See art, visit area museums, virtually
LEARN ABOUT Hayden the Metro Mammoth — a juvenile discovered during excavation for the Metro Purple Line subway extension under Wilshire Boulevard — at nhmlac.org. Above, Dr. Emily Lindsey, assistant curator at the La Brea Tar Pits, and Dr. Chris Thacker, curator emerita, ichthyology, at NHM.
Just because museums are closed doesn’t mean patrons can’t still experience a stroll through them virtually, and from the comfort of their homes. Following are some of the virtual experiences that museums have lined up for their online visitors.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures does not officially open until this coming December; however, pieces from the museum’s collection are on view on the website. In addition, visitors can sign up for a weekly emailed newsletter. Or, to follow the museum on social media to take greater advantage of some updates, such as curated lists of films, go to academymuseum.org.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art has used the shutdown as a chance to update and redesign its homepage with new things to “watch, listen, learn, read, and browse” at home. Included are short films from the exhibitions, online courses, lectures and teaching resources, articles to browse, and — of course — artworks from the art collections. Visit lacma.org to get started.
La Brea Tar Pits on Museum Row allows visitors to view dinosaur fossils and digs and watch past and upcoming interviews with curators, such as when Hayden, a juvenile mammoth, was discovered during the dig under Wilshire Boulevard for the Metro subway. Visitors also can learn about Los Angeles history through multi-media presentations and videos. Access it at nhmlac.org/connects.
For car enthusiasts, the Petersen Automotive Museum is streaming live tours of the museum’s famous vault during the temporary closure. Each live-stream session is themed. The next scheduled sessions are a pre-war-themed tour Fri., April 3 at 11 a.m. and a full vault tour Sat., April 4 at 11 a.m.
In addition to the tour, the Petersen is offering free online educational programming for students during the closure. Visit petersen.org.
April is normally when the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH) has its Yom HaShoah event, otherwise known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, however, LAMOTH is now holding the event online Sun., April 19 at 2 p.m. The event will feature dynamic speakers, music and opportunities for everyone to participate in a virtual dialogue. In addition, the museum also has an online archive and research catalog. You can access the information at lamoth.org.
Further abroad
The bright spot about accessing museums online is that you are not limited by geography. You can visit almost anywhere from the comfort of home.
Other museums with virtual portals for online visitors include the Getty Center at getty.edu/resources, The Broad at thebroad.org/stay-connected-broad-home, and the California Science Center at californiasciencecenter.org/stuck-at-home-science.
Category: Entertainment