How to enjoy a museum

How to enjoy the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum

Enjoy the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum even more! Recommended course

This is our suggested course for how best to enjoy the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum.
The guide is also packed with tidbits of information so you can learn more!
We will tell you many of the charming aspects of the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum so you can enjoy yourself even if you generally feel bored by or are not very interested in museums.

Start at the museum reception. Head to the 27th floor of the Umeda Sky Building Tower West!

The museum is in Tower West of the Umeda Sky Building.
Take the high-rise elevator to the 27th floor. You will be greeted at the reception with a giant picture of the sun. When you enter the museum, you will be given glasses to view the 3-D images.

Tower West entrance

Museum Reception Desk

Notes about starting off

Note that you cannot get to the museum from Tower East, which leads to the sky garden observatory

Discount tickets that include entry to the museum and to the sky garden observatory are available for just 2,000 yen!

Feel the art for yourself in the fantastical symbol zone! Take off for the skies of Koji Kinutani World

When you enter, the staff will first guide you to the Symbol Zone. You can see the “Celebration- Flying Dragon Funi Homon” painting, which is hung in a space that evokes an image of the sky.
Your journey to Koji Kinutani World starts here.

World’s first dive into pictures!
Powerful 3-D image experience

Experience overwhelming 3-D images on a 3 m x 14 m round screen! You can enjoy a theme park atmosphere enveloped in a world of paintings and music. You won’t be able to keep your hands from reaching out to touch the fluttering flower petals and the dragon, thunder god and wind god coming right at you.

Dynamic and delicate.
Revel in the Blue and Red Kinutani Worlds

The exhibition hall is divided into two zones: a “blue” exhibition zone that evokes the blueness of the skies of Italy where Mr. Kinutani had studied abroad, and a “red” exhibition zone that showcases the spirit of traditional Japan through red walls and lattices. Twice a year, special exhibitions featuring different themes are held, with works in line with the prevailing concepts being displayed on the walls of each exhibition hall. In addition to other works, visitors can enjoy the colorful and vibrant frescos (classic mural paintings) that can be considered the very roots of Kinutani’s art.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about my experience at the Louvre this past summer. Basically, it wasn’t too great.

Turns out maybe I was just doing it wrong. 😉

According to a recent article in the New York Times, The Art of Slowing Down In A Museum, if people just took the time to slow down – a LOT – we might enjoy ourselves more.

“When you go to the library,” said James O. Pawelski, the director of education for the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, “you don’t walk along the shelves looking at the spines of the books and on your way out tweet to your friends, ‘I read 100 books today!’” Yet that’s essentially how many people experience a museum. “They see as much of art as you see spines on books,” said Professor Pawelski, who studies connections between positive psychology and the humanities. “You can’t really see a painting as you’re walking by it.”

…psychologists and philosophers such as Professor Pawelski say that if you do choose to slow down — to find a piece of art that speaks to you and observe it for minutes rather than seconds — you are more likely to connect with the art, the person with whom you’re touring the galleries, maybe even yourself, he said. Why, you just might emerge feeling refreshed and inspired rather than depleted…

If you have an hour he suggests wandering for 30 minutes, and then spending the next half-hour with a single compelling painting….

Might you miss some other works by narrowing your focus? Perhaps. But as Professor Pawelski put it, sometimes you get more for the price of admission by opting to see less…

Professor Pawelski said it’s still a mystery why viewing art in this deliberately contemplative manner can increase well-being or what he calls flourishing… He theorized, however, that there is a connection to research on meditation and its beneficial biological effects. In a museum, though, you’re not just focusing on your breath, he said. “You’re focusing on the work of art.”

Sounds good to me! I’m really looking forward to trying this approach next time I get the chance.

Have you ever done this? Would you try it?

Comments

I think it depends on the museum too. One of my favorite museums in New York City is the Frick Collection because it feels like visiting someone’s house. The Frick is basically Frick’s mansion filled with all the artwork he collected during his lifetime. Yes, during the month of October it feels like one of those haunted mansions (huge, grey, dark-toned, etc.) Regardless, each room is different and one cannot help but slow down to appreciate the art in each wall of each specific room. I love it!

The Met, however, to me is just too big a museum. It’s not as intimate. I feel it’s best to simply visit one section per visit to make it worthwhile.

In addition, I always try to drink wine before visiting an art museum or gallery — so yes, I prefer to go to one of those wine/cheese socials at a museum. 😉 Your mind is more relaxed and some of the interpretations of the artwork can get quite creative! I first did this at the Van Gogh museum when I was a college student and my friends and I had an absolute blast!

Joey – I love your tip about the wine!!

And I agree with you – some museums can feel extremely impersonal. I’m looking forward to reallllyyyy slowing down next time I’m in a museum. Maybe I will combine with wine!

Ummmmm duh! This is exactly what annoys me about 99% of museum-goers. They don’t really care about the art at all. At a place like the Louvre or any other major museum people go just so they can say they have been. They spend 2 minutes in front of the Mona Lisa, take a picture or a selfie and then leave. Its the most ridiculous superficial behavior. You go to an art museum to see art, not just to tell people you have been there.

Personally when I go to a museum I love to get as close to the works of art as possible and just look at the details. I never cease to be amazed when I think about the fact that I am a foot away from a canvas created by a master and am able to see the individual brush strokes their hands created.

j – While I TOTALLY agree with you about people who race at breakneck speeds through museums, taking selfies as they go, I also think that spending more than 5-10 minutes on a piece is really unusual. That’s a very long time to spend looking at anything!

I’m going to try it.

I love this advice. I wonder how many people have spent 30 consecutive minutes actively looking at a piece of art in their own homes. It’s a great exercise!

pinkisnice – Now *that* is a great idea.

I love the Frick!

Spent a few days in NYC in October….of course, went to the Met! I agree; it is just to big to see in a day. Besides, if you do rush thru the musuem, have you really seen anything? Don’t these masterpieces deserve more than 2 seconds of your time?

I’ve been to the Met three times. I’m only a “Met Novice.” The first time was to see the Impressionist rooms. Only the Impressionist rooms. From then on, I’ve narrowed it down to three different themes to see during each visit. The second time: the special punk exhibit, the Impressionists for a more thorough viewing, and the rooftop. These past October: the rooftop, the special tapestry exhibit, and a glance at the Medieval & European rooms exhibit (and by rooms exhibit, I mean actually rooms relocated from various chateaux, etc).

By not slowing down, one might miss a truly wonderful experience. At the art musuem in Richmond, Va…there is a great impressionist exhibit. BUT if one doesn’t take the time to savor everything…one might miss the awesome Monet hanging in the Art Nouveau/Art Deco section.

Pick a theme. Pick a concept. Pick a ghttp:// of art. Focus on that. Yes, there are some intimate art museums one can savor in a day. But there are some that deserve a more detailed approach with many return visits! For example, the National Geographic museum in D.C. has small exhibits that are truly amazing; I discovered Etruscan art this way!

I love the Louvre, but I wonder how many people miss the sculptures?? They are worth the time to visit too! The Mona Lisa, while great, is only one piece of art.

P.S. There is also a “new” way to look at art in the major museums: a scanvenger hunt. Looking for small details can open up bigger themes and concepts, esp. historical ones. Take DaVinci pieces, for example: we might wonder about the person behind Mona Lisa- but I wonder about her neighbors, her family. What kind of food did they eat at this time period? Did they travel-what did they go and see? Hints for this kind of knowledge are in the details of art- do a scanvenger hunt for types of buttons or kinds of gloves in Rembrandt painting; one learns much about that time from such things!

icicle – Great idea! Filing it away for possible future post 🙂

I used to be neutral, or maybe slightly negative on museums. There was something pleasant about being in them, but I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do there, and always felt like I was doing it wrong.

And it turned out I was doing them wrong. I was introduced to a guy who is now one of my close friends, Nick Gray, who hosted guided tours of the Met. I actually delayed meeting him for a while, because a tour of the museum sounded very boring to me.

When I did, though, I saw the museum through a different lens. It didn’t matter what I was supposed to do at a museum. It was a public resource that I could use in any way I wanted. Nick’s Museum Hack tours were irreverent and fun, and focused on the less famous pieces of art in the museum, but gave a lot more context on them.

Now I have my own way to enjoy museums, which is heavily influenced from what I’ve learned through Nick (I thought it was exactly the same, but now I find that when we go to museums we do it differently).

The biggest thing I learned from him is that the goal isn’t to see everything. If you see everything you will necessarily be disappointed because you will either spend so little time on any given piece that you get nothing out of the experience, or you will be exhausted. I usually go to a museum for 45-60 minutes.

The first thing I do is I go look for things that I already know I like. I like to walk through all or most of the areas of the museum, but I just glance at everything and see if anything catches my eye. If it doesn’t, I just keep going.

If something does seem interesting, I will stop and check it out and read the information about it. Often the information will get me more interested and I might look around for similar things. I also try to mentally note artists I like. If I keep seeing the same artist after a few museums, I might look them up and try to read more.

Through this process, I develop favorites. There are certain things that I will go try to see no matter which museum I’m at: woodblock prints, Goryeo dynasty celadon, John Singer Sargent, Miró, Russian malechite, Vermeer, Rembrandt, any teaware, James Turrell, John Cederquist, and some others. Having a few things you like gives you a reason to go to museums and criss-cross around to explore and find new stuff.

You’ll also find stuff you don’t like. I really don’t like tapestries, most religious art, southeast asian art, or most contemporary art. Nothing wrong with any of it, it’s just not for me. So I tend to breeze through those areas pretty quickly.

You can also enjoy just about anything in a museum by thinking about how difficult it would be to make it. Well, maybe not in contemporary. Or you can look at old paintings and think about what life must have been like if that’s how scenes of that time were painted. Or just marvel at how expensive some of the things are and just how close you’re allowed to put your face to something worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Museums are now some of my favorite places to visit when I travel. Top ones for me are the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Forside in Copenhagen, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum also in Amsterdam, Dallas Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Art, and The Met in New York. If you’re near one, try breezing through it and see if anything stands out.

As you might guess from the random closet door in the middle of it, the picture is one of the walls of my little personal museum I’m building. Some day I will write a post about that, too. Bonus points if you can figure out who the artists are or what the objects are.

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How to Enjoy Museums

I used to be neutral, or maybe slightly negative on museums. There was something pleasant about being in them, but I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do there, and always felt like I was doing it wrong.

And it turned out I was doing them wrong. I was introduced to a guy who is now one of my close friends, Nick Gray, who hosted guided tours of the Met. I actually delayed meeting him for a while, because a tour of the museum sounded very boring to me.

When I did, though, I saw the museum through a different lens. It didn’t matter what I was supposed to do at a museum. It was a public resource that I could use in any way I wanted. Nick’s Museum Hack tours were irreverent and fun, and focused on the less famous pieces of art in the museum, but gave a lot more context on them.

Now I have my own way to enjoy museums, which is heavily influenced from what I’ve learned through Nick (I thought it was exactly the same, but now I find that when we go to museums we do it differently).

There’s Nothing to be Afraid of: Advice on How to Enjoy a Museum

Museums can be intimidating spaces for some visitors. They’re full of artifacts you’re not supposed to touch, a lot of unknown information, and a lot of reading. On top of that, most people feel they have to act a certain way when in a museum: namely, quiet. But museums are created for the public, to preserve and communicate important information about the past. And the people who work in them want you to enjoy the experience! As an avid museum-goer myself and as a public historian, I have a few tips on ways to make a museum visit enjoyable.

1. Ask questions! A lot of research and work goes into building an exhibit, so museum staff always know more than what’s written and displayed. If you see or read something that sparks your interest or doesn’t make sense, just ask. This is especially important if you see something that looks “weird” or “funny” to you. There’s probably an interesting story or thought process behind it! This is why the breeches buoy is my favorite object in the museum. It’s often a completely unfamiliar object to visitors and they have no idea how it works. When they ask, it sparks several minutes of conversations about how it works, its impracticalities, and the decisions the keeper would have to make about keeping his own surfmen safe while rescuing distressed sailors. Asking questions leads to a deeper—and often more interesting—understanding of the history on display.

2. Don’t feel like you have to see everything. Museums, even small ones, are chock-full of information. Most people visiting museums feel like they have to start at the beginning, follow a set path, and make it all the way to the end. Don’t. Focus on what draws your eye and interests you the most, rather than trying to take in every detail. That will exhaust your body and your brain, and you’ll just want to get out of there. In a historic structure like ours, I think it’s important to get a general sense of the history, but that’s not absolutely necessary if your main interest is Prohibition in Hampton Roads.

3. Try anything interactive. Get involved in anything the museum has to offer! Museums are changing. Many want people to interact with their exhibits. That doesn’t mean picking up any artifact that you want (please don’t—that’s bad for them!). But, find what interactive activities they offer and do them! I distinctly remember visiting the Museum of American History as a nine-year-old and participating in a kid’s activity that involved separating seeds from cotton by hand and then by a replica cotton gin. That stuck with me even as I went through undergraduate and graduate history courses and came to understand the broader consequences of the invention. On top of that, doing hands-on activities is just plain fun and a great way to get kids involved. Trying on costumes, handling a replica, or taking pictures is a great break from all the reading and looking, gets the brain involved in a different way, and can build life-long memories.

The overall key to enjoying a museum, in my mind, is to be an active museum-goer. Follow what piques your interest, ask questions and engage, and enjoy your time!

Museums. For some people they lead to a feeling of anticipation while others picture an hour’s worth of yawns.

Whichever camp you fall into, there’s no denying museums are treasure troves of interesting information that can give you insight into the destination and culture you’re visiting.

To help you enjoy your next museum visit, here are some tips on how to make visiting a museum more exciting.

Table of Contents

Tailor The Experience To An Interesting Facet Of Local Culture

When visiting a new destination, think about a particular facet you’re interested in learning more about. Maybe it’s fashion, the coffee culture, or learning about Indigenous populations.

Take a look at local museums you can visit that pertain to this and, from there, focus your exploration of the museum on exhibits, events, and collections that are relevant.

It will make the museum experience feel much less overwhelming than if you simply went in and tried to take in absolutely everything, while also giving the visit a focus.

Visit When There’s An Event Going On

Most museums host regular events and demonstrations, whether it be cultural dance performances, concerts, lectures, festivals, film screenings, gallery talks, or something else entertaining and informative.

Attending a museum during one of these events can help make the experience come alive, which also means it will be more interesting to you.

Opt For A Tour

When touring a museum on our own the many artifacts and textual descriptions can begin to bluer together, with your tired eyes unable to really process what you’re viewing.

To help the collections and exhibits make more sense, opt for a tour with a knowledgeable guide who can explain what it is you’re looking at.

Usually, these people know interesting facts and stories that can help personalize the information you’re learning about and make it more interesting.

Seeing a piece of Mayan pottery is neat, but hearing about how it was used during religious ceremonies and when making offerings to the gods will have your interest perked without having to strain your eyes reading the information cards.

Explore museum topics that interest you. Photo via Anastasia Zhenina/Pexels.

Make A Plan To Explore Further

Don’t just visit a museum, look at a few exhibits and leave, forgetting about what you’ve learned — put it into practice and explore it further.

For example, browsing a local art museum might lead you to take a local handicraft class, or learning about an ancient culture might lead you to make a day trip to nearby ruins.

Allow what you see at the museum to mentally move you in a way that leads you to take action.

Make A Game Out Of It

Instead of just looking around without a goal, challenge yourself.

See how much you can learn about a historical figure, how many interesting facts you can find on 16th-century artwork, or if you can seek out a bizarre historical story.

You can even play some Eye Spy and try to find certain colors, figures, or words.

Once you’ve spotted something you must memorize one interesting tidbit about it.

Take notes to help make your museum visit more interesting. Photo via ArtHouse Studio/Pexels.

Take Notes

One habit some people have when visiting a museum is roaming around in a distracted fashion, looking at exhibits but not really taking them in.

Taking notes on what you see forces you to pay attention to what you’re seeing and retain information, making your museum experience more interesting and worth your time.

Only Visit Museums That Interest You

Most importantly, don’t just go to a museum to say you’ve gone.

Only visit institutions that actually hold your attention. If you have no interest in airplanes, visiting an aviation museum will probably be boring; however, if you find aircrafts fascinating an aviation museum will be an enlightening experience.

Emma Kopplin

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With walls covered in paintings, ancient pottery stacked in giant glass display cases and statues watching as visitors enter the doors, art museums are known for the elegance and culture they bring to the public. A trip to an art museum can be a great chance to gain inspiration, absorb famous or lesser-known works, learn about artists and spend the day in a calm, beautiful environment.

Whether it’s the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln or a bigger museum like The Met in New York, art museums are not for everyone, and not all people find these museums an enjoyable way to spend the day. Even if you do not want to spend hours in an art museum, below are some tips to help you make the most of the experience.

Take the time to read the piece descriptions

With wandering glances and quick looks, many people who go to art museums simply browse the pieces themselves. But by taking the time to read the plaques that give you a description of the piece and artist, you’ll be able to look at the art with a deeper knowledge of its meaning and context. Also, even if you don’t really enjoy looking at art, you might find it more interesting to learn about the person and mission behind the art.

Go at a time when there won’t be large crowds

To browse an art museum and actually appreciate the experience takes focus. Whether you like art or not, it’s essential to focus on the pieces to even have a hope at enjoying it. But there’s nothing more annoying than trying to read a description or look at art with someone loud behind you, or a group of people trying to rush you like they’re a hole behind you on the golf course. Going to art museums an hour or so before closing or during major meal times will help you dodge the crowds. By avoiding crowds, your art museum trip will be less stressful and far more enjoyable.

Put cameras and phones away

Although it may be tempting, refrain from photographing the art in an art museum — unless asked to by museum officials for specific, interactive exhibits. Many art museums don’t even allow photography anyway. Without distractions from phones and cameras, you can more easily focus on being in the moment and enjoying the art museum.

Don’t rush to see everything in one trip

The biggest mistake a person can make when going to an art museum is to try and see everything in one trip. With the exception of smaller galleries, most large museums — such as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Sheldon Museum of Art, Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum, or The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City — put thousands to millions of pieces on display for the public. If you try to see everything in one go, you’re bound to not fully enjoy the pieces you do get to see. Instead, focus on the sections that interest you the most.

While these museums might not be for everyone, by following these steps, even those who don’t like art can get something out of a trip to an art museum.

around the world and closer to home

Note: I started writing the post several weeks ago before it became apparent that we would all soon be isolating at home because of COVID-19. I decided to go ahead and share this post now, because one day we will all be able to travel again, so let’s just dream a little, visit some museums virtually, and plan for the future.

I love museums. Art museums, history museums, natural history museums, funky little museums with a seriously niche audience. I even work in a museum. When I start planning a weekend getaway or a full-blown two week vacation, one of the first things I think about is museums.

That said, it is possible to go a little overboard with museums when you’re traveling. You know the scenario: A family on vacation decides to A) spend all day in, say, the Louvre or B) pack two or more museums into one day. Neither scenario is a good idea and no one is going to have fun. In fact, it’s likely it’s likely that someone is going to end up in tears and/or melting down in front of La Gioconda (a.k.a Mona Lisa).

But even if you don’t try marathon-level museum touring, it’s still possible to overdo them. You’ve seen and/or experienced this one too: You’re in a museum for a really long time and at some point you glance over at someone in your group and their eyes are totally glazed over and they’re obviously not even really seeing Monet’s Water Liles anymore. They’re just utterly saturated and have zoned out. Don’t do that to yourself.

My household (me, husband, two college-aged daughters) have two rules that we follow for museums wherever we are in the world:

#1: One museum per day, max. Seriously, just pick one. You don’t need to “do” all the museums in Paris during one vacation. And why would you want to? Paris is more than just museums. Just pick a few, spread them out over several days, and intersperse lots of other things in between.

#2 Have a plan. The biggest museums are simply too big to see in one visit. Don’t try to cram the entire Rijksmuseum into one day. You won’t enjoy yourself at all. Instead, pick a small number of galleries to visit. When my family was there a few years ago, we decided to focus only on the Dutch Golden age, 19th century art, and ceramics. We took our time and enjoyed those galleries thoroughly and felt no pressure to see everything.

That’s it. Having those two rules have made museum visits so, so much better for everyone in my household.

Okay, so now for a few museum recommendations. Either these are places we have/would happily visit repeatedly or are must-sees.

Van Gogh Museum. All those Van Goghs in one place? Swoon.

Icelandic Museum of Punk. This is a quick visit but the location alone makes it worth your time. Bonus points if you’re interested in the history of Icelandic punk.

British Museum. A family favorite just for the breadth of coverage. The Rosetta Stone, Greco-Roman marbles, Lindow Man, and even a moai from Rapa Nui (a.k.a. Easter Island).

Anne Frank House. This is one is hard, but important and, I think, necessary. I’ll just add that after we left, we were emotionally exhausted. I had planned for our post-museum experience accordingly. We walked down the block, turned right, cross two or three canals, and went to Puccini Bomboni, which is one of the best chocolate shops we’ve been to anywhere in the world. The walk and the chocolate were the perfect balance for what we had just experienced.

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. What are some of your favorite museums?

What’s the Idea?

Many museums have opened their virtual doors with kids in mind – why not take a look?

What’s the story

Although museums, centres and galleries are physically closed they have opened up their exhibits to the virtual world to educate and entertain all of us who are doing our bit to stay at home.

Many museums have worked hard to engage the kids and keep things interactive.

Adults can learn from and enjoy the activities too, I loved exploring Easter Island!

People should do this because…?

Its free, interesting and interactive!

Many of the exhibits and the museums suggest creative activities that can be done at home like how to create an origami dinosaur, how to make a space rocket from recycled home goods, or how to make a ‘Willy Wonka Factory Machine’.

My daughter loves the colouring activities that can be printed out too!

Try taking a look at some of the museum links below.

How do you do it?

Below are some suggestions for kid friendly worldwide virtual museums – simply click on the link and explore!:

The Natural History Museum -activities and ideas to occupy yourself and family at home, in your garden or local outdoor space

NASA – take a virtual tour of Langley’s research centre

NASA – take a virtual tour of the Hubble Telescope

NASA – take a virtual tour of the Glenn Centre

Royal Academy of Arts – for family ‘how to’ activities

The British Museum – an interactive experience- you can see the Rosetta Stone or real-life mummy!

The Louvre – for kids interested in ancient Egypt and medieval architecture

Boston Children’s Museum -welcomes online visitors into its exhibits (no lines!) and you can supplement the images with your own at-home activities and games

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – dinosaur skeletons, animals from around the globe, virtual tours and activities

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre -virtual tour of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, several activities and crafts

Easter Island – If you would like some ‘fresh air’ – Google have teamed up with this Chilean territory’s Polynesian remote volcanic island. Here you can explore the 900 ancient statues (Moai) up close

Van Gogh Museum -take the kids on a virtual artistic journey looking at various oil paintings and the history and culture of the different countries where he painted. For example take a look at the calming Almond Blossom

Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – The world’s largest children’s museum. DIY science, live story times and virtual events

In an effort to include teen voices in the museum’s programs and directly address the needs of the hundreds of thousands of youth visitors to the museum, the National Museum of American History recruited and selected 20 diverse local youth to participate in our first History Explorer’s Youth Advisory Council (HEYAC). Over two weeks in July, the group participated in museum programs, met with staff, and reviewed, analyzed, and made recommendations about youth programming at The National Museum of American History. We asked the museum-savvy teens, who spent 60 hours in the museum this summer, to share tips for peers plan to visit. This is what they said.

1. Don’t stress out. The museum is open to everyone and has some engaging activities that teens will like. Look for what daily programs are occurring, such as interactive carts and museum theater programs.

2. Be open minded. There is something to interest everyone. Docents and volunteers are everywhere to help you better understand what you are looking at. Don’t be afraid to learn more. If you have any questions about the information in the exhibits, how to get around the museum, or what you should see, just ask! Ignore the social conditioning that says not to, and express your own interest in everything.

3. Going to the museum is pointless if you think you aren’t going to have fun. Change your attitude. Instead of thinking that you’ll be bored, think that you’ll enjoy the time and learn something that you aren’t being forced to remember. There are a lot of awesome things here that you could never see otherwise. Remember, we all are part of the Smithsonian and our museums are free, fun, and fantastic for learning about the past!

4. Put down your phone! If you waste your visit looking down and reading texts, you will definitely miss out on seeing all the cool artifacts the Smithsonian has. Where else can you find Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves or Julia Child’s kitchen?

5. Plan your visit. Pick a few exhibits you really want to see and work it out from there. Coming in with a plan can limit the wasted time you spend standing around bored, figuring out what to do next. You’ll have a much more positive experience if you use your time efficiently, focused on things you actually care about.

Be sure to take your time, though. Although you may see more if you skim, slowing down and actually taking valuable time to read signs and try out interactives will add to your experience. In addition to learning more, slowing down will create a more relaxing and fulfilling experience than hurriedly darting about.

6. Hungry? We got good food!! Go down to the LeRoy Neiman Jazz Cafe on the first floor near the Constitution Avenue entrance and the Stars and Stripes cafe where you can buy and eat a meal with your significant other.

7. Bring a friend (or a date). The museum provides many interactive learning experiences and combining a social aspect to it makes learning more enjoyable. The museum is a great place to get to know one another and at the same time review for the history exam. The interactive exhibits, like American Enterprise, are teen-friendly so you crazy kids could hang out as well as learn a lot about the past from the rise of ice cubes to the age of ancient computers.

8. Look for the interactive features in exhibits. Most exhibits have some. They offer another way for you to absorb the material being taught. If you were to jump from interactive activity to activity, you would cover a lot of information while experiencing the whole museum in a different way than your parents. Who knows? You might actually have some fun!

9. Although the National Museum of American History is well known for its objects it should be better known as the coolest museum ever. We recommend that teens bring a jacket or maybe even a wool coat to weather through this igloo of a building.

10. Use the force…uh, I mean maps. Maps and signs are your friends. Because the objects are delicate and easily harmed by light, the lights are dim in places and you can get easily lost. The signs and maps (found at the Information Desk) are great ways to be efficient when you’re looking for The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden or the Ruby Slippers in American Stories.

By the History Explorer’s Youth Advisory Council: Ben, Leah, Kevin, Kenneth, Promyce, Sage, Mia, Lizzy, Fatemma, Joelle, Olivia, Sven, Dev, Caroline, Jylian, Antonio, Joey, Mark, Catie and Justin. Learn more about the museum’s upcoming youth programming.

Even though you can’t visit your family’s favorite local museum right now, there are actually some really cool activities and digital resources that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own couch. Take a peek below of what local museums are offering for you and the kids to do at this time.

— Thinkery
Thinkery staff continues to bringing you playful STEAM learning through fun, original videos ranging from story times to activities and learning projects, all with a focus on materials and tools that are likely available in the home and require minimal preparation. You can visit the Thinkery At Home website for a collection of videos to watch anytime, or follow on Facebook and Instagram for new activities and videos every weekday! Visit their Facebook page to get the weekly schedule of storytimes, design challenges, and more.

Tune in for your favorite Thinkery Storytimes.

— Blanton Museum of Art
Step inside the galleries of the museum virtually with interactive 360-degree video tours, take part in live chats with Blanton Staff every Tuesday. Plus, kids can color one of the Blanton’s downloadable art pages. For more details, visit the #MuseumFromHome section of the Blanton website.

Bonus: You can download our photo of Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin” from our collection of Zoom Backgrounds. Photo by Roger Ho

— The Science Mill
The Science Mill offers an online learning hub for curious minds — the Explorer Zone! You’ll find a variety of instructional videos, step-by-step science activities, interactive games and STEM Career Connections resources and bonus videos.

Check out new science topics every Tuesday.

— UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum
The UMLAUF team is hosting live content on their social media pages. Kids can enjoy Family Yoga with ATX Yoga Girl on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. and Storytime with Frances on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m.

Until you can get back to one of the Umlauf’s Monthly Family Days, enjoy yoga and storytimes from home. Photo from the Umlauf Facebook page

— Bullock Museum
Connect with Bullock Museum with their educational distance learning programs. Kids can take a virtual visit to the Museum through real-time, interactive video conferencing. These programs are typically taught to elementary and middle school audiences, but anyone looking for an enriching and fun experience is welcome. Click here for more details about their Texas History Tuesdays Livestreaming Program among other social studies and history offerings.

Learn about Texas Tall Tales & more with the Bullock’s livestream sessions. Photo by Roger Ho.

— The Contemporary Austin
While you can’t visit the Jones Center or Laguna Gloria, the Contemporary staff has developed the Contemporary from Home website that’s updated regularly with a wide variety of digital materials, from at-home art making activities and live, online Art School classes, to virtual tours of our exhibitions, plus past performances and various resources for educators. Kids will enjoy the hands-on Create At Home Activities that include a step-by-step guide to make an artistic creation with materials found in your own home.

Get instructions for kids art projects to try at home!

Do you feel the lack of art exhibitions and museums that you can visit? It’s been too long since we were able to see some cool exhibitions. Some of the museums and galleries are finally open for visitors, but still, it’s not the best idea to go out to the public too much and to be around too many people. The good thing is that we don’t actually have to leave home to enjoy great museums and exhibitions — we can do it from the safety of our homes! But the best thing is that on the Cultural Places platform we are hosting digital exhibitions and museum tours that you can watch on your favorite device.

Keep reading to find out which digital exhibitions and museum tours you can enjoy from home…

New Digital Art Exhibition: Laughing Is Contagious

When the times are hard there’s always one thing that we can do to make our days a bit better — laugh! Humor helps us relax a little and make some pretty serious situations at least a little bit easier to handle. As our lives are shaped around the situation which coronavirus outbreak brought us, some pretty amazing and funny cartoons started popping up and making us laugh.

We are very proud to present you with another digital art exhibition that we’re hosting on our Cultural Places platform, in cooperation with the authors of those cartoons, called “ Laughing Is Contagious “. Besides seeing the hilarious cartoons, you’ll hear audio commentaries in which artists explain how this health-crisis affected their lives and how they’re dealing with it.

If you’re looking for the most hilarious way to fight this social distance, check out this tour — we bet it will take only a few minutes before you start laughing.

New digital art exhibition: Laughing Is Contagious

Vienna United: Viennese Artists against Loneliness

“ Vienna United ” is our first digital art exhibition, for which our content team handpicked ten Viennese artists to show you how this isolation and this global situation affected their minds, and what revelations they came upon during their creative processes.

Through their exciting artworks, these young artists explain how solitude affects the way they contemplate the body they live in, as well as the world around them. You will see paintings, graphics, performances, and hear music inspired by the self-isolation that this health crisis put us in, and by loneliness in general. We might all be alone at the moment, but we definitely don’t have to feel lonely. We have to feel comfortable with ourselves first, so we might as well take this time of solitude to try to achieve that state of mind.

If you need some ideas on how to fight loneliness and other emotions this crisis brought us, get this tour, you will enjoy it.

AY, Digital Collage, Filmstill, 2019
© Andreas Hnat

Tour Through Vienna Secession Building

Have you ever wondered what’s the story behind the famous Vienna Secession building and its golden Krauthappl (cabbage head)? This exhibition house, located near Karlsplatz, is a place where the Art Nouveau movement in Vienna began. The founders of this wonderful exhibition house literally seceded from the artistic practices and customs of the time and opposed the antiquated styles and practices taught at the art academy at the time. Seeking to unite and erase borders between arts and crafts and to found a new aesthetic, they made this wonderful building to house their artistic dreams, but also physical exhibitions, a printing lab, and workspaces.

In this tour, you will learn a little bit about the history of the Secession movement in Vienna and all of the artists who were important for its founding. Also, you will see some of the amazing artworks that are on display there, including Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze — one of the masterpieces of European Art Nouveau.

Explore Madame Tussauds Museum in Vienna — The Most Famous Wax Museum

When it comes to museums, Vienna has some pretty great ones. Among them, you will find the most famous wax museum in the world — Madame Tussauds Museum. This museum houses more than 80 wax figures of some of the most famous celebrities from around the world.

Among many wax figures inside the museum, you’ll see waxed replicas of emperors, artists, people from different sports, etc. Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Falco, Maria Theresia, and Gustav Klimt are just some of the local personalities and historic people to be seen here. Also, there are many international stars that you’ll get to meet here! Not to reveal any other names, we leave it for you to discover by yourself.

Through this museum tour, you will be guided by the voice of the very founder of the museum: Marie Tussauds — an artist and a businesswoman. She will tell you everything you want to know about herself, and about the exhibits. Note: This exhibition is only available in German; if you understand the language you’ll have a lot of fun.

Madame Tussauds Museum — the most famous wax museum in the world

These four digital exhibitions and museum tours are a part of the project which we recently released, called #WeAreAllCulture . The idea for the project was born due to the lack of cultural happenings that we’re all experiencing because of the health crisis that recently hit us and social distancing it put us into. Since you’re not allowed to visit museums and enjoy exhibitions we wanted to bring them to you. You don’t have to leave the safety of your home to enjoy art and culture, culture is wherever you are, culture is inside all of us and #WeAreAllCulture.

With buying and consuming these digital exhibitions and museum tours you are supporting our cultural scene — from every purchase that you make, 50% of the net proceeds will go to all participating artists and cultural institutions. Thank you for your support!

So, stay at home, enjoy the exhibitions, and support the cultural scene at the same time! Also, stay tuned — we’re preparing even more digital art exhibitions for you.

A 12-Year-old’s Tips for Grandparents

Note: Kids 18 and younger receive free general admission to the DAM.

I’ve been going to museums for most of my life. I like going with my grandparents because I love spending time with them. We go to zoos, the aquarium, science museums, and art museums. We get to see art and other interesting things, do activities, and shop. I like to hear their perspectives about the artworks and how it might compare to stories from their lives. We moved to Denver a year and a half ago, so now I get to go to the Denver Art Museum with my family.

Here are some things I love about the Denver Art Museum:

• The Studio is one of my favorites out of everything because it is fun and interactive. I like to design on my own while my grandparents sit in the comfy chairs. Then I usually show them what I made and ask them to take a picture.
• The art! The artworks are unique and each piece has its own style. Some of my favorite artworks are from the Japanese art collection. Some examples of things I like from the collection are the ink drawings, fashion, and samurai display. One time we came with my school and did the Japan tour. We had a tea ceremony, got to feel different paintbrushes, and hold a katana, or Japanese sword. It was a little heavier than I expected. That was cool!

Tips for grandparents when taking kids to art museums:

• Read labels and give funny views of the art so that kids understand more of what they’re seeing.
• Make sure to do some interactive stuff so you are not just looking all the time. The activities help you get a better feel for how the artist goes through the design process.
• The right amount of time to stay is around an hour and a half because younger kids can get tired and cranky. You can always go back.
• Always go to the gift shop!

Lizzie Lambson is 12 years old. Her mom, Ann Lambson, is the interpretive specialist for architecture, design, and graphics in the learning and engagement department at the Denver Art Museum. She has been with the DAM since 2015.

Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in Paris is immense, and one could spend a week exploring its exhibits. Most of us don’t have that kind of time, so here is a brief guide on how to get the most out of one of the world’s top art museums.

World-Class Museum

The Louvre Museum is magnificent, a huge Classical building in the center of Paris housing one of the world’s greatest art galleries. If you stretched it out end-to-end, it would cover several football fields.
It was originally a fortress but was rebuilt in the grand Renaissance style from 1546 under François I as a royal palace. Subsequent monarchs added to it, keeping the style of the original. In 1793, the Louvre opened as a public art gallery during the French Revolution.

Originally the palace housed the French King’s personal art. However, with Napoleon raging through Europe, looting the palaces and property of the royal families and aristocracy and taking the artworks as war booty, the Louvre rapidly attained the status of the world’s largest art gallery. So it’s not surprising that today the Louvre is the world’s most visited museum. Prepare yourself if you want to get the most out of your visit.

How to Enjoy the Museum

1. Choose a good day and time. It’s best to go when the Louvre Museum is least likely to have long lines. Mornings early in the week work best. From October to March you can get in free to the permanent exhibitions (but not the special exhibitions) on the first Sunday of the month but even during the off-season, the lines can be long. The Louvre is also free on Bastille Day (July 14), but it’s usually packed. You might also consider Wednesdays and Fridays due to extended hours when the galleries are less crowded and you can wander through at your own pace, stopping where you want to.
2. Enter through the Louvre Mall. Although you can enter via the glass pyramid like everyone else, you can also get to the ticket office through the Louvre mall (access on Rue de Rivoli) underneath the museum. This can save you one of the two lines you might wait in. Sometimes, however, there is a line here as well to get in. Or buy your ticket in advance online, which is the best solution to save you queuing. But remember that you have to commit to a date as the ticket is only valid on that particular day. Buy your ticket online to save time.
3. Order an audio guide. If you’re not familiar with much of the collection, order the audio guide, which comes in various languages.
4. Study the map. To see the Mona Lisa, head straight for the 13th-15th-century Italian paintings section (on the first floor). You can always work your way to other exhibits afterward. Expect a crowd of people elbowing their way close to the painting. Try to avoid getting sidetracked too much (although this is a fun place to wander). Or, if you don’t have a priority of what to see, indulge in some aimless wandering.
5. Prioritize what you’d like to see. The museum has a vast range of exhibits around eight themes and ranges from Islamic art and Egyptian antiquities to French sculpture and ​Le département ​​Objets d’Art such as tapestries, ceramics, and jewelry. The paintings section includes priceless works from France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and England.

What to See

This will depend entirely on your own choice. There are three main wings: Denon (south), Richelieu (north), and Sully (east around the Cour Carrée quadrangle). The westernmost wing of the Louvre houses the decorative arts, taking in separate museums including the ​Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée de la Publicité.

You can also follow one of the visitor-themed trails for an overview. Each trail follows a selection of works typical of a specific period, an artistic movement or a theme. For instance, choose Decorative Arts in 17th century France, which takes you on a 90-minute journey. All of the themes are very well done and you can look at them online and download them in advance.

Getting There

Metro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre (Line 1)
Bus: Lines 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, and the Paris Open Tour. All stop in front of the glass pyramid which is the main entrance.

Another option is to walk along the Seine River until you reach the museum. You can’t miss the imposing structure (but keep in mind you will only see the pyramid when you enter the Louvre’s courtyard).

Restaurants

There are more than a dozen ​​restaurants, cafes, and takeaway outlets within the museum and in the Carrousel and the Tuileries gardens.

Shops

There are shops in and around the Louvre, and the Louvre bookshop itself is one of the most extensive and well-stocked art bookshops in Europe. It also sells a wide range of gifts.

Portland, Oregon is the best place if you are considering visiting an art museum there. One of the main cities in the Oregon State, Portland boasts several good art museums. If you have made up your mind, but still have not decided on a particular art gallery to visit, you should know that you have wide variety of art museums in the City that you can visit and squeeze the most out of your money and time.

In Portland museums, you can enjoy artworks ranging from paintings, fine art, prints, glass arts, photography, sculpture and visual art. If you are already in Portland, all you have to do is choose one of the galleries.

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Choose museums you will want to visit

Since there are literally dozens of good art museums in Portland, deciding on one and make a visit is not easy. In order to narrow down the list of options available to you, you can categories the entire city and choose one or two in every area.

In east Portland, you can visit some of the most prominent galleries such as Nationale, 23 Sand Gallery, The Gallery Zero, Newspace Center for Photography, Redux, Sidestreet Gallery. In Downtown Portland, you have Augen Gallery, Attic Gallery, Shaffer Fine Art Gallery, and The Real Mother Goose. Similarly in the Pearl NW, you can visit Blackfish Gallery, Butters Gallery, Gallery 114, Lawrence Gallery, Augen Gallery, Annie Meyer Artwork Gallery and Bullseye Gallery.

Visit the websites of the galleries you plan to visit

Once you have chosen the galleries or museums you will visit, you can then visit the websites of those galleries. Every art gallery and museum in Portland maintains their website, providing visitors with all the essential information.

If you do not know the URL of the websites of the museums you have set your sights on, you can use Google search engine to locate their actual web address. Type the name of museums in Google search bar, and you will get the exact URL. Go the website and try to read as much details as you can before deciding on the date of the visit.

Exhibitions

Portland art museums conduct exhibitions all year long. You can arrange you visit according to the schedule of upcoming exhibitions, giving yourself a chance to interact with people, experts, artists and visitors.

Permanent collection

You can see permanent collection in each gallery you visit. Every museum has their permanent collections, in addition to different artworks put on display by artists.

Get visitor’s information

Get key visitor’s information from the museums’ websites. Important information you can get include museum’s hours (opening and closing), tour charges, and directions.

Image courtesy of Edgardo Olivera on Flickr

Paris – Activities & things to do

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Paris – Attractions & museums – what to see

10 Amazing Artworks You Need to See at The Musée d’Orsay

Paris – Attractions & museums – what to see

A brief history of the Eiffel Tower

A Visit to the Picasso Museum in Paris: Full Guide to Enjoy Your Day

Featuring over 5,000 original works, the Picasso Museum in Paris the largest collection of Pablo Picasso’s art in the entire world! If you’re a Picasso fan, this museum is a must-see while in Paris. There’s also lots to see and do at and around the museum, so here’s a full guide to enjoy your day.

A little background on Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso 1962 – Photo via Wikimedia Commons, Unknown Author

Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881, but came to Paris in 1904 to pursue a career in the arts. The city inspired him in many ways, and he quickly became a world-renowned painter, sculptor, theater designer, ceramicist, and print maker.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso left quite a mark on the world. Known today for his one-of-a-kind style and various notable ‘periods’ or themes in his art, he was a man of many talents.

How to get to the Picasso Museum

Photo courtesy of LPLT on Wikimedia Commons

The Picasso Museum is located in the Marais, in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement, or district. Getting to the museum is simple and easy. If you’re in central Paris, I’d recommend walking to the museum, it should be reachable from pretty much anywhere in the center in less than an hour. Plus, it’s a great way to see the city!

But if you’re not up for a walk, the Picasso Museum is easiy accessible by metro and bus as well. Either take the metro line 8 to Saint-Sebastien Froissart, or take the bus line 96 to Saint-Claud. Both options are 5 minutes or less from the museum on foot.

And not surprisingly, the Picasso Museum’s location is nearly as impressive as the collections themselves. Housed in a stunning converted mansion in the artsy Marais district, the Musée Picasso is a real treat for the eyes – both inside and out!

Picasso Museum – 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris

metro: Saint-sebastien froissart

bus: line 96

open sunday – tuesday 9:30AM – 6PM

admission: full price €14

free to the public the 1st sunday of every month

The best way to visit the Picasso Museum in Paris

Image courtesy of Edgardo Olivera on Flickr

With over 5,000 artworks on display, there is a lot to see at the Picasso Museum. And not to mention, there are tens of thousands of archived pieces on display as well. These include works in progress, drafts, photographs, letters, etchings, films, and other documents from Picasso’s life. This aspect makes this the museum unique, and really provides a glimpse into Picasso’s creative process.

Since there’s so much to see, the best way to visit the Picasso Museum is with a guided tour. Our skip the line Picasso Museum and Marais tour is perfect if you want a chance to really dive into all this place has to offer. A local guide will take you through the museum from start to finish, offering special insight into the works and the history as well. Journey through Picasso’s Blue period, the Rose Period, and discover the inspiration behind the Cubism movement.

And the best part? You won’t have to wait in line at all! Our skip the line passes enure you quick entry to the museum.

Click here to learn more about our Picasso Museum tour.

What to do around the Picasso Museum

Photo courtesy of Photosylvia on Flickr

Located in the heart of Paris’ arts district, there’s plenty more to see in the area once you’ve visited the museum itself. The Marais is said to be the artistic soul of the city; home to chic boutiques, cool nightlife, and of course, lots of street art and galleries.

If you want to get to know the neighborhood that inspired much of Picasso’s work, check out our combined Picasso Museum and Marais art tour. After a guided visit of the museum, our local guide will show you the best parts of this unique Parisian neighborhood.

From street art to fine art galleries, there’s a little something for everyone in the Marais. It’s easy to spend an entire day wandering through these charming streets, so make sure to bring some comfortable walking shoes.

And if you’re still intrigued by this neighborhood, don’t hesitate to join our walking tour of the Marais. On this free tour you’ll discover the Marais’ rich history and vibrant personality. From the historic Jewish Pletzel and ancient architecture to some of the coolest shopping streets the city has today.

Bookstore

1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2020– Learn more here
2. Lonely Planet Paris 2020 – Learn more here

Travel Gear

1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here

Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.

In challenging times, we look to the arts to uplift our spirits, distract our busy minds and inspire our souls.

Although it might be awhile before we can all gather in one space to watch our favorite musicians, actors, dancers and comedians, we are so grateful for the countless ways virtual performances connect us from afar, as we watch from our individual homes.

Onstage wonders

While stages are dark, The Metropolitan Opera has launched “Nightly Met Opera Streams,” a free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website. For the duration of the Met’s closure, a different encore presentation will be made available for free streaming every day.

Take a virtual trip around the globe by tuning into the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Live Broadcasts, Berliner Philharmoniker digital concert hall and live streams offered by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (among many others). To learn where to watch 15 dazzling Broadway musicals and shows, follow this uplifting Playbill guide.

NPR has gathered an ever-growing roundup of live virtual concerts; so far we’ve been delighted by Instagram-streamed #TogetherAtHome gigs. We’ve enjoyed surprises like being serenaded via in-home concerts by Pink, Keith Urban, John Legend, Mandy Moore and husband Taylor Goldsmith, and Chris Martin (interwoven with charming banter).

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie has announced he’s streaming daily at 4 p.m. PT, and more innovative concerts and festivals seem to be developing by the day.

To get transported to the Pickathon music festival, which takes place on a wooded Oregon farm each summer, access dozens of free videos available on their website. (Dreaming of the joyful return of upcoming events may just lift your spirits as much as the beautiful melodies.)

Museum escapes

Galleries and institutions around the globe are granting access from afar as well. Here’s one of many extensive guides that will allow to you to take field trips to some of your favorite museums (most likely, you’ll discover several new ones, which you can later visit in person!).

London’s British Museum offers virtual tours of hundreds of artifacts and to the Great Court, where you’ll see the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.

Get whisked away to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Louvre in Paris and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. On Google’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul virtual tour, you’re able to absorb six floors of contemporary art from Korea and beyond.

Take a virtual tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, a non-profit and Brazil’s first modern museum, and Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, a venue devoted to the archaeology and history of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic civilizations. The Seattle Art Museum offers a “My Favorite Things” video series that is sure to brighten your day, too.

Looking to up your cultural knowledge? Here are 10 art history classes you can take online for free. And kids are loving the daily “lunch doodles” offered by Mo Willems via the Kennedy Center website.

Movie magic

Melbourne’s Virtual Cinémathèque hosts weekly sessions; they’ll announce each week’s program on the day of, so that cinephiles can enjoy double bills showcasing new and old movies (linked by a common director, performer or theme). And NBCUniversal encourages you to prep your popcorn at home and get cozied up to rent movies currently out in theaters.

The Northwest Film Forum has many programs they’ll bring to you in the near future. Plans are already underway to co-present content with their sister streaming channel Satur8r, plus partner orgs On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center and Interbay Cinema Society.

Don’t forget to laugh, too. One way to do so? Ten of the biggest Australian names booked for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival announced stand-up specials that will stream on Amazon Prime. Starting Friday, April 10, two specials will be released every week. We know that laughter equals medicine, and that’s certainly something we could all use more of right now.

10Best is a part of the USA TODAY Network, providing an authentically local point of view on destinations around the world, in addition to travel and lifestyle advice.

2019年4月13日 Tokyo Travel Comments Off on How to enjoy SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO 883 Views

The “SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO” in Roppongi was closed in September 2018.It was decided that there were many voices from around the world about the closing of the museum, and it was decided that it would be reopened and reopened.The place is Machida, Tokyo!It is expected to be about 2 times as large as the one in Roppongi, and the expectation is higher than before.

This time, I will introduce information about the information on the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO in Machida, and I will introduce you about the information about the tour that will be held from now on, so please refer to Snoopy as a reference.

The SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO in Roppongi is moved to Machida!

The museum in Roppongi was closed as scheduled in September 2018

The “SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO” opened in Roppongi, Tokyo on April 23, 2016 was closed on September 24, 2018, and was closed as planned.This is a spot that has been loved by many Snoopy fans not only in Japan but also around the world since the opening.There were many voices that closed the closing of the museum at the closing of the museum.

Renewal opened in Machida in the fall of 2019

The SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO was closed to a large audience, but it was decided to reopen in the fall of 2019 at the Minami-machida Granbury Park in Machida City, Tokyo.It is planned to be about 2 times the size of the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO in Roppongi when it is reopened.

The Minami-machida Grandberry Park, where the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO is reopened, is equipped with cafes, children’s halls and city libraries, so you can enjoy them together with the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO.

Where you can enjoy snoopy and peanut original pictures

The SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO from Roppongi to Machida will exhibit the precious picture of Snoopy and peanuts as an official satellite of the Schulz Museum in California, as it was in Roppongi.

In addition, the workshop where the original Snoopy, which was very popular in Roppongi, can be produced is scheduled to continue.In addition, in the adjacent annex, the peanut cafe is open, so it seems like you will become addicted to Snoopy love like when you were in Roppongi.

where you can purchase goods that you can only purchase at the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO of Machida. 3
If you like Snoopy, you would like to buy goods, right?Even if you move to the museum, the museum shop will continue, so you can buy Snoopy goods that you can purchase only here in the world.There may be some goods that were not sold in Roppongi, so the future information will increase.

Confirmation of the latest information is recommended

by the official social network.
The transfer of the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO has been decided, but it doesn’t mean all of the information has been gathered.The new information will be updated on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram whenever you want, so I recommend you follow the official social network to get the latest information.I’ll put the links on each official SNS, so please make sure to use it.

Twitter This
Facebook This
Instagram is this

2019 was held in Nagoya and Nagoya in Osaka and Nagoya

It has been decided that the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO will be moved, but some people may not wait until the fall of 2019.This is a good news for those who love snoopy.It has been decided that the exhibition will be held in Osaka and Nagoya from spring to fall of 2019.

I will introduce the information about the touring exhibition from here, so please check carefully if you want to get back to Snoopy as soon as possible.

Highlights of the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO tour

In the exhibition, the contents of a total of 5 exhibitions held at the Roppongi SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO were concentrated.There are 200 items selected from the original paintings, sketches and vintage goods.The author Charles M. Schulz introduces the fascination of “Peanuts,” a series of comic books written by about 50 years, and his friends such as Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

You might find Snoopy’s appeal, which you didn’t know you knew.

Limited items sold at the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO cyclic exhibition store

The exhibition is not the only exhibition held at the exhibition.We also have a monthly exhibition store where you can buy goods that are so popular that you can get along with the display.Many items that were very popular in the Roppongi SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO are reprinted, and the sale of special items and the sale of special books are also available!

If you put 1 steps in the store, you’ll see Snoopy goods lined up in front of you, and you’ll definitely want to buy them all.You can buy them as your own rewards, buy them as gifts for your family and friends, and choose the goods according to their respective uses.

Main items available for purchase at the cyclic exhibition store.

1. Osaka Limited Water Dome
2. Osaka Limited Fire King
3. Osaka limited mug
4. Osaka Limited Snoopy
5. Stuffed rabbit stuffed with rabbit
6. Cushion
7. Sagara weave badge
8. Tomica
9. Round Snoopy

The date and time of the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO Osaka venue, and the date and time of the event

Access

Date and time, location, and charge

for the SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO Nagoya venue.

All children love the idea of a field trip—it breaks up the regular school day routine, and it usually involves a visit to a gift shop or a snack bar! If a home educator is not comfortable with an art museum, that may be the last choice on her list of possible field trip destinations. However, an art museum, no matter the size, can be a fabulous place to take kids to see something truly new. There are just a few guidelines to making it a pleasant outing and a great learning opportunity. My recommendations come in three parts: before you go, while you’re there, and after you return.

Before You Go

1. Select a local museum. Every area of the United States has at least one art museum or gallery nearby. The size of the institution does not matter—what matters is if there are knowledgeable people who can make the art come alive as you make some new discoveries. Do a little research, and my guess is you will be surprised to discover what is out there! A great Internet resource is ArtCyclopedia; just type in “museums” and the name of your state.

2. Spend time browsing the museum website. Determine the facility’s schedule and any special policies that may impact your visit, such as stroller policies. Many museums have free admission on designated days and times, so take advantage of any deals. Find out if they have a children’s section or special children’s programs.

3. Use the museum’s website to determine what is on exhibit during the time of your visit. If there is a special exhibit by an artist, do some at-home research about the artist and talk about him/her before you take your trip. Perhaps even look at the website with your kids to prepare them for what they will see!

4. Discuss your “museum visit rules” with your children beforehand: no touching the items, no running, keep voices low, stay together, etc., so that they know the behavior you expect. But make sure you also share the rule to have fun!

While at the Museum

1. Use the restrooms as soon as you go into the museum.

2. Do not plan to see all the art in a larger museum in one visit. Identify a few “must see” things by checking out the museum map or guide and determining what is most important to see. Not sure? Ask a museum docent at the desk.

3. Have a plan and share the plan. For example, say to your kids: “We are going into this wing to look at three rooms together, and then we will go somewhere for a snack and talk about what we saw before we decide what to do next.” This lets everyone know what to expect, which is always a good thing for kids.

4. Make a game of finding certain subjects in art. All kids love animals, so one option is to be on the “hunt” for paintings or sculptures that feature animals as the subject matter.

5. If you are seeing a special exhibit, go as soon as the museum opens, in order to avoid crowds.

6. Don’t spend the entire day at the museum. Kids just don’t have the stamina or attention span to handle an outing like that without resulting in a meltdown of some kind (possibly Mom’s).

7. Read the information that accompanies each piece of art. A lot of great information is offered, such as title of the work, artist name, date it was created, and the medium. Sometimes the museum provides a little background information. If not, stand before a painting and ask the kids to tell the story they think the painting represents.

8. Take some paper on a clipboard or a sketchbook and colored pencils, and plan to sit down on a bench and make some art! This activity can be unstructured, meaning that you just give them a chance to draw and color, or it can involve guided instruction: “We just saw three different paintings with sailboats. now you make a drawing with a sailboat.” If your kids are older, you may want to have them try to draw in the style of a particular artist or in a style that represents art from a particular period of history.

9. Visit the gift shop. This is where kids are encouraged to look and touch things. Even if you make a decision not to make any purchases there, visiting the gift shop is always a great way to affirm the fact that art museums are fun places to go!

When You Return

1. During the car ride home, ask each person to tell about a favorite museum section or art piece. You will be surprised by their varied responses, which will be determined by their ages and interests.

2. Help kids make connections between the art they saw and other subjects they are studying. Art history is so closely linked to general history; they likely spotted a great painting or sculpture that reveals the people, stories, clothing, or architecture of the current study period.

3. Provide an opportunity and materials to make art! Once the kids are inspired by the trip to an art museum, the creative juices begin to flow, and even the most frustrated young artist will probably feel freer to express himself. One idea to try, after viewing a Jackson Pollock painting, is to bake a cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Then decorate the cake using various colors of loose icing to employ a drip and splatter technique. Kids love making messy food creations! Another suggestion is to have your weekly art lesson within a day or two of your art museum outing.

4. Plan the next art museum visit. Kids may need multiple opportunities to fully understand the value and importance of art as part of the human experience and to enjoy the process of discovering art on their own terms.

5. Plan a virtual museum trip. Several larger art museums have high-quality virtual tours on their websites, and you can browse a collection of your choosing at your own pace. For example, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has a Web Tour of the Week.

Your positive attitude and enthusiasm for an art museum trip are probably the most important factors that will determine whether or not your kids will find it an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Do your research ahead of time, come up with a plan, and follow all the guidelines of a museum visit. The best advice I can offer a home educator is to relax and enjoy it. A lifelong love of art can be nurtured with repeated exposure, education, patience, and of course, fun!

Pat Knepley has been drawing and painting since she was able to hold a crayon. She has a degree in art education, a teaching credential, and is an experienced teacher. In addition to being the master artist for the See the Light ART CLASS DVD series, Pat serves as Director of Children’s Ministries at a large church where she is blessed to be able to blend her passions for art, teaching, and reaching kids with God’s Word. Pat lives in Southern California with her husband and two teen boys. See the Light’s ART CLASS lessons are available on DVD, and our See The Light website is a great resource for young artists ().

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the family education magazine. Read the magazine free at or read it on the go and download the free apps at to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

Publication date: February 28, 2014

Whilst Paris comes with plenty of tourist spots one can visit, the Louvre Museum ( Musée du Louvre) is the most popular destination for any kinds of traveller. In fact, it is the most famous museum in the world, where one can find the well-known painting of Da Vinci and many other renowned artists of history. However, it is also the busiest visitor attraction in Paris , where 8.6 million visitors went to the museum in 2015.

One needs to properly plan their trip to this destination if they want to maximize their stay, time, and effort. Following some advice on how to best visit the Louvre, here’s another post that will help travelers enjoy the Louvre Museum on a short trip.

Come in at night

Long queues have become an additional attraction in this place, especially the one going to the Pyramid entrance. Going there at night (6 PM), one will be able to enjoy less crowd, particularly the school groups that usually go there in the morning and reduced admission during Wednesday and Friday. The museum is open until 10 PM. Booking your tickets ahead at FNAC or department stores to beat this stressful line will be very helpful.

Getting there at night will also avoid the number of tourists flocking famous art pieces (35,000 works of art, 300 rooms), such as the painting of Mona Lisa (La Gioconda). Whilst coming face-to-face with this painting by Da Vinci is considered a milestone for many travelers, the whole experience may not be that exciting to some. It’s not the painting that is disappointing, but the number of tourists flocking to see this painting in a room. In fact, a traveler’s guide considered the experience one of the most disappointing when touring Paris.

Apart from the Pyramid entrance, there is less queue at other museum entrances, such as the one at the Porte des Lions or directly riding the Metro stations Palais Royal- Musée du Louvre (platform 1).

Stay near the vicinity

Every experienced traveler knows that staying in an accommodation close to a famous tourist spot costs twice or thrice than staying somewhere nearby. Paris has a great metro station that links all areas and even across it, so getting to a certain location is not that hard. There are different affordable accommodation for those on a shoestring budget that still keep one close to the infamous museum, such as the Hotel Louvre Bons Enfants that is only 0.2km away from the spot. It is the top recommended hotel for travelers going to Louvre with Certificate of Excellence, next to Timhotel Le Louvre in Croix des Petits Champs.

Plan other activities

Being a prime spot, Museum Louvre is close to many tourist spots and plenty of activities travelers will love to experience in their short trip here. Starting with the THATLou, a treasure hunt just outside the museum. It’s a fun way to visit the Louvre while learning a lot of information about the location. Of course, do not forget to take a short trip in River Seine, which is only 0.3 kilometers from the museum, where one can take an amazing boat trip along the river while checking out the great surroundings they built around it. Travelers can also go on a walking-tour from Louvre to the famous Eiffel Tower while enjoying some pastries and great tea/coffee along the way.

There are many reasons to visit the Musée du Louvre, not only for its great collection of arts but also the different adventures one can try even in their short visit in Paris. We hoped this post has given you enough idea how to plan your vacation here.

While we are closed you can still enjoy the museum online. We are sharing projects you can take part in on our social media, you can find a range of resources to inspire you at home and you can also visit Stories to discover different perspectives and personal reflections on our objects and design themes.

Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Learning Resources

Get inspired at home with a range of challenges, design prompts and resources inspired by the museum, our exhibitions and our programme.

Design Busters

Call our free Design Busters phoneline to hear our latest challenge, then put on your thinking caps and help us solve the problem!

Stories

Our words, pictures and videos explore design from unexpected perspectives, inspired by what we do and where we are

Sewing Box for the Future

Help reduce fashion waste and extend the lifetime of your wardrobe using our handy pack of recipe cards

Social Media

Take part in a range of inspiring projects such as A Few Minutes of Design or #VADInYourStyle published every week and keep in touch with the museum on our social platforms @VADundee.

Audio

Find a range of audio content in our Stories section, from previous talks in the museum to articles about Scottish Design Icons read by their authors. You can also subscribe on all good Podcast networks

Closure Information

Following official guidance, V&A Dundee is temporarily closed. During these exceptional times, the health and safety of our visitors and staff is our number one priority.

We continue to monitor the situation closely and look forward to welcoming visitors back to V&A Dundee as soon as we are able. Our Mary Quant exhibition is not cancelled and will open later this year. Any pre-booked Mary Quant tickets will be valid for any date once the museum reopens, and all affected visitors have been contacted.

For visitors with any paid event bookings, tickets will be automatically refunded in advance of the booked event.

We are currently operating remotely with a temporarily reduced team but continue to update our website and social media channels with the latest information on our plans. If you need to contact us over this period, please email: [email protected]

Last Reviewed: 11.45, Wednesday 22 April 2020

Stories

Explore design from unexpected perspectives

It was a bitterly cold December day in Germany as my family and I bundled up in scarves and woolens, and drove to the historic city of Ulm.

Home to a magnificent cathedral and a fabulous Medieval Christmas Market (I wrote about it here), it also boasts the World’s Largest bread museum: Museum of Bread Culture (Museum Der Brotkultur).

Now I must take this moment to give kudos to my family for actually following me when I excitedly beckoned them down a narrow alley with the words, “Hey guys, look! It’s a Bread Museum!”

With amused shakes of their heads and shrugs of “why not” we all trooped in out of the cold, thoroughly delighting the concierge who grinned happily at our arrival.

For a mere 3.50 Euro we were given headphones for an audio tour of the huge 5-story historic former storehouse.

In all honesty we did not expect much from a bread museum, but it turned out to be quite fascinating and well worth the modest admission fee.

The first floor featured miniature kitchens and bakeries as they would’ve looked down through the centuries. I loved the large, open ones with gleaming copper pots hanging from the walls and shelves lined with pewter plates. The audio guide brought the place to life, enriching each scene with great stories and informative history.

Other floors featured historic displays explaining the importance of bread in society and culture. I was intrigued and horrified to learn how politicians such as Adolf Hitler and Stalin used bread as an effective yet devastating tool of manipulation with the people they ruled. I was staggered by the pamphlets actually distributed by the Nazi government with recipes for how to make bread out of WOOD! I can scarcely imagine the desperation that would lead people to chop, soak, shred and pulverize wood into “flour” just to have something to feed their family for dinner.

I loved seeing the paintings depicting warm family scenes, children clustered around the kitchen table while their beaming mother slathered thick butter onto their slices of bread. I was charmed by the exquisite old art work, gorgeous silver platters and wonderful wooden bread bowls. They made me want to roll up my sleeves then and there to start kneading and shaping yeasty loaves of bread.

I also enjoyed the dioramas that showed bakeries as they looked in medieval Europe, ancient Egypt and bustling Rome.

I have often wondered what it would be like to grind grain by hand, and at the Museum of Bread Culture I got my chance. Gripping a heavy stone with both hands, I twisted and pounded it against the grains skidding across the surface. After only a short time my hands and arms were wearing out and I was filled with gratitude for folks like King Arthur who package flour for me without any of the stones and grit previous generations had to deal with.

There is one thing we did not find at the Museum Der Brotkultur: bread. It was the belief of the founders of the museum, father and son Willy and Hermann Eiselen, that bread is not a museum artifact, but a food that ought to be freshly baked and enjoyed each day.

If you have a hankering to peruse a German bread museum one day, here are a few tips to make it worth your while.

1. Eat before you go. Trust me, before you’re even half way through this place you’re going to be craving bread something fierce! Don’t worry, there are plenty of cafes just down the street.
2. Take your time. There is much to see and learn. Find new types of bread you’d like to try or learn stories you can share the next time you bring a fresh-baked loaf to a friend.
3. Get the audio guide in your language. This was an invaluable asset to my jaunt through the museum and you can skip ahead easily if the topic being discussed is of little interest to you.
4. Wear comfy shoes. It’s a long trek through five floors of displays and you don’t want to miss out because your feet are sore.
5. Visit a local bakery after you’re done. The bread will taste even more delicious after learning the history that precedes it.

I left the museum that day with renewed thankfulness for the prosperity and security of my country that not only allows me to eat bread each day, but lavishes me with fruits, vegetables, quality meat and all sorts of delicacies previous generations and current nations could only dream of. We are truly blessed.

Sharjah: Exploring culture took a front seat as hundreds of visitors thronged the museums under Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) during the long Eid Al Adha break. Museums and cultural sites are now fully open after restrictions due to COVID-19 were eased across the UAE.

Among the museum visitors was Emirati Hamad Saleh Hussain from Abu Dhabi, who was eager to explore the collections at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation (SMIC).

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“I have been following up on the news of reopening museums and when they were announced, I decided to invest this Eid holiday by visiting and exploring Sharjah museums with SMIC on the top of my list,” he said.

‘Proud of Arab culture’

Abdullah Al Olaqi also expressed his joy to be surrounded by collections that represent the Arab and Islamic history. “It was a wonderful opportunity to come to this magnificent space. Museums are open resources for all,” said Al Olaqi, while stressing the importance of museums in introducing people to different cultures and civilisations.

Hassan Al-Juaidi also said visiting SMIC made him proud of the Arab and Muslim civilisation and its role in the development of various areas of study. He added: “By making museums’ visits a lifestyle for our kids, we help them learn more of our culture.”

Safety protocols

Filipino expat Alexander Marcos said he felt safe visiting SMIC. He and his family spent hours exploring the museum has to offer.

SMA said it has implemented a set of strict health and safety guidelines and precautionary measures to protect visitors and employees.

Manal Ataya, SMA director general, noted: “It was a delight to see a strong return of visitor numbers to our museums over the Eid break. It was very important for us to know that our visitors felt confident and safe to come and enjoy all that we have to offer in our museums. We hope that we will continue to grow this steady return of visitors over the next coming months,” she added.

Other attractions

Filipino expatriates Juan and Kin Palo, meanwhile, visited Sharjah Aquarium. They were also satisfied with all precautionary measures in place, as were Abu Dhabi residents Maya Saud and her husband and daughter, from Iraq.

“Sharjah Aquarium is an ideal destination for people to have fun and learn at the same time,” said Lorna and Fox, a married couple from South Africa.

When the Library is open, you can use your Library card to borrow passes for many local museums, including the Peabody in New Haven and the MoMA in New York City. Many of these institutions are now offering virtual tours, so you can visit them without leaving home. It may not be the same as being there in person, but it’s a nice break from another episode of (insert whatever-show-you-are-binge-watching here).

Bruce Museum
Our own local gem of a museum is offering a virtual tour of its latest exhibit, Under the Skin, as well as educational activities for children, and many other virtual learning opportunities curated by staff.

Audubon Center of Greenwich
The Audubon’s website features Live Bird Cams and a live “Dawn Chorus” every morning at 7 a.m., as well as many inspiring updates about nature and spring. Check their Facebook and Instagram pages for more Audubon Center happenings and information.

Yale Peabody Natural History Museum
Take a virtual tour of this prestigious museum and explore a wealth of at-home learning opportunities for kids as well.

MoMA
MoMA exhibitions have moved online and the museum is offering free online courses, art-making activities for families, and much more, including:

• Museum From Home from the MoMA Magazine, offers some insight into what the museum is doing during the closure, as well as offering some activities to stay engaged with the art.We particularly recommend diving into Virtual Views, for some glimpses into the museum.
• MoMA’s free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera are designed to inspire learning about a variety of topics from Abstract Expressionism to fashion to teaching modern art. Courses are taught by MoMA staff including educators, curators, and artists.
• MoMA Learning Website including the Online Teacher Toolkit is where you can find slide shows, worksheets, and other resources for use in the classroom or self-guided learning.
• MoMA YouTube Channel has an archive of MoMA video series including At the Museum, The Way I See it, and Conversation, which offer unique, behind the scenes glimpses into the museum.
• MoMA’s online collection
• Google Arts and Culture at MoMA offers another way to explore the collection, including online exhibitions.
• MoMA.org Research Resources
• MoMA Audio is free and available through our website.

Mystic Aquarium
Mystic Aquarium is hosting daily Facebook Live opportunities with animals. The aquarium’s website has downloadable coloring pages and crafts, as well as additional educational resources offered through their national conservation-based STEM education program. Topics include water, endangered species and energy.

Guggenheim Museum
There are many opportunities available to connect with Guggenheim curators, artists, exhibitions and collections from your own home. Visit their website to take a virtual tour, join art classes and more!

Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Stamford Museum & Nature Center is holding twice daily Facebook Live classes in English (and in Spanish on Fridays), remote animal visits with families via Zoom (includes a birthday party option!), and at-home learning packs on topics like rocks and minerals, owls and farm critters are available for pick-up or delivery to your home. Pretty cool!

MORE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OPPORTUNITIES TO CHECK OUT

The First Art Newspaper on the NetEstablished in 1996Monday, August 10, 2020

Enthusiasts Find New Ways to Enjoy Art While Museums and Galleries are Shut Coronavirus has had a significant impact on all industries that of culture and the arts. After most of the museums and galleries across the world shut their doors in March, many art enthusiasts were concerned about how they could enjoy their hobby while they remained at home. This has led to many art lovers to find new ways to appreciate and take part in the art world. • Doing Art Projects at Home With the coronavirus becoming the biggest challenge to institutions since the war, the current global pandemic has led to more people using art as a way to entertain themselves at home, with many art enthusiasts choosing to create their own art and to get creative. In fact, many museums and art galleries have endorsed this by producing activities for both children and adults, such as drawing and painting guides. To create art at home, you need to get the right equipment first, including crafting items like casting resins, which can be used to make models and jewelry, different types of paints, and brushes and palettes. • Going on Virtual Tours of Art Galleries and Museums One of the major positives of the pandemic for art lovers is the fact that many museums and art galleries across the world have opened their doors on virtual platforms. Not only does this give regular visitors a way to enjoy their favorite museums, but it also allows people who may not have been able to enjoy art before, either due to their financial situation or their location, a chance to immerse themselves within some of the most famous museums in the world. You can also use these virtual tours to read the information boards that are in museums and educate yourself about the exhibitions that you are looking at. Some of the most famous museums with online tours include the Smithsonian, the Louvre, and the Getty Center. There has also been access to virtual tours of museums through Google Street View. • Watching Live Streams Many museums and galleries are also finding ways to interact with their loyal followers by creating online content for fans. Many of this is live streamed on their social media pages or can be accessed through their websites. As well as educational resources and research, many galleries are also deciding to commit to live streams, which may include interviews with artists, among other content. Many galleries have also opted to provide podcasts for their devoted members who can help people to keep in touch with their favorite institutions even while they are gone. • Taking Art Courses However, for many, art is academic, and there has been a boom in the number of free online art courses that you can take. Many of these are at a university level and can help art lovers to learn more about their hobby while the world is on hiatus. From art history to sketching, there is a wide range of both academic and practical courses that you can take for the duration of the pandemic. Given the old ‘my kid could paint that’ cliché, you might hope that children would feel a certain affinity with contemporary art. But alas, that’s generally not the case. However, many of the world’s leading modern art museums are encouraging and inspiring the next generation to engage with art. Here are the world’s most highly rated cities for enjoying modern art with children in tow according to global travellers.* MONA in Hobart, Australia Located in Hobart Harbour, MONA will engross children with its ‘Poo Machine’ Despite being frequently described and voted as the best contemporary art gallery in the world, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, is barely heard of outside Australia. What child wouldn’t be won over watching the Poo Machine in the permanent collection; an installation by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye that mimics the function of the human digestive system, requiring feeding twice a day and defecating at 2pm on the dot? The museum’s benefactor has said he wanted MONA to become a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’ and the best part is you never know what to expect from a visit; on MONA’s website, it says ‘most likely when you come you will find a mouldy carrot and David Walsh passed out on the couch.’ The building is also worth ogling and exploring on its own; a partially underground structure carved out of solid sandstone on the banks of the Derwent River. There’s a brilliant ferry that whisks you upriver to the museum in 25 minutes, features on-board sculptures and is a great opportunity to see Hobart from the water. Admission to MONA for under 18s is free. The Museum has its own accommodation, the cutting-edge MONA Pavilions; simultaneously very sophisticated, glamorous (with bathtub views of the Derwent River) and family-friendly. Tate Modern in London, UK London’s Tate Modern excels at child-friendly exhibits London’s Tate Modern is one of the world’s most family-friendly galleries. In its prime riverside location in a converted power station on South Bank, Tate Modern possesses a hypnotising sense of calm – thanks to its size, the natural light pouring inside and the green space all around the building. The gallery also has a notably relaxed and welcoming approach to its younger visitors, inviting children to sit on the floor and sketch, offering interactive exhibits, a digital drawing bar, a whole website dedicated to children’s activities, and a year-round programme of family events. There’s a Family Visitor Host on hand during weekends and school holidays, a child-friendly café with unrivalled views across the river of St Paul’s Cathedral, and most of the permanent exhibitions and the turbine hall installations are free and open to everyone. Check into a Hop Art House apartment, just a short walk from the Tate Modern, with family rooms and plenty of space for running riot after a modern art day out. Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain An interactive, child-friendlyexhibit at the Guggenheim in Bilbao The sight of the Guggenheim building will stop children in their tracks; it’s a futuristic, abstract architectural masterpiece made up of curved titanium panels, reflected on the water of the adjacent Nervion River in Bilbao. Standing in front of the museum, the giant spider sculpture, ‘Maman’, by artist Louise Bourgeois cuts an intimidating and intriguing figure, while children will no doubt love Jeff Koons’ ‘Puppy’, a floral sculpture of a West Highland terrier playfully perched on the terrace. In addition to a contemporary collection that will fire up young imaginations, the museum also hosts family workshops (some lasting for several days during school holidays), has an ‘Art Corner’ creative space, Baby Art (where babies are encouraged to awaken their senses through art), and an impressive outdoor playground. Designed by Javier Mariscal, the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is a work of art in itself, with family friendly rooms just opposite the Guggenheim. MoMA in New York, USA MoMA has a special Family Programs schedules, including the free ‘Closer Look for Kids’ event Don’t be put off by MoMA’s lofty reputation, this prestigious contemporary gallery in NYC does a great job of inspiring and welcoming youngsters. There is an Education and Family Information Desk where you can pick up free family guides and find out about the Family Programs schedule, including the free ‘Closer Look for Kids’ event, involving discussions and activities connected to contemporary art. There’s also a MoMA Art Lab in the educational building, with lots of hands-on, interactive activities for visitors as young as four, and engaging audio tours tailored to both children and teenagers. Book a family room at 3 West Club Hotel and you’ll only have to carry tired children 200 metres home from MoMA. MACBA in Barcelona, Spain Children can touch and interact with the art in a designated part of MACBA If the main struggle in taking your children to a gallery is trying to stop them touching, licking or sitting on the art; take them to MACBA (the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art). Here, there’s an area designated for children, people with visual or hearing impairments and anyone with a compulsive curiosity, where you can touch all the installations, sculptures and paintings of your heart’s content. There’s also a free app for phones and iPads offering stimulating audio, video and visual content, as well as regular family workshops, children’s activities, plenty of space outside for running around and features like projected animation on the walls. Check into Hostal Grau, a family-run, eco-friendly hotel just 350 metres from MACBA. Given the old ‘my kid could paint that’ cliché, you might hope that children would feel a certain affinity with contemporary art. But alas, that’s generally not the case. However, many of the world’s leading modern art museums are encouraging and inspiring the next generation to engage with art. Here are the world’s most highly rated cities for enjoying modern art with children in tow according to global travellers.* MONA in Hobart, Australia Located in Hobart Harbour, MONA will engross children with its ‘Poo Machine’ Despite being frequently described and voted as the best contemporary art gallery in the world, the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, is barely heard of outside Australia. What child wouldn’t be won over watching the Poo Machine in the permanent collection; an installation by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye that mimics the function of the human digestive system, requiring feeding twice a day and defecating at 2pm on the dot? The museum’s benefactor has said he wanted MONA to become a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’ and the best part is you never know what to expect from a visit; on MONA’s website, it says ‘most likely when you come you will find a mouldy carrot and David Walsh passed out on the couch.’ The building is also worth ogling and exploring on its own; a partially underground structure carved out of solid sandstone on the banks of the Derwent River. There’s a brilliant ferry that whisks you upriver to the museum in 25 minutes, features on-board sculptures and is a great opportunity to see Hobart from the water. Admission to MONA for under 18s is free. The Museum has its own accommodation, the cutting-edge MONA Pavilions; simultaneously very sophisticated, glamorous (with bathtub views of the Derwent River) and family-friendly. Tate Modern in London, UK London’s Tate Modern excels at child-friendly exhibits London’s Tate Modern is one of the world’s most family-friendly galleries. In its prime riverside location in a converted power station on South Bank, Tate Modern possesses a hypnotising sense of calm – thanks to its size, the natural light pouring inside and the green space all around the building. The gallery also has a notably relaxed and welcoming approach to its younger visitors, inviting children to sit on the floor and sketch, offering interactive exhibits, a digital drawing bar, a whole website dedicated to children’s activities, and a year-round programme of family events. There’s a Family Visitor Host on hand during weekends and school holidays, a child-friendly café with unrivalled views across the river of St Paul’s Cathedral, and most of the permanent exhibitions and the turbine hall installations are free and open to everyone. Check into a Hop Art House apartment, just a short walk from the Tate Modern, with family rooms and plenty of space for running riot after a modern art day out. Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain An interactive, child-friendlyexhibit at the Guggenheim in Bilbao The sight of the Guggenheim building will stop children in their tracks; it’s a futuristic, abstract architectural masterpiece made up of curved titanium panels, reflected on the water of the adjacent Nervion River in Bilbao. Standing in front of the museum, the giant spider sculpture, ‘Maman’, by artist Louise Bourgeois cuts an intimidating and intriguing figure, while children will no doubt love Jeff Koons’ ‘Puppy’, a floral sculpture of a West Highland terrier playfully perched on the terrace. In addition to a contemporary collection that will fire up young imaginations, the museum also hosts family workshops (some lasting for several days during school holidays), has an ‘Art Corner’ creative space, Baby Art (where babies are encouraged to awaken their senses through art), and an impressive outdoor playground. Designed by Javier Mariscal, the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is a work of art in itself, with family friendly rooms just opposite the Guggenheim. MoMA in New York, USA MoMA has a special Family Programs schedules, including the free ‘Closer Look for Kids’ event Don’t be put off by MoMA’s lofty reputation, this prestigious contemporary gallery in NYC does a great job of inspiring and welcoming youngsters. There is an Education and Family Information Desk where you can pick up free family guides and find out about the Family Programs schedule, including the free ‘Closer Look for Kids’ event, involving discussions and activities connected to contemporary art. There’s also a MoMA Art Lab in the educational building, with lots of hands-on, interactive activities for visitors as young as four, and engaging audio tours tailored to both children and teenagers. Book a family room at 3 West Club Hotel and you’ll only have to carry tired children 200 metres home from MoMA. MACBA in Barcelona, Spain Children can touch and interact with the art in a designated part of MACBA If the main struggle in taking your children to a gallery is trying to stop them touching, licking or sitting on the art; take them to MACBA (the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art). Here, there’s an area designated for children, people with visual or hearing impairments and anyone with a compulsive curiosity, where you can touch all the installations, sculptures and paintings of your heart’s content. There’s also a free app for phones and iPads offering stimulating audio, video and visual content, as well as regular family workshops, children’s activities, plenty of space outside for running around and features like projected animation on the walls. Check into Hostal Grau, a family-run, eco-friendly hotel just 350 metres from MACBA. With free admission to galleries and family fun, there are many reasons to visit this campus artistic oasis Ozgun Erdogan, a postdoctoral associate in pharmacology and cancer biology, hadn’t been at Duke long before she found her way to Duke’s Nasher Museum of Art. Once the art buff found out that Duke students, staff and faculty get into the museum for free, it became a regular part of her life at Duke. “I try to get there at least every month or two to see what exhibitions they have,” said Erdogan, who arrived at Duke in early 2017. Erdogan has enjoyed exploring the museum’s permanent collection and recent rotating exhibitions. She saw “Solidary & Solitary,” which highlighted the contributions of artists of African descent to abstract art, and “Disorderly Conduct,” which followed the development of American painting and sculpture during the boundary-pushing decades that followed World War II. “It’s a great space for learning,” Erdogan said. “I enjoy it a lot.” Home to a world class art collection, one of Duke’s most relaxing eateries and events that delight guests of all ages, the Nasher Museum of Art is one of Duke’s most valuable cultural resources. Here’s what to know, so you can fully experience what the museum has to offer. Get in free For Duke employees – just like with students and faculty – the usual $7 admission charge for adults is waived. “The Nasher is Duke University’s art museum, so it is their museum as much as anyone else’s,” said Sarah Schroth, Nasher Museum director. The free admission covers events such as gallery tours, films, live music, artists’ talks and the Sketching in the Galleries program. There are occasional ticketed exhibitions – such as 2017’s showing of works by 17th-century painter Carlo Dolci – that are not covered. Employees can purchase discounted tickets for such exhibitions. For members of the Nasher Museum, children under 17, Duke alumni and active duty military members or veterans and up to five of their family members, admission is also free every day. And every Thursday, admission is free for everyone. “It’s great that they have Thursdays free, so you can bring other people as well,” said Erdogan, the postdoctoral associate in pharmacology and cancer biology. There’s art for everyone No matter who you are, there’s likely art that will resonate with you. The Nasher Museum’s collection is constantly growing. And while it does feature European and American paintings, as well as European medieval art, it also features a vast collection of outsider art, contemporary art and works from artists of African descent. “It’s been a collecting and exhibiting strategy since we opened to exhibit and collect artists that are under-represented or overlooked,” Schroth said. “Our mission is to reflect diversity in our day and age on the Duke campus and in Durham. But it’s also a way to break the status quo. That’s why we’re an exciting place and an original place.” There’s always something new Whether it’s in “The Collection Galleries,” which feature the Nasher Museum’s own historical and contemporary works, or one of the rotating exhibition spaces that showcase the Nasher’s own collection or exhibitions from elsewhere, the art on view is ever-changing. Exhibitions refresh every few months. Coming in September, the Nasher hosts an exhibition entitled “People Get Ready,” which uses works collected mainly over the past 12 years from diverse artists addressing issues of identity, social justice and environmentalism. Also opening in September is an exhibition co-curated by Duke faculty and students that tells the story of medieval migration in Europe. Families are welcome On five Sundays during the 2018-19 academic year, the Nasher Museum hosts Free Family Days. The events, during which families and others can enjoy free admission to the museum’s galleries, live entertainment, hands-on art projects and gallery hunt activities. “I have friends who have children and if they don’t know what to do, I’ll tell them that the family day is a great day to visit the Nasher,” Erdogan said. “Now, I have friends who go specifically for the family days.” Children of all ages are welcome at Free Family Days, which run from noon to 4 p.m. and serve as an entertaining way to introduce children to art in a relaxed environment. “We’re trying to open it up to families and make it very, very comfortable,” Schroth said. “We want to make them feel like it’s their museum. It’s a way to introduce to families some of the ideas that we’re working with in the exhibitions and in our collecting.” Take a break there Tucked just off the museum’s peaceful airy atrium, the Nasher Museum Café is one of Duke’s most acclaimed dining spots. Open for lunch Tuesday-Friday, dinner on Thursday and brunch on the weekends, the café features a rotating menu that showcases local and seasonal ingredients. It earned a 2017 Diner’s Choice Award and grabbed a spot on the list of OpenTable’s “Top 100 Brunch Spots in America.” “It’s very nice lunch experience because you really can come, get a nice lunch, and get back to the office in an hour,” Schroth said. “It’s an elegant dining experience. To be able to offer that on campus, not too far away, it’s a wonderful thing.” Become a member The Nasher Museum offers Duke staff and faculty a 20 percent discount for memberships ranging from the individual to benefactor levels. In addition to providing funds for the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, advantages of membership include invitations to members-only events, discounts at the museum store and cafe and free passes to ticketed exhibitions. Got a story idea or news to share? Share your news with [email protected]