Assignment 3: Cultural Event Report Smithsonian National Museum of American History
HUM 111 & Summer 2011
September 6, 2011
Professor Dr. Darryl Claybon
Strayer University, Online-Campus
Introduction
This assignment will detail my visit to one of my favorite museums in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. I have attended the museum several times in my life time and it never gets old. My recent visit I found that the museum is being renovated; they are among other things redoing the president’s wives inaugural dress exhibit, which I love. The day was peaceful and quiet, I like to go look at the pieces around the time tourist season is winding down; you can really enjoy the museum
…show more content…
This museum can keep you going all day long; I’m a history buff by nature so the Civil War era exhibits catch my eye too. My kids hate going to the museums with me because I can never get pass this one particular museum. The two exhibits I viewed are the president’s wives inaugural gowns which now include the one Michelle Obama wore on Inauguration night; off the shoulder white chiffon dress with the flowers in the front. Mamie Eisenhower’s red scoop neck dress with the ruffle or puff on the hip of it is so cute. That is my favorite dress of all times and it was not an inaugural gown it was a gown she entertained in, she wore it for a state dinner she had at the White House; another dress is Jacqueline Kennedy’s off the shoulder silk gown she wore to an event; as you can see fashion is my passion. Then there is The Jazz Collection with Ms. Ella Fitzgerald you can hear her sing, they play a record of her and they have one of her outfits up. I like the Jazz Treasure exhibit because they do let you hear samplings of the music. They have Marian Anderson on display also, when she sung at the Lincoln Memorial here in Washington D.C. This museum holds a lot of American history that’s why I enjoy it so, much; I’m a bona fide history buff. My overall experience was good I always enjoy going to the museum to see the dresses and the memorabilia, I had an enjoyable time as always. This museum
When I came to the museum, the first thing that impressed me was the astonishing building: it was a masterpiece itself. The exterior of the Tampa Museum of Art has a light installation, and all I wanted at that moment is night to come so I could see thousands of colored lights reflected in the surface of the river that flows near the museum. What’s more, I liked the design of the museum inside as well. There were white walls and perfect lighting, and nothing would bother contemplation. In many museums I have visited before there was a lot of distractions, but in this museum everything was done on the principle of simplicity, and that was very pleasing to me. Moreover, when we came inside of the museum, it was almost empty. There were just a few visitors, who were fascinated by various drawings and statues. Most of the visitors were teenagers, what slightly surprised me. I
Interestingly, my first visit to the Museum was almost accidental. When I was a freshman, my mother was taking an art class at the College of Staten Island which required a class trip to the Metropolitan Museum, and my brother and I both agreed to accompany her. I will never forget the moment that I first laid eyes on the Metropolitan Museum. Although it was a dark, cold winter night, the shimmering lights made the building most inviting. As we crossed the threshold, I was struck by
It was my first time going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Visiting the Met was a visit forced onto me by the class, nonetheless it was a visit I would eventually take as I had always wanted to go to the Met. I went with a friend that had already visited the museum, but went a couple years ago. I was intent on seeing only three periods, and they were Greek and Roman, Renaissance and Baroque art. With my intent on doing Baroque art, I did not want to spend a lot of time in the other periods, but my friend was eager to see everything. Hence, I ended up seeing more, because there were so much art and so many exhibits. The museum was bigger than I expected and I expected a pretty large space. Since I went on a weekend and it was a tremendously beautiful day, the museum was crowded. I think I spent about two hours at the museum and then was exhausted from all the art I saw. It was a pretty memorable experience.
Over the weekend, I took the time to explore two museums. The first museum I visited was the D.I.A , also known as the Detroit Institute of Arts. The D.I.A was a very beautiful, multicultural, and unique place. I also took the time to visit and explore the Charles H. Wright Museum of Detroit. Luckily, these museums weren’t too far from each other they were roughly 5-7 minutes apart. The Charles H. Wright Museum was also very beautiful, it was more appealing to me because it is a museum that exhibits and highlights the history of the African American culture. The Charles H. Wright museum also happens to be the largest African American museum in the world.
If there is a travelling exhibition, it’s always a good idea to see it while you have the chance. Then, if you have time, you can look at other things in the museum.
I wanted to hear more about the story of the family, Judge, and Mrs. E. B. Crocker and how and why they were so generous with their artwork. We first started in the new part of the house, where the modern art is displayed, and then we proceeded to go to the older part, which is inside two old houses, so I loved seeing all the old architecture and walking through all the rooms imagine what it was like when people lived there. My favorite part of this whole visit was when, I was trying to find out how the museum acquired all this artwork and
I arrived at the museum at exactly 9:26. Due to the fact that the house was not scheduled to open until 9 am, I was afforded the opportunity to take a stroll downtown for the first time in almost 8 years. As a kid, my mother and her sisters would take myself, my sister and cousins on “field trips “to downtown Savannah. Like most low income families, we didn’t have a lot of money therefore we found ways to enjoy the city without breaking the bank. This relates to the topic at hand
The Civil War museum located in New Orleans is a very interesting museum to visit. On the outside the museum stands out from the surrounding building as it has an older brick style building which almost looks like a church in some aspects.. On the right side of the stairs that lead up inside is a large cannon on display. Upon entering the museum it is made apparent that the building is in good condition, but is also very old. Every step that I took while in the museum sounded as if the floor was about to cave in underneath my feet. I was greeted upon entry to the museum and I paid my entry fee and was given a sheet of paper with some general information on the museum. Once leaving the desk I walked along the wall to my left which was covered in glass cases that contained a multitude of civil war artifacts.
I really enjoyed visiting this museum, I learned a lot about African American old lifestyle. Some of the art pieces show the African American social struggle past, honoring important Africans, music, poetry, writing, history, and inventions. The African American museum has 5 exhibit— The African American Journey West, Reflections on the Self, Rhythm of Vision: The Artistry of Overton Loyd, Oh Snap! West Coast Hip Hop, and Evolution of the Revolution. Although the museum was not really much focus on African American lifestyle, it was still interesting, because 2 exhibits are based on how now days they are able to express
They display vary from actual replications of stores, the wildlife that can be found here, and the Native American artifacts that were found in this city. Most of the exhibits are pleasing to look at and well organized. They did a great job with making the replica store displays interactive with getting to press the button to hear the telling of what is being viewed and getting to learn more about this area from history. Some areas, though, are more cluttered and hsve quite a lot to try and take in all at once. An example of this is the area with the war memorabilia. In the display case there is a lot of objects such as photos or items like canteens and clothing items all lumped together. It is neat to look at and learn more about the army and war our veterans were a part of, but this display is bit overwhelming. There does not seem to be any true inaccuracies in the displays at the museum. There could potentially be small ones like an item being put in the wrong display in the store replications that might keep it from being completely historically accurate, or the dinosaur exhibit could be inaccurate because the dinosaur replica is of one that was thought to have roamed here. There is chance that it may not have which leaves it open to the potential to be a historically inaccurate
when I first entered the museum, it felt very dark and it smelled of wood. It gave me the feeling of being at the house when it was up and running. What I noticed about the way the paintings were displayed was that in each hallway, one painting in every room would appear right in front of you, which also portrays the value of each of those paintings because
The art exhibit I plan on attending is the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. Gibbes is one of Charleston most historic museums and house and displays not only modern art but many pieces of art that show the show history of Charleston. Gibbes opened in 1905. I chose Gibbes Museum of art because of its location and the rich history of Charleston that influences the art reflection the culture that Charleston has been for the last 112 years. The museum not only displays many local pieces of art and sculptures, it also has on display art from around the world. Currently the museum has many visiting artists but also has a permanent collection that is on display. Of the permanent collections, the most interesting to me is the 18th and 19th Century
After arriving and going through the security screenings, I proceeded to go down the stairs, entering the exhibit itself. Before even observing anything specific, it was immediately realized that this was no typical museum. Most people know that upon arrival, but only when you first enter the exhibit do you realize that this museum is not one that inspects the past, but one that reminds us of it.
Next, each room of art were unique. When I get into each room, some things that surprise me that each room was very exclusive, original and uncommon. Also, the rooms were very enlightened and I personally felt that each room had something for everyone in the family. Another thing that I noted of the museum was the accessibility of each floor, so anybody can go and have a great time without
The Smithsonian is known for its realization and absolute beauty shown in the exhibits. Every exhibit of this museum has great detail and precision. Not only was each exhibit filled with things of its nature, but also had the right colors to make you feel the exhibit. For example, the vibes flowing from the ocean hall were incredible. The way they accomplished the feel of actually being in the ocean was a surreal experience to even see through the screen. I also liked the way that everything was pretty close to life scale, like the huge whale hanging from the