“The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) was founded by Robert J. Ulrich, former CEO and chairman emeritus of Target Corporation. An avid collector of African art and a world museum enthusiast, Ulrich and his friend Marc Felix originated the idea for MIM after a visit to the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Their unique vision was to create a museum and collection that afford equal representation to the musical instruments and music of every country in the world. Using state-of-the-art audiovisual technology to show musical instruments being played in their original cultural context and delivering the sound of these instruments through high-quality headphones, MIM provides a one-of-kind experience to museum guests.”
The instruments are divided into five major global regions: Africa/Middle East; Asia/Oceania; Europe; Latin America/Caribbean; and the USA/Canada. In the Europe section we learned that Soviet Russia built electrical music instruments to withstand a nuclear attack! Also there are documentaries in different areas on the making of Zildjian cymbals, Martin guitars, Steinway pianos, & other USA musical instrument makers. While touring the Steinway section we learned that they built 2500 GI Field Pianos that were often parachuted to the troops during WWII! In addition, there are opportunities to play many types of instruments; & there is a mechanical music gallery featuring instruments designed to play on their own.
We only made it thru 60% of the global regions & didn’t even make it to the Target gallery, Artist gallery or the Founders Room. Dan found it funny that the rock & roll exhibits were surrounded by 60 & 70 year olds bopping there heads to hits from the 50/60/70s. We both highly recommend this museum to everyone (even those not musically inclined)! That evening was dinner at Miko’s Hawaiian Grill.
http://www.themim.org/
http://www.mokis.com/
Thursday, 21MAR, we headed to the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa. The museum starts with a Dinosaur Hall & continues with a Walk Through Time to the point where the first animals fly. The Southwest Gallery has displays tracing the first Sonoran Desert people (Paleoindian hunter/gathers), to Southwest desert cultures (Zuni, Pima, etc), to ancient Mesoamerica, to Spanish Arizona. When we visited there was also a special exhibit devoted to the International Space Station. Our enjoyment of the museum was dampened by the numerous kids running around with no apparent parental supervision. Trivia – what are Arizona’s “Five Cs”?
http://www.azmnh.org/
Friday evening we headed back to MIM for a concert. But first we stopped at the Zinc Bistro for dinner. The Zinc Bistro has a French inspired menu, & is famous for their onion soup; an excellent restaurant but on the pricey side. The concert at MIM featured Al Stewart & David Nachmanoff. Older “rockers” will recognize Stewart as a major artist in the 1970s with his hits “Year of the Cat” & “Terminal Eyes”. Although being in his upper 60s, his voice is still the same & it was very enjoyable show!
http://www.zincbistroaz.com/
http://www.alstewart.com/
http://www.davenach.com/
Saturday, 23MAR13, Dan took off for the Falcon Field Airport Open House, followed by a tour of the Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum; while Corrie stayed home & relaxed. The open house at Falcon Field Airport was a small scale community event that allows the locals to see the operations going on there & the economic benefits to the community. Along with the open house was a hot rod car show. Note – Falcon Field was created along with five other fields in the USA because of an agreement between Churchill & Roosevelt in 1940, to start covertly training RAF pilots in the USA; RAF training start in September 1941.
After a short time at the open house, Dan headed to the neighboring Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Aviation Museum. There is a worldwide association of CAFs & they used to be known as the Confederate Air Force, but apparently to be politically correct they have changed their name to the Commemorative Air Force? This chapter of the CAF has a restored B17, B25, C45 & L16 planes from WWII that you can pay to fly in!
Dan is not sure but this chapter of the CAF seemed to have a limited number of planes on display, but it was still a worthwhile visit & informative. The hi-light was being able to walk (or crawl) thru a fully restored B17 (the Sentimental Journey)! While short on planes on display the museum had very informative displays on the WASPs, the Link Trainer, the Tuskegee Airmen, the 91st Bomb Group (home of the Memphis Belle), the Flying Tigers, & the Burma Road.
Trivia – representatives from the USA, UK, Canada, China, USSR, Australia, France, & New Zealand witnessed & signed MacArthur’s conditions of unconditional surrender w/Japan on the Missouri; what other allied country also witnessed & signed (think East Indies)? What was “V” or Victory Mail? Why did Ford’s Willow Run B24 facility have to make a 90 degree turn in the middle of it (think taxes)? What is a “blood chit” (think rescue patch)?
http://www.mesaaz.gov/falcon_field/
http://www.azcaf.org/
Early Sunday morning it was off to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, AZ. By researching the park’s website, Dan discovered that March is archeology month with one tour a day on Saturday & Sunday for ten people only, to explore a restricted area known as “Compound B”. So naturally he signed us up! This unique tour was another example of the Ranger led activities that we have spoken about many times in our BLOG. Not only did we see several archeological features normally off-limits to the public; but we also saw the ground covered in broken Indian pottery unearthed by the constant digging & burrowing of badgers.
After this Ranger led tour, we then we took the one hour Ranger led tour of “Compound A” & the Casa Grande that is offered throughout the day to the public. During this tour we learned the Native Americans along the Salt River (ie Phoenix area) had a community ten times bigger than London at the same time; & had a sophisticated canal/irrigation system that allowed them to flourish in a “desert” environment & trade their excess food for items not available to them with other tribes.
Lastly we watched the park’s half hour film & checked-out the small museum. Kenneth Quanimptewa was in the courtyard carving & selling authentic Hopi Katsinas (note Kachinas is no longer the accepted spelling/pronunciation). Dan even bought some cactus marmalade & mesquite honey from the park store. A great & informative time!!!
Trivia – what was the first cultural & prehistoric site to be protected by the USA government? How could the ancient Sonoran Desert people raise more food per acre with sticks & stones than modern farmers with tractors & irrigation pumps (think monoculture vs the three sisters)?
http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is also part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail/National Millennium Trail (millennium trails are 16 long-distance trails selected from 58 nominees as visionary trails that reflect defining aspects of America’s history & culture). In 1775, Juan Bautista de Anza shepherded 198 emigrants, their escorts, & 1000 head of livestock, over 1200 miles on the first overland colonizing expedition from Sonora, Mexico, into Alta (upper) California to what later became known as San Francisco. Casa Grande is part of the Trail because de Anza & Father Pedro Font visited the site & measured its dimensions & fixed its astronomical position.
http://www.nps.gov/juba/index.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment