Thursday, February 6, 2025

The Haggin Museum, Stockton CA

 

The Haggin Museum

There are several ways to drive from the Bay Area in California to Sacramento. The most obvious is to take I-80 East, direct from one city to the other. However, if you are south of San Francisco, it might be a faster trip to head west to Stockton, and then go north. This trip avoids a lot of the worst traffic between the cities, and Stockton is a great place to take a break and have lunch.




In planning this trip I noticed that Stockton has a well regarded history and art museum - The Haggin Museum. The problem was that the Haggin doesn’t open until the afternoon. While waiting, I asked about lunch spots, and was directed to Gian’s Deli. This is an old style Italian sandwich shop. They slice their meat and cheese fresh for every order, and use homemade focaccia and rolls. They also serve several pasta dishes and daily specials. There is seating for around 20 people inside the deli.





The Haggin is an art and local history museum located in Victory Park in Stockton. It was founded in 1931 by the San Juaquin Pioneer and Historical Society. Robert McKee and his wife Eila Haggin McKee provided the funds for building the museum with two conditions; first, they wanted it to be named after Eila’s father, Louis Terah Haggin; and, second, that it would become the permanent home for their art collection.   




The ground floor of the museum contains several galleries dedicated to the history of Stockton and the San Juaquin Valley.


Holt '75 Tractor


Haines-Houser Combined Harvester


The Haggin has an excellent collection of art. It has grown from its start as the McKee’s collection, with a focus on 19th and 20th century art.


After a Norther, Bahamas by Albert Bierstadt

The Saddle Bazaar, Cairo by Jean-Léon Gérôme

The Furtive Message by Jules Worms

La Toilette by Pierre August Renoir

The Red Shawl by Jules Worms


One interesting piece is Flowers and Fruit. This painting was originally credited to Paul Gauguin, but over the years that provenance has been called into question. The Haggin has taken advantage of this ambiguity to create an exhibit that explores the process for authenticating an art work.

Flowers and Fruit



J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951) was a commercial artist who helped set the standard for advertising art and for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in the era before printed photography became widely used. 

 
Kellogg's Kids


Welcome Home


Airships and the New Years Baby


Finally, there was a temporary exhibit of ocean photography commissioned by National Geographic Magazine.


Juan Fernandez Fur Seals by Enric Sala

Nautilus by Enric Sala

Clown fish and Anemones by Manu San Félix



Stockton is the kind of city that most people drive right by in these days of speeding down the expressway. Museums like the Haggin are always worth stopping for.

Nuts and Bolts


  • The Museum is located along Pershing Ave in Victory Park.
  • It is open Wed-Fri 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Sat & Sun 12 noon - 5 PM
  • Entrance fee is Adult $8/ Senior and Military $7/ Youth and Students $5

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Two of Washington DC's Smaller Museums

The Talking Tree

 

If you are a regular reader of my posts, you know that I love exploring small museums. Last summer, on a visit to Washington DC, I had the chance to spend some time at two of the city’s less well known offerings, but ones that are definitely worth your time.

Planet Word


I am a lover of language. The history of words and phrases. The connection between the ways that different languages evolved, and the ways that they resolve issues of communication fascinate me. So, finding a museum dedicated to these ideas piqued my interest. Planet Word occupies a building that was constructed in 1869 and opened as The Franklin School, one of the early modern public schools built in Washington.




The museum focuses on English, its on-going development and current usages. In Where Do Words Come From a giant word wall interacts with visitors, exploring the ways that English has incorporated words from other languages around the world.





The Spoken Word offers the opportunity to meet speakers of other languages. They introduce us to their native language and the thing that make it unique.




The Library explores the language and imagery of books.





Planet Word is a truly interactive museum. Its exhibits are set up for visitors of all ages. If you love language it is worth a visit.   

Immigrant Food


If you are in the area of Planet Word, I highly recommend stopping into Immigrant Food for a meal. The restaurant uses the cultural diversity of the United States and the immigrants who have arrived here as its inspiration. Its has a menu that varied and delicious, with many choices for people with a wide variety of pallets.

National Museum of Women in the Arts



 

If you walk three blocks south from Planet Word you will find the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA).

Noir 40 by Angèle Etoundi Essamba


The NMWA was opened in 1987 as the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. It is housed in the former Masonic Temple, a beautiful building built in 1903. The museum has 4500 works representing over 1000 artists in its collection, including Washington’s only Frieda Kahlo painting. 

Reapers by Alison Saar

Rockefeller Center by Bernice Abbott

They Call Me Redbone, But I'd Rather by Strawberry Shortcake by Amy Sherald

Self-portrait dedicated to Leon Trotsky by Frieda Kahlo


The museum also hosts some great temporary exhibits. When I visited in August 2024, Hung Liu: Making History was on display. Liu (1948-2021) was born in China, and move to the U.S. in 1984. Her work focuses on the lives of working class women.


Women Working: Loom

Mu NU/Yellow River

Winter with Cynical fish

Another exhibit was Holding Ground: Artist Books for the NMWA. Nine book artists created works to inaugurate a new section of the museum. The works of art were created to celebrate the many spaces where women’s creativity blooms.


Mujeres Buscadoras, Fragmentary Memories by Maria Veronica San Martin

Many Hands by Julie N Chen

In Bllom by Suzanne Coley



Remember, while big cities have big museums, it is often the smaller museums that offer a unique look at the world we live in.

Nuts and Bolts


  • Planet Word is located at 925 13th Street NW, but its entrance is around the corner on K street.
  • It is open Wed - Mon 10 AM - 5 PM (until 6 PM on Sat. And Sun.)
  • The museum is free at all times, but a suggested donation of $15 is recommended.


 

  • Immigrant Food is located at 925 13th Street NW on the ground floor of Planet Word.


 

  • National Museum of Women in the Arts is located at 1250 New York Ave NW
  • It is open Tue - Sun 10 AM-5 PM.
  • The entrance fee is $16 Adults/ $13 Senior/DC Residents $13

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Museum of the City of New York

 


 

Almost every city or town has a historical museum of some kind. New York City just has to be different. It has not, not two, not three, but SIX such museums. Each o the five boroughs has an official historical society, and then there is the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY). 

Entrance to the Central Park Conservatory Garden


The museum was founded in 1923 as a somewhat more populist historical resource than the NY Historical Society was at the time. The MCNY was originally housed in Gracie Mansion, the city owned home of New York’s mayors. Its mission was and is to provide a look at both the historic and current lives of residents of the city. In 1926 New York started planning a permanent home, and donated land along the east side of Central Park, between 103rd and 104th street. In 1932 MCNY opened in its Georgian styled building, and over the past 100 years its collection has grown to over 750,000 objects.





The MCNY has several ongoing exhibitions that explore aspects of the city’s history. Timescapes is a 28-minute long video presentation that explores the history of the city. Activist New York offers a voice to the many political movements that have been a part of New York life since the city was founded. The Stetthiemer Dollhouse: In a New Light is a wonderful display of large dollhouse created during the period between the world wars. The house has been recently refurbished and provides a wonderful insight into both the idea of collecting miniatures and grandeur of the 5th Ave mansion of that era.

 





There are also excellent special exhibits. Changing the Face of Democracy (through July 20, 2025) is a tribute to Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) on the 100th anniversary of her birth. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to serve in the House of Representatives of the United States. She was also the first Black woman to run for the nomination of a major political party. She was a leading progressive voice in Congress, helping to establish the WIC program to provide food for poor families, fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment, and for guaranteeing the civil rights for all. She also was one of the first elected politicians to take a stand against the war in Vietnam. 


Portrait of Shirley Chisholm by Sherman Beck

Shirley Chisholm by Richard Avedon

On the Mall at a protest of the Vietnam War

Shirley Chisholm and Adam Clayton Powell Jr by Fred McDarrah



Also on display is Art Deco City: New York Post Cards from the collection of Leonard A Lauder (through Feb 17, 2025). The 1930’s was the era of Art Deco design, and New York was at its center. From the architecture of the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, to the new Marine Terminal at the Glenn H. Curtis (now Laguardia) airport, to the design of the 1939 World’s Fair, Art Deco filled the city. It was beautifully captured in the many postcards produced during this time period. The drawings and photographs provide a great historical record of the era.



The George Washington Bridge

Harris Field




Celebrating The Normandie ocean liner

The Chrysler Building





Finally, I highly recommend going to see You Are Here (through Oct 5, 2025). This video presentation is a celebration of New York as one of the most filmed cities in the world. For over 100 years film makers have used NYC as a backdrop for their stories. You Are Here uses over 1000 cinematic clips to show the many ways the city has been presented.

Nuts and Bolts


  • The Museum of the City of New York is located at 1220 5th Ave. it is open 7 days a week - 10 AM - 5 PM M-F and 10 AM - 6 PM on Sa-Su.
  • The entrance fees are: Adults $23/ Seniors $18/ Students $14/ Under 18 free. New York State residents can pay what they want at all times, and Wednesday is free for all visitors.