Museums

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NY natural history museum changing how it looks after thousands of human remains in collection

NEW YORK (AP) — There are stories in the human bones at the American Museum of Natural History. They tell of lives lived — some mere decades ago, others in past centuries — in cultures around the world.

https://apnews.com/article/human-remains-museum-natural-history-new-york-858a947b067a941a57523e6967302152?

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Museum revival

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

The U.S. is home to more than 35,000 museums — from giants like New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to tiny neighborhood galleries. But foot traffic at museums has been declining. It took an especially big hit during pandemic lockdowns. Two-thirds of America's museums say they still haven't returned to pre-pandemic attendance levels, according to the American Alliance of Museums. ?️ Zoom in: One New Yorker is bucking the trend. 26-year-old Jane August is working on a lofty goal: Visit every one of New York City's 136 museums. She started when museums reopened after lockdowns, and she only has 64 to go, AP reports. "At first, I started the project for myself to safely get out of my house and experience culture in the city again," August told AP. Unsurprisingly, August said the visits have given her a new appreciation of the city. She's been documenting the project on TikTok. ? Between the lines: For Finish Liners in New York, August has some favorites. "I love Poster House. It's the first poster museum in the country, has great programming and is free on Fridays," she said of the largely unsung museum at 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue, which features graphic design and advertising posters ranging from Art Nouveau to political propaganda. Other favorites include Queens' Museum of the Moving Image and Brooklyn's New York Sign Museum. ? We want to hear from you! Tell us in two sentences or less: What's your favorite American museum and why? We'll feature some of your recommendations in a future edition of the newsletter.

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?? 1 for the road: American dream museum

Photo: Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream An interactive museum about the American dream is opening this weekend around the corner from the White House, Axios D.C.'s Cuneyt Dil writes. The entry "Hall of Generations" is located in the spacious main hall of a 19th-century bank, leading to galleries that celebrate artists, entrepreneurs, the American financial system, and innovators in health and education. A word cloud chandelier, made up of 64 six-foot OLED panels, features constantly updated phrases describing the American dream, contributed by visitors. Keep reading.