I've planned a trip to the Getty Center on September 21st. Please be sure to make a reservation only if you definitely can make it. Although free, we are limited to how many we can have - as the museum is not open to the general public this day. Tickets go on sale July 24. https://www.inspirationstationics.com/single-post/2017/06/22/The-J-Paul-Getty-Museum-Tickets-Available-724 Who was Getty? Getty was a self-described "addict" of art collecting. He exhibited the collecting bug as early as 1904, when he made careful notes in his diary (also a lifelong habit) of his marble and stamp collection. His private art collection reflected his personality and tastes. It was shaped by his extensive travels, trusted advisors, and willingness to take risks - a tendency that had served him exceptionally well in business. He appreciated the technical quality and provenance of a piece as much as he loved a bargain, and alternated periods of intensive collecting with time spent writing about his thoughts on art. Getty collected art with the same eye for underappreciated value that he had for a salt dome covering a rich store of oil. He wrote at one point, "I never liked to follow the crowd." Sounds like a lot of homeschoolers I know and love. Ideas to make your visit more rewarding. Scavenger hunt: As popular books and movies like The Da Vinci Code have made clear, the museum can be a place for intrigue and mystery. What if Mom asks her kids to solve a riddle that finds its answer in a modernist sculpture? Apart from the superficial fun of such an activity, it also presents the opportunity to really look deeply at the work, and discover features and details that might otherwise be missed. Things for the littles: Hunt for art treasure. Gaze through nearly 70 peepholes on the treasure-hunt walls to see interesting details from works of art in the Getty Museum collection. Visit the Getty online before our trip to help your children become more familiar with the art via "whyville". Kids can travel the world in search of art treasures, or play a card game against others while they get to know works of art from the Getty Museum. Whyville is an online world where kids can chat with other kids from all over the globe and earn a salary of "clams" by playing games. Interesting links you and your children may find helpful.
Always my favorite, free stuff!
Carie Sipka is an Inspire Family Liaison serving the Ventura county area.