A little taste of history, one morsel at a time.
Happy Friday! Today on Museum Bites we’re continuing our tour through the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Join me for a wild ride on a bucking bronc, a delicious dive into a cool pool, and the opportunity to pay homage to victims of war. We begin in post-World War I Germany…
Today on Museum Bites we’re embracing our inner whimsy with a tour through the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Join me for a few bites of the GRAM’s fanciful delights including a rowdy jack-o'-lantern, a pulsing multi-colored pod, and a windswept treat. We begin with Adam…
Today on Museum Bites we’re sampling crockery with a twist. These deceptively simple mugs and jugs were crafted for pure trickery and played a starring role in the 18th-century’s version of beer pong. Join me for a look at three of these clever devices…
Happy Friday! Today on Museum Bites we’re sampling antique locks. These whimsical beauties are not only pretty, they did their part to protect the valuables behind them. Join me for a brief look at three clever locks I’ve come across in my travels. We begin in Amsterdam…
Today on Museum Bites we’re wrapping up our tour through the Valley Camp Museum Ship with a deep dive into the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Loaded with iron ore and bound for a steel mill near Detroit, this massive freighter was torn apart in a violent storm and sank on November 10, 1975. Captain Ernest McSorley and all 28 crew members perished. Join me for a brief look at artifacts recovered from this fateful ship, and the story they tell about this tragic event. We begin with the Mighty Fitz’s lifeboats…
Today on Museum Bites we’re continuing our tour through the Great Lakes freighter, Valley Camp with a look at sailing slang. These colorful phrases add a dash of spice to our banter and went viral long before we had emojis and memes to express our state of mind. Join me for a brief look at a few expressions linked to our seafaring past. We begin with the sweet life…
Happy Friday! Today on Museum Bites we’re touring Valley Camp, a massive Great Lakes freighter that has been transformed into a maritime museum. Located in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, Valley Camp (formerly known as the Louis W. Hill) was launched in 1917 and for 49 years hauled cars, coal, grain, and iron ore. Today it is filled with a wide variety of seafaring gizmos and gadgets, including a stunning collection of Fresnel lenses. Join me for a closer look at this ingenious device.
Today on Museum Bites we’re celebrating power couples. From a royal abduction to religious reformists these dynamic duos have inspired a cult, scandalized the church, and went so far as to start a war. Join me for a brief look at the lives and loves of three legendary couples. We begin by rolling back the clock to ancient Greece…
Happy Friday! We’re shooting for the stars today on Museum Bites with a tour through the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy. Named after superstar scientist, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), this museum is filled with scientific instruments from a wide variety of fields including astronomy, cartography, medicine, meteorology, navigation, physics, and much, much more. There are so many delightful gizmos and gadgets, but such little time. We’ll focus on just three. We begin with a massive sphere that is a colorful mix of both art and science…
