Despite writing in my previous post that I was excited to start blogging again, it has been just over three months and I haven’t had much to write about! That is, until yesterday, when I had the opportunity to go to Northshore Sculpture by the River in Hamilton, Brisbane. The best way to describe it is by saying it’s essentially a sculpture garden, with 26 sculptures lining a segment of the Brisbane River. As always, I’ll start with a quick overview before delving into some personal highlights.
Continue reading “Northshore Sculpture by the River”Author: Rebecca Lush
Curator, Integrated Pathology Learning Centre.
GLAM Blog Club: Play
I am finally feeling ready to delve into some more blogging. When I saw the theme for this month’s GLAM Blog Club is ‘Play’, so many ideas ran through my mind. I settled on writing about something cheerful and reflecting on some experiences I have had in museums. When you Google definitions for the word play, my goodness a lot of different meanings appear. Everything from ‘something that is purely for enjoyment with no other objective’ to ‘to engage in an activity’. For this reason, I’m going to start by defining what the word play means to me in a museum context. Continue reading “GLAM Blog Club: Play”
Museum of Broken Relationships: Digital Exhibition
During this time of widespread closures, the internet has provided both digital support and an alternative platform that has allowed museums to come to you. This is most definitely not something new, as museums have a long history of experimenting with their digital presence. The difference being that now, museums can’t open to the public. Digital can be a great option for continuing to foster visitor engagement . Although most definitely not the same as actually visiting these museums and experiencing what they have to offer, these digital displays are helping me feel connected to museums around the world. I’ve even found new and interesting museums/exhibitions to add to my ‘must visit’ list. Continue reading “Museum of Broken Relationships: Digital Exhibition”
Atlanta Museums & Heritage
We spent our final day in America exploring the city of Atlanta. Due to the current Covid-19 situation, most of the museums and heritage places were closed. I cannot wait to return to Atlanta and visit the World of Coca Cola and The National Center for Civil and Human Rights! Also on the itinerary will be a Stranger Things tour so I can see the sites featured on the television show.
This time, since we only had one day, we decided to go on a general city tour that lasted six hours and covered so much ground. It provided us with an amazing overview of the city as well as its history. I really didn’t know a lot about Atlanta. It was just meant to be somewhere to fly into then almost immediately leave. I am so glad we had the chance to explore, because now I know when we return we need to spend a lot more time in the city than originally thought. Continue reading “Atlanta Museums & Heritage”
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
I’ve been back in Australia for a few days now in self-quarantine. This has provided an opportunity to write a couple of extra blog posts on New Orleans. First on the list is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 located just on the outskirts of the French Quarter. It is the oldest cemetery that still exists in New Orleans and was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The majority of information included in this post has been sourced from the nomination form for the Register that can be accessed by clicking here. It is definitely worth going through the document as you will find some amazing photographs of the Cemetery from the 1970s. Continue reading “St. Louis Cemetery No. 1”
Oak Alley Plantation and Whitney Plantation
My original plan was to write a blog post comparing and contrasting our visits to Oak Alley Plantation and Whitney Plantation. However, after some reflection, I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Why? Because each offers its own story, its own interpretation, and its own perspective of the past. They are too different to compare and the contrast should be obvious once you’ve finished reading this post. If you are planning on visiting plantations while in New Orleans, I highly recommend you try and visit more than one. Most tour companies we researched offer tours that take visitors to two plantations in one day. They are uncomfortable, but they each add a chapter to the broader story that cannot be forgotten. In saying that, I do highly recommend visiting the Whitney Plantation – you will read why soon. Continue reading “Oak Alley Plantation and Whitney Plantation”
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
If you are ever visiting New Orleans and have time to explore a museum in the French Quarter, I strongly recommend visiting the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. Not only is it a museum, but also a heritage place – inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was originally the home of Louis J. Dufilho Jr., America’s first licensed pharmacist. Prior to 1804, to become a pharmacist involved a six month apprenticeship. You were then free to sell any of your own concoctions or medicines without any regulations enforced. In 1804, a board of reputable pharmacists was formed that administered a three-hour oral examination. Louis J. Dufilho Jr. was the first to pass this examination thereby allowing his pharmacy to be the first in America run on proven adequacy. Continue reading “New Orleans Pharmacy Museum”
National World War II Museum
No surprises here – the National World War II Museum covers American soldiers and the American homefront during World War II. The Museum is so large it is called a Museum Campus with 6 separate buildings addressing themes such as the the European and Pacific theatres of War and the homefront. There is literally so much to see and so many thematic panels I think it would be impossible to soak it all in during just one visit. We didn’t want to delve too deep into the content so focused more on the different exhibition layouts, i.e. how the information was presented. Continue reading “National World War II Museum”
The Cabildo and The Presbytère
Greetings from New Orleans! Today was our first full day in this incredibly vibrant city. We spent most of the day walking around the French Quarter admiring the architecture and stopping for beignets along the way. Also on the agenda was visiting the Cabildo and the Presbytère. On arriving in a new city, I always like to start with a city-specific history museum to gain a greater understanding of where I am. As both the Cabildo and the Presbytère provide this overview, I’ve decided to combine them in one post. They also both belong to the broader Louisiana State Museum group. Continue reading “The Cabildo and The Presbytère”
Anne Wallace: Strange Ways
Unfortunately today was this exhibition’s final day at the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum (QUT Art Museum). It will travel to Art Gallery of Ballarat in Victoria (28 March – 21 June 2020) and the Samstag Museum of Art in Adelaide (3 July – 11 September 2020). If you are near either of these galleries I strongly encourage you to go and see the exhibition and explore these enticing and thought-provoking paintings. I will share with you some of my favourite works, but first, I want to introduce you to the artist and talk a little about my first impressions of the exhibition. Continue reading “Anne Wallace: Strange Ways”
