With the current stay at home order, I know everyone has a lot of time on their hands. A great way to use some of said extra time is to check out the Google Arts and Culture App/Website. By travelling the world from the comfort of your own home you’re doing your part in social distancing. Not to mention you’re probably beefing up your small talk for future parties. Here is a list of some museums beyond the Louvre and Buckingham Palace.
AMERICA
If you make your way to the Kansas City Jazz Museum I’d have to say the best part of this museum is the tour. It’s actually the best tour I’ve taken all day. It’s easy to navigate and even better, you can pretty much read every plaque in the museum with strategic zooming.
Looking for something different? The Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan might have what you’re looking for. It’s a small exhibit about all of America’s greatest illusionists.
What’s cooler than a planetarium? Only the first planetarium in America that’s all. In the Adler Planetarium in Chicago there’s over 200 space related art pieces, photos, and literature. A little warning though: While you’ll see a few cool things in their museum view, it is a little more difficult to navigate this museum than others.
ITALY
It’s nice to see when people encounter obstacles they band together. Also, honoring those who have passed through art is almost as gorgeous as the lives they’re commemorating. Using self-expression to navigate grief is healthy and good. While the fatalities of AIDs are no longer here in physical form, their memory lives on in these quilts.
Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna: The Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna
The paintings and sculptures in this collection are heart stopping. The house for these collections has been around since 1804 and has been a place to study, create, and preserve art since. There are even 6 museum views to explore as well.
JAPAN
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
In Nagoya, Japan you’ll find a collection of works leaning more towards to modern art than historical. It’s a smaller exhibit than most I’ve collected to this point. There is a great variety in the styles however which makes up for its shorter “walk through.”
GREECE
Have you dreamt of making your way to Greece? The Acropolis Museum is the art and history of ancient Greece. While you’re taking their virtual reality tour of floor 1 and 3 of the museum, peer out the window for a view of the gorgeous capital city of Athens.
NETHERLANDS
While the Anne Frank Museum isn’t on the app, you can most certainly visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. There’s a short but awesome little tour. It’ll feel like you’re literally standing in Anne Frank’s bedroom!
GERMANY
Don’t worry biblio buds. I didn’t forget about you. How’s visiting one of the top research libraries in the world sound? Munchen, Germany is home to the Bavarian State Library where the building and the books are as pretty as some of the paintings you’ve seen up to this point.
MONGOLIA
Dreaming of a Mongolian palace? Well, you can tour and view art from the winter palace of long-gone Mongolian leader Bogd Jetsun Dampa. You can view not only the inside but the outside grounds as well.
UNITED KINGDOM
The English heritage foundation has a plethora of resources to view. With over 2500 items to look through, you’ll have no problem killing a large amount of time. If this doesn’t fill your day enough you can also walk the grounds of almost 80 different locations located around the United Kingdom.
IRELAND
Their Easter Rising Exhibit is particularly cool. History buffs get ready for a lesson on Irish history. This exhibit talks about the Irish Literary Revival and the 1916 Easter Rising. The exhibit also delves into W.B. Keats’ (sound familiar literary friends?) and Lady Augusta Gregory’s involvement in the formation of the Abbey Theatre.
INDIA
This is less a museum tour and more a tour of the entire country of India. Seriously, they even have a VR tour of the country on video when you go to this exhibit. There are over 150 photos in this exhibit displaying the rich natural splendor of this beautiful country across the world.
AUSTRALIA
A more naturally beautiful exhibit in which you’ll find scientific drawings, fossils, birds, and my personal favorite — insects. Their specimen collection ranges from creepy to cool. It’s a good substitute for not being able to go to the insectarium right now.
CANADA
Established in 1951, The National Ballet of Canada is based in Toronto, Canada. It’s also the only Canadian ballet company which presents a number of full-length classic ballet shows. I love this one for the photographs and paintings of beautiful ballet dancers. What really grabbed my attention though were the costumes. In this exhibit you’ll see a number of gorgeous outfits from past shows.
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I hope I’ve fed a thirst for knowledge and chased the boredom away. “Ars longa, vita brevis” is a comforting phrase which gives me hope for the future. Because the beauty in this world, whether created or natural will last long beyond us. The pieces which have surpassed those before us remind me creation carries on in the midst of whatever chaos the world throws at us. Did you have a favorite museum from this article? Is there a cool, obscure I missed and you think everyone in the world should know about? Message us at https://www.facebook.com/90.9KSLU!
Byline: Thora Hughes
A general studies major pursuing her undergraduate degree at Southeastern Louisiana
University, Thora Hughes dreams of one day working in a field relating to literature
or
music. You might have heard her voice on Friday nights when she hosts KSLU’s only
all
request love show, HeartBeats from 8-10 pm. During her time at KSLU she’s been a jack-of-
all trades working in production, content creation, social media management, and
development.
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