It occurred to me that many of us take our nation’s many spectacular museums for granted. Think of the many masterpieces of art we would never see, the ancient relics we could only imagine and all the magnificent structures we would never enter if it were not for museums and their traveling exhibits. There have been several times in my life when a museum influenced, inspired or just downright awed me.

Chicago Art Institute. Photo: Wandering Educators

1. The Art Institute of Chicago -  Having lived in Chicago until the age of 17, I visited the Art Institute many times. Each time was magically like the first. I recall sitting on the black leather benches studying the Impressionist paintings for what seemed like forever. I had the ability to tune out the rest of the world as I stared at the masterpieces. I liked to slide around a bit on the seat to see if the eyes on the paintings were following me. Until you’ve stood before an original Renoir or Van Gogh, you cannot comprehend the brilliance of Impressionist painting. This is the pigment that Monet painted onto this canvas. He actually touched this actual canvas! As spectacular as the paintings were to me, nothing thrilled me more than climbing down the staircase that led to the Miniature Thorne Rooms. If you have never seen them, you cannot imagine what you are missing. To this day, I think of this exhibit with such fond childhood memories. 68 exquisite rooms, spanning 7 centuries in style, were meticulously recreated in miniature by craftsmen under the direction of Mrs. James Ward Thorne. The detail is astounding, and a person could literally spend hours studying each tiny display, made perfectly to scale.

Miniature of a French Salon of the Louis XVI Period - The Thorne rooms - Art Institute of Chicago. Wikimedia Commons: Giovanni-P

2. The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago – The permanent and temporary exhibits in this museum have fascinated millions of visitors since 1933. There were two exhibits there from my childhood though, that really stayed with me over the years. The first I fondly remember was the Baby Chick Hatching Incubators, which apparently are still on display today. It’s incredibly exciting to observe up close as a baby chick pecks his way out of his eggshell. Even more fascinating to me was the former exhibit that showed the Development of the Human Baby. It featured glass jars containing real preserved fetuses (who died from natural causes) in different stages. I recall seeing this as a young child, and it was the first time I truly understood the miracle of human life. How often I have recalled this exhibit.

Baby Chick Incubators, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Wikimedia Commons: InSapphoWeTrust

3. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – While vacationing in Boston, my daughter and I visited the museum when the Edward Hopper Exhibit was in town. We were mesmerized by the paintings and the tidbits of information about the life of this American icon. There’s a painting entitled Chop Suey that really caught my attention. It’s simply a depiction of two women having lunch in a Chinese restaurant. But standing inches in front of a vivid painting like this simply cannot be compared to a photograph in a coffee table book. Hopper was a master of light and shadows and made magnificent art out of routine scenes depicting the simplest of human emotions. It was at that exhibit that I truly realized that famous artists of days gone by were real people with real lives – like the rest of us - trying to make a living from their passion. After that museum visit, I felt as though I knew the artist personally and imagined myself sitting next to him in New York’s Washington Park, where he once lived. Before we left the museum that day, we bought a set of CD’s called Edward Hopper and the Music of New York, featuring popular jazz hits from the 1920’s to 1950’s. It’s the best, and I’d never have discovered it had I not been to this remarkable museum. Since that inspiring day, I have spent a great deal of time reading about Hopper’s life and studying his paintings.

Girl at a Sewing Machine 1921, Edward Hopper. Public Domain
 

4. The Getty Center, Los Angeles – The architecture and the gardens themselves are the unparalleled masterpieces of this breathtaking museum. From high atop a hill in the Santa Monica Mountains, affording unforgettable views of LA, lies this most one-of-a-kind building, designed by American architect Richard Meier. The structure was made from 16,000 tons of travertine imported from Italy. There are countless levels with terraces and courtyards to explore and enjoy expansive views. It is truly one of the most creatively beautiful places in the USA. As far as the artwork inside the museum, I must tell you that I never looked at the art; I was entirely too captivated by the building and the setting.

Getty Museum & Central Garden. Wikimedia Commons: Rennett Stowe

5. The National Museum of American History, Washington DC – The Smithsonian Museums are inarguably the most respected museums in the USA. (Don’t get me started on the gift shops!) And the National Museum of American History is my favorite. There are little pieces of all there is to be an American on display in there. While visiting a few years ago, I was spellbound by the preservation efforts of the Star Spangled Banner. There I was standing before the giant flag made by Mary Pickersgill in 1813 – The (albeit stained and tattered) Star Spangled Banner, the symbol of American freedom. The research combined with the painstaking process to repair the tattered flag is truly remarkable. Oh, how I wish I could be one of the ladies who sew for hours on end repairing it. What if we did not have the ability to preserve such a treasure? And what if it were not on display at a museum? I don’t want to imagine that.

STAR SPANGLED BANNER. This image is owned by The National Museum of American History and is used under the Fair Use Copyright

Now imagine the ways you can help to make lifetime memories for you and your children by simply taking them to an American museum. You never know what will strike their fancy for years to come.

As for me, if I’d only gone to the King Tut exhibit when it came to the USA many years ago, I’d have that incredible memory too. I can only hope it shall return some day.

Debbie Glade is the Geography Awareness Editor for Wandering Educators.