American Museum of Natural History, NYC: Our Global Kitchen - it's all about food

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, New York

212-769-5100

Amnh.org

By Jane Feehan

I could not leave New York City without stopping by the American Museum of Natural History, the queen of museums. It was like stepping back into history – my history. It was a frequent field trip destination for my grade school in New Jersey.

Much appeared the same at this museum founded in 1869 (President Ulysses S. Grant laid the first stone in 1874), starting with the gigantic prehistoric elephants stationed near the entrance of the first exhibit. But there have been many additions. The Hayden Big Bang Theater presented a nifty four-minute video projected on to a sunken, circular screen introducing the Rose Center for Earth and Space and its examination of universe and earth through time.

There’s so much to see here – and so many toddlers, and babies in strollers. Why do parents drag young kids to these places? Children younger than seven don’t appreciate - or understand - these exhibits.

I sought refuge from the parade of strollers in an exhibit less traveled and paid an additional $6 to see Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture (amnh.org/our-global-kitchen). This was worth the trip – and the extra money. It’s a terrific exhibit featuring: how food is grown around the globe; how it’s traded and shipped (did you know 30 percent of the world’s food is destroyed in transit?); how it’s cooked in different countries; and the central place food takes in cultural celebrations. Tastings are provided by Whole Foods Markets.  There’s also an interesting collection of international cook books, edible plants grown hydroponically, spices, and a table movie showing chefs’ hands creating a variety of familiar dishes (more boys at this table than girls).

Our Global Kitchen also includes food in history: ancient irrigation systems, spices along Asia’s Silk Road, and models of crops grown hundreds of years ago. Lastly, the exhibit examines future food sources and the role some may play in eliminating world hunger. Enough food can be grown to feed the world now, the museum claims, but politics and natural disasters are among the causes that undermine the ability to feed all. Food for thought …

General admission tickets to the museum run $19, special exhibits additional. If traveling by subway take the B line during weekdays and the C train on weekends. The 81^st street subway exit features wall/tile art apropos of the museum. There are several restaurants and gift shops in the building as well as  restaurants in the neighborhood.

For transit directions, visit: http://hopstop.com

Tags: NYC museums, food exhibits, food history, natural history, prehistoric food,natural history, things to do in New York City

    

Bennington Center for the Arts and its covered bridges: Where art meets history

View of the museum from Rt 9

Bennington Center for the Arts and the Covered Bridge Museum

44 Gypsy Lane

Bennington, Vermont 05201

802-442-7158

http://www.benningtoncenterforthearts.org/

Open seven days 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 19 – January 16, 

Adult admission $9 (dollar off for AAA Members)

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to miss the Bennington Center for the Arts visible from Route 9 entering this southern Vermont town. The Center is comingled with the Covered Bridge Museum with its eye-catching red bridge sitting along its side.

Silk Road Covered Bridge in Bennington

Covered bridges, popular during the 19^th century, were built to protect bridge underpinnings from weathering so structures would last decades longer. There are about 600 covered bridges remaining in the United States with about 100 in Vermont. History and construction techniques are on display, with the real thing sitting on the property of the Center.

The Center’s art collections, displayed on two floors, are changed intermittently. Currently, original works include a fantastic display of Master Carver Floyd Sholz’s bird creations. Feathers appear to be, well ... feathery and so lifelike it’s hard to believe they were carved. Exquisite. 

For more on the world's leading Master Carver, visit http://www.vermontraptoracademy.com/works.htm

For more on covered bridges, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_bridges

For Grandma Moses exhibit and other things Vermont, visit:http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-museum-for-all-things.html


Tags: Bennington Fine Arts Center, Bennington, Vermont, Vermont covered bridges, covered bridges, Bennington museum

Bennington Museum for all things American: Grandma Moses, the Revolution and more

Bennington Museum

75 Main Street

Bennington, Vermont

802-447-1571

www.benningtonmuseum.org

Open year round

By Jane Feehan

A visit to the Bennington Museum is a requisite stop when touring this southern Vermont town. It’s a spacious, comfortable place with exhibits featuring the Battle of Bennington history and its weaponry, Early American furniture and pottery, and paintings by local artists, including several of the 

19^th- century Hudson River art movement.

Also on display is the largest collection of Grandma Moses artwork and artifacts in the world. A video of Edward R. Murrow’s 1955 television interview of the beloved American artist, then 95 (she lived until 101) plays continuously, which does much to infuse the exhibit with her personality.  Works of her family members, including her father and grandson, can also be viewed. A replica of a schoolhouse of Grandma Moses’ youth and toys typical of her childhood comprise one wing of the exhibit.

A handsome 1924 Martin-Wasp touring car, one of only 20 produced, rounds out the exhibits of this wonderful museum. 

Cell phone accessible audio tours, a nifty use of technology, works by dialing your cell phone at exhibits with a logo, and entering the displayed numbers. When browsing ends, a change of scenery is provided by the adjacent Hadwen Woods Nature Trail – a great way to finish a tour of the Bennington Museum.

Also see the Covered Bridge Museum and art at: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-center-for-arts-and-its.html

Tags: Vermont history, Bennington Museum, Grandma Moses, Vermont Early American art, Bennington museums

Beautiful Bennington, Vermont ... visit any time of the year

View from Bennington Monument

By Jane Feehan

I may be going out on a limb here starting to write about other than Florida and the Gulf Coast, but my work takes me to different towns and cities, many of them places that deserve a word and a picture or two.

Main Street

One of them is Bennington, Vermont. People come from all over the world to see its Fall foliage. It is, indeed, beautiful. Mountains are not some faraway scenery here; they seem to rise up all around the town, defining its essence in an intimate, friendly way.

Vermont is one of the last settled areas of the New England colonies. There is no record of settlers in the Green Mountain State (hence the French-derived name, Vermont)  before 1760. It grew in importance in a few years, however; it was the site of the Battle of Bennington in 1777. The British, led by General John Burgoyne, were routed by the American Colonists in clash that proved to be more a psychological boost for the Colonists than anything else.

Road to Bennington Monument near peak foliage

Today, with about 15,700 residents (about 36,000 in the county), Bennington is the third largest city in the state. It’s a short drive – about 35 miles – from Albany, New York. I recommend a visit here any time of the year.

There’s more to come on Bennington: Grandma Moses, covered bridges, and some places to visit. Stay tuned.

Same road to the monument a month later

More on Bennington at: http://www.bennington.com/

Tags: Bennington, Vermont, places to visit in Bennington, museums in Bennington
Visit its museums: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-museum-for-all-things.html
 and http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-center-for-arts-and-its.html

Walter Anderson Museum of Art - Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Walter Anderson Museum of Art
510 Washington Ave.
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
228-872-3164
www.walterandersonmuseum.org
Monday-Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Sunday 12:30-4:30 p.m.

$7 for adults
$6 for seniors, students, military or AAA members
$5 for children between 5 -17
Free – children under five

By Jane Feehan

Walter Anderson Museum of Art is a must-see if you’re interested in regional art. Born in New Orleans in 1903, Walter Anderson moved to Ocean Springs in the 1930s. He worked at Shearwater Pottery, founded by his brother Peter. During the last 18 years of his life (d. 1965), the inspiration for much of his work came from nearby Horn Island. The museum showcases pottery and watercolors that capture Anderson’s love for nature.

Of particular interest is the adjoining Ocean Springs Community Center, home of Anderson’s largest mural, which became a United States National Treasure in 2005. The mural (see photos) reflects the Native American and European heritage of Ocean Springs. The center is still used for weddings and other functions. What a backdrop ... © 2010 All rights reserved.