Museum Club

PS1

Emily — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:15:33 +0000

This gallery was empty except two burritos and it smelled like the carpet in my first apartment.

Emily — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:12:50 +0000

Socrates Sculpture Park Spring Classes

Emily — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:47:54 +0000

WORKSHOPS for ADULTS at the Socrates Sculpture Park- I bet they will sell out quickly, especially the one on grilling meat sponsored by the Meat Hook. Interactive museum activities abound.

Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria

Emily — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:11:49 +0000

The hot pink entrance and stark white interior of the new lobby, cafe, store and screening rooms are striking. Unfortunately, they did not give the Museum Club a spot to meet up before purchasing tickets- if the weather had been a bit better I would have waited outside, away from the stern looks of the line guard. The excellent and diverse film screenings every weekend are included in your admission but require a reservation so it’s important for the group to coordinate their visit before checking in.
The renovations have included some new elements- highlighted were some gory special effects from Black Swan, and a magical Rowling-like mirror that lets visitors try on costumes from the museum’s extensive collection. This was so popular I couldn’t get close. The exhibits have retained an emphasis on the golden age and history of movies and moviegoing. Younger visitors were most drawn to the playable vintage video games that most resembled current systems, while their parents enjoyed the older technology. Virtual Reality interactive exhibits made me dizzy and a bit germphobic when trying on the greasy 3D glasses provided in the gallery.
Afterward we proceeded to the Astor Room, a restaurant around the corner in the old Astoria Kaufman film studio cafeteria that is nostalgic for the golden age. Unfortunately, not open ’til 4. So Studio Square Beer Garden it was- pitchers and fries. More The Hangover than Duck Soup. Followed by restorative Venezuelan food at the Arepas Cafe.

Virtual Metropolitan Expansion Plans

Emily — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:27:57 +0000

Trying to open up art museums to the broadest possible audience while maintaining standards can be a tricky balancing act — one that large institutions like the Brooklyn Museum and the Victoria and Albert in London have struggled with as they introduce more technology to galleries and use more entertaining approaches to attract visitors. But the task is one that confronts almost all art museums now as they compete against pop culture and try to foster a new generation of museumgoers.- Randy Kennedy writing for the New York Times

The new Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Emily — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:16:18 +0000

One visit was not enough to evaluate the new Art of the Americas wing. This is the view from the Behind the Scenes gallery, where we rested and thought about art restoration. Going back on Friday and I will have more to report.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Museum to open in November

Emily — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:55:22 +0000

Sugar Mills, St John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Emily — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:08:45 +0000

January’s museum club meeting was one of the most pleasant to date- it was on the Caribbean island of St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Much of this island is the Virgin Islands National Park. We visited two ruins of sugar plantations that dated from the 1720s and were operated by Dutch owners and African slaves. The photos above are from the Annaberg Sugar Mill and the ones below are from the Cinnamon Bay Mill nature trail. The final photo shows the grave of the Dutch owner’s wife, now completely surrounded by forest. A nearby plaque points out that although the owners received elaborate grave markers, enslaved persons who died were buried in unmarked graves.

Museum Club 2011

Emily — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:56:38 +0000

Watch this space for a lot more action in the new year, museum aficionados.

East India Marine Society, Veteran’s Day

Emily — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:38:56 +0000

This gentleman was hosting a household god party at the Peabody Essex Museum yesterday. More on the Faces of Devotion exhibit can be found here.