The Seattle Traveler

Lucy’s Legacy:  The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia was a celebration of a culture that I knew nothing about, as well as a thought provoking exhibit of what might be the missing link in evolution from ape to man.
But now I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s go back to the beginning and I’ll take you along with me through the exhibit.
Back in 1974, Dr. Donald Johanson discovered fossils in Hadar, Ethiopia. The fossils weren’t human, but they weren’t really an ape either, leading to the theory that Lucy could be the link between the two.
The fossil discovery was called …read more

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A current exhibit at the Frye Museum, Napoleon on the Nile, allows us a glimpse at the Middle East through the eyes of savants who traveled with Napoleon during his 1798 invasion of Egypt.
Writers, philosophers, geographers, map makers, and artists, all provided written details of the journey, along with glimpses into every day life.  These works are represented in this exhibit through a number of plates from the Description de l’Egypte (a compendium from the early 1800’s), Orientalist paintings, a selection of campaign letters and documents, and even some early political humor.
The exhibit was, at times, a little dry.  …read more

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December is a great month to take kids to the Tacoma Art Museum, AND it won’t put a dent in your holiday budget!
During the month of December, visitors 6 – 18 years of age get FREE admission to the Tacoma Art Museum.  Kids under 5 are always FREE. 
Brett Willis, president of the museum’s Board of Trustees said:  “Our Museum is a safe place where children and their families can come together to explore, think creatively, and build stronger connections, all through art.”
The museum’s permanent collection includes a rotating display of pieces of Northwest Art, Glass, Studio Art …read more

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This weekend. . .
. . . get away from the city with a drive to the Columbia River Gorge, home of the Maryhill Museum where you can catch the final days of the Andy Warhol and Other Famous Faces exhibit.
The Maryhill Museum is a castle-like structure on a 6,000 acre site overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, and is home to a collection of art ranging from early 20th century European art to more current Native American art.  The setting also includes beautiful gardens and grounds.
Famous Faces features many of the diverse personalities that Warhol captured, and many of …read more

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With its new exhibit, Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art, the Tacoma Art Museum features art reflective of the diverse culture of the former Ottoman Empire, and the art movement that became known as Orientalism. 
Orientalism art (example at right) is generally thought to include rich detail and lush colors depicting things based on fact, but often romanticized or combined with fantasy.  This works presented explore important historical and cultural aspects of this part of the world (Turkey, Greece, the middle East, and parts of North Africa) as developed through its art.
Early …read more

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Look!  Up in the air!  It’s a P-51 Mustang and a Hawker Hurricane!
These vintage aircraft are just two of Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection, which also includes 15 restored fighter planes from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union.  The collection also features a Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk (in photo), believed to be the only one in the world currently in flying condition. 
In other words, for airplane fans – this is some seriously cool stuff – and well worth the drive north to Everett.
On alternate Saturdays through mid-October, these vintage aircraft will take to the …read more

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After my trip to Italy earlier this year, I’ve kept an eye open for any events, exhibits, or news of the country that I fell in love with.  Earlier this spring, the Seattle Art Museum hosted a traveling exhibit of Roman Art from the Louvre. 
Now, it’s the Henry’s turn with Roman Holiday, a series of 19th and 20th century images of famous Roman spots, including the Forum, St Peter’s, and the Castel Sant’Angelo.  I had the opportunity to see many of these historic sites while I was in Rome, so am curious about these earlier photographs.
The exhibition runs …read more

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Combine a Labor Day Weekend getaway with a little Labor history with a trip to Portland to see the "Women in Agriculture" at the Oregon Historical Society Museum.
This exhibit of dramatic and poignant black-and-white photographs gives voice to the often overlooked American farm woman and her relationship to the land. 
Too diverse to uniformly categorize, these women were more than just a farmer’s wife.  They wrestled with issues of work, poverty, family, running a household, and community.  They shaped the farm in ways that shaped the future of the country with their focus on sustainable agriculture, bio-diversity and entrepreneurship.
These …read more

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Just a few steps away from Alki Beach is a restored 1904 log cabin considered to be the Birthplace of Seattle.  It’s now a museum, the Log House Museum, where you can learn about the history of the Duwamish Peninsula and Seattle. 
This cabin, made of Douglas fir logs, was once a carriage house to the Fir Lodge, one of the first year-round homes in on Alki – it was summer cabin meets modern (at the time) home.  The Fir Lodge was, in turn, an auto club, boarding house, and Veteran’s home, and today is the Homestead Restaurant.
The carriage …read more

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If you’re looking to escape the hot Seattle weather, step inside the Burke Museum for a chilling look at the rapid melting of Arctic ice and the concern about polar bears disappearing.  Wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski captures these charming denizens of the arctic in their struggle against climate change in his exhibit The Last Polar Bear:  Facing the Truth of a Warming World.
Over eight years of work went into this photographic exhibit, and Kazlowski captures the devastation of the Arctic as a result of global warming.  It’s not just the polar bear that is threatened, but all arctic, ice-dependent …read more

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