Image: Artists impression of the Gutenberg Gates. Courtesy Museum of the Bible.