With so many municipal meetings and events cancelled or postponed right now, schools closed and families spending more time at home together, there are still some options to avoid boredom and share some educational experiences. Here are a few that we found that may be of interest.
Boca Raton Museum of Art…
“Art, culture, and creativity have always made a difference in powerful ways, especially during challenging times,” says Irvin Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “Being inspired and creative have not been canceled.”
A special new series called Keep Kids Smart with ART will be available online to help parents and their children who are home from school. There are also other new digital programs especially made by the Museum, for all ages. — https://www.bocamuseum.org/
They also offer these tips for parents and students on using art in your home:
● Provide a special “creative zone” at home.
● Make sure that your “creative zone” is mess-friendly and able to stand up well to spills and art-related fun.
● Focus on the fun process, not on the outcome.
● Create a special area to showcase your child’s artwork.
● Watch and encourage your children as they work on their art.
● Ask them questions to engage them while they create.
Visit the National Portrait Gallery here:
https://npg.si.edu/home/national-portrait-gallery
Lots of historical portraits, plus some interesting contemporary “selfies.”
Love Opera? In an effort to continue providing opera to its audience members, the Met Opera will host “Nightly Met Opera Streams” on its official website to audiences worldwide:
https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-to-offer-up-nightly-met-opera-streams/
“These free streams will present encores of past performances from its famed Live in HD series. The encore presentations will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST each night on the company’s official website and will then be available for an additional 20 hours thereafter. Each showcase will also be viewable on the Met Opera on demand apps.”
British Museum, London
This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on the museum’s virtual tour. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Google’s Street View feature lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase without ever leaving home. “From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary eras.” https://artsandculture.google.com/?hl=en
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including many renderings of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer. Go to https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?hl=en Musée d’Orsay, Paris
You can virtually walk through this popular gallery that houses dozens of famous works from French artists who worked and lived between 1848 and 1914. Get a peek at artworks from Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, among others. Go to https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris?hl=enUffizi Gallery, Florence
This less well-known gallery houses the art collection of one of Florence, Italy’s most famous families, the de’Medicis. “The building was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 specifically for Cosimo I de’Medici, but anyone can wander its halls from anywhere in the world.” Go to https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery?hl=en
And of course, periodically check the Village and Town websites for important updates. Stay well. Take precautions. Don’t panic. Be thoughtful enough to leave some supplies on the shelves for other folks. Be kind, we’re all in this together….
Thought of the Day:
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin
Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.
Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669-7355, ext. 249, or send emails to Michael@communitynewspapers.com.
