North America Museums and Culture

    Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, United States

  829 N. Davis Street - Jacksonville, FL           
The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum Celebrates the rich legacy of the African-American community that thrived in LaVilla for more than 100 years. The theatre and museum are revered as the premiere cultural institution in Jacksonville, Florida, showcasing art, music, drama, poetry, and African American history.
The stories and legends of LaVilla, known as the "Harlem of the South," live on within the walls of the refurbished museum and theatre. Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum is committed to reclaiming the past, celebrating the present, and embracing the future.
    John Brown Wax Museum, United States
  168 High St. - Harpers Ferry, WV            
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Sunday, October 16, 1859, Brown, accompanied by about 20 men, all fully armed, crossed the Potomac into Virginia (now West Virginia) at Harper's Ferry. They overpowered the watchmen at the following locations: the Baltimore & Ohio railroad bridge, the United States armory and arsenal, and the rifle factory above the town on the Shenandoah. They placed guards at those points and at the street corners of the town. Brown established himself in the thick-walled brick building at the armory gate, one room of which was the quarters of the watchman and the other contained a fire-engine. He then sent six men, to seize the principal citizens in the neighborhood and incite those of African decent to rise and join in the insurrection.
    African American Cultura, United States
  119 Sunnybrook Road - Raleigh, NC           
The African American Heritage Preservation Cultural Complex (AACC) originated in 1984,as a hobby, by Dr. and Mrs. E.B. Palmer, then opened in 1989 as the Black Heritage Park. The Palmers’ and George Barner incorporated AACC in 1994. The Palmers’ entered into a Lease Agreement in 1991 for $1.00 per year. The park occupies approximately 3 acres of the wooded land to the rear of the Palmer House at 119 Sunnybrook Road. The AACC was chartered and granted 501 (c)(3) tax status in October 1994. The AACC currently has 3Exhibit Houses located along a natural trail beside a creek, a Mini-Amphitheater, a Bird Sanctuary, Nature Preserve and a Picnic Area and Botanical Gardens. There is no admission fee, however, visitors and friends have donated small sums of money. Friends and organizations have also donated labor and artifacts.
    Staten Island Children's Museum, United States
  1000 Richmond Terrace - Staten Island, NY            
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The Staten Island Children's Museum appeals to the intrepid explorer in every child. Interactive exhibitions and creative workshops offer plenty of opportunities for hands-on, first hand experiences that nurture children's natural curiosity and creativity. Visits to the museum launch children on a voyage of discovery - about themselves and the world around them.
    New York City Fire Museum, United States
  278 Spring Street - New York, NY              
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Some of the bravest men and women in all the world are those who serve the community as fire fighters. The New York City Fire Museum pays homage to these public servants through a variety of art, artifacts and tributes to the fire fighters throughout history. Inside, visitors will find displays on all aspects of the firefighting legacy from the pictures and guidebooks of the very first volunteer firefighting brigades to the gear used by modern departments. The museum features real life engines and horse-drawn vehicles giving you a chance to see the progress of technology throughout history. The museum also plays home to a very special 9/11 tribute exhibit which keeps the memories of those brave souls who fought and died. Spring 2012 has additions to the 9/11 tribute with special displays made commemorating the emergency service workers that gave their lives on 9/11. Another Spring display includes the “Remembering Their Prayers” exhibit, a special tributes from the friends and family surrounding that tragic day. The New York City Fire Museum is a cornerstone to the valor and honor of these New York firefighters, an American legacy.
    Brooklyn Museum of Art, United States
  200 Eastern Parkway - Brooklyn, NY             
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The Brooklyn Museum of Art is a living edifice dedicated to, yes, paintings and sculptures, but also a collection of some of the greatest innovators and visionaries ever to grace the world. Located within the 560,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts building, the Brooklyn Museum of Art is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the entire country. Inside, visitors are greeted by some of the most amazing artwork from artists such as Andy Warhol, Fred Tomaselli, Lorna Simpson and more. Guest lectures and special demonstrations are constantly available, which gives the patrons a firsthand look at how some of this wonderful artwork has been created. The beauty of the Brooklyn Museum of Art is not just the work inside but the availability of traveling exhibits that frequent it as well. In Summer 2012, the Brooklyn Museum of Art will be featuring the works of Keith Haring, The New York Journalism of Djuna Barnes, and the spectacular collection of Ancient Egyptian sculptures and amulets known as “Body Parts.” Along with the Botanical Gardens and various other attractions, the Brooklyn Museum of Art is amongst the centerpieces of culture in Brooklyn and in the world.
    Center for Jewish History, United States
  15 West 16th Street - Manhattan - New York, NY           
The Center for Jewish History is home to the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
The collections at the Center constitute one of the most important resources for the documentation and exploration of the Jewish experience and include old and rare books, periodical collections, photos, memoirs, official decrees, personal letters, and contemporary publications about all aspects of Jewish identity. The art collections include posters, paintings, sculptures, archeological artifacts, historical textiles, and ceremonial objects.
    Hawaii Army Museum, United States
  P.O. Box 8064 - Honolulu, HI           
Helicopters, tanks, guns now silenced, and vacant bunkers welcome you to the U.S. Army Museum of Hawai'i. Once a bastion built to protect Hawai'i from invading forces, the structure now houses a Museum that tells the military story of Hawai'i, from ancient times to the Gulf War and the War in Iraq. Each of these hostilities is covered graphically in separate displays with photographs and sound effect creating a real "you were there" experience.
    Booth Western Art Museum, United States
  501 Museum Drive - Downtown Cartersville - Cartersville, GA           
This 80,000 square foot Museum opened in August 2003 with main galleries featuring contemporary Western American art. Other galleries feature Civil War art, Presidential portraits and letters, Western movie posters, and Western illustration. Sagebrush Ranch is an interactive gallery where children of all ages can learn about art and Western America. The Museum’s Special Exhibit Gallery hosts three to five temporary exhibits per year.
The Museum Store offers books on art and the West, as well as prints and other items featuring Western American art images. The Café offers light lunches to guests and members visiting the Museum. A multimedia theatre, with seating for 60, shows the orientation film “The American West” every 20 minutes.
    Socrates Sculpture Park, United States
  Broadway at Vermont Blvd. - Queens - Long Island City, NY           
Large Scale Exhibits! Multi-Media installations! A unique outdoor environment! The Socrates Sculpture Park offers one of the most unique and amazing artistic experiences in NYC. Located in Queens and occupying what was once an illegal dump site, this picturesque park has been transformed from a lowly and dirty area into one of the most beautiful artistic displays known to man. Artists in the park are encouraged to utilize their unique and sprawling designs to capture the masses and produce a unique form of creative expression. The Park not only displays these amazing works, but also offers a variety of hands-on experiences and guest lecturers to give the newly aspiring artists the motivation to break through society’s norms and create their own legacy. Coming up in Summer 2012, the Park will be offering several unique workshops focusing on giving back to the community and utilizing one’s talents for the greater good of society. These workshops will include demonstrations on personal wellbeing, ways to volunteer and give back to the community, and the benefits of green technology. The Socrates Sculpture Park has raised the bar on what a museum experience should be and continues to benefit not only New York City but also the world.
    Museum of the Moving Image, United States
  36-01 35th Avenue - Astoria, NY             
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Do you love TV? Movies? Digital Media? The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens is the quintessential hub of information and instruction dedicated to all things revolving around the moving picture. This sprawling museum is home to an enormous collection of exhibits that give the visitor an opportunity to feel like they are a piece of the bigger picture. The museum’s offerings include firsthand looks at the making of TV and Movies, make-up work, digital presentations and lectures from some of the most revered artists, actors, producers and directors in the moving image community. On top of this, the museum offers special film screenings dedicated to the evolution of TV and film with sneak previews of upcoming attractions. Spring 2012 will bring even more into the museum as the featured attraction of “Aliens, Gadgets and Guns” will be displayed coinciding with the release of Men in Black 3. This exhibit is a tribute to master special effects and make-up artist Rick Baker, demonstrating the painstaking labor put into developing the gadgets, aliens and make-up required for a movie of this magnitude. The Museum of the Moving Image is a Queens’ charm with dedication to make people smile with awe at the vastness of the moving image community.
    Diefenbunker Cold War Museum, Canada
  3911 Carp Road - Ottawa, ON           
Built to protect the government from nuclear attack, this once-secret bunker is now a museum and National Historic Site of Canada.
In addition to preserving and promoting Canada's Cold War history, we offer a variety of visitor programs and services. You can learn, play or shop as you discover the bunker’s secrets and relive the experience of the Cold War.
    Royal London Wax Museum, Canada
  470 Belleville Street - Victoria, BC           
A visit to the Royal London Wax Museum is a journey into the pages of time. The museum documents a myriad of events through some three hundred historical personages from early to contemporary times. Through its objects, artifacts, likenesses of pivotal personages, scenarios and multi-media exhibitions, all visitors will have a meaningful opportunity to see history come alive. This museum is an important educational resource.
    Sisimiut Museum, Greenland
  Jukkorsuup aqq. 9 - Sisimiut, GL           
The old town quarter is characterized by its colonial age buildings. As most of the towns in Greenland, Sisimiut has been spared of large fires. Consequently, a great deal of the colony administration buildings has been preserved. The greater part of these buildings belongs to Sisimiut Museum...
    Roedde House Museum, Canada
  1415 Barclay Street - Vancouver, BC             
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Roedde House is a restored late [1893]-Victorian home, in the heart of Vancouver's "West End". Roedde House can be rented by the hour for weddings, receptions, meetings, films, photo shoots, etc. Its elegant interior lends turn-of-the-century charm to any event.
    The Weitzel Gallery, Canada
  904 Central Avenue - Saskatoon, SK            
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The Weitzel Gallery showcases canadian artist Al Nelson Weitzel's unique creations of wildlife, horse and western art.
    Bagotville Air Defence Museum, Canada
  P.O. Box 567 - Alouette, QC           
Opened in June 1997 and officially recognized as a military museum by the Canadian Armed Forces, the Bagotville Air Defence Museum is the only museum in the Province of Quebec dedicated to the history of military aviation.
The mission of the museum is threefold: to preserve, to explain and to disseminate the military aeronautical heritage of Canada. The museum is structured around one major theme, namely the air defence of Canada, and three minor themes; the historical development of Base Bagotville, the history of military and civil aviation in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, and technological and aeronautical developments.
    Ontario Archaeological Museum, Canada
  1444 Queen St. E., Suite 102 - Toronto, ON           
The Ontario Archaeological Society is a registered charitable organization that promotes the ethical practice of archaeology.
Ontario's historic and prehistoric resources are continually being destroyed by urban, commercial and industrial development.
    Musée Beaulne, Canada
  96, Union Street - Coaticook, QC           
In 1881, Arthur-Osmore Norton lived on Union Street in Coaticook. The Manor, commonly known as ``Norton Castle``, was constructed in 1912 and replaced the original house. At that time the Manor became the family's second residence where Norton conducted his business on occasion.
The architectural style of the building is typical of the Neo-Queen Anne style. The roof and exterior walls are covered with brown wood shingles characteristic of the Shingle style. Both styles reflect the American eclectic style. The wide balconies, fenestration, fieldstones and gables all contribute to its uniqueness and splendour.
In 1942, Harry and Mary Helen, Norton's two children, bequeathed the Manor to the Anglican Church of Canada. The church moved its boarding school for young girls, Bishop Mountain Hall, from Quebec City to Coaticook. Many young anglophone girls throughout the province boarded there until the Hall's closure in 1968. Subsequently, residents of the Dixville Home resided in the Manor for a few years.
Denise Beaulne was the first person in charge of the museum that was founded in 1964 and was located above City Hall and then in the Françoise-Maurice Library building. Her knowledge of both English and French families combined with her interest in cultural heritage and her devotion were key to the development of the institution that today bears her name. The museum was moved to the Manor in 1976 after the municipality of Coaticook bought the building.
    Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum, Canada
  171 Main Street - Lucan, ON            
he Lucan Area Heritage Association operates a museum dedicated to the preservation and retelling of the most famous historical events of the area. Events such as Lucan being the first black settlement in Canada known as Wilberforce, continued development of the Irish settlers and the infamous Donnelly massacre are key chapters in Canadian history and a vital part of Canada's future.
    Workers' Heritage Museum, Canada
  306 Cyr Avenue - Ottawa, ON           
Beneath its identity as the nation’s capital and a tourist destination, Ottawa is a working class town. From its early days as Bytown to the amalgamated City, Ottawa has always been home to working class people and their families – people who created our city as we know it today. Their stories – about ordinary people like stonemasons, teachers, nurses, carpenters, and government workers – are often those forgotten by history books and museums.
The Workers’ Heritage Centre (WHC) museum will fill that gap in Ottawa’s museum network. As a museum and interpretation centre it will recognize, honour, preserve and interpret the experiences and contributions of working people – their work, home life, and their cultural and political contributions to our city. These are the stories of majority of the city’s population at any given time, and for the first time they will be heard in a museum of their own.
    Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada
  317 Dundas Street West - Toronto, ON             
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Founded in 1900 by a group of private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, with a physical facility of 486,000 square feet. Currently under construction, the AGO’s new facility will boast 583,000 square feet, and will re-open in 2008 with an innovative architectural design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.
The AGO currently has more than 68,000 works in its collection, spanning from 100 AD to the present.
    Canadian Ski Museum, Canada
  301-1960 Scott St. - Ottawa, ON           
The Canadian Ski Museum strives to promote an understanding, appreciation and celebration of Canada's skiing/snowboarding traditions and accomplishments, and their significance to Canadian life and identity.
Contained within the Canadian Ski Museum (CSMus) is the history of skiing in Canada. It is a record of people, their stories, activities, achievements and a wealth of fascinating artifacts. History is a continuum, the past unfolds and as it does, the CSMus will continue to record it, to collect the stories and memorabilia accompanying them.
    Durham Mining Museum
   - Greenland, GL           
"Two different accounts of the history of coal mining in County Durham are presented.
The first comes from The Victoria History of the Counties of England - Durham, published in three volumes in 1907. It contains a large section on the history of coal mining in the county. This work focuses on the detailed history and does not cover the social or practical side of the industry. We have reproduced the text up to the start of the nineteenth century.
The second comes from The History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan, second edition, published in 1894. Once again there is a large section of the history of coal mining in the county, however, it concentrates on the nineteenth century, but the major part covers the practical and the social side of mining during the nineteenth century.
The two works complement each other, and together present an overall history of the coal industry in County Durham. The history is nor complete without coverage of the twentieth century and the eventual demise of the industry - this topic is too large and complex to cover here and is best left to the many books on the subject. We do however, provide some information for the twentieth century in the individual pages on each colliery."
    Greenland National Museum, Greenland
  Hans Egedevej 8 - 3900 Nuuk, GL           
Museet blev startet i midten af 1960`erne som det første museum i Grønland. Samlingerne er siden udvidet gennem indsamling, fra udgravninger og med tilbageført materiale fra Danmarks Nationalmuseum. Museet har landsdækkende arbejdsopgaver indenfor arkæologi, nyere tids historie, kunst og kunsthåndværk. Museet rummer de centrale registre om fredede bygninger og fortidsminder og varetager fredningslovens bestemmelser om fredning af fortidsminder og bygninger samt deltager i naturfredning og byplanlægning.