Travels in the 2nd half

  New York City is full of small museums and galleries. This means that there are always small, interesting exhibits to view. I had the opportunity to see two of them recently. Viollet-le-Duc: Drawing Worlds (through May 24, 2026) Chartres Cathedral West Portal   The Bard Graduate Center offers advanced degrees in the study of the social history of our material world. It also has a four-floor gallery that provides exhibitions exploring the connection between art, design and our physical world. The current show is an exhibit of some of the most intricate and beautiful drawings created by Eugéne-Emanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879). Viollet-le-Duc was an architect and a designer who specialized in updating and recreating the gothic world for 19th century France. He is best known for the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in 1857.   Assorted Gargoyles North Façade of Notre Dame Windows and Niches of the Chior South Transept Gable Spire of Notre Dame By the time Eugéne was in...

Looking out at the Sonoran Desert   If you are visiting Tucson, Arizona, and you are looking for something to do outside of town, I have two suggestions. These museums are especially interesting if you children in your traveling group. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Photo via www.desertmuseum.org   About 2.3 miles east of the Red Hills Visitors Center in the Saguaro National Park is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum . Built in 1952, this museum explores the natural history of the Sonoran Desert and its adjacent ecosystems. Its founder, William H. Carr (1902-1985), had previously founded and designed the Bear Mountain Trailside Museum in New York State. Both have similar designs, using trails lined with native plants to take visitors on a tour of displays of local animals. Prairie Dog Ocelot Mountain Goat Okay, not at the zoo, but in front of a nearby trading post  The Desert Museum has two miles of walking trails along a hillside the overlooks the a desert valley. It is part...

Yeibichai Textile - Navajo   When visiting the city of Tucson, Arizona, you might want to find places to spend time away from the desert sun and heat. Luckily there are several museums you can visit with good art and great air conditioning. Today I will explore two of them. Tucson Desert Art Museum   A strip mall on the east side of Tucson may not be where you would expect to find an art museum, but you would be wrong. In 2013, James E. Conley (1943-2020) decided to take part of his extensive art collection and create a museum to share it with the public. He worked with Rhonda R. Smith to create the Tucson Desert Art Museum, using his collection of art, artifacts and textiles.   The Desert Art Museum has an amazing collection of Navajo and Hopi textiles, in a wide variety of styles and designs.   Navajo Late Classic Blanket Transitional Textile - Navajo Germantown Eyedazzler - Navajo Optical Pattern Saddle Blanket - Navajo Teec Nos Pos - Red Mesa Trading Post - Navaj...