CasaSugar

Create Your Own Night or Day at the Museum

LilSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:00:46 -0700

Set your sights on a day of discovery. If your children were mesmerized by the dinosaurs, spaceships, sculptures, and animals in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, you don't have to venture to Washington DC to re-create the experience. Smithsonian magazine is working with more than 1,000 museums nationwide to offer admission to anyone presenting a free downloadable pass on Museum Day, Sept. 26. While most museums charge hefty admissions to view their their latest exhibits, the Smithsonian's 19 museums remain free throughout the year, and the Museum Day program hopes to mimic that experience around the country.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Ikea's Democratic Design Through the Decades

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

The International Design Museum in Munich, Pinakothek der Moderne, just launched a debut exhibition dedicated to democratic design, which features the work of Swedish furniture giant Ikea. The themes of the exhibit include design process, the DIY principle of Ikea, and sustainability and ecology. Furniture from the 1950s through present day is on display. According to Ikea, furniture design has to "be beautiful, good, and well-priced. Design must not be elitist; rather it must be affordable for everyone." Take a virtual museum tour and check out some of the featured designs in the slideshow.
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The Tate Liverpool Offering iPhone Multimedia Tours

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:00:16 -0700

If you happen to be in Liverpool England and plan to check out the Gustav Klimt exhibition at the Tate Liverpool, you can watch the exhibition's multimedia tour on your iPhone or iPod Touch! And for those of you who don't have an iPhone or Touch just yet, the museum is providing iPod Touch players to rent as well. You can actually watch it from anywhere, but the iPhone podcast was created to enrich the experience for those visiting the actual exhibition.

What can you expect on this tour? Information about Klimt's art and his life, comments from curators, photographs of him and footage showing how the exhibit was created.

This is the first museum tour created in the UK for the iPod Touch and iPhone - most likely because the iPhone was just released in Europe a few short months ago. I think this is great. . . free iPhone museum tours for all!

In The News: A Daring Museum Design

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:30:54 -0700

On Sunday, San Francisco added another well-designed, eye-catching museum to its roster of cool, well-designed museums (my favorite up to now has been the de Young). The design of the Contemporary Jewish Museum took what was once a power company substation and births something completely different. Architect Daniel Libeskind, who previously built the Jewish Museum Berlin, shows a talent for merging the old and the new in his winning, playful design for San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum.

The San Francisco Chronicle covered the details behind the museum's aesthetic development in a number of articles, and together these pieces tell a fascinating story. An abundance of thought and consideration went into this building's design. Deep grooves across a wall of the lobby, which are lit for emphasis, are an acronym for "orchard" in Hebrew. Interior spaces feature elements such as open staircases, soaring ceilings, playful use of light, and magnetic walls. But of course, these features are just the very beginning. To find out all about this bold new design, read more here.
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Get Physical: Wander Around a Museum

FitSugar — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 03:00:00 -0700

The unpredictable rain showers of April can disrupt well laid plans for all sorts of physical activities. One great way to get out and have an adventure during inclement weather is wander around a museum. Any kind of museum will do – art, history, science, or even an aquarium.

Walking around a museum is not the most strenuous of activity, but it will get you off the couch and out into the world. It is a great way to spend time with your honey, or with your entire family. Plus, chasing a wild child through the halls of a museum will certainly get your heart rate up; this I know from experience. Strolling for a couple of hours is good for your system and skip the elevator at the museum and take the stairs for a little extra fitness kick. Don't forget to wear your pedometer so you can see how many steps you added to your day. I also advise you to bring your own water and snacks. The restaurants at many museums offer many tempting treats, but stick to a handful of nuts to re-energize yourself before tackling the Impressionist collection or the exhibit on the Civil War.

Not sure what you are interested in viewing, check out this list of museums by state.

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Fab Flash: Mulberry Announces Plans for Art Space

FabSugarUK — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:00:15 -0700

If your shopping budget is similar to mine then you probably already consider designer stores to be like museums. However, the Mulberry flagship store on Bond Street is taking it to the next level by referring to their store as 'Gallery Space'. London is now officially on the art map thanks to the Frieze Art Fair which takes place in October and to coincide with this the store will host a a series of exhibitions. These include an exhibition curated by East London’s Fred Gallery.

For Spring, there will also an installation by London florist McQueen’s, and a children’s art project by the London-based charity The Kid’s Company. I am most excited about plans for a faux-summer fete, with trestle tables, bunting and goodies for sale by cake makers, artists and craftspeople. Here's hoping there's a tombola with plenty of Mulberry goodies!

Audiobar 'Hørbar' Installation Explores Social Interaction

GeekSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:00:50 -0700

We live in a world where it's easy to rely on distant online communities for personal interaction. Communication which was once reserved to face-to-face interaction, telegrams or letters is now done via AIM, e-mail or text message. So how should we interact in social groups and how do we explore our social interaction? The Audiobar is a simple interactive art installation based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and soda bottles that "facilitates social interaction when participants place bottles on a lit table."

Each bottle is tagged with a small and inexpensive RFID-tag and the reader-hardware within the table checks which bottles are currently positioned on the table. Placing a bottle on the table initiates a request to a database and a musical response. read more

The sounds in the Hørbar/Audiobar are all from the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde, Denmark, which has an international audio-art collection from 1890 to present day. The music is now being explored interacting with the Hørbar/Audiobar.

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Fab Finding Follow Up: A (Long) Day at the Museum

FabSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:16:55 -0700

Last week I told you how much I enjoy art and museums. However, a day at the museum can turn into a long day on your feet. I asked you all to go Fab Finding for a comfortable, but artsy outfit for a long day at the museum. Think Marni eclectic meets GAP comfort. I started you off with this Stella McCartney Metallic coated canvas bag, $825, because I for one like to be hands free while absorbing myself in art. Also, I thought the gunmetal color of this bag is modern and chic. I said I'd probably need a pair of flats or mini wedges so my feet and back aren't killing me by the end of the day. To see all the museum fab finds click here. Let's see what masterpieces you all came up with!

Look #1, found by WhiplashGirlchild is undeniably cool with these Minnetonka Fringed Suede Boots, which I actually own, and this Alice + Olivia Dolman Sweater.

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To see more, read more

Look #2, found by RCLdesigngirl is totally artsy fartsy with this Miss Davenporte Back Tie Silk Blouse.

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Look #3, found by redegg wisks you away to ancient Egypt (cool!) with this LeSouk Blouse and Needle and Thread pants.

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10 Tasty Museums About Food

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:15:55 -0700

The news of a just-opened Waffle House museum in Atlanta has inspired me to seek out other food-centric museums in the US. Here are my 10 favorites, from the flashy World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta to a kitschy Spam tribute to a homespun homage to ice cream. Have you been to any foodie museums? Check out my slideshow, then tell me all about it. Source

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Book of the Day: The Museum of Bad Art - Masterworks

GiggleSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:00 -0700

The Museum of Bad Art, located in a basement somewhere in Massachusetts, describes itself as "a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided." And by misguided, they mean ill conceived, misshapen, and ridiculously cute. I'm a fan of so-bad-they're-good movies, books, and music. Why not art? Creepy-cute is where it's at! To buy their new book, click here. (Check out the gallery below for some of the masterpieces they've gathered from "curbside trash piles" and thrift stores.)

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