After writing my post on planning and taking nostalgia trips, I was discussing it with my eldest son, Ian, who is very involved with the gaming scene, both tabletop and video, particularly role-playing games. He is also hugely into Nordic history and wants to design concept art for games that is based on history. Suffice it to say, he has paid attention to the history of gaming since becoming involved with it when he was…
Aside from the tragic fire at the National Museum of Brazil, this past week brought some good news in the museum field. A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” was recovered after being stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The FBI has been involved in the case and recovered the shoes in a sting operation this summer. A…
As a person working in a local museum who has had disaster preparation and recovery training, I think a lot about the safety of our collections. There are items in our museum that cannot be replaced because they are one-of-a-kind. Two Bandolier Bags & a Ledger The two Ojibwe bandolier bags are such items. One of them was gifted by Chief Shab-osh-kung to Nathan Richardson for Nate’s legal work against timber thieves on behalf of…
The Origin of the Bucket List It can be difficult to pin down the origins of terms that arise in the popular culture. Such is the case with the term “bucket list,” which has come to mean a list of things you want to do before you die. Slate’s June Thomas tried to follow the trail of the term in her 2011 article, but needed to add an update to it in May 2015. Apparently,…
Ever go to a museum, especially a large museum with multiple floors and endless exhibits, and run around frantically trying to take everything in? It’s an exercise in brain overload and exhaustion. Being a museum person, you’d think I’d know better, but I’m often tempted to look and look and look until I’m frazzled. I don’t want to miss anything! But, in my effort not to miss anything, I end up absorbing nothing, which makes…