BellaOnline Forums Education Museums What is your favorite museum?

I have LOTS of favorites!

For starters, I will say that I absolutely LOVE the 1950s house at Shelburne Village. It is located on an actual street (the back yard fence borders the museum, and there is a gate to go through so you can get to it), with a 1940s car in the driveway, a grill in the backyard, and a fully stocked interior, most of which you can touch.

I like it because it is the very first mid-20th century historic house I have ever seen, and I LOVE the 1950s!!

If you ever find yourself in VT, check it out. The rest of the museum is really great too!

Kim

Hello, I found this message board from the Museum-L list serve. When I found this thread I had to join... being from Vermont I know just what you are talking about. I will never forget when I was in the 8th grade and we had a field trip to the Shelburne Museum and then ate lunch at Cafe Shelburne across the street (a fancy up scale place) I remember walking in to their art galler in the "Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building" and seeing the Monets, Manets and Degas' Ballerina. Now being a museum professional in the area I have actually seen a few of their storage areas and their conservation lab. I am blown away by their museum.


I really do love the Children's museum in Boston MA. Even though I have not been to it since I was a child I remember my trip and the great time I had there.

I was at the Shelburne as part of the AASLH "Not Your Ordinary Workshop Series" in 2001, and one of our instructors was none other than Rick Hershner himself! We got to tour all around the museum, learning about conservation with him! It was GREAT!! He has single handedly developed all of their policies, with so many challenges!

My husband and I enjoyed VT. Our boat tour on Lake Champlain was excellent too. Beautiful part of the country!

Thanks for writing in!

Kim

I believe you mean Rick Kerschner, With a K. Yeah he is great. He also gave me a private guided tour. Thanks to my mentor he actually knew of me and my work. Now currently I am 26 and I was maybe 24 at the time. Talk about being blown away that this major conservator knew of me let alone my work. I recently saw him at the VMGA (Vermont Museum & Gallery Alliance) annual meeting and was able to participate in a discussion with him and some other great conservators from the area.
I am from the area and actually had a teacher in college that road on the boat "Ticondaroga" when she was a child. She finds it funny to see it beached on a hill a few miles from the lake now.

I have to say that my favorite Museum is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, it was first exposure to the beauty of art.

Yes, I do mean with a "K"! I must have cross stitch on my brain these days -- Herschner's is a big sewing supply company!

It is amusing the way that boat is dry docked! Especially to someone who would have been on it when it sailed.

You must be quite a conservator to be earning that kind of recognition at 26!! Where did you train?

Kim

Oh another museum that you should all see is the Montshire museum in Norwich Vermont. It is a science museum with a lot of hands on kids exhibits. I love to watch the ant colony and the Bee hive. Also they have a "Wind Wall" it is composed of thousands of metal circles loosely nailed to an outer wall. You can see the directions of the wind when it blows and ripples the metal disks. They have an outside water garden/activity area, and hiking trails. It is located on the Connecticut River less than 5 miles to Dartmouth College. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy what this museum has to offer, even though it really is directed to children.

My absolute favorit museum is the Museum of Man in San Diego. It was the first museum I ever went to and as I grew up I continued to love it. I haven't been there since I moved East some years ago, but I still remember it. There were exhibits on the physical growth of man, the growth of civilizations... EVERYTHING. That may have been what influenced me to study Anthropology.

I love the National Art Gallery in Washington DC and the Guggenheim in Venice, Italy. I also consider the Vatican a museum in a way...love the art there!

I'm not sure I could pick an absolute favorite, but of the ones I've visited recently the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Mass was a real treat. Especially the Chinese house, that is totally unique among New England museums, really cool!

I also love Plimoth Plantation, talk about a total immersion experience! They are very good at what they do.