Now that I'm at the lake, loving the fact that I'm not sharing a studio anymore and generally enjoying the calm of being in upstate New York, I've been wondering how I still be in touch with what's going on in Boston and beyond. This has been an idea of mine for The Muse Life for a while, so welcome to the "This Month on" series.
If like me, you have a variety of interests, places you're going or want to visit that you want to learn more about — how do you curate everything so that it can actually be put to use? Summer always flies by and it feels like I didn't get to do anything. (Or, honestly with the world still figuring out going back to normal, just browsing through all the possibilities can be such a balm). So while I'm in the Adirondacks, I still want to know what's going on in Boston and also stay up to date on what's happening in other places around the world, like Florence and London, so I can feed my travel bug. This series combines both places or experiences I've done myself as well as ideas/activities/products that spark my interest. These posts are different from my museum blogs, but hopefully you'll agree they're a better balance of life & musing, which really fits with this uncertain world I'm still trying to navigate.
Lake George/Adirondacks
- Saratoga Preservation Foundation's Summer Sunday Strolls are back!
- The Hyde Collection has reopened! Check out the current Summer Bomb Pop exhibition (and be sure to reserve tickets in advance!)
Boston
- Just a few weeks left to catch the Shen Wei exhibition at the Gardner. (The perfect reason to check out the museum if you're fresh off the hype of Netflix's This is a Robbery series about the infamous Gardner heist!)
- Head out to western Mass and check out the Norman Rockwell Museum's upcoming exhibition Enchanted: A history of fantasy illustration. The inner fantasy/fiction-lover in me can't wait to see this in person. (Opened June 12)
- MFA Boston's Basquiat exhibit is up until late July, so now's your chance to visit if you didn't get to in the fall!
Places to Wander
- British Institute of Florence just announced their upcoming lecture series
- Without a doubt jealous of my English friends who have the chance to visit the V&A's Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition. (Though we all know any V&A exhibition you can't get to is something to be envious of.)
Things I'm Loving
- I finished my graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management this semester. My last class was all about museums and technology (obviously it was the best course I took!), and I was introduced to this great podcast: Art Scoping by Max Anderson. I've loved listening to this over the past few months — I feel like I'm back in class and learning about the intricacies of museums. Certainly a balm for these long months of not being able to visit a museum in person!
- Living in a studio during the pandemic, and more importantly, sharing it with someone, has made me seriously appreciate my outdoor time. My days are now punctuated by coffee, snacks, and when it's time for a walk. (Yes, it does sound a bit like a dog's life). And between masks and spending extra pandemic time on my hands diving into skincare, I'm hyper aware of sun protection now. Isn't it silly? We know the sun is damaging, we know paintings need to be kept in very careful light to preserve their longevity, but connecting those dots back to our own skin doesn't compute as easily. For what it's worth, I figured I'd share the spf I've been loving for nearly a year now: Tula Protect & Glow Sunscreen. So if you're a fellow muser, eager to get out and travel this summer, or enjoy your post-gallery time outside at the museum's cafe, slather up.
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