Category Archives: culture
Museums Seek Clarity, Face Challenges to Budgets and Relevance
Lately I’ve been taking advantage of the comp museum admission perk through my employment with New-York Historical Society. I’ve saved a pretty good amount of cash at some of New York’s premier cultural institutions ($25, MoMA; $20, Frick Collection; $22, … Continue reading
Finnish Baby Buggy Bumper: Finland’s “Maternity Package” as Cultural Heritage
In 1938, the Finnish government introduced the Maternity Grants Act. That year, Finland’s expectant mothers each received a baby shower of supplies for their newborn. All-weather clothing, health and hygiene products, bedding, a toy–these were some of life’s bare necessities … Continue reading
Lordy Lord, Lourdes! Pilgrimage Site Suffers Record Flooding
The rainwater and snowmelt that flooded southwest France just over a week ago has finally receded. The normally tranquil Gave de Pau river rose as much as 15 feet, spilling over its banks and pouring into medieval towns across the Pyrenees. … Continue reading
Post Office Workers Curb Illicit Smuggling of Peru’s National Cultural Heritage
This article was prominently featured in the The New York Times Americas section on June 14th. Self-proclaimed “defenders” of their nation’s history, an art historian and an archaeologist have joined together to safeguard Peruvian cultural heritage from illicit smuggling. Trafficking in … Continue reading
Harris Tweed is Back!…or Never Really Went Anywhere
Mills producing Harris Tweed dot the landscape at Ballalan, Outer Hebrides, date unknown (photo credit: Harris Tweed Authority Archive) Three years ago I wrote a piece about the apparent decline of the Harris Tweed weaving industry in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides (see: … Continue reading
Culture in Peril 