Gainesville

Tears of the Giraffe: Basketry of Botswana

About the Exhibition

For hundreds of years, baskets have been among the most famous of Botswana’s handcrafted utilitarian goods. Now an integral part of the culture these baskets, primarily made by women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes who migrated from Angola, have evolved and become more intricately designed. Botswana baskets have a high commercial value and are marketed worldwide, providing much needed income for the women who make them. "Tears of the Giraffe: Basketry of Botswana,” includes highlights from a collection that Frank Merillat and Dr. Sandra Russo have been assembling for the past ten years.
 
Frank Merillat first became interested in baskets while traveling to Botswana with his wife, Sandra Russo, for her work with the International Center of the University of Florida. During subsequent trips, he began visiting the various cooperatives surrounding the Okavango Delta where the baskets are made, eventually meeting and getting to know several of the basket makers represented in the exhibit. “Tears of the Giraffe” features a wide range of baskets in the Merillat/Russo collection and includes a few contextual photographs and artifacts.


Traditional Symbolic Patterns in Botswana Basketry

A number of symbolic patterns appear in Botswana basketry. Some symbols come from Botswana legends, such as the “Tears of the Giraffe,” which represents the tears and sorrow of the animal before it was killed during a hunt. Others, like “Flight of the Swallow” may represent an omen of good fortune since these birds fly in a triangular pattern before it rains. While some other symbols are derived from observation of how an animal moves, such as “Running Ostrich,” or the patterns of the animal skins, such as “Forehead of the Kudu” and “Forehead of the Zebra”.

You may recognize some of the symbols below in the exhibition. Some baskets may include a combination of more than one symbol.

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May 11 to August 20, 2010
Grinter Gallery
University Galleries
Grinter Hall, University of Florida

Lunch with Museum Studies '10

In celebration of the end of our course work :)

"Today was a fairytale" Taylor Swift

... here's hoping for my happily ever after...

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Today was a fairytale by Taylor Swift

Today was a fairytale
You were the prince
I used to be a damsel in distress
You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six
Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale
I wore a dress
You wore a dark grey t-shirt
You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess
Today was a fairytale
Time slows down whenever you're around

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale
You've got a smile that takes me to another planet
Every move you make everything you say is right
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale
All that I can say is it's getting so much clearer
Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face
Today was a fairytale

Time slows down whenever you're around
Yeah yeah

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale


Time slows down whenever you're around
I can feel my heart
It's beating in my chest
Did you feel it?
I can't put this down

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale

"Home" by Nadia Fay

"Home is not a house but a feeling..."

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Celebrated Dan's Bday at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Lake Wauberg- Easter 2010

Easter picnic at Lake Wauberg with friends.

Disney's Epcot- March 2010

Spring break 2010

LSS: Love you more today than yesterday..

Museum Resource Materials Preference of School Teachers in the Philippines

IF YOU ARE AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER IN THE PHILIPPINES, PLEASE KINDLY ANSWER THIS TEN-MINUTE SURVEY. IF YOU KNOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE PHILIPPINES, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD FORWARD THIS LINK TO THEM SO THEY TOO CAN PARTICIPATE.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING RESPONSES IS ON APRIL 15, 2010.

Below is a description of the survey.

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My name is Ethel Villafranca and I am a Museum Studies graduate student at the University of Florida. I am conducting a thesis project entitled Building Bridges: Museum Outreach Resource Material for School Teachers in the Philippines. My faculty advisor is Dr. Glenn Willumson and he may be contacted at gwillumson@arts.ufl.edu or +1 352 273-3062.

Part of the project is a research study to determine what format of museum outreach resource materials (travelling suitcases, online resource materials, or posters and slides) school teachers in the Philippines would use if it were made available to them. Data collected from this study will inform the direction of the resource material that I am developing as my thesis project. The resource material will aim to introduce students to what a museum is, what they do and their important contribution to society. Lessons and activities, which will be aligned with the Philippine Department of Education’s Revised Basic Education Curriculum, will teach how museums fulfill their educational role through collections and exhibitions. The resource material will be designed for multi-disciplinary use and can be applied to lessons in science, history, math or art. As a culmination, students will collaborate to create their own classroom museum.

If you choose to participate you will be asked to rank, in the order of your preference, the format (travelling suitcase, online resources materials, or posters and slides) of the resource materials that you would be willing to use if museums developed and made these available to you. You will also be asked to provide basic information about yourself, such as location and type (private or public) of the school where you currently teach, the number of years you have been teaching, and the grade level of your students. Your personal details will remain private. There is no compensation for participating, and there are no risks associated with participation in this study. There are no direct benefits to you for participating in the study. Your participation is voluntary and you may withdraw your consent at anytime without consequence.

I may be contacted at ethelvillafranca@ufl.edu for any questions about the study and the project.

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BELOW IS THE LINK TO THE SURVEY:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FLC6WS3

OR

Click here to take survey


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Teacher Resource Materials on Museums Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FLC6WS3

Technology and Young People: A Roundup of Study Results - Inside School Research - Education Week

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2010/03/technology_and_young_people_a.html
Parents still play an important role in their kid's learning. Apparently, you can't just play a movie and expect kids to learn!

Museum Audience Insight: Museum Visitation in Tough Economic Times

http://reachadvisors.typepad.com/museum_audience_insight/2010/03/museum-visitation-in-tough-economic-times.html

Playing along with the Mozart effect - Los Angeles Times

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/01/health/la-he-0301-brain-music-20100301
Parents still play an important role in their kid's learning. Apparently, you can't just play a movie and expect kids to learn!

"If you want music to sharpen your senses, boost your ability to focus and perhaps even improve your memory, you need to be a participant, not just a listener."

State budget woes threaten school field trips, but museums offer alternatives - RocNow.com

http://rocnow.com/article/local-news/20102150329
Museums adapting to change...

Virtual museums grow popular - chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0214-online-museums--20100212,0,1695809.story?page=1
Another interesting article about museums

Liz Garibay: The Woman Behind The Chicago History Museum's Popular Pub Crawls

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/liz-garibay-the-woman-beh_n_462908.html
Talk about an out-of-the-box museum program!

Fashion Meets Technology: New Tech Could Change Your Wardrobe - PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/187503/wearable_electronic_batteries.html

Fashion Meets Technology: New Tech Could Change Your Wardrobe - PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/187503/wearable_electronic_batteries.html

Fashion Meets Technology: New Tech Could Change Your Wardrobe - PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/187503/wearable_electronic_batteries.html
Not that i know how to play the guitar but i want one of those shirts!

GUEST OPINION: Museums should be part of education - Fall River, MA - The Herald News

http://www.heraldnews.com/opinions/x1920345576/GUEST-OPINION-Museums-should-be-part-of-education
We've been saying this for ages!

The Happiness Project: Ten Myths about Happiness -- Which Do You Believe?

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/03/ten-myths-about-happiness-which-do-you-believe.html
I'm happy that I am Happy :)

Visual literacy? Surf an art museum - SignOnSanDiego.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/20/visual-literacy-surf-art-museum/
Yet another reason to visit a museum...

Central Park 2010

On one really cold day in January when we all trooped to Central Park to enjoy the sights.

Joanne's cultural enrichment day :)

Visiting museums is always on my itinerary whenever I go places. Although I have been to museums in New York countless number of times, I keep going back for more. There's always something new to see or discover in every visit!

My plan for the day was take care of a few errands then visit at least two museums. Much to my surprise, Joanne agreed to come! And no, I did not have to threaten her with bodily harm or bribe her to go with me. I guess it doesn't hurt that I (plus one) get free admission to museums.

Fist stop was IIE office to ask for free theater tickets. Since the IIE office is right across the UN HQ, we decided to swing by and check it out too.

After taking care of our errands, we decided to go to the Guggenheim. It was a bit cold that day. And since there were long lines to go in it took about 20 minutes before we were able to enter. They had this amazing show on Kandisnky!

We headed out after we finished enjoying the exhibit and taking numerous pictures of the gorgeous architectural design by Frank Lloyd Wright.

It was still too early for the dinner I had with a few Fulbrighters so I asked if she was interested in seeing the MET, which was but a few meters from the Guggenheim. She agreed so off we went to the Met.

We still had a lot of time before dinner so when the Met closed we decided to see the parols (Christmas lanterns) displayed at the Philippine Consulate along 5th Avenue.

MoMA December 2009

After multiple trips to MoMa (starting from 2001), I finally saw my fave artwork at its "home" :)

Had to go to Chicago just to see this in 2002 since it was on loan to the Art Institute for the Van Gogh and Gaugin exhibit. Also had no luck during my two trips to NYC last year since it was always out on loan to other museums.

Convinced (or dragged?!?) my friends to go and see the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMa while we were in NYC last Christmas.

It was a good show but there were just so many people! As a museum professional, I am super happy that there were tons of people at the museum. But as a visitor, it was rather annoying because I could hardly see the works or spend time appreciating them!

NASA Visit

Food food and more food