Are you planning to travel this summer? Because staying home helps to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, many people are opting to stay in for much of the summer, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t travel in other ways. As I shared in this Instagram post, I miss the wonder of travel — the opportunities to open my mind, expand my thinking, and engage in culture and the arts — so I’m finding ways to do this at home. Here are my ideas for engaging in culture and the arts from home this summer. I’d love to hear yours, too!
If I had to choose just one resource, it might be Google Arts &Culture. It really is an incredible resource with so many interactive ways to experience art from home: virtual museum tours, short Zoom talks about works of art, a “daily dose” of arts and culture, and so much more.
Two good examples for art lovers from Google Arts & Culture are this virtual tour of the Vermeer exhibition and this look at the history of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris
And for fun, there’s the 41-page Google Arts & Culture activity book!
If dance is more your thing, check out where to stream dance (from the New York Times).
I’m not a fan of opera but now I can give it another try with the nightly opera stream from the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.
If you love classical music, you might love this series like I did.
I can’t wait to watch this series on PBS about the history of Asian Americans.
One of the most interesting stories in art history: the Monuments Men. You can read the book, watch the film, or watch related documentaries like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9rHIxfKYQ
Looking to learn through the work of authors of color? Here’s a big list of 62 books recommended by TED speakers. And another one of 25 books by amazing black authors.
If you’re in the mood to travel from home, try 14 shows to watch to transport you to another country
or these 5 documentaries that will take you to Italy
Want to learn with a course?
Art history courses on Coursera
Free university-level courses in art and culture from Edx
Lovers of art and design should check out Abstract: The Art of Design (I occasionally watch it with my kids). This Netflix series looks at artists from a huge variety of art forms, from the New Yorker illustrator to the amazing costume designs of Ruth Carter (think Black Panther and Malcolm X).
For food lovers:
I love Chef’s Table because it combines amazing aesthetics with great story telling and beautiful music. Some of my favorites were the episodes with Grant Aschatz, Alex Atala in Brazil (love), Corrado Assenza (hello, Sicily!), and Jordi Roca in Spain.
Or celebrate the flavors of Italy by making limoncello spritz at home
And how about touring beautiful gardens from home? I sometimes watch these over coffee in the morning!
The beautiful gardens and contemporary art installations of Inhotim in Brazil from Google (more about this special place in this blog post)
or a visit to Monet’s garden at Giverny
or one of these beauties:
And finally, a beautiful look at Florence during the coronavirus lockdown:
Finally, check out CNN’s big list of ways to experience art and culture from home.
What ideas do you have for learning art and culture from home in the time of coronavirus?
P.S. You might enjoy these blog posts:
