By: Kristin E. Holmes | The Inquirer.
The serene room with violet walls and views of Fairmount Park is a milestone in the 43-year history of the Please Touch Museum.
For the next seven months, the space will be part of an exhibit about Muslim culture around the world, from its architecture, music and art to clothing and food. It marks the first time that the West Philadelphia children’s museum has explored a religion so comprehensively, even providing a prayer room for the visiting faithful.
Petra Watson, a mother of four from West Oak Lane, knelt inside the prayer room during a preview of “America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far.”
“I see myself here,” Watson said as she emerged. “I see my family and my community.”
And that is the point, said president and CEO Patricia Wellenbach. The exhibit, which opens Feb. 2, reflects a larger effort by the museum to “reimagine” its role, address contemporary social issues, and host events that reflect the region’s diversity, she said.
In the 5,000-square-foot exhibit, children will be able to experience Muslim culture, to trade rugs at a Moroccan marketplace, wrap themselves in colorful Senegalese fabrics, and weigh spices in an Egyptian vendor’s stall.
Objects from a typical Muslim home including prayer rugs and clothing are on display, along with a Quran dating to 1852 on…
