Mead Art Museum at Amherst College
The virtual tour of Mead Art Museum’s “Embodied Taste” exhibition offers an exploration of the way artists have used food as a representation of the human experience. Works on view include paintings, photographs, drawings, posters, food-related ephemera, porcelain dinnerware – all challenging and celebrating ideas and feelings related to food. The high-definition zoom of both the artworks and the accompanying wall labels, as well as audio recordings and video clips make this an impressive virtual exhibition. If their discussion of food proves of interest to you, be sure to read Meredith Chilton’s feature story on a similar theme from our March/April issue.
Boscobel House and Gardens, Garrison, NY
The 68-acres of Boscobel’s grounds re-opened, with safety measures, on May 15. The site offers a stunning view of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. As well, the Frances Stevens Reese Woodland Trail of Discovery makes for a scenic but relaxing mile-long walk through the forest. Though there is ample room to follow social distancing protocols on the expansive grounds, Boscobel is taking additional precautions to protect visitors, including limiting the number of visitors each day with advanced reservations, and requiring masks. Healthcare workers are offered free, outdoor access for one household at a time – with or without Boscobel membership. Members get free reserved tickets, and may also make reservations for private, one-household-at-a-time grounds visits outside of public hours. Visitors are asked to contact Director of Visitor Engagement Ed Glisson at eglisson@boscobel.org to schedule.
Harvard Art Museums
Harvard Art Museums digital offerings are constantly expanding; with new resources added each Thursday to their “at home” website. Last week’s additions included the most famous example of Wedgwood ceramics, its replica of the Portland vase. Text resources, however, are not the only feature. A series of Art Talks – video overviews and discussions of exhibition items – are available; recent talks include Painting Edoand the accompanying Painting Edo and the Transcendence of Laughter. How Egyptian Art Worksis the first of the Art Talks, and an excellent watch as well.
For those interested in a more active option, Art Study Center Seminars at Home is the digital reimagining of the museum’s monthly close-study events. These Zoom seminars are free, but do require registration and the Zoom app.
The museum’s digital collection – with over 200,000 digitized items – should not go overlooked either.
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
The Art Gallery of Ontario has an impressive collection of model ships – many of which were highlighted in the past for their unique connection to The Adventures of Tintin. Now, thecollection has been digitized – along with other artworks donated by Ken Thomson to the gallery – and can be viewed here. The audio tour of 16 select pieces is also worth a listen; with discussion of the model British Revenue Lugger, “Alarm”, from around 1782 proving a particularly rare treat to explore.
Morse Museum, Winter Park, Florida
The Morse Museum is continuing to develop digital experiences, and their website now includes videos, a virtual tour, an audio tour of collection highlights, and downloadable object guides. The video offerings include coverage of the Tiffany Chapel re-installation and a general history of the space. The virtual tour of the portraits in the collection is brief but pleasant, and includes an accompanying object guide with information for further reading. The audio tour of collection highlights is also enjoyable; click any object of interest and then click the “Audio Guide” link on the object’s detail page to listen. If you need more Tiffany-related content, also be sure to read Medill Higgins Harvey and Moira Gallagher’s article about Edward C. Moore, the firm’s first silver designer, from our May/June issue.
Jamestown and American Revolution Settlement Museum at Yorktown
If you need a digital happy-hour option, Luke Pecoraro, director of Curatorial Services of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation has you covered! Through June 11, Pecoraro will be serving up historical adventures in distilling and brewing in early America. The episode A Journey to the Summer Isles, scheduled for May 21 at 5 PM EST, covers a bit of the history of Bermuda, as well as an important new acquisition at Jamestown Settlement, and how it connects to the Virginia settlement. The promised highlight of the episode is a look at a rare 1627 edition of Captain John Smith’s “The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles,” first published in 1624. The “Dark n’ Stormy” cocktail of Bermuda rum and ginger beer is suggested as your accompanying beverage. For additional sessions in the series, visit the History Happy Hour page. All sessions are hosted on Zoom and require the Zoom app.
Outsider Art Fair: Art Brut Global
Readers of our weekly newsletter, Wandering Eye, already know that the Art Brut Global viewing room is now live. Hosted by the Outsider Art Fair, this online collection features works on paper by blue chip artists such as Martín Ramírez, Bill Traylor, and James Castle along with more recently recognized talents like Eugène Gabritschevsky, and many others. Each work features short essays about the artists’ art and lives.
The Philadelphia Show
Another opportunity highlighted in our newsletter, the Philadelphia Show is one of our favorite annual art and antiques fairs. Though hosted this year online, the show features its usual vibrant array of offerings from some 40 exhibitors; all are of exceptional quality and range from the Colonial era to the contemporary. Be sure to take a look at this week’s daily Instagram Stories on our feed @antiquesmag, where interior designers and other tastemakers will be pointing you to their favorite finds at the Philadelphia Show.
