Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park [CA]

Description

The Watts Towers are a complex set of 17 separate sculptural pieces built on a residential lot in the community of Watts. Two of the towers rise to a height of nearly 100 feet. The sculptures are constructed from steel pipes and rods, wrapped with wire mesh; coated with mortar; and embedded with pieces of porcelain, tile, and glass. Using simple hand tools and cast off materials (broken glass, sea shells, generic pottery, and ceramic tile) Italian immigrant Simon Rodia spent 30 years (1921 to 1955) building a tribute to his adopted country and a monument to the spirit of individuals who make their dreams tangible. The Watts Towers are one of only nine works of folk art listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is one of only four US National Historic Landmarks in the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department, through the Watts Towers Arts Center, provides diverse cultural enrichment programming through tours, lectures, changing exhibits, and studio workshops for both teachers and schoolchildren. Each year, thousands of people are attracted to the Towers' site for the Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival and the Watt Towers Day of the Drum Festival.

The park offers exhibits, tours, lectures, workshops, and educational and recreational events.

Norman Rockwell Museum [MA]

Description

The Norman Rockwell Museum presents the life and work of U.S. artist Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), best known for his observant depictions of American life. The collections includes Rockwell's personal collection of 367 of his works of art—finished pieces and sketches; his materials, personal library, prints, and other contents of his studio; and over 100,000 archival objects. Visitors can visit Rockwell's studio in its original building. This site possess the largest Rockwell collection in the world.

The museum offers 25–minute gallery orientation talks; audio tours, including an option designed specifically for children; interactive curriculum-based tours; student hands-on experiences; advanced art tours; in-classroom presentations and activities; a period room; art activities; a reading of Norman Rockwell's children's book, Willie was Different; slide presentation packets for rental; baseball with the U.S. Military All-Stars; lectures and performances covering a wide variety of expressive forms and artists; professional development programs for educators; and a student lunch option. Reservations are required for group tours. The website offers a 7-minute introductory video, an online exhibit, an interactive timeline, and a resource packet with activities and lesson plans. The museum also maintains an Internet presence on Facebook.

African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey

Description

The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey presents the 20th century experience of the national African American community. The collection consists of over 3,000 artifacts, including artworks and decorative items, depicting African Americans.

The museum offers educational programs and a traveling museum which visits schools upon request. Call prior to visitation as the exhibit may be traveling.

Hope Lodge [PA]

Description

Visitors to Hope Lodge can enjoy seeing two historic time periods side by side. Some rooms are furnished in the Colonial style (1743–1770). Other rooms are shown in the Colonial Revival style (1922–1953). Hope Lodge is the only house museum in Pennsylvania devoted to these two periods.

The site offers tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Adams County Historical Society [PA]

Description

The Adams County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Adams County, PA, and its people. To this end, the society operates a museum, located within the dormitory of the first U.S. Lutheran seminary, founded in 1826. The building later served as a Civil War hospital. Exhibit topics include iron works, social classes, pre-history, county development between 1745 and 1945, the Civil War and Battle of Gettysburg, mortuary equipment and mourning practices, religion, education, children's toys, furniture making, seminary history, and circa 1900 dorm life. Other holdings include more than 200,000 photographs and negatives, manuscripts, and county records.

The society offers exhibits, guided museum tours, guided behind-the-scenes tours, research library access, and research services. Appointments are required for all tours to ensure docent availability, with tours only being offered to groups of 10 or more. Students and members may use the research library free of charge. A fee is charged for research conducted upon request.

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation [CA]

Description

The Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation operates the Tor House and Hawk Tower. The Tor House was built in 1918 through 1919 as the residence of poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) and his family. The property was modeled after English Tudor barns. Jeffers later built the 1924 Hawk Tower for his wife and children. Guests who visited the Jeffers on their land include Sinclair Lewis, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Langston Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, George Gershwin, and Charlie Chaplin. The site also includes an English-style garden. Jeffers's poetry often focused on the Californian coast, and today his work is highly lauded for its environmental consciousness.

The foundation offers tours.

Evergreen Museum and Library [MD]

Description

The Evergreen Museum and Library presents more than 50,000 objects once owned by Baltimore's railway royalty—the Garrett family. The collection, which includes manuscripts, decorative arts, artworks, and more than 8,000 rare books, is housed within the residence in which the Garretts lived between 1878 and 1942. Key artworks include those of Degas, Picasso, and a variety of post-Impressionists; and the museum boasts one of the largest privately held collections of both Japanese minor arts and Tiffany glass. Also within the house is the Bakst Theatre, decorated by Leon Bakst, costume and set designer of the Ballet Russes, a major visual influence of the early 1900s. A 28,600-volume library is available for use. The non-circulating collection's strength is 16th- and 17th-century English literature and history.

The museum offers guided tours, concerts, lectures, library access, and boxed lunches for group tours (at an additional price). Groups of 20 or more require advance registration.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum [MO]

Description

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum presents the history of African American baseball between the late 1800s and 1960s, when leagues were largely segregated. Exhibits include league information, historic photographs, information on African American businesses and period styles, and statues. The interior entrance emulates a period baseball stadium. The museum is located in Kansas City's 18th and Vine district, historically central to the city's African American population.

The museum offers multi-media exhibits; three films, including an eight-minute oral history interview presentation; and self-guided tours. Reservations are required for groups of over 25. These groups will be offered an introduction and, if possible, a guided tour.

USS Potomac - The Presidential Yacht Potomac [CA]

Description

The USS Potomac was built in 1934, and is best known as Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht. It served this purpose between 1936 and 1945, the year of Roosevelt's death (1882-1945). Today, the vessel serves as an interpretive center focusing on the years of Roosevelt's presidency (1933-1945).

The vessel offers exhibits, a 15-minute film, student educational cruises, two-hour history cruises, guided tours, self-guided tours, and a library with circulating materials. The website offers a gallery of historic photographs. Reservations are required for student cruises.

Art Deco of the Palm Beaches [FL]

Description

Art Deco of the Palm Beaches seeks to preserve and share the Art Deco architecture and 20th-century design and artwork of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, Florida. Art Deco was a reaction against the Art Nouveau movement of the 1890s, which emphasized curvilinear design. In contrast, Art Deco emphasizes linear qualities and "harsh" geometries. Cultural design influences include Japan and the Aztec and Mayan Empires.

The organization offers lectures and customizable tours. Lecture topics include non-local Art Deco works.