Art and Museums

"The ordinary things that we see are easy to pass by... We take them for granted and move on to whatever is next. But maybe if we allow ourselves to look at things differently, we may notice something new about the usual... But things move on. Recently, a crew was out sawing away at one of the mature trees. When the work was finished, the thick branches and sawed trunk lay on the street, a reminder of how big the tree had grown. It was sad. I thanked the tree for sharing its life within our community for so long. Then looking beyond, I could see that new trees, self-planted, were rising down the block." more »

"In addition to featuring longstanding strengths of the collection — such as individual masterpieces by artists like Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Poussin; the largest collection of 17th-century Dutch art in North America; and the most extensive holdings of El Greco and Goya outside Spain — the reconfigured galleries give renewed attention to women artists, explore Europe’s complex relationships with New Spain and the Viceroyalty of Peru, and look more deeply into the histories of class, gender, race, and religion. 'Collection highlights,' designated by their wall labels, anchor galleries and guide visitors through the space." more »

"Visit Oyster Bay today, and the Roosevelt name still looms large. There’s an elementary school, an independent bookshop, café and pub, memorial park, beach and arena, all bearing the Roosevelt name in some form, whether it be just “Theodore” or “TR,” Teddy, or even just the familiar, identifiable bespectacled faced TR image. It is likely, without the familial devotion and dedication to history and preservation, led by Ethel Roosevelt, the imprint of Theodore Roosevelt and his large family who once were the pillars of the community might have been forgotten, or at least less present in the town of Oyster Bay, with the passage of time. more »

In September, the National Archives will present free public programs at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, at its Presidential Libraries nationwide and online. Programs this month include book talks with award-winning authors and live concerts as well as Civics for All of US offerings. Welcome to the Archives Experience debut series: A Republic, If You Can Keep It. In celebration of Constitution Day, we’re chronicling the creation of this document — but these aren’t the stories we’ve all heard before. Instead, we’ll look at how the National Archives holdings show just how close we came to an entirely different form of government and how “We the People” triumphed in the end.     more »