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Featured
Story Natural History Museum opens on U. of U. campus Megan Adams, Universe.byu.edu,
Nov 16, 2011, 1:01 pm SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH –
“Driving to Salt Lake only takes an hour, but enduring construction-induced
traffic is now a small price to pay in order to travel 150 million years back
in time. The Natural History Museum of Utah opens Friday at the
distinctive Rio Tinto Center in Salt Lake City. Featuring everything from
dinosaurs to DNA, it is a museum of Utah’s history which has been dreamed
about for almost 20 years. The new museum differs drastically from the
previous museum which was housed at the University of Utah’s former library,
where conditions were too low to keep bones and other relics in good
condition. …” | |
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Cultural News, a free service of Lord Cultural Resources, is released at the end of
every week by our Librarians: Brenda Taylor and Danielle Manning, with
contributions from Ameline Coulombier and Camille Balmand of Lordculture. Follow us
on Facebook and Twitter for the latest digest of
cultural news. |
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Our Clients and Lord Cultural Resources in the News
Museums in the service of Education Appolos Ibeabuchi Oziogu, Vanguard,
November 17, 2011 LAGOS, NIGERIA – “THAT
clarion call for development of the Education wing of National Museum stemmed
from the fact that in the past, the teaching of African Studies in our
Nigerian Universities and other institutions of higher learning had been
treated with levity. National Museum is a special institution which is
concerned with preservation of a country’s cultural heritage in the form of objects
for research and study as well as aesthetic enjoyment. For the smooth running
of its professional and administrative works, there are special units created
basically for special services, one of which is Museum Education Unit. […] The development of an Education Unit of
National Museum started in January 1969 when two Nigerian Museum curators
visited Uganda Museum in Kampala to see its education programme under Ford
Foundation Travel Awards. It was after their return that the curator at the National
Museum Lagos, Late Sam Adeloye initiated and started a series of
education programme for school children at the National Museum Lagos which
included a lecture on Nigerian Cultural history, a tour of the Museum and a
motion picture on Nigerian art and culture. The museum Education Unit also
began a series of adult education programmes with a series of displays.
Today, the unit has the sole responsibility of making all educational
potentials and facilities in the museum available to schools, colleges and
the public which could enhance and quicken their learning. …” Federal strings attached to museum’s funding Construction on Royal Alberta Museum must start by Nov. 30 of next
year or the deal is dead Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal, 17 November 2011 EDMONTON, ALBERTA – “Construction must begin by Nov. 30 next year on
the new Royal Alberta Museum or the federal government can walk away
from its just-announced $122.5-million commitment to the $340-million
project. Provincial officials met Wednesday afternoon with Ledcor Design
Group and signed the design-build contract, which was another stipulation of
Ottawa. "I can confirm that the contract is signed," Ledcor's Bob
Walker said on Wednesday evening. …” [For more
information on this topic, see also: Money for museum reinstated:
Federal government’s $92.5M contribution returns after squabble, By Trish
Audette and Paula Simons, Edmonton Journal, 16 November 2011] Councillor slams Museum of Nature parking lot plan Holmes blames lack of
federal funding for decision to take away green space Matthew Pearson, Ottawa
Citizen, November 17, 2011 OTTAWA – “An Ottawa
councillor is blasting the federal government for failing to fund the Canadian
Museum of Nature sufficiently after the museum recently scrapped plans to
build underground parking. Diane Holmes said Wednesday she was disappointed
by the museum's decision, saying additional surface parking would come at the
high cost of reduced green space in the downtown core. The Somerset ward
councillor said the museum was the only downtown museum without underground
parking. "The federal government has not been funding the museum as it
should, and that is the major problem." …” Artclair, 16 novembre 2011 PERIGUEUX, FRANCE – “Des représentants de l’Etat, de la région Aquitaine
et du département de la Dordogne ont assisté au lancement officiel de « Lascaux
4 », le futur site international d’art pariétal qui sera visitable
sur le site de la grotte de Lascaux dès 2015. Alors que, quelques jours
auparavant, la chambre régionale des comptes dénonçait la mauvaise gestion du
Pôle international de la Préhistoire, censé valoriser le patrimoine
préhistorique du Périgord.” Czech museum officials announce opening date for next summer;
update construction progress Cindy Hadish, Eastern
Iowa Life, 16 November 2011 CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – “With
the exterior shape essentially complete, work is progressing at a feverish
pitch inside the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to reach
its opening date goal. During a media hard-hat tour Wednesday, museum
officials announced that the expanded museum will open to the public on July
14, 2012. “We’ve had a great fall for construction – we feel we deserve
that,” past board Chairman Gary Rozek said, citing the rain-delayed move of
the flood-damaged museum earlier this year. “We’ve been able to catch up with
the help of (general contractor) Rinderknect and the weather.” The 1,740-ton
building was relocated 480 feet to higher ground this summer after being
inundated during the Floods of 2008 at its site along the Cedar River at 30
16th Ave. SW. […] Rozek said the facility
is being built with an eye toward LEED certification, including geothermal
heating and cooling and solar panels.”
Art Gallery of Alberta loses executive director Elizabeth Withey, Edmonton Journal, 16 November 2011 EDMONTON (ALBERTA) and WINNIPEG (MANITOBA) – “Gilles Hébert is
quitting at the end of December after accepting a position as the
vice-president of museum practices with the Canadian Museum for Human
Rights in Winnipeg. He has been with the AGA for just two years.
"It was a real difficult choice to make but the opportunity I've been
offered is remarkable," Hébert said Tuesday. "So that's it. I
wasn't looking for a job." It's the second time in as many years that
the art gallery will have to headhunt for a new top dog. Tony Luppino
resigned suddenly in May 2009, only months before the gallery reopened after
an $88-million facelift. Hébert was appointed in October 2009. …” Cash
infusion to take event to next level Mike Norris, The
Kingston Whig-Standard, 16 November 2011 KINGSTON, ONTARIO – “There's no shortage of ideas on how to
commemorate the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald's birth. Now there's no
shortage of money to help bring some of those plans to fruition. On Tuesday
night, city council approved a $150,000 budget for a multi-year cultural
tourism and heritage plan that includes the bicentennial. The funding
will help the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission reach its
objectives, said its commissioner, Arthur Milnes. "One of my goals
between now and 2017, the 150th anniversary of Canada," he said,
"is for all citizens, most of all students, to be exposed in one form or
another to parts of the Macdonald story and legacy and how our country came
together and Macdonald's role in it." …” Menendez among backers of bill to create Smithsonian American
Latinos Museum Monsy Alvarado (The
Record), NorthJersey.com, 16 November 2011 WASHINGTON, DC – “The art,
history, and culture of American Latinos would be on display in a separate
museum within The Smithsonian under a bipartisan bill introduced this
week by several members of congress, including New Jersey Sen. Robert
Menendez. The bill authorizes the establishment of the Smithsonian American
Latino Museum within the Smithsonian Institution. The museum would be located
in a new underground annex facility within the Arts and Industries Building
located on the National Mall, according to the introduced bill. “With this
legislation we continue moving forward with the creation of national museum
that honors the countless political, cultural, and economic contributions of
the Latino community,” Menendez said in a statement. …” [see also Members of Congress Introduce Bill to Authorize Location for
Smithsonian American Latino Museum, By Alexandra Gratereaux, Fox News
Latino, November 15, 2011] The Heat is On for Art Galleries World Architecture News, 15 November 2011 WORLD – “Tate director leads the way in sustainably climate-controlled
exhibition spaces. Director of London's Tate galleries Sir Nicholas
Serota is leading a global campaign against environmentally damaging
regulations in museums and galleries worldwide. The highly influential
artworld figure is arguing that museums and galleries are significantly
contributing to global warming through the application of stringent rules
concerning temperature and humidity levels, put in place in order to protect
works of art from deterioration …” The World's Most Beautiful Museums Kristin Conard, The
Atlantic Cities, Nov 14, 2011 WORLD – “Canadians aren’t
known for controversy, but Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum stirred up
passions when it unveiled "The Crystal" addition in 2007. Architect
Daniel Libeskind’s angled steel, aluminum and glass structure looks as if it
crashed into the side of the Neo-Romanesque museum—which is either brilliant
or appalling, depending on whom you ask. Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, and the museums we’ve selected fit different definitions of the
term. They aren’t confined to major cities, but will inspire you to consider
destinations that may not be on your radar and to make a museum a part of
your next trip. …” Museum’s New Center of Gravity Edward Rothstein, The
New York Times, 10 November 2011 NEW YORK – “The three-year,
$70 million remodeling of the New-York Historical Society is not just
a cosmetic affair. That is clear the moment you approach the main entrance’s widened
steps on Central Park West and see a bronze, life-size statue of Abraham
Lincoln standing in casual welcome. Lincoln is on the steps, among us,
prepared for photo ops that will most likely disrupt pedestrian traffic
during Friday’s reopening of the renovated institution. And around the
corner, on 77th Street, Frederick Douglass poses in bronze near the society’s
other major entrance. But why Lincoln and Douglass? Neither had anything to
do with the society’s founding in 1804. Neither was born in New York. And
while Lincoln visited and Douglass lived here for a time, they appear now for
a particular purpose. They are making a statement about the society’s vision.
They are key figures in the abolition of slavery in the United States,
representing both the democratic ideal and the struggles required to realize
it. …” Museums
Ukrainian museum on Jasper set to go after eight-year wait Gordon Kent Journal, Edmonton
Journal, November 17, 2011 EDMONTON, ALBERTA – “The
scaffolding that for years has blocked Edmonton's historic Lodge Hotel will
finally come down after money was confirmed to convert it into a museum. The
Ukrainian Canadian Archives and Museum of Alberta bought the property and
adjoining Brighton Block, east of 97th Street on Jasper Avenue, in 2003 to
hold its collection, but despite city support the group couldn't secure
federal funding. A commitment for $3.2 million eventually came in November
2010, matching a provincial grant. City council's executive commit-tee agreed
Wednesday to reaffirm Edmonton's $3-million contribution approved five years
ago, which with private donations will allow the $11-million first phase of construction
to go ahead. …” Museum eyes major new expansion Nicole Montesano, News-Register,
16 November 2011 McMINNVILLE, OREGON – “In
its ongoing quest to expand its mission and presence, the Evergreen Aviation
Museum is seeking to amend the master plan guiding its development to include
a feature not envisioned previously — an adventure park north of the original
aviation hall, slated to open in the spring. The museum already has city
approval to develop an 84-room lodge next to its water park. Executive
Director Larry Wood said plans call for lodge construction to begin in the
spring, and Evergreen has decided to expand it to 94 rooms. He said the
adventure park idea developed over the summer. After visiting adventure parks
around the country, he said, a team of museum staff and board members “came
back and said this would be a great idea for the museum.” And he said the museum
doesn’t plan to stop there. He said development of further attractions,
facilities and amenities can be expected. …” 21er Haus: Museum of the 21st century opens in Vienna with
Great Prospects! Exhibition Recent News, Artdaily.org,
16 November 2011 VIENNA – “For the opening
of the 21er Haus, invitations were extended to artists who raise questions
about the social and institutional significance of the museum and address the
new venue and its history. Each artistic intervention approaches the site in
an individual way and contributes to an open field of experimentation, in
which different artistic disciplines can encounter each other and overlap. …” Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery gets £100K 'boost' BBC News Shropshire, 16 November 2011 SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE,
ENGLAND – “The Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, that is due to open in
2013, has been given £100,000 from The Walker Trust. The money will be spent
on learning and education activities at the £10m gallery, run by Shropshire
Council. Councillor Andrew Bannerman described the grant as a "big
boost". Friends of Shrewsbury's Borough Museums treasurer Trevor Wilson
said: "Education is one of the main functions of the museum and it's one
that will be rather more possible with more money." …” Music museum key to Atlantic City Hard Rock casino Wayne Parry (Associated
Press), The Miami Herald – Florida Wires, 16 November 2011 ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY –
“A musical history museum with plenty of rock 'n' roll memorabilia is a key
part of Hard Rock International's plans for a small new casino in Atlantic
City. Company CEO James Allen said Hard Rock owns the world's largest
collection of rock memorabilia. The museum planned as part of the company's
casino at the south end of the Boardwalk should give people another reason to
visit the nation's second-largest gambling resort, Allen told the New Jersey
Casino Control Commission on Wednesday. "When you look at the history of
Atlantic City and its contribution to music, we felt this could be another
reason for people to come to Atlantic City," he said. Among items that
are likely to be displayed there are memorabilia from when the Beatles and
The Rolling Stones separately played Atlantic City, Allen said. Hard Rock,
which is owned by Florida's Seminole Indian tribe, is the first company to
apply to build a smaller casino-hotel under a new law permitting them in New
Jersey. The hotel would start at 208 rooms and eventually expand to 850. The
first phase of the project will cost about $465 million. …” 10 of the best galleries and museums in Las Vegas Art in Vegas? Yes:
contemporary, fine and public, in buildings that can often be as daring as
the artworks Kristen Peterson, The
Guardian, 16 November 2011 LAS VEGAS - “Barrick
Museum - Once a natural history museum, the Barrick Museum on the
University of Nevada Las Vegas campus has changed its focus to art in an
attempt to fill the void left when the Las Vegas Art Museum closed its doors
in early 2009. The small staff at Barrick mounts rotating exhibits for the
community while raising funds to become a full time art institution. […] Neon Museum - The Neon Museum's
outdoor Boneyard located in the city's Cultural Corridor is not only an
international tourist destination, but also a beloved project and collection
for the Las Vegas community. The sign collection goes back to the 1930s and
tells the story of a famous city that erupted in the desert. […] Centerpiece Gallery - It's unlikely
you'll stumble across this white-walled gallery near the valet at
CityCenter's Mandarin Oriental, but it's certainly worth seeking out.
Depending on where you're coming from, you'll pass chunks of CityCenter's
$40m art collection, including works by Maya Lin (a suspended rendition of
the Colorado River made from reclaimed silver) and Frank Stella (a 32ft work
on canvas from his protractor series) in registration lobbies. …” New Waterloo museum tells powerful story of man who escaped
slavery Luisa d’Amato, The Record, 15 November 2011 WATERLOO, ONTARIO – “The first thing I saw at the new Waterloo Region
Museum, which opened on the weekend, was an exhibit on the men and women who
came here to escape slavery in the United States. John Little was born a
slave in North Carolina in the early 1800s. Somehow, he and his wife, Eliza,
travelled secretly to freedom in Ontario. They settled in an area called the
Queen’s Bush, including what is now Wellesley Township. In a museum full of
treasures, their story is the most moving to me, for two reasons. First,
because the story itself is so powerful. “I thought I ought to take hold and
work and go ahead, to show to others that there is a chance for the coloured
man in Canada to show the spirit of a man and a desire to improve his
condition,” Little wrote. There are other immigrants’ stories, with other
reasons to come to Canada: a better life, an education, marriage. But freedom
is even more fundamental than these. The second reason I was so glad to see
this exhibit was that it marks a sympathetic, peaceful ending to the
political struggle that erupted a couple of years ago between some museum
organizers and the local black community. …” Trip to national competition chance to observe other Canadian museums Meaghan Baxter, Sherwood Park News, 15 November 2011 STRATHCONA COUNTY, ALBERTA – “The Strathcona County Museum and
Archives was named one of four national finalists for its historical vignette
exhibit. The exhibit was nominated for the History Alive Award of Excellence
for History in Museums in the Public Programming category. The award was
introduced this year and is sponsored by the Canadian Museums Association and
Canada's History Society. Deb Krahn, program developer and co-ordinator for
the museum, said they were personally nominated by the executive director and
CEO of the Alberta Museums Association. …” Campaigns Bring Art and Artists to Life Andrew Adam Newman, The
New York Times, 15 November 2011 UNITED STATES – “A NEW
commercial for the Detroit Institute of Arts opens with a woman responding to
an off-camera interviewer, although the question is not revealed: “He had
olive skin.” “He had pale skin,” says another woman, and then about a dozen
others of various ages and ethnicities field mystery questions, with
responses including: “Black, wavy, wavy hair.” “Blond hair that’s really silky.”
“He looked like a hippie.” “Yeah, he was Jewish.” “He was black like me.” The
commercial, by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Detroit, part of the
Omnicom Group, is for “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus,” opening Sunday, an
exhibit that features 64 works by the Dutch master and his students in the
1640s that depict Jesus and biblical events. […]
In 2010, 48 percent of art museums reported increasing marketing efforts over
the previous year, according to an annual survey by the Association of Art
Museum Directors. Some pitch to those people on whom even the Impressionists
have not made much of an impression. For its current exhibit, “Romare
Bearden: Southern Recollections,” for example, the Mint Museum Uptown in
Charlotte, N.C., purchased billboards in Charlotte featuring works by Mr.
Bearden of musicians performing — but that wasn’t all. On Oct. 23, fans on
their way to the Carolina Panthers game encountered the sight of three
musicians performing on a platform in front of a billboard near Bank of
America Stadium. …” Toronto museums at risk, despite denials, Mihevc says Patrick White, The Globe and Mail, 14 November 2011 TORONTO – “A Toronto councillor is forging ahead with a campaign to
rescue four city museums from being closed despite avowals from fellow
politicians that no such threat exists. Dozens of residents joined Councillor
Joe Mihevc at Montgomery’s Inn Museum in Etobicoke on Sunday, one of the
sites the city hall veteran says will be shuttered under a secret
cost-cutting plan currently making the rounds among city staff. “Heritage is not
gravy,” said Mr. Mihevc, to a chorus of cheers. “This ill-advised move must
be stopped.” …” Nouveau
record de fréquentation pour le Musée des impressionnismes en 2011 Artclair, 14 novembre 2011 GIVERNY (France) - “Le Musée des impressionnismes à Giverny a accueilli
242 000 visiteurs en 2011, grâce à ses deux expositions temporaires
annuelles : « Bonnard en Normandie » et « La collection
Clark, de Manet à Renoir ». Il enregistre 23 % de fréquentation. Ce
chiffre confirme le succès de cet établissement public de coopération
culturelle (EPCC), créé en 2009.” Nicolas
Sarkozy inaugure le Musée de la Grande Guerre à Meaux Artclair, 11 novembre 2011 MEAUX, FRANCE - “Le Musée de la Grande Guerre
de Meaux ouvre ses portes le 11 novembre 2011, à l’occasion du 93e
anniversaire de l’Armistice de 1918. La cérémonie d’inauguration a lieu en
présence de Nicolas Sarkozy et de Jean-François Copé, qui a impulsé le projet
en 2005. Le musée est ouvert gratuitement au public tout le week-end et la
visite de l’exposition permanente est accompagnée par des concerts de musique
évoquant la 1ère guerre mondiale.” [see also
Bringing the War Home, By
Edward Rothstein, The New York Times, November 11, 2011] Roberta Smith, The New
York Times, 10 November 2011 LOS ANGELES — “The postwar
art of Southern California is a house with many mansions, a great number of
which are now open for viewing. I refer of course to the cacophonous,
synergistic, sometimes bizarre colossus of exhibitions known as “Pacific
Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980,” which is rampant throughout the Los
Angeles region. It sharply divides our knowledge of postwar art — not just
Californian but American — into two periods: before and after “Pacific Standard
Time.” Before, we knew a lot, and that lot tended to greatly favor New York.
A few Los Angeles artists were highly visible and unanimously revered, namely
Ed Ruscha and other denizens of the Ferus Gallery, that supercool locus of
the Los Angeles art scene in the 1960s, plus Bruce Nauman and Chris Burden,
but that was about it. After, we know a whole lot more, and the balance is
much more even. One of the many messages delivered by this profusion of what
will eventually be nearly 70 museum exhibitions is that New York did not act
alone in the postwar era. And neither did those fabulous Ferus boys. …” Discoverama mixes science and creativity for children Safaa Abdoun, Daily News
Egypt, 9 November 2011 CAIRO –“Sitting at a table
with three containers filled with water in front of me, I was presented with
a task, to turn each one over. The water spilled from the first, a mug, and
the second, a bottle cap. I reached to the third, a tiny, bullet-shaped
plastic container, and turned it over, but not a drop was spilled. “Because
at the nano-level material become so strong that they even defy the laws of
gravity,” Sara Hashem, founder and president of Discoverama, told me as she
demonstrated the process of simplifying and explaining science at this
emerging children's museum. The museum functions according to international
standards, it is accredited by and a member of the International Association
of Museums and the American Association of Museums. The staff are trained at
the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. Hashem, who studied museums in the UK
and Germany and is currently preparing her PhD, explained that when it comes
to children, museums function in a completely different way from those
catering to adults. “A children’s museum is an interactive venue, not about
the objects you go see and then leave. It’s a space where you can interact
with concepts, objects and ideas. A children's museum is an interactive play
space,” she said. …” |
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