Passing my Exams, Dia: Beacon, Boston MFA, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Lubbock, TX, Beacon, NY, & Boston, MA

I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last post, but it feels like my life has been either consumed with studying or speeding by. 


From the middle of February through the beginning of March I have been preparing for my comprehensive exams and internship presentation in Lubbock. My week of academic hazing (as one of my professors puts it lol) consists of three days of writing essays in response to questions posed by my graduate committee members, a presentation and question and answer session about my internship experience, and an oral defense of my essays with my graduate committee. It was a long and nerve racking week, but I am extremely happy to report that I passed and will be receiving my Master of Arts in Museum Science in May :) 


Now that my exams are over I have time for more adventures. This past weekend I was able to visit three of the places on my list: Dia: Beacon, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Dia; Beacon

Exploring New London | New London, CT

I will be traveling to Lubbock, Texas, soon to take my comprehensive exams and give my internship presentation. Today I went exploring in New London to take photos to include in my presentation. Enjoy a pictorial journey of New London, Connecticut, one of the former major whaling seaports in the United States.

New London, CT

Times Square, Bryant Park, New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock Observation Deck, Broadway | New York City, NY

"...I want to wake up in that city 
that doesn't sleep 
and find that I'm king of the hill 
top of the heap


My little town blues
they are melting away
I'm going to make a brand new start of it
in old New York..."

Times Square

Providence, Rhode Island, RISD Art Museum, and Yale Hockey | Providence, RI & New Haven, CT

My latest adventure in the Northeast began with a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. I began my visit at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum. The Museum has a comprehensive and interesting collection. It even includes a house, attached to the museum, with original American furniture and artwork. 

RISD Museum of Art

Slater Memorial Museum | Norwich, CT

Norwich is a small town in Southeastern Connecticut. Its claim to fame is that Norwich is home to the Norwich Free Academy (NFA), a high school that focuses on liberal arts education. The NFA is also home to the Slater Memorial Museum which is a small museum that houses incredible treasures. 

The Clark, Williams College Museum of Art, The Norman Rockwell Museum, Great Barrington Holiday Stroll | Williamstown, MA, Stockbridge, MA, & Great Barrington, MA

A few weeks ago I traveled to Massachusetts to spend the weekend with a friend. On our agenda: art museums and anything Christmasy. We ended up visiting The Clark, the Williams College Museum of Art, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and we participated in the Holiday Stroll in a nearby little town. 

At The Clark we saw a sample their newly installed permanent collection (the museum is currently adding several additions to their building and many of their galleries are closed) and a temporary exhibit that compared Degas to Rembrant.

John Singer Sargent, A Street in Venice, 1880-81

First Snow, Clyde's Cider Mill, and the Brooklyn Museum | Groton, CT, Mystic, CT, & Brooklyn, NY

It's been awhile since my last post and a lot of things have been happening in the Northeast. We had our first snowfall on October 29! Because I live on the coast we only got a thick dusting, but farther inland many major roads and towns were closed. 

Newport Mansions | Newport, RI

I had company for this weekend's exploration. My friend Elizabeth came down from Massachusetts and we drove to Newport, Rhode Island, to visit the mansions. Even though the families who owned these homes only lived in them for two months out of the year, it is estimated that each family would spend around $500,000 per season on dinners, parties, balls, and upkeep (that comes out to $7 million dollars in today's economy). 

Aerial view of Newport