Need to find something to do this weekend? Folsom and El Dorado Hills offer plenty of options.
Museums
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Topix: Museum News
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Music, museums and plays on tap for weekend
5 Feb 2010 | 7:31 am -
Great Museums: An Acquiring Mind
5 Feb 2010 | 1:34 amThis GREAT MUSEUMS special examines the prolific tenure of Philippe de Montebello, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's longest serving director, who guided the acquisition of more than 84,000 works of art for the museum. -
Best Bets
4 Feb 2010 | 6:43 pmBonnie Denton, Musician 1st Class with the U.S. Coast Guard Band, will be featured artist with the Tri-County Symphonic Band at a concert in Mattapoisett Sunday afternoon. -
2010. 2 .5 MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
4 Feb 2010 | 12:42 pmWATERGATE GALLERY, Nonhyeon-dong To Feb. 20: Julian Schnabel New Paintings. Julian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker who has received international recognition for the paintings and award-winning films he s made over a 30-year career. -
Arts: the week ahead
3 Feb 2010 | 10:28 pmALL MY SONS Directed by David Esbjornson, this "Sons'' is Arthur Miller at his fiercest and most unflinching, with standout performances across the board, especially by Karen MacDonald as a woman closing her eyes to one hard truth while concealing her knowledge of another.
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Guggenheim Museum News
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New Fine-Dining Restaurant Opens in Guggenheim Museum
29 Jan 2010 | 9:46 amNew Fine-Dining Restaurant Opens in Guggenheim Museum Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, the Wright opened to the public on December 11, 2009, in the space formerly occupied by the Guggenheim Cafe. Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, the Wright opened to the public on December 11, 2009, in the space formerly occupied by the Guggenheim Cafe adjacent to the rotunda on Fifth Avenue at 88th Street. Open for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch, the… -
Kandinsky Retrospective Helps Set New Attendance Record for 2009
25 Jan 2010 | 10:14 amKandinsky Retrospective Helps Set New Attendance Record for 2009 Record-breaking attendance at the museum has been recorded for 2009, the fiftieth-anniversary year of the landmark building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Record-breaking attendance at the museum has been recorded for 2009, the fiftieth-anniversary year of the landmark building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Over 1.3 million visitors came to the museum this past year, enjoying groundbreaking exhibitions such as The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860–1989; Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward; The Sweeney… -
The Guggenheim, as Seen in Touchstone Pictures' "When in Rome"
20 Jan 2010 | 11:57 amThe Guggenheim, as Seen in Touchstone Pictures' When in Rome Kristen Bell stars in the upcoming movie about an ambitious young New Yorker who is disillusioned with romance. Kristen Bell stars in When in Rome, opening in theaters January 29, as an ambitious young New Yorker who is disillusioned with romance. On a whirlwind trip to Rome, she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (played by Danny Devito), a street magician (Jon Heder), an adoring painter (Will Arnett), and a self-admiring model (Dax… -
Guggenheim Documentary Airs on WNET/Thirteen on Sunday, January 24
19 Jan 2010 | 11:29 amGuggenheim Documentary Airs on WNET/Thirteen on Sunday, January 24 Art, Architecture, and Innovation: Celebrating the Guggenheim Museum will air on public television in the New York City tristate area on January 24 as part of Thirteen/WNET’s SundayArts afternoon programming. It will be rebroadcast on WLIW21 that same day. Art, Architecture, and Innovation: Celebrating the Guggenheim Museum will air on public television in the New York City tristate area on January 24 as part of Thirteen/WNET’s SundayArts afternoon programming. It will be rebroadcast on WLIW21 that same day. Produced for… -
Winners of Global Design Competition Visit Guggenheim
29 Dec 2009 | 7:22 amWinners of Global Design Competition Visit Guggenheim The winners of this summer’s Design It: Shelter Competition visited the Guggenheim Museum and Google offices in New York on Thursday, December 17. From left: David Eltang, Ulla Sylvestersen, Sara Caria, and David Mares in front of the Guggenheim The winners of this summer’s Design It: Shelter Competition—an online competition that asked participants to create and submit designs for virtual 3-D shelters using Google SketchUp and Google Earth—visited the Guggenheim Museum and Google offices in New York on Thursday, December 17. As…
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Smithsonian Mag: Around the Mall
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Phytoplankton: The “Biggest” Little Guys in the Ocean
8 Feb 2010 | 10:19 amThe Amphisolenia quadrispina, which Hedrick saw in a sample sent from the Bay of Bengal, is a species of phytoplankton rare on this side of the Atlantic. Courtesy of Sharyn Hedrick. When we recently heard about a “huge” find made by Sharyn Hedrick, a phytoplankton taxonomist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, we wanted to see it—except, we couldn’t. The phytoplankton, Amphisolenia quadrisipina,that turned up in Hedrick’s lab, while really large by phyto standards, was only about 600 to 700 microns: just smaller than the… -
Snow Day: Natural History and Air and Space Are Open Today
5 Feb 2010 | 11:55 amA snowman in front of the Smithsonian castle -- courtesy of Ryan Reese Ok, this is getting to be a little silly. After getting over two feet of snow over the course of the weekend, closing all museums yesterday, we are expecting another 8-16 inches of snow this afternoon! But savor the window of snow-less freedom, as today, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum are open on the mall! Stay tuned to this space for more information about closings tomorrow and possibly Thursday. So, since snow is so much prettier when you’re not walking in it, please… -
Celebrate the Super Bowl Smithsonian-Style!
5 Feb 2010 | 6:15 amIt has recently come to my attention that Super Bowl Sunday will be happening this weekend. I’ve never had any athletic inclinations myself, so this has just always been the weekend when tortilla chips and all varieties of canned beans seem to magically disappear from my local supermarket’s shelves. (It’s also the one time of year where I anxiously anticipate watching television commercials—but I’ll usually wait until they pop up on the Internet.) But let’s face it, if you’re stuck with a group of football fanatics, it’s no fun being the odd person… -
An Interesting Look at “Lists” at Archives of American Art
4 Feb 2010 | 12:41 pmRealist painter Adolf Konrad's "Packing List." Image courtesy of the Archives of American Art. I am an obsessive list maker. Everyday I have a “to do” list. I usually mark the most important tasks with asterisks, or number them according to priority. When I’m contemplating my next move, I retrace the words until they are pressed into the paper. And when I’ve done a “do,” I cross it out, as opposed to checking it off. (It’s strangely more satisfying that way.) Being a word person, my “to do” lists, naturally, are expressed in words, as I assume most are. But I… -
Bon Voyage, Tai Shan!
3 Feb 2010 | 3:23 pmThe dreaded day has come folks—Tai Shan (né Butterstick), the four and a half-year-old panda will depart for Wolong’s Bifengxia Base in Ya’an, Sichuan today, February 4, by way of FedEx. (Yes, apparently they have panda-sized envelopes.) Though sad for us, the little guy may not be too despondent over going to a panda research facility where he’ll (hopefully) help bolster the panda population by making a few babies. And did I mention that he will have a traveling companion? Mei Lan, a 3-year-old female panda from the Atlanta Zoo. May their romantic trip high above the…
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Creation Museum News
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Knee-High Exhibits Open
9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amThe first set of knee-high exhibits is now open at the Creation Museum! Kids can jump right in at the entrance to the Walk Through History portion of the museum. Children (and adults) can explore Critter Canyon, where they will find many surprises and interactive exhibits. Look high and low so you don’t miss a thing, and when you see a funny-looking handprint, investigate! You can place your hand on the handprint in two places in the canyon to see something amazing happen. After checking out the canyon, you will enter the dig site room. Three new activities await you here. First,… -
Creation Museum Closed Today
9 Feb 2010 | 6:51 amDue to a Level 2 Snow Emergency in Boone County, Kentucky the Creation Museum will be closed today, Tuesday 9, 2010. If you are in the area please stay safe and enjoy the snow! -
Why Compromise Biblical Authority?
7 Feb 2010 | 8:00 amThis presentation deals with the compromise that Christians make in trying to add millions of years to the Bible, and the different ways they try to do that. The “day-age” theory, Progressive creation, Theistic evolution, and the Gap theory are dealt with in some detail. Then, using quotes from evolutionists, we show that the evolutionists themselves know that evolution is a faith-based religious system. The talk finishes by asking “Why compromise?” and discussing some of the consequences of compromising with the religion of evolution. Presented at 12:00 on Tuesday, February 09, this… -
February Snow
6 Feb 2010 | 7:38 amSnow fell over Cincinnati last night and blanketed the grounds of the Creation Museum. Cold dinosaurs huddled near the Petting Zoo. The Nature Trails could be admired from afar. The grounds crew worked hard to keep paths clear! Be careful where you walk. Birds stayed close to the bridge. (Yes, they are topiaries.) Snow started to fall, off the lampposts. A trail to adventure? -
An Astronomical Event
3 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pmThe first Stargazer’s Night of 2010 will be offered on Friday February 19. This amazing evening will start out in the Stargazer’s Planetarium with Dr. Jason Lisle. The evening will likely be cloudy (based on Cincinnati’s winter weather), so we’ve planned for an indoor session. This time will feature an amazing trip through time and space as Dr. Lisle utilizes the Planetarium projector for a live presentation. If you’ve been impressed by the Created Cosmos presentation then prepare to enjoy an evening under the virtual night sky. You’ll be able to…
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Raffles Museum News
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Launch of Underwater World Singapore Tigerfish exhibit (9 February 2010)
9 Feb 2010 | 1:21 amProf Peter Ng was the Guest-of-Honour at the launch of the Underwater World Singapore (UWS) Tigerfish exhibit on 9 Feb 2010. The exhibit is to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Tiger and the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. In support of RMBR’s fundraising to build a new natural history museum, an interactive Fortune Wheel with Chinese zodiac signs has been set up for visitors to make a donation by inserting a $1 coin to activate the Fortune Wheel. All monies collected will be donated to the RMBR. The Fortune Wheel will be up during the first month of the lunar calendar. -
An Introduction to Ophiuroids by Dr Toshihiko Fujita
7 Feb 2010 | 11:38 pmDr Toshihiko Fujita, Senior Curator of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo (Division of Marine Invertebrates, Department of Zoology) will be giving a talk on brittle stars at St John’s Island on Thursday, 18 Feb 2010, 10am. For more details, please click on the image below. -
Christmas Island crabs make waves (The Straits Times, 6 February 2010)
7 Feb 2010 | 4:38 pmPlease click on image for larger view. -
The Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) (JGIS) 2010 Primate Research and Conservation grant award
5 Feb 2010 | 1:15 amThe Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) (JGIS) is inviting applications for the 2010 Primate Research and Conservation grant award. The grant programme will fund S$500 – S$5,000 towards projects related to primate behaviour and ecology, as well as management and conservation of their habitat. Funding will be provided to Singapore-based students/researchers working on primate behaviour or conservation in Southeast Asia. Applicants should have a background in the behavioural sciences, biology, conservation, forestry, ecology or wildlife research and/or be able to demonstrate a strong… -
RMBR launches 5 new shore buttons at first Project Semakau intertidal walk of 2010
5 Feb 2010 | 12:16 amOn 29 Jan 2010, RMBR conducted the very first intertidal walk for the year 2010 for 42 students and two teachers from Methodist Girls’ School. This walk is part of a series of intertidal walks at Pulau Semakau sponsored by HSBC under Project Semakau – a community involvement and conservation project driven by volunteer-based research so as to realise and enhance the island’s value as a nature education and conservation site. Five new buttons were also launched during this trip.
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Bay Area Discovery Museum
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“Conformity and creativity run in separate directions.”
5 Feb 2010 | 12:12 pm“Conformity and creativity run in separate directions.” This lovely sentiment from Martina Skender’s post How to Create Creativity simply states what I think we all feel in our gut. Her article offers tools and techniques for adults to harness their creativity and in her words, “Expand your mind and give it lots of input.” She identifies 3 strategies often used by those in the “creative industry” to jump start their flow. I think these are also tools we, as parents and educators, can use with the children we know. Most adults have been asked to Brainstorm in one context or… -
Striving for Excellence Conference Handout
2 Feb 2010 | 2:45 pmWe had a wonderful time presenting at the 2010 Striving for Excellence Conference. Below you'll see a list of resources generated by the people who participated in our workshop as well as the handout we provided. Resources and Materials: Recycled Materials Communtiy-Donated Materials Clear bin for stroing materials Shower Curtains (Ikea) Squeegies, Sponges, and scrapers Ask kids to help clean-up Shop yeard sales and garage sales Books: Not a Stick by Antoinetter Portis The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater The Dot by Peter Reynolds Books by Leo Leoni Developing Creative Environments… -
World on Stage: Sanhiti
31 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmSaturday, February 6 11 a.m. India is a land of myths and legends, which are told through richly staged performances. Blending traditional and folk traditions, Sanhiti explores the rich diversity of South Indian dance. Buy tickets online. World On Stage Ethnic Performance Series 2010 January 9 – February 27Discovery Theatre, presented by Wells Fargo Members $7; General Child $12; General Adult $14 (includes Museum admission) -
World on Stage: Minoan Dancers
27 Jan 2010 | 4:11 pmSaturday, January 30 11 a.m. In the Mediterranean country of Greece, dancing emphasizes community and customs. Wearing beautifully crafted costumes, the Minoan Dancers exuberantly share their love of dance and of Greek culture. Buy tickets online. World On Stage Ethnic Performance Series 2010 January 9 – February 27Discovery Theatre, presented by Wells Fargo Members $7; General Child $12; General Adult $14 (includes Museum admission) -
World on Stage: Chinyakare Ensemble
20 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pmSaturday, January 23 11 a.m. Chinyakare Ensemble presents the incredibly varied spectrum of Zimbabwean music and dance. Harmonically weaving voices with traditional instruments and dance, they celebrate the beauty and power of southern African culture. Buy tickets online. World On Stage Ethnic Performance Series 2010 January 9 – February 27Discovery Theatre, presented by Wells Fargo Members $7; General Child $12; General Adult $14 (includes Museum admission)
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BEYONDbones
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The Real Blob! The Truth About Slime Molds
8 Feb 2010 | 8:31 amEver heard of a nefarious, amorphous gelatinous mass with a seemingly insatiable appetite, ingesting and digesting anything and everything it comes in contact with? It’s The Blob, right?! Well, as close as you can get and still operate within real-life parameters…the real blob of which I speak is most commonly known as a slime mold! photo credit: Keresh Now, its name is slightly misleading as it is actually not a mold at all. True slime molds form a plasmodium, a big blob with one membrane and lots and lots (think millions) of diploid nuclei – it is really like one huge cell the… -
Magic: The Science of Wonder
5 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pmEd. Note: Scott Cervine is the guest curator for the new exhibit Magic: The Science of Wonder, opening Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 at HMNS – and this is the first post in a series he’ll be sharing with us here. In the days leading up to the opening and throughout the run of the exhibit check back here for exclusive videos and descriptions of the unique items on display. Learn more about the Magic exhibit at the HMNS web site Science is simple….it’s the study of the physical world through observation. Wonder is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by… -
Diplocaulus: The Boomerang-Head Amphibian
4 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pmSuper-sized “Boomerang-head” amphibian from 290 million years ago The Houston Museum of Natural Science has just excavated the complete skull of one of the most bizarre animals that ever lived – the amphibian Diplocaulus. With a head shaped like an armor-plated banana, or an Australian boomerang, this distant kin of today’s salamander is so famous that it stars in most kids’ books on dinosaurs – and in college textbooks as well. The Boomerang-Head (my favorite nickname for the Diplocaulus) was only of modest size – twenty pounds live weight would be an… -
Go Stargazing! February Edition
2 Feb 2010 | 3:12 pmphoto credit: Joshua Bury Jupiter leaves the evening sky this month. You can still see it during the next two weeks if you face southwest at dusk and look for the brightest point of light there. Jupiter sets by 7:30 as February opens, so you must look soon after dusk to see it. However, Jupiter sets earlier and earlier and appears lower and lower to the horizon each February night, and soon disappears into the sun’s glare. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, observers with a clear view of the horizon during twilight can try to see a very close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, which is slowly…
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Biomedicine on Display
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Instruments on display
6 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amMedical museums are usually full with old and new medical science instruments. But they tend to be kept in storage because it is difficult to display them in a meaningful way. It’s much easier to put moulages, pickled organs and surgical instruments on show. Medical science instruments usually need truckloads of description and contextualisaton to make sense in museum displays. (Probably because they don’t ‘talk’, some people would say :-) Neither do many museum curators give much thought to the historicity of their display techniques. How have display practices… -
Dittrick Museum’s blog
5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amSpeaking about Jim Edmonson and the Dittrick Museum (i.e., the medical museum at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland), I’ve forgotten to tell you that they have just launched an institutional blog called — ‘Dittrick Museum’. Follow it here. Welcome to the medical museum blog sector! -
Using Twitter as training ground for exhibition curators
4 Feb 2010 | 7:50 amI just had a long and nice phone conversation with Jim Edmonson at the Dittrick Museum in Cleveland. We talked, among other things, about museum blogging – and Jim claimed, among other things, that writing blog posts is probably a good preparation for writing artefact showcase labels. I agreed in principle, but after hanging up I realised that Jim is both right and wrong. In fact, the best preparation for writing artefact labels isn’t blogging, but microblogging. And if Twitter were restricted to 70 characters instead of 140 it would be the ideal training ground for… -
Hanging Liv Carlé Mortensen’s collages for the ‘Healthy Aging’ show
3 Feb 2010 | 12:00 amAs I’ve announced in an earlier post, we’re opening the next show in the external exhibition area in the Panum Building — titled ‘Healthy Aging: A Life Span Approach’ — on next Monday (8 February) at 2pm. Yesterday, exhibition architect Mikael Thorsted and our own museum assistant Jonas Paludan were hanging some of Liv Carlé Mortensen’s colleages of centenarians: Special curator Camilla Undén removed old texts from the former exhibition (’Primary Substances’): And Mikael was also busy doing some welding angle grinding to adjust the… -
Low budget gift wrapping ribbon model of the GPCR receptor
1 Feb 2010 | 11:30 pmAs Bente writes on our Danish blog (Museionblog), we thought at first that Sven Erik Hansen (former consultant rheumatologist, now guest researcher here at Medical Museion) had a fit of belated Xmas nostalgia when he hanged this ’thing’ made of coloured gift wrappage ribbons in our lunch room earlier today. But it’s actually more museum-related than we first thought. Turned out it’s a play on one of the central images involved in the preparation phase we’re in right now for the next show in our external exhibition area in the main building of the…
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Addison Gallery
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Holy Giacometti!
8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amToday we hear from guest poster Brian T. Allen, the Addison Gallery's Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director, regarding the current state of the art market:Although Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was not an American artist, I could hardly not notice the sale of one of his life-size bronzes for £65,000,000, the most expensive work ever sold at auction (see left). The sale, which took place on February 3 at Sotheby’s in London, speaks much about the chaotic state of the art market in the depths of a terrible economy.I follow the art market closely, both the auction art market and the… -
Carroll Dunham Prints: A Survey opening at University Art Museum at SUNY-Albany
1 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amThe Addison may be closed for renovation, but there is still an opportunity to see artwork from our collection!Our traveling exhibition Carroll Dunham Prints: A Survey, will be opening at its third and final venue on Tuesday, February 2nd at the University Art Museum at SUNY-Albany, NY. The show is comprised of over one hundred prints from the Addison's collection of the artist's work spanning the 1980s until the present.I was fortunate enough to travel to Albany a couple of weeks ago to help with the unpacking and condition checking of the objects. The University Art Museum's elegant… -
Mining the Archives
25 Jan 2010 | 3:00 amI recently watched the movie Angels and Demons. As one of my duties here is being the Addison's "archivist," I was fascinated by the way the movie (and the book) depicted the Vatican's archives. A sleek, modern, and highly-secured space deep below ground, the Vatican's archival treasures were neatly arranged in hermetically-sealed chambers designed to keep humidity levels unnaturally low to preserve their ancient texts. Whether anything like this actually exists at the Vatican (or anywhere in the world) is questionable, but it made me think about the Addison's archives, and where they will be… -
Return of the Venus
8 Jan 2010 | 3:00 amAs fellow blogger Jaime DeSimone announced in her recent post, the Venus Anadyomene fountain by Paul Manship that has graced our rotunda for as long as we've been open was to be reinstalled on December 16th. And, as scheduled, Adam Nesbit, objects conservator from Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC), and a crew of experienced art handlers from USArt, led by George Hagerty, arrived that frigid day with the multiple crates containing the fully cleaned and conserved parts for the reinstallation.The crates came into the museum through our new loading dock, which was a treat for me to use. -
The Museum Project Part II: Making Connections at the Peabody Essex Museum
21 Dec 2009 | 3:00 amSince the start of the school year, the Addison’s Education Department has been working with the Kindergarten Prep class at the Children’s Place, a Bright Horizons child care and early education center located on the campus of Phillips Academy, to connect an understanding of the value of museums to the cultural value of their own collections and to learn how to communicate these values to others through display and interpretation.Click here to read Part I of The Museum Project on Blog Addison.The students have been exploring ideas about collections and museums for the last few months,…
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Brooklyn Museum
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More brick
5 Feb 2010 | 9:57 amA view south from the precinct’s north enclosure wall of the whole area where we are now working. At the left are Chapel D and the Taharqa Gate; in the center the paving of the approach to the gate; and in the upper right the two squares we have opened on the high ground west of the gate. (more…) -
Survey and changes after the first year of 1stfans
4 Feb 2010 | 6:19 amGoing into our second year of 1stfans, Shelley and I wanted to do a survey to see how members felt about the first year of the program. We knew that we’d hear a variety of responses based on how people used their membership, but we were determined to see if we could identify any trends that we could use to make changes to the program. Below are a few things we learned from the 35 folks that responded to the open-ended survey we sent a couple weeks ago, as well as two changes that we’re definitely going to make for year two of 1stfans. Concept The most positive thing we heard from… -
The First Harvest in the Wilderness
3 Feb 2010 | 6:16 amValerie Hegarty’s evocation of Asher B. Durand’s 1855 painting The First Harvest in the Wilderness in her benefit print for the 1stfans program adds another chapter to the painting’s already illustrious history. Its story begins in 1855, when the Brooklyn Institute—the predecessor to the Brooklyn Museum—commissioned a work from Durand to add to its newly conceived Gallery of Fine Arts. The money for this painting, as well as the idea for a permanent gallery, came from the late Augustus Graham (1775-1851). A prominent local businessman and… -
Live Tweeting Mummy Wrapping and Conservator Q&A Tuesday!
1 Feb 2010 | 7:58 amIf you were following us on Twitter last June, you probably remember us live tweeting as a group of mummies were taken to North Shore University Hospital for CT scanning. Tomorrow, our conservators are going to be in our conservation lab re-wrapping the “Anonymous Man” (shown above getting his CT scan) to get him ready for display for the Mummy Chamber (pdf) long-term installation opening in early Summer. We’re going to live tweet the process direct from the lab and the conservators are going to answer questions via Twitter as time allows. Should be a fun,… -
The Week of the Brick
29 Jan 2010 | 8:28 amTracing mud brick takes skill, patience and lots of scraping and brushing. It is paying off for Ayman and his team, though. By Tuesday, they had already uncovered quite a bit of brick in the center of the square north of the Taharqa Gate. This is surely the enclosure wall into which the Taharqa Gate was set, but we can’t yet connect it to the gate directly. (more…)
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Children's Museum in Easton
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Best of Winter 2010
4 Feb 2010 | 12:27 pmMy name is Andrea Servidone, and I am a photographer who focuses on family and child portraiture as well as wedding photography.I recently volunteered at the Children's Museum in Easton, where I had the extreme pleasure of photographing children and their families enjoying the many programs and exhibits the museum has to offer. Being a kid at heart myself, I had a blast covering events like Animal Happenings, Friday Frolics, the annual Kids' Holiday Shop, and a few others. It actually wasn't unusual for someone to come up to me and tell me that it appeared I was having as much fun as the… -
New England Winter Road Trips
25 Jan 2010 | 8:17 amReady to get out of your yard? Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, sledding, maple sugaring, skating and winter walks are just more of the great family time activities to be done locally.Weston has a ski trail with rentals available at skiboston.com and Blue Hills in Milton offers night skiing at an affordable rate. Ask neighbors and friends for recommendations for local sledding sites – some golf courses are very open to winter sledding guests.There are many local sites to visit maple sugar houses – we love pure maple syrup and found the process really neat to see up close as we traipsed… -
Exploring Music Helps Kids Learn
18 Jan 2010 | 9:22 amThere is no greater joy for me as a music educator than to see one of my students really "click" with an activity. Whether it be singing, playing with rhythm sticks, "acting out" music, or any of our other creative musical games, what I see in the eyes of my students in those moments is hopefully the beginning of a lifelong love of music. And we know from studies and field research that the enjoyment of music is only the beginning of the benefits!Children who are exposed early to music will gain in reasoning, math, and literacy. Through music from other cultures, they will gain more… -
Backyard Winter fun!
8 Jan 2010 | 8:57 am“Did it snow?” The first words out of my daughter’s mouth in the morning when she’d heard there was a chance of snow the night before. “When can I go play in the snow?” Ever hear those words at your house? There is so much fun to be had outside in the winter. After you’ve built the snowmen, scourer the yard for natural add-ins – my kids raid the gardens and break off seed pods and stalks to make hair and faces for their snow friends. We have made snow forts, snow cars, snow chairs, snow dogs and one March we even made a four foot snow bunny! Start saving those plastic… -
The Waiting Game
30 Dec 2009 | 10:51 amWait, wait, wait. I guess there's a reason they call it a waiting room. It seems I've spent way too much time waiting in doctor's offices lately, and now that it's flu season, an increased amount of children will be going to the doctor's for an increased amount of waiting! But try to look at the bright side: here you have some uninterrupted quality time with your child.Before your child ever has a chance to get sick, head over to the Children's Museum in Easton's doctor's office to have a trial run of a doctor appointment to ease any fears. Take turns being the doctor and patient, let your…
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City of Las Vegas NM Museum
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Raffle Winners
4 Feb 2010 | 3:49 pm2009-2010 Raffle Ticket WinnersFebruary 3, 2010Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Rider Memorial CollectionEndowment FundCongratulations to the winners:1st Prize: Sue Young, Greeley, C0 - $1,000 5year CD @ 5%, Bank of Las Vegas2nd Prize: Elmer J. Martinez, Las Vegas, NM - $750 Cash, Friends of the Museum3rd Prize: Vanessa Padilla, Las Vegas, NM - $250 Cash, Rosemarie Montoya, State Farm4th Prize: Vanessa Padilla, Las Vegas, NM – $200 Suite for Two – Las Vegas Plaza Hotel5th Prize: Hal & Joanne Olafson, Rociada, NM - $100 Gift Certificate, Charlie’s Bakery/Café6th… -
Tom Mix’s View of the West
1 Feb 2010 | 1:31 pmJoin us Wednesday, February 3rd, at 7pm to view "Local Color", a Tom Mix silent film made in Las Vegas, New Mexico around 1915-16. This black and white film of 14 minutes is directed by, and stars, Tom Mix. The theme revolves around a young woman writer from the eastern states who wants to write a story about the West. Her father expects her to personally experience “"local color" of the west before she writes her story. Therefore he sends his daughter by train to Las Vegas where she is greeted by ranch foreman Tom Mix. From this moment on, Tom Mix and his ranch sidekicks, demonstrate what… -
Museum Archives: From Daily Use To Preservation
4 Jan 2010 | 8:51 amThe word archive refers to both a collection of historical records and the place where the records are located. Archives contain primary source documents, i.e., letters, diaries, newspapers, important documents, and photographs. Secondary source materials are stored in the Museum’s “scrapbook,” the Vertical File. Archival records are preserved because of their cultural and/or historical value to researchers and Museum staff.Because these materials are “one-of-a-kind,” they are carefully preserved. When handling this collection, Museum staff wear cotton gloves to avoid transferring… -
Friends of the Museum Raffle — Get Your Tickets Now!
24 Dec 2009 | 10:51 amThe Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum are pleased to announce our Second Annual Endowment Fund Raffle. As a result of past generosity, the current endowment fund balance is over $27,000. We need your help to reach our goal of $100,000 by 2012, New Mexico’s Centennial Year. Purchasing a raffle ticket is one way to support the Museum’s collections, exhibits, and educational programs. Recent projects at the Museum include the development of an interpretive plan and an interactive educational game, Las Vegas Alive!; redesign of the Website; Songs of the Cowboys program; and Scrapbooking… -
Tools of the Trade
14 Dec 2009 | 8:48 amFinish carpenters are fine craftspeople. Not only are their products works of art, their tools are often beautiful, as well. Spokeshaves shape wheel spokes, of course, or any type of long, roundish piece, like a table leg. There are four in the collection: two are a combination of wood with metal blades, two are entirely metal. Draw knives are used to roughly shape a round section. In this area, draw knives are used to clean poles for vigas. The draw knife is also used to approximate a round section to be worked on a lathe. A plow plane has nothing to do with agriculture or flying. It’s…
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conference.archimuse.com
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PhD Residency: Eidnhoven University of Technology: Mixed Reality Systems
9 Feb 2010 | 6:44 amThe Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has the following vacancy:PhD student working on “Control Structures for Mixed Reality Systems” (V34.1039) at the Designed Intelligence Group, Department of Industrial Designhttp://vacatures-v2.tue.nl/Vacature.aspx?Vacaturenummer=V34.1039&Taal=En...Full scholarship (2000-2600 EUR per month) available, no tuition fee.Working language is English.Apply at Ms. J.A.C.L. Braat, personnel department, Dept of Industrial Designphone +31 (0)40 247 5883, e-mail: j.a.c.l.braat@tue.nl read more -
Internships: Museum of the Moving Image, New York
8 Feb 2010 | 3:12 pmINTERNSHIPS SUMMER 2010: June 7 - August 13 Museum of the Moving Image offers full-time, paid summer internships. Under the supervision of department heads, interns have the opportunity to learn about the full range of Museum operations and to work on projects related to the fall 2010 opening of the Museum's renovated and expanded facility. Undergraduates entering their senior year in fall 2010, college graduates, and graduate students are eligible to apply. Internships are offered in the following areas: read more -
Ski trip pre-/post-MW2010?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:57 pmHey, Who's up for skiing in Colorado? Pre- or post-mw2010? Downhill or cross-country? There's supposed to be some great trekking: http://www.huts.org/ Nancy -
ARKive: Images of Life on Earth
8 Feb 2010 | 9:59 amYear: 2010 URL: http://www.arkive.org/ Institution: Wildscreen Designer: Designed in house with help from HP Small Museum: no Why: What is ARKive? ARKive is a unique global initiative, gathering together films, photographs and audio recordings of the world’s animals, plants and fungi into one centralized digital library. ARKive is leading the ‘virtual’ conservation effort creating comprehensive and enduring multi-media species profiles; complementing other species information datasets, and making a key resource available for scientists,… -
British Council Collection
8 Feb 2010 | 8:05 amYear: 2010 URL: http://collection.britishcouncil.org Institution: The British Council Designer: Keepthinking Small Museum: no Why: The British Council Art department have a unique charter: to show their collection of over eight thousand contemporary works of British art, without having a building: it has been defined "A museum without walls". Instead, the British Council organises a comprehensive programme of exhibitions and lends works to other institutions throughout the world to help promote the awareness of its collection. Keepthinking have designed a…
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McKinley Curator
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Peanuts...Naturally
8 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amI just booked Peanuts...Naturally, an exciting new traveling exhibition from the Charles M. Shultz Museum for May - August 2014!Click here to learn more about the exhibit (you will have to click on "Exhibitions" and then "Traveling Exhibibition Rentals"). We will be hosting the smaller version, because the larger version is too big for the Keller Gallery.The exhibit uses Peanuts comics to explore environmental themes, including The Universe, The Elements, Trees Glorious Trees, Charlie Brown and the EPA, and How Does Your Garden Grow?There will be lots of opportunities for science camps,… -
Museum closed today -- Movie Night still on!
6 Feb 2010 | 10:39 amThe museum is closed today and the phone system is acting up so we cannot put a message on it about the movie tonight NOT being canceled! Hopefully you will all check the blog or our Facebook page for more information.Apparently by the time the museum would have been plowed out, it would have been too late to open. But we expect the plow to come through sometime today before the movie webcast.So plan to come on out! -
Link to watch movie webcast
5 Feb 2010 | 12:19 pmIf you aren't able to make it to our showing of McKinley Wars, you can view it by clicking here at 8:00 PM on Saturday February 6!If you can come, the cost is $2 per person. We will be screening it in the Auditorium, and our popcorn machine will be churning out snacks for purchase! It should be a lot of fun! -
Keller Gallery plans 2010-2013
5 Feb 2010 | 12:05 pmI have finalized my list of exhibitions for the Keller Gallery for the next 3 years plus!Drum roll please.......2010 Life in Miniature through February 15 A Stitch in Time (quilt exhibit) February 26 - June 6The Victorian Age (late 19th century artifacts and dresses) June 18 - Nov 21White House Gardens (SITES traveling exhibit) Dec 3 - Jan 20, 20112011Celebrating the Sixties (1960s artifacts) February - MayRock the Green Revolution (cool SITES exhibit about renewable energy -- we will purchase the plans and build it here out of recycled materials!) June - October"Holiday Traditions" (working… -
Dinosaur puzzle cookie cutter!
4 Feb 2010 | 11:38 amCheck out this cool new thing in the Museum Shoppe!I just bought one for my nephew who loves puzzles, dinosaurs and baking! Perfect!
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Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project
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Cathy on a learning curve
5 Feb 2010 | 7:04 amLast year, one of the four young, a female with ring number 010, was found on the ground and taken into care. Ex-rays confirmed that she had a damaged shoulder joint which was inoperable. She would never fly properly again.Either she would have to be put down or be kept in captivity with a view to using her for educational purposes if she seemed up to it.Fortunately, Colin, a local falconer, who had been going to the cathedral over the last few summers to watch and photograph the birds, agreed to take her in and look after her. He applied for all the necessary licences from DEFRA to allow him… -
A World First for Derby's Falcons
11 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am(Update: Enhanced video clip now available- see end of post)Derby's peregrine falcons have done it again. This time it's something so significant that today we've issued a press release to local and national media. In fact, it's a world first - proof on video that peregrines in cities are hunting for food at night. Read on for further details. . .You might be surprised to learn that, until now, there has been no film footage in the public domain to prove conclusively what scientists have long been saying: that peregrines hunt at night in towns and cities.Most readers of this blog will… -
Caaw - that's amazing!
7 Jan 2010 | 10:40 amAfter the last amazing year with 560,000 webcam hits, plus the trials and tribulations of not all our four young peregrines surviving, we kick off 2010 with some exciting news. Yes, ravens have returned to Derby! At lunchtime today there was deep and loud caaw-ing coming from the top of Derby Cathedral's Tower. A pair of ravens were on the highest ledge, and making quite a racket, too. Looking for all the world like an extra-large crow with a rather thick bill, this bird had been seen in a nearby tree by Simon, one of Derby Museums' gallery staff earlier in the week. Normally such a report… -
A good read
24 Dec 2009 | 1:47 amMinor update: Happy New Year! ( We've reset our visit counter to zero.) We've mentioned a few books on this blog over the years but possibly not J A Baker's classic, The Peregrine, first published by Penguin back in 1967 and reprinted many times since then.Writing prose which is still regarded as probably the best to describe a wild bird and the habitat in which it was found, Baker became fascinated by the peregrines that wintered along the Essex coast where he lived.Baker was neither a bird expert nor a professional writer, yet his book captures the essence of the countryside around him. He… -
A different bird for Christmas? (updated)
11 Dec 2009 | 2:41 amWoodcock, Golden Plover, Blackbird and Redwing are all fair game this Christmas, it seems. Whilst many of us in the UK are planning to tuck into a turkey meal on the 25th, Derby's Peregrine Falcons have a more exotic menu lined up.Derby Cathedral Tower is the second highest church tower in England, and a recent visit at the start of December to remove an object blocking one of our cameras revealed a wide selection of prey items are being taken this winter. Many of them are unusual species that most people would not expect to see in our city centre at all. We know that our tower camera was…
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Egypt at the Manchester Museum
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Experiment and Experience: Ancient Egypt in the Present
9 Feb 2010 | 6:06 amMay 10-12 2010 Faraday A , Swansea University Are you interested in ancient Egypt ? Are you interested in ancient technology or crafts? This is a conference where academics, craftspeople and the general public, in fact all those interested in ancient Egypt or in technology can meet and share their common enthusiasm. All ages and abilities are welcome. We have an exciting array of demonstrations and talks lined up for you, from flint knapping to flower arranging, from textiles to ship building, not to mention woodworking, stoneworking, manufacturing ritual clay artefacts, shipbuilding, antler… -
Curator’s Diary, Thursday 4th February 2010
4 Feb 2010 | 9:22 amI have been getting on with some collections work in the last few days, in order to sort and pack groups of objects that are transferring from the general Archaeology collections into Egyptology. This material includes lamps dating from the Late Period to Islamic Egypt, terracottas, and lithics. This week I have worked on sorting and packing the lamps (as you can see in the picture), which were photographed last year by volunteers. Dr Lisa Maher from Cambridge University spent some time last week looking at the Predynastic lithics, and I also had a visit from Dr Amin Benaissa from Oxford… -
Re-Writing Nefertiti: The History and Historiography of Egypt’s most Famous Queen
18 Jan 2010 | 6:26 amDr Joyce Tyldesley 3pm, Wednesday 10 February The Kanaris Lecture Theatre, The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester Followed by refreshments No Charge, all wellcome, no need to book. For details email joyce.tyldesley@manchester.ac.uk For over a decade Nefertiti, wife of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten, was the most influential woman in the Bronze Age Mediterranean world. Suddenly she disappeared, vanishing as if she had never been. With the decoding of the hieroglyphic script at the beginning of the 19th century Nefertiti’s name was restored to scholars but she remained a… -
LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY. EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
11 Jan 2010 | 3:31 am19-21 September of 2010, Cairo – Egypt International Colloquium on Geoarchaeology in Egypt Geoarcheo2010-circular2 Geoarcheo2010-registration -
Curator’s Diary, Friday 8th January 2010
8 Jan 2010 | 6:28 amHappy New Year! This is the first week back in the Museum after the break, with the snow closing Manchester University on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and temperatures registering as low as -17 degrees overnight last night! At the Museum I have been working on the content development for the Ancient Worlds (Egypt and Archaeology) galleries. For Egypt, our current approach is to look at different periods and subjects of Egyptian history and culture through the eyes of contemporary individuals, for example, Egypt in the Late Period through the eyes of the temple singer, Asru – what…
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Exploratorium Explainers
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There Can Be Only One
8 Feb 2010 | 3:28 pmIn the spirit of Iron Chef, the eliminator on American Gladiators, ultimate showdown, and the winter Olympics ice skating competition, Marcus and I decided to finally settle question of which one of us owns the anti-gravity mirror exhibit now and forever. With all due respect to the dude with the stache and the mini-fro in the “Palace of Delights” documentary (considered to be the Dr. J of mirror battles), a new generation of performers has entered the Exploratorium explainer program. So continuing the analogy and channeling the spirit of Micheal Jordan vs. Dominique Wilkins, we… -
Bright Black Studio
7 Feb 2010 | 10:25 pmOk so I want you to look at this square and tell me what color it is. It looks white right? Really really white? What if I push this button? Now what color does this square look like? Here’s the youtube of the creation of a studio space built to resemble the bright black exhibit (or is it?) -
The Super Stool Stalking Scheme
5 Feb 2010 | 6:02 pmSo Lianna and Anne R. gave me the idea this morning that we should study the movement (or lack thereof) of the stools in the museum. After checking with Sylvia, Anne, and Eric R. I present you with the Super Stool Stalking Scheme! Over the next couple of days, I’ll be putting colored sticker-dots on as many stools as possible. The dots are going to be on the legs of the stools, so you can see the dots as you walk by them. They’re covered with a piece of scotch tape so hopefully they won’t fall off easily and the tentative color-key is below. I have three goals for this… -
H 2 Oh yeah!
28 Jan 2010 | 8:11 pmBecause I love to hydrate, and because San Francisco has awesome water quality, I take many daily trips to the tap. Just lately I’ve noticed that our cold water has been coming out of the tap quite cloudy in appearance. The cloudiness looked to me like it was just coming from the tiny bubbles that would rise to the surface and dissipate after a few minutes, leaving “normal”-looking clear water. I assumed these air bubbles were caused by a change in pressure in the pipes, but wondered what had caused the change. Luckily, we live in San Francisco and our city has the… -
Science of Cocktails
21 Jan 2010 | 12:14 amSo we spent some time tonight exploring the science of cocktails. I got to work with Don from the Teacher Institute and learned a lot about density and alcohols from him. I also got to practice my pousse-cafe making skills. (Pousse-cafe turns out to be French for “pushes coffee”… basically it’s equivalent to our term “chaser”) Above is a picture of some Pousse-cafes, which have dense, sugary grenadine as the bottom layer, followed by creme de menthe, island punch pucker, midori melon, orange curacao, and sloe gin, and topped off with tequila (which is…
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Indianapolis Museum of Art
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What’s in a Web Site: Collections Search
9 Feb 2010 | 6:34 amNow that the new IMA web site is live, we want to take time to introduce you to some new features over the next few weeks. Rob gave a behind the scenes look at many of these features last week, but we’ll be going into more detail. First up, collections search. Search is available on every page on the site. We created rich menus for the navigation of the website. Under the “Art” menu item you’ll find we’ve added a collections search box. This makes the collections available from every single page on the website. Overview of the collections search page. Upon… -
The Pharmacy
8 Feb 2010 | 6:25 amThe Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia. 38 Years of Super Bowl Commercials Blog: 38 Years of Super Bowl Commercials Let’s face it- the day after the Super Bowl is usually spent talking about the commercials. Whether you loved or hated what you saw last night, here’s your chance to relive 38 years’ worth of ads. Not a blog, per-say, but enjoy none the less. ArtBabble Video: Mildred Howard: Abode- Sanctuary for the Familia(r) For this video the San Jose Museum of Art sat down with artist Mildred Howard to talk to her about her 1994 artwork… -
Sunshine on the Diary of a Mad Horticulturist
5 Feb 2010 | 6:01 pmWe took a walk around the Art and Nature Park Wednesday afternoon. There was some sun but it was surprisingly chilly. What a change from what it was several years ago before the Grounds Guys started doing all the removal of weedy shrubs and trees. Wildflowers like Anemonella were up in multiple places but the animals were far more attention-getting. Saw several feathered and furred creatures on the river – a great blue heron (twice), mallard and bufflehead ducks, and three beavers. One beaver was quite unperturbed by my presence as I hung back to try to get some better shots. I started… -
Not a last minute blog post
4 Feb 2010 | 5:37 amI’ve written similar posts in the past. It’s usually when I realize I’m supposed to blog at the last minute, so I scramble for some inspiration and typically end up recapping some of our current projects. Fortunately, The Nugget Factory projects are usually pretty cool. You may have heard, that we softly launched the new IMA website on Tuesday? Well, we were kind of busy with that recently. But we’ve kept our eyes on a couple of other projects, including a major video documentary. You may recall our first major documentary, on Maya Lin which we debuted on ArtBabble. A… -
So You Think You Can Blog, Crystal Hammon?
3 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amWe challenged America to submit to be the IMA’s next top blogger and America answered. Over the course of the next month, we’ll post the finalists in the IMA’s “So You Think You Can Blog” contest. After we’ve posted all five entries, we’ll let our blog readers vote for the winner. This week: Meet Crystal Hammon. If I want to become part of the IMA’s blogging team (and I do), I’m supposed to write something about myself and the best anecdote or experience I had at the museum. What is best? Best for you to read or best for me to have? I don’t know. It’s…
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Museum Anthropology
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Darwin on St. Catherines
9 Feb 2010 | 7:25 amA really fun story about David Hurst Thomas' recent experimental work on St. Catherines Island off Georgia. His team is testing evolutionary ecology models looking at foraging and maximizing energy.(Thomas, as no doubt many of you may know, is an esteemed curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History. Many of you may not know that Thomas is now serving on Museum Anthropology's -
Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology
7 Feb 2010 | 7:21 pmVery cool news about the renaming of a museum and a most generous donation:"California State University, Chico’s Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology will have a grand opening and dedication Thursday, Jan. 28, that introduces an exciting new exhibition and pays tribute to the contributions of professor emerita Valene L. Smith to the field of anthropology.The museum officially changed its name -
Nigerian Repatriation
2 Feb 2010 | 8:47 amAnother interesting example of international repatriation, of objects held in France returned to Nigeria. This return could be the beginning of more, as clearly some are calling for a more systematic and complete approach to repatriation for these kinds of objects: "In the keynote address entitled, Towards a Strategy for Curbing Illicit Trafficking and the Return of Cultural Property, which was -
University of Delaware's Permanent Collection
2 Feb 2010 | 8:30 amAt a time when many university museums are struggling, it is exciting to read that the University of Delaware is investing in a new home for its permanent collection. What a great experience for students, and what an opportunity to exhibit new materials! -
Repatriation Coordinator Position
1 Feb 2010 | 8:40 amThe University of Massachusetts Amherst seeks a Repatriation Coordinator to oversee compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The position is a three year 12 month lectureship in the Department of Anthropology, starting at $53,762.50. The Repatriation Coordinator directs a small part-time staff and teaches two courses a year that complement the offerings of the
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Museum Exhibit and Design News
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Make it Multitouch Workshop at Museums and the Web Conference
3 Feb 2010 | 2:54 pmFor the second year in a row, Paul Lacey and I will be hosting a workshop entitled Make it Multitouch at the Museums and the Web conference. Normally, I try to avoid sequels and over the last few years I have delivered one-time workshops on RSS, mashups, and even online video editing. Multitouch is different. As emergent technology, it has the potential to fundamentally change the way visitors interactive with exhibits and eventually the Web itself. This year Paul and I will have a few new things to share. Most notably, we will show a new experimental LCD multitouch table table (a… -
A peek inside the 100″ multitouch table
3 Feb 2010 | 1:12 pmWe continue to see interest in the EM Spectrum multitouch exhibit that we developed with Adventure Science Center late last fall. The exhibit was featured on the popular Engadget blog and our video on YouTube just this week surpassed 40,000 views. Today, I posted a case study about this exhibit on the ExhibitFiles website, under Space Imaging: Multitouch Multiuser Exhibit. In addition, we’ve decide to post a couple of pictures showing the inside of our 100″ multitouch table on the Ideum Flickr page. Hopefully, these new posts will help explain more about how the exhibit was… -
The Social Dimension: Interactive Exhibits for the Floor and Web at UVIC
2 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pmAt the end of March, I will be teaching a blended (online and in person) course for the Cultural Resource Management program at the University of Victoria (UVIC) in British Columbia. The course is entitled The Social Dimension: Interactive Exhibits for the Floor and Web. A blogged about this a few months ago, now I’m busily preparing for this course Here’s a brief course description…. Computer-Based Interactive exhibits are now commonplace in museums, and many of these same institutions have developed online exhibits as well. While the technical requirements and design… -
GestureWorks 1.1 & Open Source Gesture Library
29 Jan 2010 | 4:41 pmWe’re excited to announce the release of GestureWorks 1.1 and our open source gesture library! Ideum first released GestureWorks back in December. We’ve recently implemented some performance enhancements in the latest version to further improve a software that was already the best multitouch development environment for Flash. Part of ensuring that GestureWorks continues to evolve as a rich development environment is the release of the gesture library as open source. Since gestural interfaces are such a new development, there is a strong need to keep part of the framework open and… -
True Multitouch with Adobe Flash
20 Jan 2010 | 4:46 pmSince Adobe announced support for multitouch back in November, there has quite a bit of confusion surrounding Flash multitouch support. Recently, we downloaded an example from Adobe’s site to try out the built-in support for ourselves. Adobe unveiled some multitouch examples using the built-in support found in the beta releases of Adobe AIR 2 and Flash 10.1 Adobe MAX back in November. A YouTube video of the presentation from Adobe MAX shows the limitations of the multitouch currently found in Flash 10.1 and AIR 2. There is no support for multiple simultaneous gestures. In other words,…
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Elkhart County Historical Museum
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Make an After School Valentine at the Museum
9 Feb 2010 | 8:16 amDrop by the museum after school this Friday, February 12th from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. to create a valentine from the Gilded Age. Decorate a heart-shaped cookie to give to a loved one or to enjoy as a delicious after school snack. -
Photos from our Terrific Trains Program
3 Feb 2010 | 8:28 am -
Upcoming talk to cover Wakarusa's milling history
28 Jan 2010 | 8:20 am -
Photographs from the 2009 Cemetery Tour
26 Jan 2010 | 12:00 pmThe following images are from the Museum's cemetery tour held last October at Gracelawn Cemetery in Elkhart. The guided tour featured costumed actors who portrayed the deceased. Special thanks are due to the volunteer actors and Pat Johnson who helped develop the tour and select the grave sites. A similar format will be followed in 2010, but with visits to different graves and historic figures! The date and time has not yet been determined. Photographs courtesy of Breanne Judson. -
Photographs from Quilt Study Day and Exhibit Opening
25 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pmSpecial gratitude is due to the Material Girls Quilt Guild, Donna Kooistra, Janette Dwyer, Bob and Marilyn Judson, and our many volunteers. Thank you!
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Exhibit Files Blog
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ExhibitFiles Bits: a new way to share
5 Feb 2010 | 1:31 pmAlways meant to post a case study or review but haven’t quite gotten around to it? We still hope you will – but meanwhile, there’s another way to share even a small bit of information or experience. It’s easy to upload an image, or link to our Flickr images or videos on YouTube and add a quick observation or question. You can respond to other Bits with your own images, too. Along with Bits there are other enhancements to the site that will make it easier to use. Icons in the Comments feed on the main page help you quickly find the newest Bits, with their associated… -
Heart warming
3 Nov 2009 | 4:40 amThe Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo received ASTC’s Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience last week for Klima X, an exhibition about human-induced climate change. Among the exhibition’s striking features: large blocks of melting ice that represent the melting Arctic icecap, and the yellow boots vistors put on before they enter. Jon Haavie shared a case study of the exhibition on ExhibitFiles in March. Jon encourages us all to visit before the exhibition closes December 31. Congratulations, Jon! -
Pure gold
31 Oct 2009 | 9:25 amExhibitFiles members gathered in Forth Worth October 30 to celebrate the growth of the community and its collective resources over the last year. Tom Nielsen of Tucson and Jason Jay Stevens of San Antonio received this year’s “golden” awards in recognition of their recent contributions. Tom wrote in July about his recollections of soap bubble exhibits at the Exploratorium. “‘Exploratorium’, I think, nails it—exploration for the joy of it, up to your elbows in soapy water, shoulder to shoulder with other visitors. If there are discoveries, if there is… -
ExhibitFiles in Fort Worth
16 Oct 2009 | 10:03 amIf you’ll be in Fort Worth for the ASTC Annual Conference, please come to the ExhibitFiles Happy Hour on Friday, October 30, 5:00-6:30 pm, at Shula’s Bar, in the lobby of the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel (cash bar). We’ll be recognizing some of the outstanding contributors to the site over the last year. KC Cole, author of the recent biography of Exploratorium founder Frank Oppenheimer, also will be there to give a signed copy of her book to an ExhibitFiles member who’s helped keep Frank’s memory alive in a post on the site. Between now and then, we hope you’ll… -
Remembering Frank
27 Jul 2009 | 11:53 amA new biography of Frank Oppenheimer by K.C. Cole is out this summer, just in time for the Exploratorium’s 40th anniversary. We invite the ExhibitFiles community to help celebrate – and to take time to revisit and reflect on Frank Oppenheimer’s exhibit philosophy and practice. Over the next three months, contribute a case study or review of an exhibit that was developed by Frank himself, or in his spirit. Then on October 30, at the ExhibitFiles Happy Hour at the ASTC Annual Conference in Fort Worth, we’ll recognize the most highly rated contributor with a copy of…
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Exhibitricks
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ExhibitFiles Launches "Bits"
5 Feb 2010 | 1:47 pmThe already excellent ExhibitsFiles (a community site for exhibit designers and developers to share their Reviews or Case Studies of exhibits or exhibitions) has added a new tab to its homepage called "Bits." Bits gives you an opportunity to provide, well, just a quick "bit" of information like a picture or video or Flickr link that introduces a cool exhibit idea or something you'd like to get feedback on. Not quite as detailed as submitting a Case Study or Review (although, c'mon isn't it time you've submitted one of those to ExhibitFiles already?) So why not do your "bit" for… -
Exhibits Exchange: Give Old Exhibits A New Home!
3 Feb 2010 | 6:06 amEveryone knows what happens to new exhibits --- visitors and staff marvel at their shiny good looks and cool new technology and interesting content ideas and graphics. But what happens to old exhibit components after an exhibition gallery closes? Unfortunately, many perfectly functional exhibits simply end up in a dumpster or tucked into a dank corner of a storage warehouse for years because most museums focus on making new stuff, not repurposing old stuff. And that's a disgrace for a field that piously beats the green design/sustainable exhibits drum all the time. (Not to mention that during… -
Museum Exhibit Design Toolkit: An Erector Set for Grownups
29 Jan 2010 | 4:44 amHere's a quick one to explore:80/20 Inc. is a company that sells aluminum T-slotted framing that they call "The Industrial Erector Set."And just like an erector set, the 80/20 pieces let you quickly put together 3-D realizations of your exhibit designs. Since the T-slotted framing sections assemble quickly, changes are much easier to make than welded frames, so the system is also great for playing around with physical prototypes.Check out the 80/20 website for images of project examples! Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. -
Exhibit Graphics Toolbox: Shape Collage
23 Jan 2010 | 10:09 amShape Collage is a great FREE on-line (or downloadable) software tool that lets you arrange pictures from your computer (or online photo stashes) into shapes or words.Even better, Shape Collage lets you tweak the shapes, backgrounds, clickability of images as much as you would like. (The image at the top of this posting gives you a simple example of some of the interactive features.)This is a great application that definitely goes into my Exhibit Graphics Toolbox!Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Free… -
Exhibit Design Toolkit: Off The Shelf
19 Jan 2010 | 5:21 pmSometimes (especially in these tricky economic times) adapting a well-designed "off the shelf" item to an exhibit purpose can be a real budget saver. Whether to provide an additional tabletop interactive in a larger exhibition, or as a collection of simple, portable exhibits for outreach, I've found the items listed below to provide good foundations for simple open-ended exhibit components.Each idea below is followed by a short example set-up description and relevant web link(s).All the materials (including laminated graphics/labels) can easily fit into standard-sized plastic storage bins…
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Digital Heritage
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Small Updates
24 Jan 2010 | 6:06 am‘Curators in Residence’: Hidden archaeological sites and ‘virtual curating’ Since October I’ve been away on research leave working mainly on my “‘Curators in Residence’: Hidden archaeological sites and ‘virtual curating’” project in Veria, Greece. This project focuses on archaeological sites that exist ‘out of sight’, beneath modern developments (usually blocks of flats). These archaeological remains are found during construction processes and due to their archaeological significance they are preserved in situ,… -
3Ms Exhibition Group 4 – Your Manchester
14 Dec 2009 | 1:40 amYour Manchester Your Manchester We wanted to create a reflexive exhibition that would make people think about their own relationship with Manchester, and consequently go out and explore the city. Each member of the group chose an aspect of Manchester which appealed to them, the objects represent this. By presenting a variety of objects and ideas, our exhibition appeals to a wide audience and creates a starting point for further exploration of the city. By looking at the objects the viewer can create their own dialogue with the city. Installing the Exhibition We wanted viewers to fully engage… -
3Ms Exhibition Group 3 – Unveiling Voices
11 Dec 2009 | 6:33 amUnveiling Voices: 21 Perspectives of Manchester Unveiling Voices During Preliminary discussions we focussed on Manchester as an international city. The student population of Manchester University alone at present consists of 7,400 international students. We became interested in preconceptions of those unfamiliar with the city and how these changed upon visiting and experiencing Manchester. We also considered hidden elements of Manchester; places which people had discovered whilst staying in the city. This was also extended to popular and well known attractions which, when mentioned in… -
3Ms Exhibition Group 2 – The Multi-Story City
3 Dec 2009 | 2:45 amAssembling the display collage Manchester: The Multi-Story City “It is impossible to think of cities without thinking of buildings…Buildings are powerful and complex symbols, important landmarks on those mental maps through which we make sense of the urban world. But such symbols are not permanent, they change over time.” The cultural biography of an object is the process of consumption that the object undergoes once it has been made. These processes of consumption result in the creation of social lives of objects that are both processual and relational; as they are continuously… -
3Ms Exhibition Group 1 – The Lost Stage
23 Nov 2009 | 1:12 amThe Lost Stage being installed We knew from the start that we were keen to exhibit something of Manchester’s hidden layers, peeling back time to show something lost, something that spoke of Manchester past and, therefore, of Manchester present. As discussions focussed on the ‘dramatic’ changes in Manchester in the 18th and 19th Centuries, the lost theatres of our city emerged as our subject, reflecting something of Manchester’s social history. We also felt it would appeal to our audience, the staff and students of the School of Arts Histories and Cultures. Our exhibition…
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Digital Campus
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Episode 51 – The Inevitable iPad
28 Jan 2010 | 10:58 amJennifer Howard of The Chronicle of Higher Education joins the podcast as the regulars give Dan a rest and Tom takes a turn at hosting for the first time. On the morrow of the big Apple announcement, the Digital Campus crew offers its thoughts on the possible impact of the iPad for teaching, publishing, and research. In other news, the Cornell library asks fellow institutions to pony up to help with costs of maintaining ArXiv.org, Flickr Commons closes its doors to new members until 2011, and publishers make more money by dropping copy protection. Also mentioned on the podcast: Monty… -
Episode 50 – The Crystal Ball Returns
14 Jan 2010 | 12:02 pmFor our golden anniversary podcast, regulars Tom, Mills, and Dan look into their crystal ball to see what the future holds for 2010 and the coming decade. We also look back at the biggest stories of 2009 and the prior decade. Via Twitter, we also share prognostications from our very smart audience. Running time: 1:01:18 Download the .mp3 -
Episode 49 – The Twouble with Twecklers
7 Dec 2009 | 2:57 pmDoes Twitter make conferences more productive, less hierarchical, and more friendly, or does it just give new voice to confidence-crushing comments from the peanut gallery? Steve joins Mills, Dan, and Tom to talk about the phenomenon of “twecklers” and Google’s efforts to speed up the Web, including a SPDY internet protocol, a new DNS (Domain Name System) service, and a new systems programming language. And, by popular demand, we bring back our picks of the podcast. Links mentioned on the podcast: Danah Boyd on Twecklers Conference Humiliation from the Chronicle of Higher… -
Episode 48 – Balkanization of the Web?
24 Nov 2009 | 10:33 amWhat will be the impact of the loss of non-Anglophone books in the revised Google Books settlement? How about the loss of News Corporation content in Google’s search? Or the loss of physical books from the library? And what exactly does the loss of tens of thousands of editors mean to Wikipedia? Mills, Amanda, and Dan discuss these changes to our information environment in a special Thanksgiving edition of the podcast. Links mentioned on the podcast: Revised Google Books Settlement News Corp. Weighs an Exclusive Alliance With Bing Report: Wikipedia losing volunteers Syracuse University… -
Episode 47 – Publishers Bleakly
11 Nov 2009 | 1:01 pmOn this podcast we’re delighted to introduce another two “irregulars,” Jennifer Howard, a writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Josh Greenberg, the director of digital strategy and scholarship at the New York Public Library. Jennifer and Josh give us terrific insights into the challenges that digitization and open access are posing to libraries and publishers, and speak of new models that are emerging out of the chaos, including coalitions of publishers and the Internet Archive’s BookServer. Links mentioned on the podcast: Research Librarians Discuss How to…
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Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins
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All the World's a Stage
8 Feb 2010 | 7:42 amFrom Greek tragedies to modern-day musicals, the theater has been a part of the arts for centuries. All the World’s a Stage: Theater and Costume, a new exhibition of works on paper, explores theater’s impact on artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. The walls of Gallery P27 are graced by prints and drawings by artists such as Eduoard Manet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Marc Chagall and James Ensor. A large two-piece set by León Bakst dominates the space (see above). Measuring 4 x 6 feet, the panels are placed on opposing walls. Each one contains three characters from The Martyrdom of St. -
Winter Wonderland
14 Jan 2010 | 2:25 pmWith all the recent snow in Kansas City, one might think that the Sculpture Park hasn't seen to much activity lately. Well, I can't confirm it but there are rumors that dozens of children used the east side of the grounds for sledding and other winter games last week. With school cancelled throughout the metro area, the Park was packed with kiddos, parents and even some furry friends. Personally, I prefer the Sculpture Park in any season but winter. Unless I am behind the glass of the Bloch Building with a beverage of choice in hand. But I'm glad the Park is able to provide entertainment all… -
Nelson-Atkins Holidays
22 Dec 2009 | 1:02 pmThe holiday season is usually pretty hectic around here. Staffers completing last-minute projects before vacation, the Museum Store packed with holiday shoppers, budding artists attending Holiday Giftmaking classes and the galleries full of visitors seeking places of quiet reflection in the midst of seasonal madness (and wanting a reprieve from relatives, no doubt). In the spirit of giving, here are some images of how we decoratively express our holiday joy! Eddie Hankins, Maintenance, on his tricked-out floor cleaner. The tree, stockings and family photo ornaments make the Maintenance Office… -
American Indian Story Continues
12 Nov 2009 | 11:54 amOver the weekend, the Museum hosted thousands of visitors for the member preview of the new American Indian art galleries. The new galleries greatly increase space for American Indian art from approximately 1,500 square feet to just over 6,000. The Nelson-Atkins is one of the only comprehensive museums in the US to dedicate that much space to native American art. The new galleries are positioned adjacent to the new American art galleries which opened in April 2009. This bold step establishes American Indian art as part of American heritage and creates an unprecedented continuity and… -
Southwestern Explorations
3 Nov 2009 | 9:39 amGallery 214 is unique. It is devoted to American Art on Paper, and these art objects are often smaller in size, which I have learned is typical of the predominant media represented: lithographs, pastels, etchings and woodcuts. The sizes of earlier prints, particularly those of the 19th and early 20th centuries (pre-1945), were quite likely dictated by available materials, the desire to sell or distribute reproductions, or the desire to create more intimate viewing experiences. I have been told that some contemporary print artists (for example, Tom Huck) are experimenting with larger prints.
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COGAPP
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CSS3 Web Wizardry
4 Feb 2010 | 2:49 amLast Friday I attended a CSS3 Wizardry Workshop run by local front-end web development company Clearleft. The workshop aimed to "blow our minds" with a day long set of lectures and exercises teaching myself and a few other front-end web developers the powerful new additions to the latest iteration of CSS. CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is the language used to determine the presentation of a HTML page. If you've ever viewed a website with CSS disabled then you'll know just how integral this language has become in laying out modern webpages. Browsers today support CSS2 across… -
Codeo hangs up its spurs
1 Feb 2010 | 8:37 amHowdy Pardners, Much like the county fair, all good things must come to an end. So it is with Codeo, our coding competition aimed at local students. Originally started way back in '08, Codeo involved us posting regular programming challenges on our blog, for which entrants would submit their creations in hopes of winning a prize. Initially started as a way for students to engage with the local digital industry and show professionals their skills, Codeo also gave them a creative outlet for the material they studied in their courses (as challenges were devised to complement what students were… -
Brighton Robotics 1st Birthday Party
29 Jan 2010 | 9:51 amA year ago, I attended the launch of the Brighton Robotics group, run by Emily Troop, and yesterday I went along to its first birthday party. The group has been pretty active over the past year, with projects to create a host of swam-bots, as well as organising regular talks and hack nights. The party, organised by Nicola B consisted of around 20 robot enthusiasts turning up at the Skiff coworking space, and constructing drawbots with the aid of excellent kits and instructions created by Steve Pinter. Read moreread more -
Face to face
27 Jan 2010 | 4:47 am2010 is billed to be the year of many things: the tablet (if Wired and PC World are correct), the smartphone (going by some analysts and journalists), 3D TV (according to some) and of course, the Tiger (no relation to Apple's OS though I'm afraid). However, with all the hype and speculation, one trend that will be making its public debut in 2010 that has so far been missed by critics and foreseers alike is the new art of facemunging. Before you recoil in horror trying to dream up the possibilities of what this might be, allow me to elaborate a little. But, in line with the old… -
Two sugars, a dash of milk and some astrobiology
22 Jan 2010 | 3:43 am... that's how I like my coffee. If you do too, then you could do much worse than keep an eye on the calendar of science enthusiasts Café Scientifique. Last Tuesday, Josh and I headed down to Brighton's Latest Music Bar, which was playing host to a talk hosted by the local branch of said science aficionados. Café Scientifique Brighton are a voluntary group united by nothing more than a love of science and a thirst for knowledge. They meet on the third Tuesday of every month (from now on, the third Thursday of every month) and listen to talks they've arranged from guest speakers…
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And Did Those Feet
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I-tours of the City - Museum of the Phantom City
9 Feb 2010 | 10:22 amProject for tours using iphone in New York - the thought is thatthe iphone can replace the “technologically primitive … 19th-century forms of the plaque and the guidebook'this one also gives tours of the City not as it is but as it might have been.Review: Museum of the Phantom City | ICON MAGAZINE ONLINE: "call the “technologically primitive … 19th-century forms of the plaque and the guidebook"Link given to me by Jonathan. -
Bikes and Trains
9 Feb 2010 | 8:03 amHad a real problem trying to get to Worcester with a bike - both Paddington and Euston lines have no space for a bike. Not on any train I can get that day and still do my lecturing.Really, really annoying as bikes and trains go so well together. -
walkit.com — London walking directions from hackney to islington
9 Feb 2010 | 7:48 amThe walking planner site has had a bit of an upgrade - works quite well as long as you do not choose the direct route!walkit.com — London walking directions from hackney to islington -
Upcoming lectures
9 Feb 2010 | 7:44 amI thought these might be of interest: * Foreign Artists in 16th Century London (The Museum of London) Investigating why the likes of Hans Holbein chose to work in London in the 16th Century. on Monday, 1 March at 13:00:00 More details: http://www.lecturelist.org/content/view_lecture/7539?mail=y * The History We've Forgotten: Diplomacy and the Biography of Henry VIII (Queen Mary, University of London) Seminar speaker: David Starkey on Thursday, 4 March at 18:30:00 More details:… -
Tories want a US style philantropy culture for UK Museums
9 Feb 2010 | 7:39 amThe Tories, according to Salon IFA are hoping to move UK museums into a US style culture dependent upon charity rather than public funding.Salon 227 reports:'No quick fix for arts fundingAn incoming Conservative Government would introduce a ‘mixed economy’ for museums, according to speeches made recently by Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. ‘We want to lay the foundations of an American philanthropy culture’, he told a recent ‘State of the Arts’ conference: ‘We would offer five years of funding in return for a commitment to build up endowments, so developing a philanthropy…
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Artiflection
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PhilaPlace
31 Jan 2010 | 6:08 amAfter almost a year of personal anticipation, I'm excited to announce that PhilaPlace is finally here! I had the pleasure of meeting Joan Savarino at the 2009 NCPH conference in Providence and hearing about this project as it neared the final stages of its development. In May, I attended a session at AAM, where my curiosity about this project was further stoked thanks to an intriguing presentation from the project's technical partner, Night Kitchen Interactive. From conception to completion, the PhilaPlace team has made a concerted effort to keep abreast of the latest trends in social history… -
Chicago History Museum and Zoo Lights
14 Jan 2010 | 7:08 amI had the privilege of spending this frozen New Years Eve in Chicago with friends, and being good museum-goers, we started our weekend with a visit to the Chicago History Museum. Since Catherine Lewis's The Changing Face of Public History has become a mainstay of graduate Public History programs, I felt that I already had an introduction to the museum's current iteration. I entered expecting a museum intensely conscious of its audiences and desirous of creating a broad-minded yet still mostly laudatory portrait of its namesake city.My expectations, along with all of their inherent pit-falls… -
Museum of the Chinese in America and New York's Lower East Side
29 Dec 2009 | 6:46 amThe day after Christmas, heavy rain came to wash away all the snow. In New York City, the streets and the air were fuzzy and gray and the people were wet and giddy. It was a perfect day for a visit to the newly re-opened Museum of Chinese in America (MoCA).The Museum boasts a newly-constructed core exhibition and an equally new architectural layout to match. The exhibition is ambitious, but falls short of constructing a coherent narrative. Drawing from the collection of objects and oral histories amassed over thirty years by the Chinatown History Project, the museum's predecessor, the… -
Muppets, Abstraction and TKTS
19 Nov 2009 | 8:41 amThe "Georgia O'Keefe: Abstraction" exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City elevates to the forefront the Georgia O'Keefe I fell in love with years ago while immersing myself in my father's comprehensive Georgia O'Keefe coffee-table catalog. At that time, at the age of 8 or 9, I knew little about O'Keefe's legacies as an iconic feminist southwestern hermit or as a painter of female sexuality. I knew only the gravity of the images she created, especially in the 19-teens and 20s. This gravity is, of course, magnified a thousand-fold by experiencing O'Keefe's paintings… -
Michigan Capitol and Detroit Institute of the Arts
26 Oct 2009 | 2:51 pmI can say now with conviction that there's no better time to visit the Michigan Capitol than on a rainy day with 25 parochial-school 4th-graders from ultra-rural Beal City. Accompanied by a good friend from California, I tagged along on a tour given by a retired special-education teacher who excellently maintained control and interest of both the students and the adults. Together, we learned that the current Michigan Capitol, a grand, neoclassical domed structure, completed in 1878, is the third capitol to house the Michigan legislature. The first capitol was located in Detroit. A new…
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How Learning Comes in to Play
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Explore Shadow Science
5 Feb 2010 | 7:26 amGo for an evening walk with your child and I can guarantee your child will notice shadows. Watch how the streetlight casts a shadow of your image on the sidewalk. Does your shadow move with you? How can you make your shadow bigger or smaller?Capitalizing on children's natural curiosity about shadows was one of the main goals of the original exhibit, Shadow Theater, in the Creativity Connections -
Shadow Play
29 Jan 2010 | 8:00 amOur brand new exhibit, Shadow Playground, opened a few weeks ago. This refurbished, expanded and renamed exhibit in the Creativity Connections Neighborhood came about as a result of numerous observations from our previous exhibit, Shadow Theater. Although the focus of the previous exhibit was about children discovering light and shadows, most observations showed very little interaction in the -
Play to Learn: What It Means for Parents
15 Jan 2010 | 8:00 amThe last three posts have concentrated on a few ideas about what children learn through play as suggested by Dr. Alice Honig in the Young Children journal article, "Play, Ten Power Boosts for Children's Early Learning" (September, 2007). Providing rich and varied play experiences for children definitively has been proven to boost children's early learning (Kaplan 1978; Bergen 1998; Johnson, -
How Did You Welcome 2010?
11 Jan 2010 | 7:23 amCelebrations help us connect to the important people in our lives. The Museum had another successful family oriented countdown to noon celebration to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome the New Year. "Our annual Bubble Bash is truly a family event,” says DuPage Children's Museum's Director of Marketing and Membership Alison Segebarth. “It gives everyone the opportunity to see the celebration through -
Learning to Reason through Play
8 Jan 2010 | 8:00 amThe ability to reason and predict cause and effect are important components needed for science learning. In her Young Children article, Play: Ten Power Boosts for Children's Learning, Dr. Honig labels this,"if-then reasoning," an important skill needed for experimentation and scientific thinking.There are a plethora of opportunities for children to practice "if-then reasoning" through play
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Museum Collections Up Close
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Photographs from the Hill Family Collection
2 Feb 2010 | 1:40 pmThe Hill Family Collection, which includes the papers of St. Paul tycoon James J. Hill and other Hill family members, contains over 8,000 individual photographs and graphic images. In this podcast project cataloger Jillian Odland shares just a few examples of the many photos, drawings, paintings, and posters found in the collection. -
St. Paul Winter Carnival
21 Jan 2010 | 4:52 pmIt’s time once again for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and Reference Librarian Hamp Smith celebrates with a look at Winter Carnival materials in the Society’s collections. Highlights include photographs, personal diaries, marching uniforms, and film footage of the 1916 and 1942 parades. -
Fine Press and Artists’ Books
11 Jan 2010 | 1:11 pmAcquisitions Librarian Patrick Coleman explains what fine press and artists’ books are, why we collect them, and their importance to the culture of Minnesota. Several examples of these important works are shown; all are available in the Minnesota Historical Society Library. -
Minnesotans and the Space Program
2 Dec 2009 | 12:50 pmThis year marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. We commemorate this milestone with a look at some of the Minnesotans who have contributed their talents to NASA over the years, along with some of the space-related objects in the Society’s collection. The space program endures as another legacy of Minnesota’s Greatest [...] -
How Your Library Book Gets to You
18 Nov 2009 | 3:17 pmPatrons of the Society’s library know that it has “closed stacks.” Reference Assistants retrieve your requested books and bring them to you. In this episode, Acquisitions Librarian Patrick Coleman takes us behind the scenes to see where the books are stored, and how they make their way to the reading room.
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Museum Marketing
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Facebook for a Museum – Part 5
8 Feb 2010 | 8:05 amFacebook gives the administrator of a fan pages free statistics called ‘Insights’ to track how people are engaging with them on the social network. Insights will give you up to date information about how people are interacting with your page in a number of ways: Unsubscribed Fans: Insight allows you to track how many people have unsubscribed from being fans of your museum on Facebook. This is an important metric which can give you a clear indication of whether the content that you are posting is appealing to fans. Look out for sudden increases in people unsubscribing and consider changing… -
Facebook for a Museum – Part 4
5 Feb 2010 | 9:28 amOver the past week I have looked at why a museum should set up a Facebook fan page, discussed how you can make this look attractive to potential fans and touched on how to create engaging content. In this article I am going to look at how you can promote your Facebook page to attract fans. Start with your friends: Virally building your fan base starts with your friends, simply click the “Suggest to Friends” link on your fan page and select those friends who you think would enjoy engaging with your museum on Facebook to become fans. You should spread the word internally within your museum… -
Facebook for a Museum – Part 3
4 Feb 2010 | 3:25 amYesterday I looked at how you can create a great first impression with a landing page for your Facebook fan page, and while this will help you to attract fans, you need to have interesting content to keep them coming back. Why does it matter if people come back to your page? Because the more that a person interacts with your venue, the more likely they are to visit in the real world. Update your status: The status updates are one of the most important things about your fan page, because once somebody has become a fan of your museum, these update will appear in their primary news feed. These… -
Facebook for a Museum – Part 2
3 Feb 2010 | 4:17 amYesterday I discussed why you would want to be on Facebook and how to get started with a Facebook Fan Page. Today I want to focus on how you can make your fan page really stand out. Landing page: Adding a landing page on to your fan page is one of the ways which you can make a big first impression for new visitors, big brands like Coke and GAP have been using these for a while. The landing page below is one which my company recently created for the fan page of Seven Stories in the UK. The landing page of the Seven Stories fan page highlights upcoming events, exhibitions and contains book… -
Facebook for a Museum – Part 1
2 Feb 2010 | 7:04 amWith over 300 million active users Facebook is the worlds leading social network, and has even ranked higher then Google as the world most visited website at times over the past twelve months. The chances are that you are a member of Facebook, and as such you have a profile on the social network. Many museums also have a presence on Facebook, these aren’t profiles as you as an individual might have, but a Facebook page (something which is sometimes also referred to as a fan page). Facebook groups v fan pages Facebook allows you to set up two kinds of pages for your museum, either a group or…
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Museum of Life + Science
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QuikPost: Update on our female red wolf
7 Feb 2010 | 9:37 amIt looks like our girl went into estrous today! I saw her this morning with what looked to be some blood underneath her tail. It's pretty remarkable that she started on February 9th/10th of last year, and she's only a couple days off this year. Talk about having a regular schedule!We will keep you posted on the male and female interactions for the next few weeks. -
Nimbus might really love to throw things
4 Feb 2010 | 1:25 pmOr she really hates fake carrots.I have been so super excited to write this post. Way back in September (back when it was warm, I can't even remember what that feels like) I did a very scientific experiment exploring the claim given by a certain rabbit toy that said, "Rabbits love to throw things". I was skeptical, and rightly so! If you haven't seen that video then go back and bring yourself up to speed because this post won't be NEARLY as exciting for you if you aren't. So, yesterday Sherry calls me over to the vet room, where Nimbus the rabbit has been chillin' for a few months. Here is… -
Big Word of the Month: Evaporative Cooling
3 Feb 2010 | 12:11 amThe big talk around the museum lately has been the weather for obvious reasons! Being cold got me thinking about the physics of heat loss, so for this month's BWOM post I thought I would talk about evaporative cooling. When water changes from one state to another energy is either released or absorbed; as water moves from solid -> liquid ->gas energy input is required at each transition.You might think of evaporative cooling as an issue for the summer time. Our sweat glands release moisture onto our skin's surface, which then evaporates and takes away heat energy. This process can be life… -
Winter Wonderland
2 Feb 2010 | 11:47 amHey everyone, I hope you've all had great snow days. There's still a good bit of snow outside here that you can come see (we're open even though schools aren't--although some of the outside is still closed because of ice), but I have more pictures of the fresh snow that Cassidy took on Saturday.Here's a video of the drive from the building up to the top of the boardwalk in the fresh and falling snow:That's Larry and Sherry driving in the other vehicle. The video stops there because Cassidy had to get out to check on Virginia up on the cliff (her boyfriend, Trace, was taking the video, and I… -
QuikPost: Snow Day
30 Jan 2010 | 6:41 amWe're closed. Lots of snow on grounds. Probably around 5-6 inches at this point with more coming. Keepers Cassidy (and her boyfriend Trace), Erin, and Larry made it in- yay!Gus and Mimi bear looked cozy in the cave, Ursula bear was covered in snow. Yona was fine and dandy. Auggie and Duck did a bunch of wandering around in the snow in the farmyard. By far, Max the steer seemed to be enjoying the day the most. He was running up and down his yard, kicking up is back legs, and mooing!Click here to see some photos. (thanks Larry for getting the photos up quick!)
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Museum People
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question about a writing sample for an internship at a museum
7 Feb 2010 | 9:52 pmHi everyone,I'm applying to an internship at a museum and they ask for a writing sample, of course. However when it comes to the directions for length and content the application form states: "One - two writing samples that show your knowledge of architecture or art and reveal your writing style (two pages, single-spaced)."My question(s): Do they want one or TWO writing samples? I'm not sure at all! I emailed and am currently awaiting their formal answer but I just want to know what you guys think. And secondly, they really only want a two page, single-spaced writing sample? Should I select… -
NPS job question
23 Jan 2010 | 5:45 pmhey folkshere's a question for you. NPS jobs only ask for a resumee do they also want a cover letter? or just the resume and the form you fill out on usa jobs. i haven't been submitting them with such but i figured i'ld ask. also if i didn't should i email it to the relevant folks and say OOPS!? -
universal museum
15 Jan 2010 | 9:57 amIs there any definition of "Universal museum" (or "Encyclopaedic museum")? I even did not find it in the declaration. I know what it is, but I need to refer to some official definition (preferably recognised by museum community)Cross-question to museum_geeks -
sacred objects
12 Jan 2010 | 1:06 pmI'm trying to find an overall term for the sacred objects that are in museum funds. Can you suggest something? -
Burning down the cultural heritage...
4 Jan 2010 | 5:08 amI feel ashamed for my country, its irresponsibility for the destruction of our Past and our Culture.The firemen do not put out a fire letting a house (that is almost a museum) burn down. There is no doubt that after menaces that got the inhabitants their house was fired intentionally. Every hour I see a new comment in different lj-communities describing how these people with small children have to struggle with the policemen (minus 20 degrees Celsius below zero outside!) and see how their house is sacrificed as someone decided it was not necessary anymore for being so old-fashioned and…
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Museum Planner
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Tactile Graphics for Museums
8 Feb 2010 | 3:09 amToday, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, an excellent Museum. The Museum makes use of Tactile Graphics in their painting gallery. Tactile graphics are images that are designed to be touched rather than looked at. The content of the graphic is represented by a set of symbols selected to be easily read and understood. Links regarding Tactile Graphics: RNIB National Centre for Tactile Diagrams Tactile Graphics, by Polly K. Edman American Foundation for the Blind American Foundation for the Blind, Resource List Tactile Graphics Website Texas School for the Blind, Tactile Graphics… -
Exhition Review: Museum Pambata
7 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am4 of 5 Stars Posted: February 7, 2010 Museo Pambata Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive Manila, Philippines 1000 Telephone: (632) 523.1797 Facsimile:(632) 522.1246 Email:info@museopambata.org Website: http://www.museopambata.org Admission Price: 100 Pesos ($2.17 USD) Size: approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of exhibits Wheelchair Accessible: Yes My Review: The museum is just doing so many things right! A mobile library An in museum library Fun entrances to spaces Layers of information Spending money on theming as appropriate Including Children’s Art Cultural Galleries Summary: A collecting… -
Volunteer Teaching Ubud, Bali
27 Jan 2010 | 5:01 amI have been been traveling in Asia for almost six months now. The last two months I have been volunteer teaching English and Art here in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Here in Bali everyone belongs to a Banjar, the Bajar is your local village and the Banjar is the local form of government. Each Banjar has at least one temple and also governs the schools. I asked to be introduced to the Kepala Dusan the “Mayor” of the Banjar and expressed an interest in teaching English and Art to the local kids. The Kepala Dusan was very excited and set a meeting for the next day to introduce me to the… -
My Heros
19 Jan 2010 | 8:15 pmAntoine Predock skiing on the roof of one of his buildings. I am sitting on the deck in Ubud, Bali, thinking “who are my heroes?”. Below is a short list. They all are: Free thinkers Live life as an adventure Keep trying, keep pushing Have managed to change the discipline of Art and design. -Mark Antoine Predock - He has combined Architecture, Art, Motorcycles, Scuba, Skiing and Dance, and his buildings are damn sexy! Ingo Maurer - Has combined sculpture with lighting using a atelier structure for his business Gaetano Pesce - An artist /designer, who creates “one… -
Disney Will Give Mickey Mouse a Makeover - NYTimes.com
9 Jan 2010 | 10:23 pmDisney Will Give Mickey Mouse a Makeover - NYTimes.com
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Museums-Now
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National Play Policy?
8 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pmBy Justine Roberts, Principal KaBOOM! is a playground company with a mission (literally, they are a non-profit): to provide play experiences within walking distance for every child in the country. That is an ambitious goal, and has led them to take on some exciting advocacy projects such as their just released report titled Play Matters: Best Practices in Play. Wales was the first country ever to adopt a Play Policy. Published in October 2002, the Welsh Play Policy is a public commitment to providing an environment that supports the right to play, and recognizes the value of children’s… -
Love Museums? We do. Love Animals? We do too. Support Zoos & Aquaria.
1 Feb 2010 | 11:34 amWhew. Museums made it into the jobs bill! Now we gotta help our bretheren in Zoos & Aquaria. According to the AAM, "language contained in the recently-passed House version of the “Jobs for Main Street Act” (H.R. 2847, Sec. 1702) prevents zoos and aquariums from accessing any funds for job creation." Take literally 10 seconds and click here to send a note: http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=aamhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/Museums-Now -
Thoughtful article in Museum: "Are DJs, rappers and bloggers ‘curators’?"
29 Jan 2010 | 4:28 pmN. Elizabeth Schlatter, an expert herself in the realm of curating and museums, wrote a thoughtful article on new twists on "curating". While we don't curate here at Gyroscope in the strictest sense, we create institutions and platforms thata support all sorts of curatorial endeavors. It's a good read: http://www.aam-us.org/pubs/mn/newspin.cfm http://feeds.feedburner.com/Museums-Now -
Been to Chabot Space & Science Center? Take their survey!
28 Jan 2010 | 12:52 pmChabot Space and Science Center is working with Reach Advisors and "other museums" on what people want out of their museum. If you're in the Bay Area or have been there, head over to this link and give them a moment of your time: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A54ZWX2WT http://feeds.feedburner.com/Museums-Now -
A Gift of an Idea
14 Jan 2010 | 12:45 pmJust before the holidays, I received an email about a "New Museum First-Aid Kit" which is "...packed with items every art lover needs, including a New Museum gift Membership." This is a fun idea, and an innovative way to wrap the gift of membership. Yet the costs for this particular "gift" are in the realm of a significant tax-deductible donation to the museum. But it got me thinking. What about beloved museums in the country, large and small, who have unique communities and unique identities... could a nuance of this idea benefit them and help raise funds while also reinforce…
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Nasher Museum Blogs
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Jazz Loft show opens in NYC
9 Feb 2010 | 10:15 amBy Betsy In my mind, jazz conjures an image of smoky bars laced with silken signing and golden trumpets. Now museum visitors can venture back into the jazz world of the 1950s and ’60s with this week’s opening of The Jazz Loft Project at the New York Public Library for the [...] -
The right to free speech
5 Feb 2010 | 12:58 pmBy Laura Sure free speech is a right, but who knew it could also be so embarrassing! Located at the exit of the Masher Museum’s newest exhibition, “Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature,” the Free Speech Booth is both a fun and slightly awkward experience for visitors. While we all love [...] -
Clickety-clack and the Free Speech Booth is back
4 Feb 2010 | 12:26 pmBy Wendy It’s T minus two hours until the opening event for “Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature.” Upstairs at the Nasher Museum, you can hear the clickety-clack of Marianne Wardle’s 35-year-old Kenmore sewing machine. She is very calm, as always, under the circumstances. Marianne is fixing the black skirt for the Free [...] -
Free speech
3 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pmBy Kirstie From the minute I walked in to preview the exhibition “Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature,” I felt overwhelmingly proud to be an American. That may seem ironic considering the slanderous yet utterly hilarious art adorning the walls that attack most recent leaders of this country. It is not [...] -
Free Speech Booth
1 Feb 2010 | 1:36 pmBy Wendy Does the image above make you feel … something? Artist John Cuneo’s work, “Bush’s Final F.U.,” is part of the exhibition “Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature,” opening Thursday, Feb. 4. Visitors will have the chance to react to the show on a webcam at the Free Speech Booth outside the [...]
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National Heritage Museum
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From Boston to Washington, D.C.: Prince Hall Freemasonry
4 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amThe National Heritage Museum’s exhibition, "The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry, and the Architecture of Washington, D.C.," includes the painting seen here, The Good of Masonry Entirely at Heart. The painting depicts the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, which oversees African American lodges in the district. Located at 1000 U Street, N.W., the building was designed by Albert Cassell (1895-1969), noted African American architect, in 1922. But Prince Hall Freemasonry actually got its start in Boston. A leading citizen in Boston’s African American… -
Registration Open--New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism Symposium Friday, April 9, 2010
3 Feb 2010 | 6:00 amOn April 9, 2010, the Museum will present a symposium, New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism, which will explore new research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present day. The keynote speaker is professor and author Jessica Harland-Jacobs of the University of Florida. She will speak on how using world history methodologies furthers understanding of fraternalism as a historical phenomenon.Other presenters from the United States, Canada, and Britain include: Damien Amblard, The City University of New York, “French Counter-Enlightenment… -
American Anti-Masonry in 1880: Edmond Ronayne and the National Christian Association
2 Feb 2010 | 6:25 amIf you know about the history of anti-Masonry in America, it's likely that you know about the "Morgan Affair" and the anti-Masonic movement that followed it, lasting from 1826 until the mid-1830s. But there was another anti-Masonic movement that took place in the 1870s and 1880s, spear-headed by a group called the National Christian Association. Pictured on this 1880 broadside is Edmond Ronayne, a former Freemason who served as both Secretary and Master of Keystone Lodge No. 639 in Chicago. Ronayne traveled to cities across the country, performing what he said was Masonic ritual for large… -
Museum Receives Smithsonian Community Grant To Support “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” April 3-June 27, 2010
29 Jan 2010 | 7:29 amThe National Heritage Museum announced today that it has received a grant from the Smithsonian Community Grant program to support the upcoming exhibition “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” opening April 3, 2010. This competitive grant was awarded to assist in the development and implementation of all aspects of the show from educational programming to promotion. “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” opens at the Museum on April 3, 2010 and will remain on view through June 27, 2010. The exhibition features 100 original artworks, including drawings, cartoons and storyboards that illustrate… -
Do You See Dead People?
28 Jan 2010 | 6:00 amThe National Heritage Museum collection includes over 1,500 photographs from the 1840s to the present featuring people, places, and events, many of them Masonic in nature. One of the most intriguing photographs in the collection is shown here. It depicts a man who faces the camera. Above his head is a ghost-like figure of a woman. Called “spirit photography,” images like this one were often created by unscrupulous photographers who claimed that they had captured the likenesses of deceased loved ones. W.H. Mumler of Boston, who took this photograph, produced this type of image…
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National Museums Liverpool
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Lions and tigers, no bears - oh my!
9 Feb 2010 | 4:33 amLion dancer at the Maritime Museum The Year of the Tiger starts on 14 February but there are so many events taking place to celebrate the Chinese New Year here at National Museums Liverpool that we've had to spread them over several weekends.> The first major event was the opening of the blockbuster exhibition China through the lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 at Merseyside Maritime Museum, which is the first time that this incredible pioneering collection of photographs has been shown in England after touring China last year. It's a stunning exhibition but don't take my word for it - here's a… -
Titanic days
8 Feb 2010 | 1:32 amThe model of the Titanic at Meresyside Maritime Museum. Image courtesy of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. I think the best film about the Titanic disaster is 'A Night to Remember' which I first saw in a Liverpool cinema shortly after its release in 1958. It depicts the ship’s baker, Charles Joughin, who drinks a lot of whisky to help him survive in the icy sea. My aunt revealed that he had lived near her in Grasmere Street, Liverpool, but left his family and went to live in America after the disaster. When the film was made survivors were still around and some advised the film makers… -
February's caption competition
4 Feb 2010 | 7:39 amWhat caption do you think fits? Unless you are from Mars, you are probably aware that Valentines Day is coming up and to mark it I've chosen perhaps a slightly anti-romantic image for this month's competition! Well things do get a bit too sickly-sweet this time of year don't they? So let's go against all of that with this painting by Robert Walker Macbeth, called 'Our first tiff', which hangs in the Walker Art Gallery. To enter the competition, post a comment below to tell us what you think the caption should be for this image. The caption we think is funniest/quirkiest/most inventive… -
Travelling cabinets
3 Feb 2010 | 9:03 amThe second story taken from the archives this week about World Museum, is from 1888. I'm not sure how our curators would feel about sending cabinets of precious specimens out to schools today, but at that time the museum's 'schools loans service' provided a great way for children to learn about different types of artefacts while in the classroom. A portable museum! On 3 February 1888 John H Wood, Secretary of the Liverpool and District Teachers’ Association, wrote a letter to the museum in praise of its schools loan service: "…as a proof of the usefulness of the boxes, that… -
Celebrate Valentine's Day with a special Afternoon Tea
3 Feb 2010 | 8:50 amEnjoy a romantic afternoon tea on Valentine's Day What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your beloved than a romantic meal at the Michelin Guide 2010 listed Maritime Dining Rooms? Enjoy a delicious Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea for two with a bottle of Astoria Lounge Prosecco for only £25. This special offer is only available on Sunday 14 February - see the afternoon tea page for the full menu. The full Sunday lunch menu and children's menu will still be available alongside the fresh new Spring menu. Booking is advisable: to book or for enquiries please call the…
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Science Museum of Long Island
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Science Museum of Long Island 2010 Gala Fundraiser
8 Feb 2010 | 10:05 amThe staff, board and gala committee are in the process of planning our 11th Annual Gala Fundraiser. It will take place Thursday May 13th and the theme is “Casino Night”. Please join us at the Swan Club at 7pm for a great evening of dancing, gambling and dinner. This is the ONLY fundraising event each year. We ask for your support and invite you to come out for a night of fun and socializing with your neighbors while at the same time helping SMLI continue the mission of educating the next generation with a hands-on, interactive approach. You will be receiving your “Save the… -
February Holiday Workshop
25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 amJoin us for a fun-filled week at SMLI! During winter recess from February 15-February 19, the science museum will be having its February Holiday Workshops. Be ready to start your engines on Monday! You will be building and racing your very own car. On Tuesday you will learn tricks with magnets, how sound works, see rainbows, and understand electricity. It will be a “shocking” experience! Don’t miss out on Crafty Science class Wednesday. The projects will include tye-dye, rock jewelry, paper-making, Spin Art, and creating a picture frame that you can take… -
World of Wines: A free Member Appreciation event
6 Jan 2010 | 1:47 pmWorld of Wines, the third installment of the Science Museum’s new Member Appreciation series, is less than one month away. We are gearing up for the free event which will be held at the Museum on Friday, February 5th 6:30 - 8:30pm. All members are welcome to attend this tasting and discussion about wine, from vine to glass. Three experts will discuss eleven wines, including reds, whites, and sparkling varietals from California, Italy, and Argentina. Guests will also learn proper pairing choices and enjoy suggested accompaniments. The evening will include an informative… -
Kindergarten After School Workshops
29 Dec 2009 | 1:41 pmDon’t forget to sign up for the next session of the Kindergarten After School Workshop starting January 4th, 2010. The after school programs are a great way to engage your child by doing fun, hands-on science activities. The Kindergarten workshops have included activities such as exploring the outdoors, excavating fossils, interacting with our amazing animals, and creating silly or shocking science experiments. The new year will bring six new exciting monthly topics! Starting in January, we will be learning about the five senses. This topic includes learning how sound works,… -
Celia LoPinto
29 Dec 2009 | 5:24 amThe Board of Trustees and staff of the Science Museum of Long Island were saddened to hear of the passing of Celia Lo Pinto December 4, 2009.Celia was a founder of the museum in 1963 and helped shepherd this institution from its humble beginnings from a room in the rear of a bakery in Roslyn to its current home at Leeds Pond Preserve.The efforts of Celia and others have enabled us to pass on science to thousands of children, of which many are now practicing careers in the medical and physical science. Thank you Celia, John Loret Ph.D. Dsc Executive
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Singapore's Heritage, Museums & Nostalgia Blog
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The old Ayer Rajah Road
8 Feb 2010 | 4:16 pmThe Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), stretches from Tuas to the west to Keppel at the easternmost. While officially constructed in the early 80s and completed in the late 90s, Peter Chan argues that the AYE, or at least Ayer Rajah Road should have been considered Singapore’s first expressway. The stage to transform Ayer Rajah Road into an expressway was set in the 1960s, when Singapore began to ramp up efforts to build a road network. Peter writes: Ayer Rajah Road was never appropriately considered as the first Singapore expressway when the public road infrastructure project got underway in… -
The tallest building in Singapore!
7 Feb 2010 | 4:52 pmNo kidding. This landmark at the corner of Selegie and Bukit Timah Road once had the record of being the tallest building in Singapore. Of course, that was in 1924, and the record for tallest building has long since passed. What’s the name of this building? Sources are scant, but the Ellison Building is named after ‘a Jewish lady named Ellison’ (that’s all the infopedia had to say). Back in its prime, the colonials used to sit on the roof to catch the races at race course road. Passing by it today, you won’t be able to find any colonials on the roof - but you… -
Should Tiong Bahru’s SIT flats be conserved?
6 Feb 2010 | 4:27 pmTiong Bahru is one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore, and so it’s no surprise that it now holds a special place in Singaporeans’ hearts. Alvin from the Tiong Bahru Estate blog is hosting a discussion on Facebook on whether the post-war SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) flats should be conserved or not: Alvin’s introduction to the discussion: This discussion was motivated by Kelvin Ang, a heritage conservationist, who kept telling me that HDB has done a survey (probably eons ago) that the residents in these Post War S.I.T. flats would like to be part of Selective… -
The day the Queen came home
5 Feb 2010 | 4:01 pmSome readers may have read about the first time Queen Elizabeth II visited Singapore in 1972 (as well as a second time in 1989). On her first trip, she paid a visit to a family in Toa Payoh, at the time one of Singapore’s flagship new towns. Well it turns out that Jerome, the Wondering Wanderer, lived in the very flat and played host to the Queen! As if playing host to the Queen of England wasn’t enough, it turns out that Jerome’s family welcomed a whole host of dignitaries, including former Australian Prime Minister John Gorton and President Benjamin Sheares. Jerome… -
It’s not easy being green
4 Feb 2010 | 4:05 pmSome of you might remember that old school doors used to incorporate panes made of green glass, so taking green glass panes as an indicator of age, you wouldn’t call this door ‘modern’: And yet here it is, lying around Tiong Bahru in the here and now. This is no ordinary door -it’s a “first edition” door and SGalf was very excited when he spotted it. What’s so special about this door? Find the answer here.
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Tacoma Art Museum
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TAM Docents: Open February Shifts
3 Feb 2010 | 2:55 pmHello Docents- I understand that I have been remiss in sending out February’s open shifts. If you are available to take on any of the shifts open below, please let me know. Saturday, February 6 11 am – 3 pm Saturday, February 20 11 am – 3 pm (it looks like I need a regular docent on 1st and 3rd Saturdays – if you are that docent, let me know) That’s it! Thank you, -Jana Jana Wennstrom Manager of Public and Volunteer Programs TACOMAART MUSEUM 1701 Pacific Avenue Tacoma, Washington 98402 T: 253.272.4258 x3030… -
TAM Docents: Tour on Saturday, March 20
3 Feb 2010 | 2:49 pmHello Docents- It was great to see so many of you at today’s lecture! Gaard has graciously agreed to share her notes and I will pass those along as soon as I can. Meanwhile… I do have a tour that needs a docent: Your tour is currently booked as follows: Tour Type: Museum Overview Tour Contact: Donna Wolter Organization:… -
FW: TAM Docents: Reminder about upcoming lectures
2 Feb 2010 | 9:40 amWhoops, sorry for any confusion but you do NOT need a ticket for February 3rd; however, you do need a ticket for February 7th. I guess my fingers are typing just fine but my mind is still skipping around in a field somewhere. Take care, -Jana Jana Wennstrom Manager of Public and Volunteer Programs TACOMAART MUSEUM T: 253.272.4258 x3030 From: Jana Wennstrom Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 9:32 AM Subject: TAM Docents: Reminder about upcoming lectures Hello Docents- I wanted to remind you about the 2 upcoming lectures listed below. The February 3rd and… -
TAM Docents: Reminder about upcoming lectures
2 Feb 2010 | 9:32 amHello Docents- I wanted to remind you about the 2 upcoming lectures listed below. The February 3rd and February 7th lectures are both required trainings. Remember to get your complimentary ticket for the February 3rd lecture to get in. Please note the lunch option at the Hotel Murano BITE Restaurant. Stephanie was telling me this morning how much she would love to see our docents there. She will be there with the guest speaker starting at 11:30 am. Unlock the Secret Language of Animals Wednesday, February 3, 10:30 am Curator Rock Hushka offers insight into The Secret Language of… -
TAM Docents: Docents needed for Saturday, March 13 and March 20
27 Jan 2010 | 11:29 amHello Docents- Tours, tours, tours! We have 2 tours scheduled on March 13 and 2 tours for March 20 that need additional coverage. If possible, we are looking for 3 docents per tour so that the groups of 60 can be broken down into groups of 20. This is a group of Japanese speakers who are learning English. They need very simply spoken tours that they can follow. I currently need 2 more docents to cover these tours, if you are available. Tour Type: Museum Overview Tour…
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The Burke Museum Blog
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Hamburgers and Fossils... Hold the Mayo
8 Feb 2010 | 12:15 pmWhat are hamburgers doing in a museum gallery? Do the "Kidd Valley Hamburger Hunt" at the Burke Museum and find out the connection between hamburgers and paleontology.*Now through March 20, 2010, all intrepid hamburger scavengers able to locate the correct number of hamburgers in the current exhibit Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway, will receive a gift from Kidd Valley and the Burke Museum. So stop in and satisfy your hamburger curiosity! Photo of hamburger cast on display in the Cruisin' exhibit. Approximately 14-15 years old, Ray collected it in Ketchikan, Alaska. *Yes, there is a connection:… -
Studying paleobotany in Patagonia
5 Feb 2010 | 9:47 amGrass is something we all take for granted; it covers 1/3 of the Earth’s land surface, and provides many different sources of food for humans and other animals as well. But when did grasses first appear on the planet? How do they respond to varying climates? And, who/what ate them? These are just a few of the questions that Caroline Strömberg, Curator of Paleobotany at the Burke, seeks to answer when she travels to Patagonia, Argentina this month.Why Patagonia? Paleontologists believe open grasslands first appeared in South America 30-million years ago, long before they emerged on other… -
On air: Ray Troll and Kirk Johnson spread the paleo-love
28 Jan 2010 | 12:38 pmWhenever I walk into the Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway exhibit gallery, my first thought is “wow, fossils are cool!” I’ve heard that same sentiment expressed by kids and adults alike who are visiting this new Burke exhibit. But I’ve never heard two people more enthusiastic about fossils and what they tell us about the past than Ray Troll and Kirk Johnson, authors of the book Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway and co-curators of this exhibit.This morning, KUOW aired an interview with Ray and Kirk talking passionately about their love of fossils. It’s hard not to get excited about… -
Filling in for Mammalogy: Part 2
26 Jan 2010 | 9:52 amA few weeks ago, I blogged about what it was like as a graduate student to temporarily be put in charge of managing an entire collection of mammals. The job comes with a lot of responsibility, including facilitating the visits of researchers who study specimens from the collection.While I have interacted with visitors to the collection before, this was the first time that it was my responsibility to make sure they had what they needed, knew where to find the specimens they were looking for, and ensure that all the proper paperwork was filled out. Interacting with these researchers and hearing… -
Burke Researcher Catalogues Deep Sea Fish
21 Jan 2010 | 3:33 pmOne of our own Burke Museum researchers has been offered a prestigious award in order to contribute to a major scientific collaboration: building the “Encyclopedia of Life.”Burke doctoral candidate Chris Kenaley, who works with Curator of Fishes, Ted Pietsch, has been offered two awards from the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). Specifically, Chris will be working on cataloging the diversity of fish in the largest and least-studied biome on Earth, the deep sea. The work Chris and his colleagues contribute to the EOL’s goal to document all 1.8 million species known to science will answer…
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The Port Moody Station Museum
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Silent Movie Matinee
4 Feb 2010 | 10:30 amJoin us Feb. 14th 2-4pm for a trip back in time with our Silent Movie Matinee. Watch sport and recreation themed shorts with silent movie greats such as Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle. Guaranteed laughs for all ages. And just for kicks have some $25 popcorn.Admission is $10 - free to Port Moody Heritage Society Members. -
Museum mentioned in The Tri-City News
28 Jan 2010 | 3:36 pm"Scour your collection for collectibles"The Port Moody Station Museum was mentioned in The Tri-City News, January 26, 2010 – "Scour your collection for collectibles" by Diane Strandberg.The Tri-City News – Scour your collection for collectiblesThe article describes the upcoming displays of "vintage sports equipment" which will be on display next month for Heritage Week. The display will be at the -
1964 Moody High Cheer
27 Jan 2010 | 1:33 pmThanks to Port Moody residents for bringing in some great sports and rec memorabilia.Here's a sample:1964 Port Moody School CheerJumpin' on a bandstand,Standin' on a tin can,Who can, we can,Ricker Racker, Firecracker,Sis Boom Ba!Moody Moody High School, Rah! Rah! Rah! -
Sporting or Recreation Artefacts or Memorabilia?
13 Jan 2010 | 5:29 pmDo you have any Sporting or Recreation Artefacts or Memorabilia?Are you a sports enthusiast or collector? Were you the athlete of the year in a past life? If so, the Port Moody Heritage Society would like you to bring in your vintage sports and recreation items for use in a temporary display this February and March.In celebration of Heritage Week, the Port Moody Heritage Society and Port Moody -
Heritage Week Events!
13 Jan 2010 | 5:19 pmCommunity Display February 10th – 28th Daily in the City Hall Galleria, Wednesday to Sunday at the Port Moody Station Museum Come see sports and recreation of Port Moody’s past at the Galleria in City Hall and the Port Moody Station Museum. Historic photos and artifacts relating to the theme of sports and recreation will be on
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The Uncataloged Museum
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Spread by Hand
8 Feb 2010 | 7:06 pmA number of people have written about spreadable content--content that's easily and enthusiastically shared on the web--and how museums might participate in that effort. And I came across something the other day that suggested ways in which museums--particularly local history museums--might use low-tech ways to make their content spreadable around their community.Nina Goffi is a talented illustration major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. On her blog, she posted an entry about The Lumberjack Handbook, saying a limited run of copies would be available in coffee shops… -
What makes a Great Podcast?
4 Feb 2010 | 4:59 amLast week, I sat down with a group of docents at the Hyde Collection, an art museum and historic house with a tremendous collection in Glens Falls, NY. We were working together, supported by an IMLS grant for new interpretive efforts to make plans for each of them to create a short, two minute or less podcast about a single work of art in the museum. These are passionate docents, both committed to the museum and with an enthusiastic interest in art. But podcasts were new to most of them.We began by listing the things that would make, we thought, a good podcast. … -
Got Conversations?
29 Jan 2010 | 8:04 pmJust a reminder....the deadline for the Uncataloged Museum contest to win a free registration to the Museum Association of New York/Upstate History Alliance Museums in Conversation Annual Conference, April 11-13, 2010, is coming right up. Contest entries due February 10-- get all the details right here. It's the easiest way to win a conference registration ever! -
Screens-On or Hands-On? Thinking about Interactives
28 Jan 2010 | 6:30 pmMy last post about the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. There were dozens of activity stations in the museum. Some were in special interactive areas, others were scattered throughout the galleries. Some general observations:Unlike some museums where there are groups of visitors hovering around computer interactives, the screen-based interactives here didn't seem to draw huge crowds. They were interesting, but I think it was because the exhibitions as a whole were compelling and interesting--that visitors didn't default to that screen.I was happy to see one particular… -
What are They Looking At? The Rare Species--Ideas in a Museum
23 Jan 2010 | 6:21 pmThe Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow provided enough ideas and images to write dozens of posts. So before I get too far away, and into other things, some additional observations. In their re-installation, their collections are displayed in two sections, Life and Expressions. Needless to say, each category holds so many opportunities for creative thinking. Here's just a few (apologies in advance--I can't remember exact exhibit titles, and can't find the info on the museum's website)Scottish Identity in ArtThis exhibition ran the gamut from a…
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A Repository for Bottled Monsters
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Letter of the Day to resume when snow ends
9 Feb 2010 | 6:51 amThe government is closed again today, and today we're expecting another 10-20" on top of the 24" we have already, so we'll resume the letter of the day when we can reach the office again. -
Letter of the day: February 8
8 Feb 2010 | 2:54 amWorld War 1 has ended and a surgeon with the American Expeditionary Forces in France is more than ready to go home. This is from the Otken Collection. Sat Feb 8th 1919My dear Sister,Your letter of Jan 11th & two bundles of papers came this week, the first mail I have had from you in two weeks.We are still living here at Beau Desert in a ward doing nothing but hiking a little every day. However our gang plank list has gone in and we are on the sailing list, so expect to get away from here in the next few weeks.There is not much sickness here – the flu seems to be over & just the wounded &… -
Letter of the Day #2: February 7
7 Feb 2010 | 3:45 amEven during World War I, traditional donations continued to come in and be accepted.February 7, 1918Dr. G.W. Remage,Jennings, Louisiana Dear Doctor Remage:Permit me to thank you in behalf of the Surgeon General and of myself for the surgical case recently donated by you to this Museum which has just been received and placed on deposit here. We gratefully appreciate your thoughtful courtesy in this matter and the case has been carded as a gift from you.Very sincerely,W.O. OwenColonel, Medical Corps, U.S. ArmyCurator, A.M.M. -
Letter of the Day #1: February 7
7 Feb 2010 | 2:50 amE.D. Hudson cooperated with the Museum for many years, providing photographs of his patients including the Confederate soldier Columbus Rush whom he provided with two artificial legs.Surgeon General’s OfficeWashington, D.C.February 7, 1866Dear Sir, I am instructed by the Surgeon General to acknowledge your communication of the 25th ultimo, and to thank you for the nine (9) interesting photographs which accompanied it.The Surgeon General has authorized me to give you the names of officers and soldiers who have recovered after undergoing the operation of excision of the head of the humerus… -
MUSEUM IS CLOSED TODAY SAT FEB 6
6 Feb 2010 | 7:38 amMUSEUM IS CLOSED TODAY SAT FEB 6Due to the obvious.
