The Ashmolean Museum
I love museums. I love learning about old artefacts and seeing things from different countries, cultures, and times in history. When I went to New York a few years ago, me and my mum spent over four hours in the Museum of Natural History! That’s the longest I’ve spent in any museum so far.
Last weekend I was in Oxford and while I was there I went to three of the many museums around the city. I went to the Ashmolean Museum first and I loved how the museum was set out, it was bright and it had different areas for different countries and time periods. I also went to the Natural History Museum there which was super cool – I love it when you can touch certain exhibits (because I’m a big kid) and that was available there – and the Pitt Rivers Museum which is the fullest museum I have ever been too. It was a fascinating place and it’s crammed full of artefacts from different cultures and I especially liked all the various weapons and armour it has, from swords and knives to pistols and semiautomatic weapons.
The thing I love about museums is it’s one of those places where you’re not seen as weird if ou go there on your own. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with doing your own thing but sometimes you can feel a bit uncomfortable doing traditionally social things on your own – but not with museums! They’re a place of learning and reflection and you will get relatively few weird looks if you just sit and stare at a painting for a while. I have to say I’m not a huge painting/art gallery fan, I much prefer looking at “things” from past civilisations, but some paintings are certainly eye-catching.
In a couple of weeks, some of the boys at the school I work at are going on a trip to the Natural History Museum in London and I’ve been asked to be one of the designated adults on the trip and I’m so excited! I’ve never been there before so I think I’m going to be geeking out more than the kids!
I often refer to myself as a museum rat. If there’s a chance to visit a museum, I will — and I love the smaller places as well as the bigger ones. An absolute favorite was the now-defunct Theatre Museum near Covent Garden (I understand the collection has been folded into the V&A).
Sharon E. Cathcart
Award-winning Author of Fiction Featuring Atypical Characters
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Haha! I love the phrase museum rat! Think I’m gonna have to use it to describe myself 😛
It’s sad to hear when museums close but at least the collection has been absorbed into another museum 🙂
I appreciate museums but find myself too antsy to move on to the next exhibit. I need to slow down, ponder, and appreciate.
Trudy @ Reel Focus
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Yeah, I’m a bit like that in art museums, I just want to get to the next exhibit and don’t take the time to look at the artwork properly.
You must love all the museums with virtual tours–and Google’s extensive list of museum tours.(under Google Arts and Culture). What a wonderful addition to our real world.
Yes I love how the virtual world is making art and culture more accessible for those who can’t get to a physical museum easily. 🙂
Elena, we don’t have museums in Knoxville but I think it would be grand to visit some of the famous ones in NYC, Washington DC, and Boston. I guess going solo at a place like this one wouldn’t stand out but I’d think it be more fun doing it with some you know. Thanks for visiting Art Sketching Through the Alphabet “M” (Mermaids) today and happy a2zing!
Yeah it’s definitely fun seeing the exhibits and talking about them with someone but there’s also often a sense of peace and tranquillity in a museum. I’d definitely love to go to the museums in Washington DC as well 🙂
I have always enjoyed the few I have been to, usually when I was on vacation. Loved the one in Hyderabad, India: beautiful paintings and sculptures. Also, have visited the Lourve. But we did not get the time to even cover a small part of it! Hoping to visit way more in the future.
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I always go to museums when I’m on holiday too, though like you said, they definitely deserve a lot of time spent in them 🙂
I love museums! I wish there were more of them around here. If I want to go to a good museum, I have to take a long train ride and a long walk.
Another museum lover! Yeah, I have to get a train or go on a long car journey if I want to go to museum from home.
We regularly visit museums when we travel, our biggest frustration is running out of time to see all the cool things. We have had weird looks when we have told people we can not go to the local-ish museums without a good amount of time especially if our teens are with us, because it is too hard to leave without taking time to pause and reflect and imagine.
I love to visit museums when I’m on holiday too! It’s a lovely way to learn about a place.
I have not been to many museums but the one in Hyderabad, Safdarjung, was as captivating as anything. I hope to visit the Louvre once in life , great post 😊
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Thanks! I love hearing about the museums people have visited, there’s so many in the world!
Next time you’re in Oxford, I recommend The Story Museum! https://librariesconnectcommunities.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/the-story-museum/?frame-nonce=f715f92f42
I love the Ashmolean 💫
It was such a great museum! I spent hours on there!