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Featured Story
12 Best Children's Museums In The U.S. Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 30 January 2012
UNITED STATES - "When families travel, one of the hardest challenges facing parents is keeping their kids entertained and finding appropriate attractions for a variety of ages. For these reasons, a good museum can be a real lifesaver, and in some cases, the very best can even be the cornerstone of an entire vacation. Many adult museums have exhibits that also appeal to children, like the dinosaur skeletons at New York’s American Museum of Natural History and Chicago’s Field Museum, or the myriad planes and rockets at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. But there is an entire niche of museums devoted exclusively to children, hundreds of them worldwide. The non-profit Association of Children’s Museums includes well over 200 museums throughout the United States designed specifically designed to foster the education of kids, which receive some 30 million children and parents annually. [text omitted] A perfect example is the Children’s Museum Indianapolis, opened in 1925 and the largest on earth. Visiting kids are immediately transfixed by the site of life sized dinosaurs “bursting” through the museum’s exterior walls, and inside they will find nearly a half million square feet of exhibition space, a staggering amount. With about a million visitors annually, the museum is not only the busiest of its kind, but one of the nation’s major tourist attractions in any category. It is often ranked the single best such museum in the country, and fills five floors with permanent and temporary exhibits."
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Cultural News, a free service of Lord Cultural Resources, is released at the end of every week. Excerpts are directly quoted from the articles – please click on the links to read the full articles on the original news sites. To receive it in your inbox rain or shine, please press the subscribe button above - it will take less than 30 seconds to become a subscriber. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest digest of cultural news. | |
Our Clients and Lord Cultural Resources in the News
Mexican Museum gains ties with Smithsonian Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 2012 04:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - "The Mexican Museum has been invited to join the Smithsonian Institution's Affiliations Program. The arrangement will allow the Mexican Museum to borrow objects long term from, and lend to, the largest museum network in the United States. No other San Francisco institution enjoys this privilege, which about 160 in the nation share. "This is the burst of good news that the community has been waiting to hear," Mexican Museum CEO Jonathan Yorba said. "It's exciting that the nation's museum has the confidence to enter into this partnership. It speaks volumes about the importance of our institution in the community and the nation."
Toronto welcomed more hotel visitors in 2011 than ever before Toronto Star, 30 January 2012
TORONTO, ON – "Start spreading the news — Toronto is one hot destination, welcoming more hotel visitors last year than ever before. And no one is likely more surprised than Torontonians themselves. They typically dismiss their city's tourist potential with a shrug and a lame "Why bother coming here?" attitude. In fact, Toronto has plenty to offer, including exciting theatre, first rate museums and galleries, outstanding restaurants, striking new architecture and a calendar packed with parades, concerts and signature events including Luminato and the Toronto International Film Festival. As if that weren't enough, all this happens in one of the most diverse, easily accessible, and safest cities in the world. No wonder Travel + Leisure magazine recently put Toronto on its list of "must-see destinations" for 2012."
Art Institute becomes first U.S. museum to receive grant from Government of India Recent News, artdaily.org, 29 January 2012
CHICAGO, IL - "The Art Institute of Chicago announced that the Government of India has given a major grant to the Art Institute in support of a new professional exchange program between India and the museum. The Vivekananda Memorial Program for Museum Excellence --the first grant ever made by the Indian government to an American art museum--honors Swami Vivekananda, who gave one of the most important speeches in modern religious history at what is now the Art Institute on September 11, 1893. On Saturday, January 28, 2012, the Art Institute will host an Indian delegation to sign this agreement and rededicate the site of Vivekananda's landmark speech at the first World's Parliament of Religions, held in conjunction with the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893."
Guggenheim selects new site for BMW Guggenheim Lab Berlin Recent News, artdaily.org, 27 January 2012
NEW YORK, NY – "Following careful consideration, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has selected a new site for the BMW Guggenheim Lab Berlin, the combination think tank, public forum, and community center that will operate in Berlin from May 24 to July 29, 2012, as part of a nine-city, six-year tour. Berlin is the second stop for the Lab, following its successful inaugural run in New York City last fall. The new site is in Kreuzberg, a Berlin neighborhood known for its engagement with social action and public art, and is centrally located on an expansive lot at the corner of Cuvrystrasse and Schlesische Strasse, along the River Spree. Visible from Berlin's landmark Oberbaumbrücke Bridge, the site is accessible from the Schlesisches Tor U-Bahn Station. The 8,400-square-meter lot will be able to accommodate a broad range of free public programming currently being developed by the Berlin Lab Team."
Africville Heritage Trust picks new director CBC News, 26 January 2012
HALIFAX, NS – "Sunday Miller has been named the new executive director of the Africville Heritage Trust. Miller, an African-Nova Scotian, takes over the role from Carole Nixon, a white woman from out of the province. The board of the trust says Miller's experience and knowledge of the community will help her in the job, which includes setting up the Africville Church Museum and fundraising for the interpretive centre. Miller has a masters degree in business administration. The trust says she has led community development projects in South America and Indonesia, as well as not-for-profit groups in Halifax such as the Black Educators Association. She was last at the Dartmouth Learning Network. "This is not just a project to create a museum and an interpretive centre," Miller said in a statement. "This is a spiritual journey toward healing and the creation of a vibrant black community. I am excited to be part of it."
Museum Feasibility Study Open House, Thursday Kevin McQuaid Jr., Windsorite.ca, 31 January 2012
WINDSOR, ON – "This Thursday Lord Cultural Resources and the City of Windsor will present to Windsorites the results of the Museum Feasibility Study. The Museum Feasibility Study is one of the key recommendations in the Municipal Cultural Master Plan and will be making recommendations for a future Windsor museum. The Public Meeting will be held this Thursday at Olde Sandwich Towns Mackenzie Hall located at 3277 Sandwich Street from 7pm to 9pm."
Museums
Kim wants National Museum a multi-space for inspiration Former art history professor hopes to foster imagination of artists, visitors Claire Lee, Korea Herald, 2 February 2012
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - "Many thought it was an unexpected decision last year when the government appointed scholar Kim Young-na ― an art history professor at Seoul National University at the time ― as the new director of the National Museum of Korea to assume office last February. Most of it had to do with her inadequate experience in traditional Korean art and history. For one, she obtained her Ph.D. in art history from Ohio State University in the U.S. Her research concentration has mostly been in Western art, while the museum had been committed to research activities in the fields of Korean history, archaeology and ancient relics. But Kim, who had also served as the president of Association of Korean Modern and Contemporary Art History and Museum of Art, Seoul National University prior to her current position, managed to prove she is capable of the job during the first year of her term as the director. Last year, the museum welcomed 3.3 million visitors (an increase from 3.1 million in 2010), holding highly informative and entertaining exhibitions including “European Masterpieces 1600-1800” and “The Secret of the Joseon Paintings.” It was also selected as the official storage for returned Uigwe from France last year, and showcased the royal books in an interactive, visual-oriented exhibition from July to September."
Andre Lowe, The Gleaner, 2 February 2012
JAMAICA - "A National sports museum will get off the ground at some point this year. This is the assurance from newly appointed minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for sports, Natalie Neita-Headley. Neita-Headley, who was speaking at the launch of the Scotiabank-sponsored 'The Journey of Champions: 50 Years of Jamaican Athletic Excellence' archival exhibition at the St Catherine Parish Library in Spanish Town yesterday, made the disclosure to The Gleaner."
Museum boss felt 'ambushed' into taking retirement Paul Cullen, The Irish Times, 2 February 2012
DUBLIN, IRELAND - "THE DIRECTOR of the National Museum is taking early retirement this month after 24 years at the helm of the institution. An angry Pat Wallace complained yesterday of being “ambushed” and “almost forced out” by the Government’s early retirement scheme, which allows public servants who retire before the end of February to leave on preferential terms. More than 7,700 public servants have applied to retire by the end of the month on the basis of tax-free lump sums and pensions calculated on the basis of their salaries before their pay was cut in 2010. Those who have applied for early retirement have until the end of this month to make a final decision on whether to proceed with their applications or remain in their posts until the normal retirement age. Mr Wallace told The Irish Times he was leaving with sadness but was “exhausted from taking on the system” over cutbacks at the museum. He informed Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan last week of his intention to retire and informed colleagues on Monday."
Ten years of free entry, but can it last? Why the political gain in the United Kingdom outweighs the economic cost Javier Pes, The Art Newspaper, Issue 232, February 2012, Published online: 01 February 2012
UNITED KINGDOM - "Maintaining free entry to the UK’s national museums, as the secretary of state for culture Jeremy Hunt blogged in December on the tenth anniversary of its introduction, doesn’t come cheap: it costs around £44m a year to maintain free admission to national museums that previously charged, or around £354m in total since 1999. And yet he is happy to support it."
Why the Kunsthistorisches Museum can’t afford to abolish entrance fees With over 1.1 million annual visitors we raise between €6m and €7m from entrance fees or around 19% of the total budget Sabine Haag, The Art Newspaper, Web only, Published online: 01 February 2012
VIENNA, AUSTRIA - "Many people ask me why the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM)—Austria’s foremost public museum—does not follow the example of London’s National Gallery or the British Museum and not charge admission. Why don’t we remove the barrier, the inhibition threshold that entrance fees undoubtedly constitute, and offer everyone interested in art unlimited access to the collections that have belonged to the nation since the abolition of the monarchy? Free admission would surely be an incentive to visit the KHM as well as collections more often, especially for the underprivileged and the disadvantaged. Some of Austria’s public museums already offer free admission at certain times of the day or on designated days and during these periods visitor numbers rise significantly. Some of my colleagues, however, would respond that the arts should not be free, that things that are free are held in low esteem—and there is undoubtedly some truth in this. After all, we don’t mind paying for a ticket to hear an opera or a concert or to see a film. So what should we do? Free admission to all major museums, or continue as before? For the Kunsthistorisches Museum the answer is easy: we simply cannot afford it! [text omitted] The writer is the director general of Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Museum of Ethnology and the Australian Theatre Museum. She is currently preparing for the reopening of the KHM’s Kunstkammer, set for this December, after an ambitious ten-year restoration project. Haag is also a member of the steering committee of the Bizot Group."
Visitor numbers plummet at the Royal Observatory Martin Bailey. The Art Newspaper, Issue 232, February 2012, Published online: 01 February 2012
LONDON, ENGLAND - "The number of visitors to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, in the south east of London, has fallen by more than half after an admission charge was reintroduced last March. The experience at Greenwich provides a recent example of the impact of charging. Opponents of admission fees will feel vindicated, while its supporters can point to the £1,475,000 in revenue earned in nine months. Royal Museums Greenwich (the rebranded name of the National Maritime Museum group), which runs the observatory, had a best-case projection that attendance would fall from just over 1 million to 825,000 visitors a year, with the majority of potential adult visitors willing to pay a £7 admission charge (it remains free for children aged under 16). During the first nine months of ticketing, the observatory received 480,000 visitors, compared with 1,068,000 in the same period in 2010, a fall of 55%. This was significantly greater than had been anticipated."
Humble Museum Aims for Rebirth Alana Esposito, The New York Times, 1 February 2012
CAIRO, EGYPT — "A diamond in the rough, the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art houses works by more than 1,500 Egyptian artists, mostly from the middle and late 20th century, including the internationally renowned painters Mahmoud Said and Abdel Hadi Al-Gazzar and the sculptor Mahmoud Moukhtar. Also known as the Gezira Art Center, the museum, occupying an early-1990s building in the neo-Islamic style, forms part of the cultural complex centered around the Cairo Opera House on Gezira Island, west of central Cairo. The international curator Till Fellrath, speaking in a telephone interview last month, called it "the most comprehensive public collection of Egyptian — or Arab, for that matter — modern art in the world." "
Military museum outlook bright as new quarters come together Concerns about losing volunteers as they relocate downtown prove groundless Matthew Gauk, The Daily News, 31 January 2012
NANAIMO, BC – "Now in its new home in the old Centennial Museum building, the Vancouver Island Military Museum has a much better view and much rosier prospects. Museum executives took a break from renovations in the 45-year-old building Monday to talk about the work they have done since setting up shop downtown last month and what's left to do. Museum vice-president Brian McFadden pointed to the Vancouver Island Convention Centre and the cruise ship terminal and said, "We fit very well now with what's happening" as a tourist draw in the downtown core."
Al Ain National Museum to undergo major facelift Jen Thomas, The National (UAE), Jan 31, 2012
ABU DHABI, UAE - "The country's oldest museum is about to get a major facelift, thanks to an infusion of funding from the Executive Council. Al Ain National Museum, an institution that focuses on the country's culture and heritage, has not been significantly changed since it initially opened in 1971. But a new building will be constructed adjacent to the current structure in about three years, officials from the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) said today."
An independent body is due to take its place Gareth Harris, The Art Newspaper, Web only, Published online: 31 January 2012
TURKEY - "The International Council of Museums (Icom) has ditched its Turkish committee, which is backed by the country’s ministry of culture. Julien Anfruns, the director general of Icom, which is backed by Unesco, says that the accredited Turkish arm, established in the 1960s, "has unfortunately not moved with the times, despite discussions since 2010". An independent association, called Icom Turkey, is set to take its place. The new body is due to be made up of museum professionals from across the country; a selection of these are former members of the now defunct Turkish committee. "The new organisation will not be politicised, " Anfruns says."
New Gates Foundation tourist attraction in Seattle much more than a ‘museum of philanthropy’ Associated Press, The Washington Post, Published: January 31
SEATTLE, WA — "People are already joking it’s a good thing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t charging admission for its new visitor center, which showcases Bill Gates’ multibillion-dollar philanthropy, not his computers. But most people don’t know what to expect from the glass-clad public space in front of the new headquarters of the world’s largest charitable foundation. Those who decide to peek in the windows or stop inside will find thought-provoking and even fun exhibits that encourage visitors to focus on how they can make the world a better place. The center opens Saturday in Seattle, just steps from the Space Needle and Experience Music Project, two of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. While it’s not exactly a "museum of philanthropy," it’s also not just a public promotion of the Gates Foundation’s work. "We know that there’s interest and passion for our work. We haven’t had a way to invite the public in to learn about our history, what we do and how we partner with others, and to think about what they can do," said Martha Choe, chief administrative officer of the foundation."
Un musée Camille Claudel ouvrira à Nogent-sur-Seine Artclair, 31 janvier 2012
NOGENT-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE – "Le projet d’un musée dédié à Camille Claudel dans la ville de Nogent-sur-Seine (Aube) fait débat au sein du conseil municipal. Le point controversé : le financement "pharaonique" sur 25 ans. Jeudi 26 janvier, le maire de la ville, Gérard Ancelin (divers droite), est parvenu à faire adopter son projet."
Kunsthalle Zurich announces opening date in new permanent home in the Lowenbrau art complex Recent News, artdaily.org, 30 January 2012
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – "The Kunsthalle Zürich will re-open to the public in its new permanent home in the Löwenbräu art complex in Zurich on 10 June 2012 with the special exhibition, Looking Back for the Future. Since it was founded in 1985, the Kunsthalle Zürich has established itself as one of Europe's most influential art institutions, helping to define the direction of contemporary art. Having moved to a series of different venues in its early years, the Kunsthalle has been based in the Löwenbräu art complex since 1996. The complex, which also houses the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst and a number of international galleries, has undergone a major renovation and redevelopment. The architects of the project are Gigon/Guyer Architekten, best known for the Kirchner Museum, Davos (1992), the Sports Centre, Davos (1996) and the Museum Liner, Appenzell (1996)."
Sculpture museum opens in Qingdao By Xie Chuanjiao and Huang Yaning, Edited by Chen Zhilin and Rakhee M., China Daily, 30 January 2012
QINGDAO, CHINA - "The Chinese National Academy of Sculpture (CNAS) Qingdao Branch and the Qingdao Sculpture Museum were officially open to visitors in Qingdao of East China's Shandong province on Jan 19. CNAS President Wu Weishan, a leading Chinese sculpture artist and the winner of the Royal Pangolin Prize of Britain, serves as the president of the museum's Qingdao Branch. "Qingdao is a city where the western and eastern cultures merge and integrate making it a suitable place to develop sculpture art. The institutions will serve as a perfect platform for CNAS to cooperate with local resources to develop China's sculpture art, cultivating a younger generation of artists," Wu addressed the opening ceremony."
Recent News, artdaily.org, 30 January 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – "Following a two-year renovation, the galleries devoted to impressionism and post-impressionism in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art reopened to the public on January 28, 2012. Among the greatest collections in the world of paintings by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, the Gallery's later 19th-century French paintings returned to public view in a freshly conceived installation design. "The Gallery's French impressionist and post-impressionist holdings, comprising nearly 400 paintings, are among the most prized in the collection, and rightly so," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "While the appearance of these revered rooms has changed very little—preserving the conditions of light, the room proportions, and wall colors that make the Gallery one of the great places to view art in the world—the paintings themselves will be shown in a newly innovative arrangement."
Nairobi Museum: A Place of Discovery Apart from being a melting pot for East African history, the Nairobi National Museum is a crash course on Kenya's past Ajao, Adewole, This Day Live, 29 January, 2012
NAIROBI, KENYA - "After a three-year renovation that started in 2008, the long closure has definitely moved the 82-year-old Nairobi National Museum from a modest societal collection to a world-class facility - a reality that makes the 1,500 KS (around $14) entry fee less painful. Like most tourist centres in the city, there is a separate fee for citizens and foreigners who throng its numerous tourist centres. Sequestered within the verdant and picturesque Museum Hill in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the museum offers the best crash course on Kenyan and East African history for any tourist disposed to a two-hour tour of the spacious venue bursting with history, culture, nature and art. Much of the success of the museum can be attributed to its being able to intertwine all these for the pleasure of viewers. "
Art Museum Partnership announces a Partner Pledge to support Museum Advocacy Day Recent News, artdaily.org, 29 January 2012
NEW YORK, NY – "The Art Museum Partnership recently announced a Partner Pledge to support Museum Advocacy Day on February 28, 2012. In addition to financial support, representatives from The Art Museum Partnership will be in Washington DC to speak to Congressional leaders about the important role of museums as educational institutions. The event is organized by the American Association of Museums. Museum Advocacy Day brings together over 300 museum leaders from across the country to take part in a day of advocacy training on urgent issues, followed by a day of visits with our Congressional delegation and their staffs. A compelling case will be made for federal support of America's museums, based on solid research chronicling museums' contributions to our communities and their role as economic engines and integral elements in our educational infrastructure."
Comcast, NBC pledge $2.7M to broadcasting museum Mike Robuck, CED Magazine, 27 January 2012
CHICAGO, IL - "Comcast, NBC News and NBC 5 Chicago jointly announced today that they have pledged more than $2.7 million worth of in-kind and financial support to the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications. The new 62,000-square-foot Museum of Broadcast Communications is slated to open later this year. The museum will include exhibits, public programs, publications and online resources related to the history of the TV and radio industries. Under the partnership with the museum, Comcast, which serves the Chicago area, will donate up to $500,000 in 30-second advertising spots every year for five years to air on Comcast cable systems to help advertise and promote the museum."
Hermitage sets up mini-museum in Madrid's Prado Laura Allsop, CNN, January 27, 2012 -- Updated 1729 GMT (0129 HKT)
MADRID, SPAIN / ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - "They are two of Europe's premier art destinations, filled with treasures amassed over centuries. Now the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is presenting a "mini-museum" inside the Prado Museum in Madrid, showcasing paintings by Velazquez, Titian and Caravaggio, as well as ancient gold artifacts from Siberia. "The Hermitage in the Prado" is the second part of an exhibition exchange -- initiated as part of Spain-Russia Dual Year 2011, dedicated to promoting and strengthening the economic, political, cultural and scientific ties between the two nations -- that saw the Prado exhibiting precious items from its own extensive collection in the State Hermitage Museum in February 2011. "It was really the finest show that's ever come out of the Prado and it reflected the idea of our museum, as it were, nestling inside theirs," said Gabriele Finaldi, Deputy Director of the Prado Museum and curator of the exhibition."
Lottery helps British Museum dig deep to save artefacts Heritage Lottery Fund pours £10m into 'biggest hole in Bloomsbury', site of museum's £135m extension Mark Brown, The Guardian, 27 January 2012
LONDON, ENGLAND - "It is still an enormous muddy hole from which around 50 lorries a day are taking away excavated London clay, but it is a hole the British Museum is quite proud of. In this hole, it believes, is the key to the survival of the collection. The museum was told on Friday that it could have £10m of lottery cash to help complete ambitious plans for a £135m world conservation and exhibitions centre on the Bloomsbury site's north-west corner. It was, said the museum's deputy director, Andrew Burnett, "a huge public endorsement of the project" and an important step closer to the finish line. The cash confirmed by the Heritage Lottery Fund means the museum is still £17m short of the overall cost. The more than £100m it already has includes £22.5m from the last government, £40m from the museum's own resources and £35m from philanthropic fundraising." [see also La loterie nationale au secours du British Museum de Londres, Connaissance des Arts, 26 janvier 2012]
Financing in place for the Städel extension wing and refurbishment of the old building Recent News, artdaily.org, 27 January 2012
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – "A month before the opening of the Städel extension wing for contemporary art, and after the reopening of the refurbished old building in late 2011, the financing of the entire project is now in place. The "Städelscher Museums-Verein" added the finishing touches today when it handed over a check for three million euros. One half (around 26 million euros) of the approx. 52-million euro project (34 million for the extension, 18 million for refurbishing the old building) was financed through the unprecedented support of companies, foundations, and by private donations by members of the public, and the other matched by public funding. As part of the "Frankfurt baut das neue Städel" (Frankfurt is building the new Städel) campaign launched by the Museum, over the last two-and-a-half years there were numerous events in support of the largest extension (in terms of construction and content) in the Museum's almost 200-year history."
Chief Tecumseh may get museum in his honour CBC News, 27 January 2012
CHATHAM-KENT, ON – "A group in Chatham-Kent wants to build an outdoor museum to celebrate Chief Tecumseh. The $4-million interpretive centre would be built on the site of the Battle of the Thames, where the Shawnee chief was killed during the War of 1812. Lisa Gilbert is chair of Friends of the Tecumseh Monument. She said Chief Tecumseh is a hero to Canadians and the First Nations. "What we intend to do is [create] an eight-acre site and we intend to build an open air museum," she said. Gilbert says the museum, using a boat-like structure that will overhang the river, will tell the story of the battle."
L’Hôtel de la Marine est définitivement confié au Louvre Connaissance des Arts, 27 janvier 2012
PARIS, FRANCE – À l’occasion de ses vœux au monde de la culture, le Président de la République a annoncé que l’Hôtel de la Marine sera confié au musée du Louvre. Il a donc suivi les recommandations de Valérie Giscard d'Estain, président de la commission en charge de la question. |
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