Blog # 8

Hello fellow Bloggers!

For this week's blog post I decided to do something very different. Since I have spent so much time visiting Art Museums this term, whether it be by myself, or with the rest of the class, I wanted to write about another one of my passions, which is History. It just so happens that we have one of the GREAT History museums in the country right here in New York! It's called the American Museum of Natural History, and it's located next to Central Park, and is very close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  
I went with my wife as sort of a fun weekend trip. Since history is something I love, I got very enthusiastic about the visit, and became sort of an impromptu tour guide for her. She was never the museum-type, but since we have been together, I have now taken her to several. So much work goes into preparing the many exhibits that the Museum of Natural History have each year, and I feel that the great people that work there do a spectacular job setting up all the wonderful displays. It takes a lot of hard work and creativity, something that we as artists must also have! It's ultra important for each display to be historically accurate, down to the very last detail.

There are certain exhibits that I must check out every single time I visit, and then there are a few that I tend to skip. My absolute favorite section of the American Museum of Natural History is most definitely the Dinosaur Wing, adjacent to I believe, Columbus Avenue. I can literally spend hours staring at each dinosaur. They are both breathtaking and frightening at the same time. I spent a great deal of time explaining to my wife how such a ferocious species could become extinct (And for the record, she still doesn't believe me lol). It surprises many people to find out that not every bone is authentic, and that people from the museum help create the fake ones to complete the fossilized remains. In other words, it shows once again how an artistic eye is necessary for the displays. It's a type of job that I wish I had the education for, and I admire the patience that must go into it. The counterfeit bones must perfectly match the authentic ones, or else even an untrained eye will be able to tell the difference. The Museum does however have quite a few plaques that let the public know which ones are in fact fake.

There are a number of sections of the Museum that almost resemble sections of the Met. After archaeologists unearth cultural significant things like tools and household items, they have the choice of sending them to either Museum. It is an incredible feeling for me to be able to view most items, even the everyday ones, because many of them were used so very long ago. To see a bowl that was used a million years ago might not be a big deal to everyone, but it most certainly was to me. I had just an amazing time all-around on this trip! I would recommend this Museum to any Art or History lover out there!