In the lineup for this week: graphic novels, drugs, frames, dancing, buttons, and famous photographers.

Now Open:

LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel at the Huntington Museum of Art will run through May 23. Come see why graphic novels are the fastest growing genre for all national bookstore chains. (Huntington, West Virginia)

March 2:

What do Mark Twain’s love letters say about society at the time? Susan Harris will be speaking at the University of Kansas on just that topic from 3:30-5:00.(Lawrence, Kansas)

In this week’s installment of the Tuesday Talks series, the Park City Museum wants you to mix, mingle, and discuss the city’s music scene as you knew it in “the good old days.” Begins at 5:30. (Park City, Utah)

March 3:

The Louisiana State Museum- Old U.S. Mint plays host to the DEA-built exhibit, Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damages Drugs Cause. Open from March 3 – November 24. (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Web Wise 2010, which is in my opinion one of the best museum conferences, takes place in Denver this year. The theme is “Imagining the Digital Future,” and the Denver Art Museum is co-hosting the event. Can’t make it to Denver? Then follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #webwise or check out the comments on the conference back channel.(Denver, Colorado)

For those people in Portland, Maine, who like to draw from the great masters, there is no hotter ticket than the Drawing Club. On Wednesdays from 10-12, the Portland Museum of Art teaches technique in the Community Studio, then lets the group loose in the galleries to try out what they have learned. (Portland, Maine)

March 4:

Look beyond the art at the Birmingham Museum of Art as Chief Curator, Jeannine O’Grody leads “Picturing the Frame”. Starts at 10:30. (Birmingham, Alabama)

March 5:

The newest exhibit at the Fairfield Museum showcases not only historic artifacts from the founding of the Connecticut Audubon Society, but also how modern-day citizen scientists and social networking have influenced the ongoing work of the organization. (Fairfield, Connecticut)

Where would you be able to walk with elephants, write secret messages to your friends in ancient Greek, and talk with Roman warriors? Why Milwaukee of course. The Milwaukee Public Museum and the Archaeological Institute of America Milwaukee Chapter join forces for the two-day Archaeology Fair. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Zero Point Zero is a dance performance inspired by the Blackout exhibition currently on show at the Newark Museum. (Newark, New Jersey)

What makes First Fridays so Fabulous at the Miami Science Museum? Laser shows set to the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Oh, there is a Family Friendly one too at 7:00. (Miami, Florida)

March 6:

Well, if you are a button collector, today is a sad day. The Vintage Button exhibit at the Doss Heritage and Cultural Center closes today. (Weatherford, Texas)

Late Nights with Flashlights at the City Museum allows visitors to explore the museum by flashlight. The museum stays open until 1 am. Buy admission after 9pm and get a free flashlight, or you can always bring your own. (St. Louis, Missouri)

I am quite jealous of anyone attending this event. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum present legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz with their Women of Distinction award. (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Go on an Art Detour with ArtLink Phoenix. (Phoenix, Arizona)

March 7:

This is where I will be on Sunday. The Gibbes Museum of Art presents “Whistler’s Women: Songs from a Life Well Traveled” in conjunction with their ongoing Whistler’s Travels exhibit. Art, song, opera, and theatrical flair combine for what should be an enjoyable event. (Charleston, South Carolina)

There are some interesting happenings occurring in the Museum world as February comes to a close. We’ve got wizards, Barbies, 17th century painters, ancient love, assassinations, Africa, and much more.

Now Open:

Barbie: The Fashion Experience at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (Indianapolis, Indiana)

“A Photographer’s Story: Bob Jackson and the Kennedy Assassination” at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. (Dallas, Texas)

February 24:

The ArtStars vs. The Art Fag at Wrongbar. An interview, an unveiling, a dance party and who knows what else. 8pm-2am. (Toronto, Canada)

February 25:

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts presents “An Artist More Feared than Loved: Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione,” which is a revisionist overview of the life and work of the 17th century painter.(Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Rubens and Van Dyck may be the headliners, but the real focus is the city of Antwerp itself in this exhibit at the National Museum of Sweden. Runs through May 10. (Stockholm, Sweden)

38th Annual Hong Kong Arts Festival opens with a jam-packed schedule. Runs through the end of March. (Hong Kong)

It’s the 75th Anniversary of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s signature exhibition: The 2010 Biennial. Boasting a “cross section of contemporary art production rather than a specific theme” expect some excellent shows and a few surprises. Check out these videos for some more background. (New York City)

February 26:

The Savannah College of Art and Design hosts an Art History Symposium. The theme is Africa on My Mind: Contemporary Art, Home, and Abroad. Starts at 9 am on Saturday and ends at 12 on Sunday. (Savannah, Georgia)

The folks over at the Arkansas Arts Center will discuss how the romantic lives of ancient Egyptians applies to love in modern times. “Love and Passion in the First and Twenty-First Centuries” starts at 7:30am. Quite the topic with your morning coffee. (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Ice, snow, and how to get across it – three things Alaskans know a bit about. The Wasilla Museum showcases the state’s most legendary sporting event, the Iditarod, in an exhibit opening Friday. (Wasilla, Alaska)

February 27:

William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video 1961-2008 opens at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Chicago, Illinois)

The 7th Annual Art Night Austin at the Austin Museum of Art and other venues around town. Runs from 6:30-10, with an after party running into the wee hours. (Austin, Texas)

February 28:

Seattle Public Library cardholders get free admission to the Seattle Art Museum today. See the ongoing Alexander Calder exhibit, brunch at the museum cafe for 10% off, and get a 25% discount at the store.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition casts a disappearing spell as this blockbuster exhibit closes up shop at the Museum of Science in Boston. (Boston, Massachusetts)

Are you a Betty or a Veronica? Both are welcome at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art’s exhibit “The Art of Archie Comics.” Closes today. (New York City)

Back when I was in high school, my mother insisted that we have Family Outings on Sunday. These outings often took us to interesting and/or strange places, like an apple orchard with a very creepy old dude singing about killing turkeys or to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield on a scorching summer day.

As much as we still make fun of these little adventures, I can’t seem to shake the habit. I still love going on quirky outings. So on Saturday, my roommate and I hopped in the car and headed to Cypress Gardens.

Cypress Gardens, located on part of an old rice plantation, is 80 acres of “blackwater bald cypress/tupelo swamp” in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. There are nature trails, swamp boat rides, a butterfly house, and swamparium. As appealing as these attractions are, I ventured to Cypress for a different reason: Fossil Fest.

Walking into Fossil Fest, the twang of a banjo and the smell of BBQ were the first things to greet you. Then your eye drifted to tables of sharks teeth, polished stones, and a variety of shards, bones, and whatnots. I’m no fossil expert, but the collectors and vendors behind the tables certainly were, and they were a talkative bunch. The fossils on display were all discovered along the South Carolina coast, and many were for sale. Some of the items were pretty impressive, but when it comes down to it, I have no idea what I would do with a fossilized shark tooth in my apartment.

With that, I said goodbye to the BBQ, banjo, and bones, and so ended this week’s obscure outing. Can’t wait until next week.

Back in September, we featured an interview with Joseph Del Pesco, artist, guest curator, and creator of an innovative “school without walls” program called Pickpocket Almanack. Clearly the first Almanack go-around was a success, because it is back for Round Two.

The Spring 2010 Session of Pickpocket Almanack features such “curators” as Jim Fairchild (the guitarist for the band Modest Mouse), Jerome Waag (a chef from Chez Panisse), and Renny Pritinkin (a professor in the Curatorial Practice Program at CCA). These curators create “courses” based on cultural events occurring throughout the Bay Area, which aim to forge connections with the arts, ignite discussions, and reinvent the meaning of cultural education.

So, if you are interested and happen to be in the Bay Area, make sure you swing by SFMOMA’s website on Monday, February 15 to register for Pickpocket Almanack.

Add this to your To Do List:

Become a follower of at least one museum on Twitter today.

Follow a Museum on Twitter Day is the brain child of Jim Richardson over at MuseumMarketing. The purpose is to draw attention to the thousands of museums on Twitter who could use a little help building an audience, getting their message out, and/or interacting with the public.

Over at www.followamuseum.com, you will find a directory, organized by country, of museums on Twitter. This comprehensive list should help you pick out at least one museum to follow. Still not sure, you can follow my list or MuseumNerd’s list on Twitter.

Here are some good museum Twitter feeds for a start…

• Victoria and Albert = @V_and_A
• Leicestershire Museums = @LeicsMuseums
• Walker Art Center = @walkerartcenter
• East Hawaii Cultural Center = @easthawaiiarts
• Sue the T-Rex at the Field Museum = @SUETheTRex
• Whale at New York’s Natural History Museum = @NatHistoryWhale
• Museum of Contemporary Art = @mcachicago
• Museum of London = @MuseumofLondon

What museum will you be following today?

Are you one of the following?

a) an artist with work to share

b) not an artist by title, but have work to share

c) incapable of producing anything worth hanging on a wall, but still like to look at other people’s art and support their efforts.

If yes, then you should swing by the event – one part innovative fundraiser,  and one part celebration of local artists in all their forms – going on at the Boulder Museum of ContemporaryArt this evening. This event is the annual Open Wall Party.

Whatever your medium, whatever your skill, there are nails, hammers, some tables and pedestals, and, of course, open walls waiting for you to display your art. First come, first displayed, so make sure to get there before space fills up. Live music, featuring the talented Harper Philips and her ukulele (hear some of her songs here), and a cash bar help to create a great atmosphere for getting to know the artists in the Boulder area. The night’s silent auction of the works on display will benefit both the artists and BMoCA – and you’ll get to take home a completely original piece of artwork.

The Open Wall Party at BMoCA is hosted by Elephant Journal, an eco-minded publication with the mission of “bringing together those working and playing to create enlightened society.” In addition to putting on a great evening, Elephant has also put together a room of local and eco-art pieces, and will be providing tips on how to “green”-ify your art studio.

What: Elephant Journal’s Open Wall Party

Where: Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, Colorado.

When: 7-10 p.m.

* a $5 donation is suggested.

RSVP on Facebook here.

Feeling like you have put on a few pounds with the holidays well underway and the weather getting colder? Then why not head to an exhibition that celebrates the art of the feast?

Tomorrow (December 10th), the Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, Texas will be hosting a Fine Food Art Night in honor of their new exhibit: Feast. Partnering with Edible Austin, a $10 donation will get you a feast of your own – local caterer will be preparing food inspired by the exhibit. Did we mention that besides good food and good art, you’ll also have the opportunity to do a little good yourself? Proceeds go to Urban Roots, a sustainable agriculture focused youth development program.

Looking through the exhibit preview, I personally enjoy the Magritte-esque painting entitled Banana, which depicts two delicious looking tomatoes.

The event will begin at 6:00.

Photo by Paul Keleher

The Chicago Zoological Society, which operates Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois, got into the Halloween spirit a little early this year with the 3rd Annual Eden Place Pumpkin Festival. This event, which took place October 17, is an interesting example of how successful and rewarding collaboration can be when a museum is willing to take the risk.

The Eden Place Pumpkin Festival, which counts the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus as other organizing partners, is an effort to provide opportunities for urban youth to engage with nature and ultimately create a new generation of conservationists. Click here for more details on the event.

Jo-Elle Mogerman, Vice President of Planning and Community Affairs at Brookfield Zoo, was kind enough to share a little bit more about how the partnership developed, the aims of the Eden Place program, and how sometimes a museum’s mission is met outside the confines of your institution.

1) How did this partnership between Brookfield Zoo/Chicago Zoological Society, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and  the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus form?

Through our government affairs staff, we had the opportunity to discuss the Society’s efforts to engage African-American youth in education programs focused on wildlife and nature to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders.

2) How many years has this event taken place?

The Chicago Zoological Society has been involved with the Eden Place Pumpkin Festival for the past three years.

3) Why did you choose the red-tailed hawk and great horned owl as the animals for this event?

In the end, our red-tailed hawk and a dog visited Eden Place.  Both the red tailed hawk and great horned owl are native travel well and are Illinois species that you might even find in urban areas like Chicago neighborhoods.  Both the dog and hawk were a big hit with the children and families.  Many children don’t have pets and the dog provided an opportunity to get up close and pet it.

4) The Annual Eden Place Pumpkin Festival seems to place a strong emphasis on creating conservationist of the future. How do you approach educating children about conservation? Is the emphasis on building positive connections with nature rather than focusing on some of the more negative problems affecting the environment? Does the approach change depending on the age or gender of the child?

You are right, the focus is on building positive connections and transferring the great observation skills many urban children have to explore nature and science.  For example, for leaf necklaces the kids had to find the fallen leaves they wanted to make their necklace out of.  Some of the other activities were pumpkin painting where we encouraged kids to express their thoughts about fall, animals or nature.  In the planting activity, we helped the kids plant a plant in a yogurt cup.  For family programs like the harvest festival, we try to bring activities that are interesting to families, where the parent can choose to assist.  We remind the parents about the activities they can do at home.  The Society’s Center for Conservation Leadership provides age appropriate programs and activities both at the zoo and beyond to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders.

5) How do these children continue learning about conservation and nature after the event?

We try to gear at least one of our activities to be something that can go home with the kids.  This year they took home their painted pumpkin, leaf necklaces and plants.  This provides an opportunity for continued learning at home through watching the plant grow or having family conversations about the activities and the day.

6) The Eden Place Pumpkin Festival aims to take urban kids and their families and introduce them to nature in a non-urban environment. Is there any future or existing program that deals with nature within an urban environment? As a zoo, how do you address the fact that many of your visitors live in or near a large urban area?

We partner with Eden Place through our Grassroots Zoo program funded by The Field Foundation.  The Pumpkin Festival is just one of a series of programs that we work with Eden Place staff to provide to the community.

We understand that many of our guests come from large urban areas.  We provide guests the opportunity to see animals up close, talk with our keeper staff through keeper chats and in exhibits like Hamill Family Play Zoo and the Children’s Zoo even touch them.  In addition, interpretation through signs and youth and adult volunteers provide additional opportunities to connect with the animals and even the grounds.   The Zoo grounds themselves, provide even more opportunities to just be in nature in a safe place.

7) How does Brookfield Zoo plan on using this event to draw in visitors to the zoo itself? What other external programs of this nature do you partner with?

Our mission is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.  We believe inspiring conservation leadership doesn’t have to lead you to the zoo.  Therefore, for events like Eden Place Pumpkin Fest, we use Brookfield Zoo as a hook to draw people to the festival so that nature connections can begin but not necessarily draw those program participants to the zoo.  We hope or presence leaves a good impression with them and if they want to come to the zoo great!  We have another community based organization partner for Grassroots Zoo, the Juan Diego Community Center.

8 How do you hope to measure the success of this event? Turnout at the event itself? Subsequent visitors to the zoo? Or is it something more long-term, like an increase in the number of individuals from urban areas working in conservation related fields?

Great question!  I see several measures of success for such an event.  1) Short-term measure–The turnout which for a rainy chilly day was great! 2) Mid-term measure—future participation in Eden Place and Grassroots Zoo programs.  3)  Long-term—more youth in conservation related programs and including a conservation perspective in the academic and professional pursuits (This is the hard one to really measure)
After some great answers, however, Jo-Elle didn’t know the answer to this question off the top of her head. So, I will put this one to my readers…

9) And one last question that is not about the event: why is the Chicago Zoological Society’s logo a buffalo?

Thanks again to Jo-Elle, and we hope that this partnership is only one of many interesting museum collaborations to come.

In other Chicago museum news…

Pirates at the Field Museum. This exhibit (February 25 – October 25) tells the tale of the Whydah, which went from slave ship to pirate ship, and covers the golden years of pirating history.  Learn to tie pirate knots and how to fire a cannon (hey, we all need job skills in this economy).

The Chicago History Museum is hosting the Chicago Maritime Festival on February 28. There will be knot tying workshops here as well, but the other lectures, workshops, and demonstrations cover a slightly less swashbuckling range of topics than the pirates exhibit at the Field. Lake Michigan is part of Chicago’s identity, so come on down and celebrate the city’s seafaring past and present this weekend.

There is an opening reception for A Mural Work in Progress by Hector Duarte on February 27 from 6-8 p.m. at the National Museum of Mexican Art. The exhibit, which will allow you to watch longtime Chicago artist Duarte at work, runs through June 28.

Nordic Family Researchers have their monthly meeting at the Swedish American Museum Center on February 28 from 10-12. Recommended materials: a computer and some Nordic family history (one might be easier to come by than the other).

There are quite a few events to cover this week. After all, there are quite a few museums to host them. Let the roundup begin…

Philadelphia:

• The Mapplethorpe Affair raised questions about tax dollars, art funding, obscenity, and free speech. The “Symposium on the Mapplethorpe Affair” at Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania digs a little deeper. Feb. 12-13. Visit here for info on times and locations.
• The founder of the Mayor’s Institute for City Design will discuss “Preservation and Redevelopment of the American City: The Charleston Experience” at Houston Hall Feb. 12. Can’t make it on the 12th? There are other events being put on by the Institute through Saturday. Visit here for details.

Chicago:

Two Lincoln events worth exploring…

• “Tall Man of Destiny” at Harold Washington Library
• “200 Lincolns” at Chicago Art Department

San Diego Area:

• The roundup was done for me here

Toronto:

• “Many Rivers to Cross: The Toronto Journey, 1900-1950″ at St. Lawrence Hall. Details here.

Houston:

• Don’t miss your last chance to see “Max Ernst in the Garden of Nymph Ancolie” at the Menil Collection. This is the exhibit’s final weekend.
• Unfortunately, the last lecture in the Rice Design Alliance’s Exposing Graphic Design series has passed us by. However, this is an organization to keep an eye on if you are an architecture or design buff.

Los Angeles:

• “America” at the Phyllis Stein Gallery is a series of new works by the artist Deborah Martin. Opens Feb. 12.

San Francisco:

• Perhaps not the way Darwin would choose to celebrate his birthday, but the California Academy of Sciences is going to throw a party in his honor anyway. Check out “Nightlife” tonight from 6-10.

Columbus:

• If you happen to find yourself near The Ohio State University, stop by the Wexner Center for the Arts to see “Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms.” The exhibit closes Feb. 15. Click here for details.

Black History Month Roundup:

• Another ready-made roundup for events around the country celebrating Black History Month.

London:

• “Rodchenko and Popova: Defining Constructivism” at the Tate Modern
• “Saul Steinberg: Illuminations” at Dulwich Picture Gallery
• “Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize” at the National Portrait Gallery. 60 works chosen from the over 6,700 submitted are on display through the 15th.
• “War and Medicine” at the Wellcome Collection also closes on Sunday.
• Courtauld Institute’s 8th Biennial “East Wing Collection” opens Friday. The exhibit is curated by current students and there promises to be quite the party afterward.
• “2009 Design Awards Winners Exhibition” at the London Design Museum opens Friday. Can’t make it, you can see the winners here.

If you’ve heard of any great upcoming events at a museum in your town, please let us know!