12 museum visits in 2006

I spent the afternoon in the Exploratorium (http://exploratorium.edu/) in San Francisco. What a treasure of tactile inspiration! The entire museum is a giant playground of vortexes, optical illusions, physics experiments, life science. So many things with knobs to turn, switches to flip, handles to push. And I only explored one floor! It is definitely worth a visit (several, in fact).

I don’t know much about the Rosicrucians, but pull together an awesome museum! I went to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium (http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/). The architecture alone is marvelous; it’s modeled after the Temple of Amon at Karnak. Inside is a huge collection of Egyptian artifacts and art, the largest in the western U.S. I could have spent many more hours there. I didn’t get to visit the planetarium, but I did stroll in their garden. I’ll have to go back!

I went to the Museum of Quilts and Textiles (http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/) and I was amazed. It changed my view of quilts. Quilting is an art form, and it’s not limited to what you put on your bed. There are political pieces, wall hangings, clothes. Great stuff. It inspired my creative energy.

Though I’ve lived in Santa Clara nearly two years, I had not ventured out to the museum that is half a mile from my home. Today I had free time, so I went to the Triton Museum of Art (http://www.tritonmuseum.org/). It’s a small place with three wings, but it’s light and airy, and the exhibits were absorbing. I’m glad I went, and I’ll do so again.

I went to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco (http://www.ybca.org/b_ybca.html) and saw the exhibit on the Black Panther Movement. It was an evocative series, and I learned quite a bit about an era that I have dim memories of, since I was just a wee kid in the 60s.

I went to Zeum in San Francisco. It’s an arts and technology museum for kids. One thing I especially liked was the display of sculptures that encourage viewers to touch and explore. I’ll definitely go back. http://www.zeum.org/

Today I went to Coyote Point Museum (http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org ), which is primarily a nature center focused on children. But the location is pretty, and they rescue wildlife. It was very enjoyable to wander through the aviary and other habitats. I saw a bobcat, badger, skunk, river otter, rabbit, porcupine, as well as a golden eagle, blue heron, and burrowing owls. The gardens are lovely as well. It was a peaceful, relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

I went to the San Jose Museum of Art today (http://www.sjmusart.org). I saw the special exhibition on the Politics of Art. Didn’t even get through the entire museum! I’ll definitely go back.