Penn Museum

What do you do when the museum show you've been planning for 18 months loses out on the very Chinese artifacts it was supposed to showcase, including two mummies? You build "dummy mummies" - as the curatorial consultant called them - that look as close to the real thing as possible. That's what the enterprising staff at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has done, as the museum continues to negotiate the display of the antiquities with the Chinese government.

Negotiations to obtain necessary releases to allow the display of Chinese antiquities in a major Penn Museum exhibition are under way in Beijing, according to a curator and other sources in Philadelphia. The artifacts, including two mummies, were to form the heart of a blockbuster show that will open with great fanfare Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - although without its most intriguing objects. "There are very high-level discussions taking place right now," Victor H. Mair said Friday.

Where does the Silk Road run? Not through Philly, apparently. The highly touted exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, featuring mummies and artifacts from China, will open as planned this weekend - only without the Chinese mummies and artifacts. Chinese officials informed the museum that the "Secrets of the Silk Road" exhibition pieces could not be displayed in Philadelphia despite having been shown in California and Texas, said Darien Sutton, a museum public-relations coordinator.

The scheduled opening of the "Secrets of the Silk Road" exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will go on as planned Saturday, though the stars of the exhibition won't be on display. At least for now. The museum announced Wednesday that the highly anticipated show - its first with advance ticket sales - "has been modified, and will open without artifacts and mummies from China, at the request of Chinese officials," according to a news release.

During his 20 years as a Philly-based FBI special agent, Bob Wittman is credited with recovering nearly a quarter-billion dollars worth of art. That's a lot of Monet. Wittman will return to the scene of one crime, the Penn Museum, for the first public appearance related to his book Priceless, which hits stores Tuesday. He and his coauthor, Inquirer reporter John Shiffman, will be set up at 6 p.m. next Tuesday beside the 19th-century Chinese crystal ball stolen from the museum in 1988 and recovered in 1991.

On Saturday, Penn Museum will present the 21st Annual Celebration of African Cultures, honoring the traditions of Africa and its Diaspora. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the celebration will feature music, dancing, storytelling, arts and crafts, games, culture, and more. At 11:30, Momma Sandi will tell stories that combine songs with movement and rhythm. Children and their families can create their own African-inspired masks from noon to 2, and they can create and play the African game of mancala from 11 to 3. Rashida Watson from Silk Tent will give a show-and-tell talk on "The Meaning of Beads" from 11 to 11:45.

Beer experts - among them the author of the new book Uncorking the Past - will bring ancient ales to life Thursday at the Penn Museum, with a lively discussion accompanied by ample quaffing. "If people want to taste the oldest chemically attested alcoholic beverage in the world, 'Chateau Jiahu' from 7000 B.C. China, this may well be one of their few chances," said Patrick McGovern, biomolecular archaeologist at the museum and a leading authority on ancient fermented beverages. He will be joined by Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Del., maker of Chateau Jiahu, which won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival last week in Denver.

Look, up by the world's third-largest known sphinx: It's a 6-year-old from New Jersey! It's Batman! No, it's a 6-year-old from New Jersey dressed as Batman! "They're just costumes," said Owen Riley of Riverton, on this day better known as the Caped Crusader. "We've got lots of them at home. " It's exactly that kind of modesty that makes a hero super. Miniature avengers swarmed the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology yesterday to attend its Superhero Day. The festivities were the museum's contribution to the Penn Libraries' yearlong "POW: Comics, Animation, and Graphic Novels" program.

An annual celebration that brings African artists, storytellers, musicians, and dancers to the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is planned Saturday. This year's 20th annual event will incorporate popular performers of past years and introduce some new talent. In addition to dance, members of the Habiba Studio ensemble will offer instruction "for those brave enough to get up there and wiggle their hips," said Pam Kosty, spokeswoman for the museum.

The Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will host its 28th annual Chinese New Year Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The celebration will pay tribute to the Year of the Ox, which represents the Chinese zodiac symbol of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. During the celebration, families can participate in calligraphy classes, workshops, an acupuncture facial-rejuvenation lecture, and both tai chi and Falun Gong demonstrations. Featured entertainment will include performances by the Penn Chinese Dance Club, the Mei Mei Dancers and PanAsian Dance Troupe, and the Jade River Dance Company, along with an Eastern vs. Western musical instrument comparison.