Cultural News

The July issue of Cultural News features the celebration of 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. 50 years ago from Saturday, July 20, man first landed on the Moon. Throughout July, museums and cultural organizations from around the world have been celebrating and marking the occasion with programs, exhibits, and showcasing their best moon artifacts. The Aga Khan Museum marked the anniversary with a Moon Landing Festival, including a giant illuminate sculpture of the moon by British artist Luke Jerram. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum shared the national collection and expertise of staff, the museum sparked conversations exploring the legacy of Neil Armstrong’s first small step and contemplating the next giant leap. The Life Science Centre‏, England, celebrated 50 years of the Moon landing with a week of events, including mini performances about the landing. Some guests even had a chance to touch a genuine Moon rock! The Museum of Nature in Ottawa marked lunar landing's anniversary with glowing 'supermoon'. In case you missed all the exciting #Apollo50th celebrations—or if you'd like to relive some of the fun—check out the ASTC’s roundup of how science centers and museums around the world commemorated the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

James Durbano with the Big Sky Observatory describes the moon landing as a singular moment in human history. "I think that's mankind's, human kind's greatest achievement ever! Or at least to date. It'll be topped when we eventually land on Mars. I think was humanity's greatest achievement so far and it's the 50th Anniversary and I think it's time we go back! (to the moon.)"

The June issue of Cultural News features the launch of the Ayala Museum's YouTube channel.

This month, the Ayala Museum—an iconic modern art and cultural history museum in the heart of Manila’s Makati Business District— premiered the first of a new mini-documentary series on their YouTube channel.

“Locating the Filipino” is the first film in the series ATIN: Stories from the Collection (“Atin” means “ours” in Filipino). The Ayala family’s ties to Manila go back to the 1800s. Through the Ayala Museum, they champion and promote Philippine heritage and culture. This film series is part of their innovative “Museums-on-the-Go” initiative, which complements the museum’s extensive physical collection of art, historical artifacts, and other exhibits. If you enjoy this illuminating film, please subscribe to see the rest of the series.

Read more about our work with the Zobel / Ayala family in Manila.

This month's issue of Cultural News features the fantastic news that Lonnie G. Bunch III is set to take the helm at the Smithsonian Institution. The organization, a public-private partnership that has established and maintains many of the best-known museums in the U.S., unveiled its next secretary at a news conference Tuesday: Lonnie G. Bunch III, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will take over the day-to-day administration of the Smithsonian's 19 museums, 21 libraries and the National Zoo — among other operations.

Gail Lord, President of Lord Cultural congratulated Lonnie saying "Your appointment signals a new day for Museums in America and around the world".

This month's issue of Cultural News features the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History which opened the doors to its spectacular new home in the campus’s Biological Sciences Building. “This is not a traditional bones-and-stones natural history museum—although it does have plenty of both,” says Maria Piacente Lord’s lead on this project. “Everyone agreed that we were going to elevate the visitor experience, and find new ways to tell stories about our planet. Working with a tier-one research institution also meant we had a rare opportunity to connect the public directly to the very latest ideas in the natural sciences.”

For Women’s History Month, we took the opportunity to write tributes to many of the inspiring and amazing women we work with across the cultural sector. Our company's president and co-founder Gail Lord posted stories to LinkedIn all through March about mentors, innovators, and trailblazers our team has had the pleasure to work with or meet. Follow these links to find out more about some of the many women we admire so much.

This month's issue of Cultural News features the North American tour of Mandela: Struggle for Freedom. This one-of-a-kind exhibition on the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela tells a story of racism, oppression, resistance and reconciliation that changed the world forever – and continues to be relevant today. Read more about this and other news in the February issue of Cultural News.

In this edition of Cultural News, we look ahead to an exciting year of conferences and events. Members of our team will be speaking at a variety of conferences in Canada, the United States, Bermuda, Denmark, and elsewhere around the world. Meet our team and join us for presentations and conversations at AltCon2019, the Building Museums Symposium, the International Conference of National Trusts, the American Planning Association National Planning Conference, the Canadian Museum Association National Conference, the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & Museum Expo, and the Ecsite Annual Conference. We look forward to meeting, and hearing from you in 2019.