Monday, September 5, 2011

Three (More) New York City Cultural Institutions

Image: Hayagriva in gilded and painted copper. Mongolia, 18th century. Copyright © 2005, Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. All rights reserved.

In August I wrote about Three New York City CulturalInstitutions (the China Institute, Japan Society and the Korea Society), and thought I’d follow it up today with a look at several more.

As I wrote then: There is more to New York City than tall buildings, the bright lights of Times Square, and free rides on the Staten Island Ferry. Visitors and locals looking for something on the road less travelled might consider a visit to one of these three cultural institutions [which] help add something unique to any New York visit.

In that spirit then, here are three other institutions that locals and visitors to New York might want to explore further.

Jacques Marchais Museum ofTibetan Art
The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, is located on Staten Island. The museum (which officially opened in 1947), is home to one of America’s most extensive collections of Himalayan artefacts. It was created by Jacques Marchais, an American woman, to serve as a bridge between the West and the ancient cultural traditions of Tibet and the Himalayan region.

Marchais designed her center so well that the Dalai Lama praised the museum for its authenticity when he visited in 1991. The museum resembles a rustic Himalayan monastery with extensive terraced gardens and grounds and a fish and lotus pond.

As well as a changing program of permanent and special exhibitions and displays, the museum runs regular classes in guided meditation, Tai Chi, and mini retreats. Information about these can be found on their website.

Visiting
Address: 338 Lighthouse Avenue, Staten Island, New York
Phone: 718-987-3500

Summer Hours: April-November
Wednesday to Sunday
1:00 PM– 5:00 PM. On Sundays the last admission time is 4:30 PM. Note: if visiting via the Staten Island Ferry, you are advised to take a ferry that leaves before 2:30PM as it takes a while to reach the museum using public transport.

Admission
Members - Free
Adults - $6
Seniors (60 and over)/Students - $4
Children under 6 - Free

More Information
Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art...
Wikipedia…

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Established in 2000, the Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five organizations of Jewish history, scholarship, and art which are all based in Manhattan.

The organizations are the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center is also an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Located at 15 West 16th Street, Manhattan, the Center's collections include more than 100 million documents, 500,000 books and thousands of art objects. Today, the Center is heavily involved with the preservation of records that define important moments in Jewish immigration to New York City.

The collection includes the original handwritten copy of Emma Lazarus' 1883 "Give me your tired, your poor" poem that was later inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, Sandy Koufax's Brooklyn Dodgers jersey, a letter from Thomas Jefferson to New York's oldest Jewish congregation, the first Hebrew prayer books printed in America, and correspondence from Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka.

The collection also includes pieces of art, textiles and ritual objects, as well as music, films and photographs.

Visiting
Address: 15 West 16th Street, Manhattan, New York, NY
Phone: 212-294-8301

Free Gallery Spaces
Monday and Wednesday, 9:30am - 8:00pm
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30am - 5:00pm
Friday: 9:30am - 3:00pm.
*Free Gallery Spaces do not include the Yeshiva University Museum exhibits

Yeshiva University Museum
Monday, Free 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 11:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday, 11:00am - 8:00pm (Free 5:00pm - 8:00pm)
Friday, Free 11:00am - 2:30pm
Note: The Center for Jewish History is closed on Saturday, all major Jewish holidays, and all major national holidays.

More information
TheCenter for Jewish History...
Wikipedia…

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Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by black culture.

Since opening in a rented loft at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem has earned recognition as a catalyst for promoting the works of artists of African descent.

The scope of the Studio Museum includes exhibitions, an Artists-in-Residence program, education and public programming, a permanent collection, and archival and research facilities.

The Studio Museum's permanent collection contains over 1,600 works, including drawings, pastels, prints, photographs, mixed-media works and installations. It comprises works created by artists during their residencies, as well as pieces given to the Museum to create an art-historical framework for artists of African descent. The Museum is the custodian of an extensive archive of the work of photographer James VanDerZee, the quintessential chronicler of the Harlem community from 1906 to 1983.

More Information
Address: 144 West 125th Street, New York, New York
Phone: (212) 864-4500

Museum Hours:
Thursday: 12pm-9pm
Friday: 12pm-9pm
Saturday: 10am-6pm
Target Free Sunday: 12pm-6pm                       

Location
The Studio Museum in Harlem is located in Manhattan at 144 West 125th Street between Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Boulevard) and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard (7th Avenue).

Admission
Suggested donation: Adults $7.00
Seniors and students (with valid ID) $3.00
Free for members and children under 12
Target Free Sundays: Free admission every Sunday thanks to the support of Target

More Information
Wikipedia…

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

The Viewing List #1

Photograph by Damon Winter
Yesterday’s Reading List is complemented today by our Viewing List – a selection of slide shows and video’s that have caught our attention and interest while trawling across the far reaches of the Internet over the past week.

Ironworkers of the Sky

For those readers lucky enough to live in New York and who have had an opportunity to watch the building of the new World Trade Center over the past three of four years, I hope you have taken the time to spare a thought for the thousands of workers who have been labouring day and night on the new tower.
The New York Times online has a great feature on the new 1 World Trade Center, and the men who are responsible for its construction. The photograph above is one of many that can be seen in a video entitled TheSky Cowboys, which features the photography of Damon Winter.

You can also view some of Damon’s images in the eleven image slideshow, Raising High Steel Atop 1 World Trade Center by following this link…
Note: Although initially available online at no cost, much of the New York Times’ online content is eventually available only by subscription. As of this posting date, the above video and slideshow is freely available, but may not be when you try to access the content.
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Blade Runner Convention Reel (1982)

With talk of prequel to Ridley Scott’s classic Sci-Fi masterpiece Blade Runner doing the rounds online, this thirteen minute featurette produced by M. K. Productions was used to promote the film through America’s horror, fantasy and sci-fi conventions.
The short promotional film features interviews with Ridley Scott, Syd Mead (visual futurist), and Douglas Trumbull (special effects), gives viewers some insight into the making of the Blade Runner universe.


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Time Lapse New York
This time lapse film by James Ogle uses hundreds of New York City images woven together to create a lovely homage to the "city that never sleeps". I don't know how long it took James to put the film together or how many images were used, but it flows together beautifully, and on viewing it, I immediately wished I was back in New York again, seeing this amazing city with my own eyes.

Most of the iconic buildings and locations you associate with New York are here: the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, Staten Island Ferries, and of course the Statue of Liberty among many others.

TIP: Click on the cluster of four arrows (located between the letters HD and the word VIMEO) to enlarge the video to full screen view for optimum viewing pleasure.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Reading List #1

A weekly roundup of some of the more interesting news, advice and information I discovered during my online rambles.

Kim provides 20 good reasons to travel by train instead of by air in this post on Gadling. Here are just five compelling reasons:
  1.  Downtown to Downtown – Saving on cab fare, rental cars or time spent commuting from airports on the outskirts of a city is a definite train travel perk.
  2. Leg Room – Tall people sometimes have to pay extra to bring their legs along while traveling. In contrast, regular economy class on a train comes with space for my legs to happily accompany me at no extra cost.
  3. Unrestricted Tech and Comfort – Smart phones, iPods, laptops, DVD players and other electronic devices are unrestricted from the time you step foot on a train until you get off.
  4. Private Cabins – On a long train it's splendid to curl up in bed and sleep like you mean it... Plus, it's fun for a little hanky panky ... and much easier to deal with than the logistics of joining the Mile High Club.
  5. More Luggage, Less Fees – You'd have to bring a startling amount of luggage to be charged extra for it on a train, while fees for even one checked bag has become the norm for most airlines.
Read more... >

The Grand Canyon: How To Get The Most From A Short Trip (by Andy Murdock, Lonely Planet Author).
Sadly, most visitors to the Grand Canyon only spend a few hours at this magnificent wonder of the world. On my visit there in 2010 I was able to stay two nights on the South Rim but even that was no where near enough time to appreciate this magical place.

Lonely Planet author, Andy Murdock also acknowledges that he did not allow enough time for his first trip to the Grand Canyon. In this piece, he outlines a number of suggestions for making the most of your trip to the canyon. These tips include arrival routes, short hiking suggestions, the best time to visit to avoid the crowds, mule rides, the best viewing points, Park Ranger-led hikes and interpretive talks and more. Read more... >

How To Travel Outside Your Comfort Zone (by Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott).

I recently wrote a piece called Listen To Your Inner Adventurer which makes the point for breaking out of your comfort zone while travelling.

Daniel Zoll and Audrey Scott have also written on the same topic and I like their particular take so much that I am happy to include their suggestions for making your travels more memorable here. Their tips:
  1. Strike out on your own
  2. Ask questions like a kid
  3. Walk, even if it involves long distances
  4. Stay open to getting lost
  5. Don’t judge a book by its cover
  6. Be courageous in foreign language environments
  7. Visit the fresh market.
Read more... >


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