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Violence In Egypt May Put Walters Art Museum Exhibit In Jeopardy

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The violence in Egypt could put a future exhibit at the Walters Art Museum in jeopardy.

Andrea Fujii explains that curators hope an invaluable artifact can still make its way to Baltimore.

Egyptian turmoil has spilled from the streets into museums.

Last week Cairo's Egyptian Museum was looted, damaging two mummies.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, the Walters Art Museum is hoping the country's prized possessions stay safe.

"It's scary for the people and also for the monuments, and so we're all monitoring the situation," said Gary Vikan, Walters Art Museum

The museum already has one of the top four Egyptian collections in the country. In 2014 they're hoping to have the first exhibit devoted to the creation myth of Egypt centered around three scrolls called "The Book of Fayum."

The Walters Art Museum already has one section, New York has another, and the third is in Cairo.

The current Egyptian Minister of Antiquities promised the museum their 2,200-year-old scroll, but a different regime could change that.

So the museum will wait with the rest of the world to see what happens, while in the meantime visitors enjoy the Walters' current artifacts.

"You see all these amazing things and realize how easily they could be destroyed," said Audra Alexander, museum visitor.

"It really does connect us, not only to that great civilization, but what's going on right now in Cairo," said Vikan.

The current Egyptian exhibit runs Wednesday through Sunday and it's all free.

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