What is your favorite Museum?

[Robert Manning]

Today, while I was on Airforce One, I was wondering if woodturners have a favorite museum. I'm mainly interested from a fine art standpoint, but if you have other interests, let's hear them. Some of my favorites are the Getty Center, the Norton Simon, and the Gene Autry. I take pictures and find that most museums allow photography as long as you don't use flash.

 

[john lucas]

Well I don't get to travel much so my museum visits are limited. However the Smithsonian is high on my list. Mostly because there is so much there and your interests change over the years. I've been 3 times and each time I'm truely amazed by some section I don't even remember existing from the last time.
The Renwick is great if your into wood. It was the first time I ever saw a Tom Eckert piece live. It was a Grandfather clock cover with a sheet. Of course the sheet was carved wood and incredibly lifelike.

 

[Donna Banfield]

My favorites have been since I was very young, so have nothing to do with woodturning.

The first is the Grand Rapids Public Museum, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When I was a kid, I used to go often -- it was free. My favorite part of the entire museum was an entire wing that was called Gaslight Village. They recreated a city street from the turn of the century, lit by gaslight fixtures. It had cobblestone streets, and a horse drawn street car with tracks down the middle. The sidewalks were raised wood planks. The shops were all from the turn of the century, with authentic fixtures, product and mannequins dressed in period attire. I recall a barber shop, an apothecary/drugstore, an old firehouse with horse drawn fire engine, a blacksmith and horse stable. Once a year they opened these shops so you could walk into them, and they were staffed by museum personnel dressed in period costumes. I loved going into that wing!

My other favorite is the Henry Ford Museum and Dearborn Village, also in Michigan. Both these are similar, historically to Gaslight Village, so it's no surprise that I fell in love with these when I first attended them as a teen.

I haven't been back to those museums in several decades, and now live in New England. I still rate the museums I visited in Michigan higher than those I've been to in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Maybe it's me???

I suppose one could find a woodturning connection; I am drawn to pieces that have the appearance of being very old -- like Molly Winton's pyrographed hollow forms with primitive horses, anything created by Clay Foster or Dennis Eliot, the recent pieces by Bill Neddow, and several others whose names escape me before my second cup of coffee this morning.

I haven't been to the Smithsonian in DC yet, but have it on my short list of things to do.

 

[Gretch Flo]

Mich vs the East museums

My favorites have been since I was very young, so have nothing to do with woodturning.

The first is the Grand Rapids Public Museum, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When I was a kid, I used to go often -- it was free.
My other favorite is the Henry Ford Museum and Dearborn Village, also in Michigan.

I haven't been back to those museums in several decades, and now live in New England. I still rate the museums I visited in Michigan higher than those I've been to in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Maybe it's me???

Perhaps you were young and impressionable while in Mich, rather than older and wiser and more judicious visiting and living elsewhere????!!!!!! Gretch

 

[George Guadiane]

My favorite is the Bishop Museum on Oahu, in Hawaii... FILLED with wood - Outrigger canoes, ceremonial carvings, bowls, etc... The artifacts go back a long way... A great look into an interesting past.
I also like the Queen Emma Summer Palace. It's also filled with fantastic wood, LOTS of Koa, and it has more of a Victorian Era feel.

 

[John Jordan]

I love museums and since I travel so much, I get to see a lot. I don't know about favorites, but the Louvre is incredible, partly because it's so LARGE. I really like the Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian. The Hirschorn at the Smithsonian. One of the most interesting is the Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore-outsider/folk art. It's incredible. I love the museums of oddities, as well as work of the masters.

John, the Ghost Clock is by Wendell Castle, but much like Tom Eckert's work.

Most everywhere in the world has museums.

Here's one from another roadside attraction.

John

 

[Vernon Oberle]

Favorite

My all time favorite is the Topkapi in Instanbul. When I was stationed over there I went every chance I got and still don't believe I saw it all.

Vernon

 

[Dick Sowa]

I was not a museum person, until I took a job outside of Washington, DC. I started doing the museums around DC, and couldn't get enough. Also, just about every national organization has some sort of museum in the capital area...there's just not enough days in the year to see them all.

Something I discovered about most DC museums, is that they often rotate their displays. In other words, they have a lot of stuff in warehouses, and during the year, some goes back in storage and other stuff comes out for display. Each time you go, there will be new stuff to drool over.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

Robert, i enjoy most any type of museum, no real favorite, (wish i could see more) if you can have Airforce One stop at Virginia Museum of Natural History, you can see some favorites, only problem is landing it around this neck of the woods

 

[Robert Manning]

As soon as I stepped off Air Force One, Charlie, I was invited into the oval office, but so is every visitor to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. That Virginia Museum sounds good, too, but I don't think I'll be scheduling flights for this plane, any time soon. That bird is permanently grounded inside a wall of glass, but it did transport seven U.S. presidents before retiring in 2001.

I used to go to more museums and have only been to a fraction of the museums within my reach, but am making a point of it, to see more.

 

[Joe Greiner]

To answer your original question, the Exploratorium in San Francisco. They had to throw me out at closing time. I think that's where I started asking technicians and other employees of such institutions, "How much do they charge you to let you work here?"

The Guggenheim in NYC is another great one. Best to use the elevator to the top, and walk down.

The Smithsonian can be overwhelming. It's said that if you placed a newborn baby there, he would die of old age before seeing everything. I'll try to add Renwick the next time I'm in DC.

As far as photography is concerned, some places forbid tripods. Maybe to force reduced picture quality, or maybe to reduce pedestrian traffic obstructions. In such situations, I carry a bag of rice, for adjustable support against a cathedral pew or a column. An outer bag is good insurance in case of breakage.

I'd love to see operation of the end doors at the Dulles facility. Maybe I'll get lucky next time.

DIA was my first construction project, in 1962. Very few pictures, though, and hard to find anyway.

The Hirshhorn is scheduled to receive a giant bag of hot air. Imagine that - in DC of all places. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/...orn-bubble-certainly-audacious-but-is-it-art/

 

[waltben]

As soon as I stepped off Air Force One, Charlie, I was invited into the oval office, but so is every visitor to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. That Virginia Museum sounds good, too, but I don't think I'll be scheduling flights for this plane, any time soon. That bird is permanently grounded inside a wall of glass, but it did transport seven U.S. presidents before retiring in 2001.

I suspected you might have been in Dayton! Although I was born in Grand Rapids and do agree that Michigan has some really great museums, I've lived in Northern VA since 1976. The Smithsonian has some great ones, but they've become enamored with having more of an 'experiential' thing (talking kiosks, video, etc.) than the classic presentation. When I first got here I stumbled across the Centennial recreation in old building next to the sandstone Smithsonian castle. It was absolutely unbelievable and I visited it several times over the years until they took out a big part to make a kids show and tell play space.

Both the old one and even the new Air and Space museum near Dulles Airport are tame compared to the Air Force Museum in Dayton's Wright Patterson AFB though. I was there about fifteen years back and couldn't believe the number of aircraft - especially the Air Force Ones going back to Truman's! That's a not well known gem for certain.

 

[NBHowe]

My favorite museum has got to be the Duxford Imperial War Museum in England.
It is about one hours drive north of London just off the M11.
It containds mainly aircraft of all types from way back to the present.
Visit www.duxford.iwm.org to see a full list of what it has to offer.
last time I was there we got there before opening time, we were still there at closing time. So much to see.
If you like Airplanes and visit England it should be on your "Must See" list.
Nigel

 

[plamb]

Cody WY

The Cody Museums in Cody Wyoming. Five in one location. Fine Western Art, Wild Bill Cody, Firearms. Plaines Indians and Natural History

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

The Luce Foundation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in D.C. is one of my favorites.
The American Art museum is wonderful, but on the top floor in The Luce Center are the 'Art Stacks'.
Painting, sculpture, craft, you name it. Lots of turned pieces in 2 cases.
You can spend a lot of time in the museum downstairs and then a whole lot more in this one big room.

http://americanart.si.edu/luce/lightbox.cfm?categoryID=1259
Mark.

 

[Wayne Spence]

Art Museums

The view from inside the Guggenheim is magnificent. Walking down the ramp is nothing short of being in another world. For nothing but art I will take the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. I grew up in St. Louis and realized it was good but not how good until I left the city. As youngsters we would play tag in the egyptian section. The guards, none under 80 ,had their work chasing us out.

In Denver we have a nice museum and a completely cockeyed new addition, like walking through a fun house trying to keep your bearings. There is an excellent display of american indian works, worth seeing if you are ever here.

I forgot to mention the Getty.

 

[Robert Manning]

Amazing stuff! There's so much more to see.

Vernon, I heard graven images are forbidden in Islamic art. Is that true of the Sultans palace in Istanbul. This is definitely on my list as are many others in this thread.

For all you aircraft buffs, have you checked out the Air Force graveyard South of Tuscon, Arizona. This is fun to view on Google Earth and you can look at the museum craft while you're up there.

Mark, thanks for the link to the Luce Center. I noticed a John Cederquist piece there.

Joe, I would think those hot air holders would sell like hot cakes out here.

Gretch, I enjoyed my visit to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. They had a lot of Maritime and taxidermy/natural history stuff that was interesting to my young daughter and I. Also, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has an extensive art collection. And the MIT campus has the largest Alexander Calder sculpture I have ever seen. It must be forty feet tall and one of my favorites.

Donna, your mention of the gaslight village reminds me of Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life. My house sits on what once was the RKO pictures studio lot where that film was made in July, which is one reason why Jimmy was sweating so much. The snow, of course, was fake.

Plamb, your description of the Cody sounds a lot like the Gene Autry Museum. I haven't been in a while but hope to get over there soon.

John J., am I seeing double again?

OK, everyone, thanks for responding. I hope there are some more as well.

Now I'll show you some pics of the Getty where my daughter dropped me off in January on her way to class. Then I have to watch Lindsey Vonn win GOLD.

These pics are of a water feature that trickles down to a pool (shown) and then down to another pool on the next level where it becomes a small river that flows into a small lake. Everything at the Getty is covered in stone quarried in Italy.

Construction cost 1.3 billion. Admission is free but parking is $15. Annual budget to purchase art is 100 million. Just before they opened, they spent the whole annual budget on one Van Gogh Irises painting.

 

[John Jordan]

The Luce Foundation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in D.C. is one of my favorites.
The American Art museum is wonderful, but on the top floor in The Luce Center are the 'Art Stacks'.
Painting, sculpture, craft, you name it. Lots of turned pieces in 2 cases.
You can spend a lot of time in the museum downstairs and then a whole lot more in this one big room.

http://americanart.si.edu/luce/lightbox.cfm?categoryID=1259
Mark.

Hey Mark, Thanks for posting that! I have never seen it, and had forgotten they were opening that. A lot of those pieces were in "deep storage" (think Raiders of the Lost Ark). If they had not opened this, they probably wouldn't have been seen in my lifetime again.

Those of you that visit the link, take note of who donated much of the work there, including several of my pieces. It's the same Plamb that has posted in this thread.

Did you know about the website, Peter? We appreciate you.

John

 

[plamb]

Smithsonian

John,
I recently was contacted by the Renwick curator about an major exhibit of
Fleur and Charlie Bresler's, I believe 53 piece, donation. A major catalogue is in the making with an appendix of the complete Smithsonian turned collection. I was also told about the web site. What a great step for the field!!
Peter

 

[Angelo]

Museums

Metropolitian Museum of Art NYC
Boston Museum of Fine Art
Guggenheim NYC

In that order

If your looking for vessel shapes, try the Egyptian Wing at the Met. Incredible!!

Maybe I can post some pics

A

 

[Robert Manning]

This is currently at the Getty Villa in Malibu.

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/molten_color/

I hope I can get out there to see it. I'll post some pics if I do.

 

[n7bsn]

There are soo many

But we should mention that V&A (Victoria and Albert in London), and not to forget the Turned Wood collection.

Also the BM (British Museum), while they don't have a turned wood collection, they have an excellent collection of pottery items we can get form ideas from

For just "wood" there is also the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. A wood hull, bunch of wood objects. Plus exhibits of the carpenters tools.

Which brings to mind the carpenters "shop" aboard the HMS Victory

 

[Robert Manning]

Photos from Getty Villa

Well, WOW! I got out to the Getty Villa in Malibu today! I had not been out there since it was refurbished and I was really impressed. It's ten times the experience that it once was. Tons of forms to inspire any vessel maker in every material except wood. Clay, bronze, solid gold, glass, marble, etc. Since it's an an antiquity museum, some decorative pieces were dated 6,000-4,000 B.C.

Photos are of some lathe turned marble pieces and some of the ancient glass. I once tried to turn some pink marble that was much too hard.

 

[Don O. Jr.]

For fine art, we like The Clark in Williamstown, Mass. Phenomenal collection basically in our backyard.

For general things it's tough to beat the Americam Museum of Natural History in NYC.

My wife is a potter so we went to Syracuse, NY recently to see the pottery and ceramic collection at the Everson Museum. Talk about inspiration !

Favorite in D.C. is the Museum of the Native American Indian.