Museums are a great place to go to beat the summer heat while learning more about our world and culture. The Museum District in Houston is home to 19 museums and galleries, many of which have special exhibitions running this summer. We’ve listed the four exhibitions we are the most excited about to help you pick which to visit.
The Menil Collection
The Menil Collection is a fascinating museum that offers visitors a unique viewing experience focused solely on the artist’s works, without disruption or distraction. There are several buildings that house this collection, and one of them is dedicated to the rotating exhibits.
From April 14 until Aug. 27, the Menil Collection is hosting “Between Land and Sea: Artists of the Coenties Slip.” This art is from an influential group of artists, poets, and intellectuals active in the 1950s and 1960s in the small New York town of Coenties Slip. Artists on display include Agnes Martin, Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, Chryssa, Lenore Tawney, and Jack Youngerman.
The Health Museum
Houston’s Health Museum is a popular choice for guests interested in the intricacies of the human body. With exhibits that are appropriate for both adults and kids, it’s a great destination for the whole family.
The Health Museum is hosting two different exhibits this summer: “Humanae” and “Genome.” “Humanae” is an exploration of everything that makes us similar and different. Including roughly 250 portraits from all corners of the earth, the exhibit demands viewers to consider race through these portraitures. Each portrait’s skin tone is labeled with the corresponding Pantone number, creating a time between chromatic gradients and human skin.
“Genome” is an interactive exhibit all about DNA. It is designed to teach guests about the language that codes DNA and how it affects everything on Earth, from humans to strawberries.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science has the largest number of special exhibits this summer. These include “Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum,” “Faberge: Royal Gifts featuring the Trellis Egg Surprise,” “Gems of the Sea: The Guido T. Poppe Collection,” “Out of the Amason: Life on the River,” and “Cabinet of Curiosities.” The length of each of these exhibits varies but all are available over the summer.
Tickets to the museum include admittance to most of these special exhibits except for the gladiator exhibition and can be purchased either online or at the museum.
Holocaust Museum Houston
Created as a tribute to the thousands of lives lost in the Holocaust, the Holocaust Museum Houston is a somber yet fascinating museum dedicated to educating the public about this tragedy. It is important to note that museum suggests that children under age 10 not view most of the exhibits — it’s more appropriate for teens and adults.
Current exhibits include “Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp,” which focuses on the medical care in concentration camps as researched by Dr. Astrid Ley. “Vedem: The Underground Magazine of the Terezin Ghetto” revolves around the magazine Vedem created by Jewish boys living in a Nazi camp. This multimedia exhibit is a must-see for visitors interested in print history.
These four museums and their summer exhibitions showcase some of the most interesting aspects of the human experience and are excellent ways to spend a summer day.
Image “DSC_0197” by majcher, used under CC BY-SA 2.0
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