Virtual Museums, Concerts, and Plays You Can Enjoy From Home
Virtual Museums, Concerts, and Plays You Can Enjoy From Home
Most of us will be spending a lot of time in the coming days in the comfort of our homes. In these anxious times, the expression of art is needed more than ever as a form of calm and contemplation. Though in this current time we won’t get to enjoy the quiet murmurs of an art gallery on a Saturday morning, or the waves of ethereal progressions of a live orchestra, there are countless cultural experiences available to make your time indoors a little more artful and imaginative.
Below is our list of some of the most fascinating immersive concerts, museum tours and virtual experiences that are readily accessible from your own couch. But first, here’s a few tips on how to enjoy them:
- Get comfortable! Find your favorite sweatpants and coziest blanket, pour a nice glass of tea or wine, and make a plate of snacks. No need to get dressed up, unless you want to!
- Find a theme. If renowned museums are your thing, plan out a dream art tour of your favorite galleries, or center your visits around a particular time in history or category of art. Pick a specific city and travel virtually— head to Washington D.C, Paris or New York!.
- Make a moment out of it. You’d schedule time for a museum visit or a concert, right? Leave all your distractions behind as you virtually stroll through the galleries or live performances. Forego the extraneous internet browsing or your Instagram feed and embrace the art in front of you.
Art Galleries:
Musee D’Orsay: Paris
The timeless Paris based gallery has 278 masterpieces available to view, all including full descriptions and notations so you don’t have to scroll further to find missing information on a Van Gogh or Monet painting.
Uffizi Gallery: Florence, Italy
Virtually take a gaze at some of Italy’s most famous inhabitants like Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and many more. The click-and-drag tour will also have you pulling your mouse across the ceilings of the space to admire the beautiful frescoes painted by Alessandro Allori.
National Portrait Gallery: Washington D.C.
Housing the famous Obama portraits, take a closer look at the renowned paintings everyone is talking about. The intimate nature of portraiture makes this museum a great option for a home browse.
Johannesburg Gallery: Johannesburg
Browse over 500 pieces from Africa’s largest collection. For a more historical angle, browse through the exhibition on the role of photography during the era of Apartheid.
Museums:
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History: Washington, D.C.
A great option for kids (and adults!), dive into prehistoric times as you pass by all of the Dinosaurs, snakes, and diamonds throughout time.
British Museum: London
Explore a visually stunning timeline of the world with a spread of annotated objects. Artifacts date back as far as 2,000,000 BC, so you have plenty of history to learn about as you scroll through their visually stunning website.
Russia’s State Hermitage Museum: St. Petersburg, Russia
Enjoy Russia’s largest museum through an extensive video tour that spans through their 45 collections and 588 artistic masterpieces. This will easily help you enjoy 5 hours of viewing pleasure.
Concerts:
Vancouver Symphony: Vancouver
The Vancouver Symphony streamed its final performance from their Beethovenfest, and it’s available for your viewing, and listening pleasure at any given moment.
Berlin Philharmonic: Berlin
Register for free and enjoy any of performances from one of the best orchestras in the world. You can’t go wrong with some Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms. Gustav Mahler’s second symphony, The Resurrection Symphony, seems appropriate for these times.
Royal Opera House: London
The Royal Opera House has a selection of some of their top performances from ballets to operas, all available on their Youtube channel! Who says high culture can’t be found online? Check out The Caterpillar from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or the Entrée and Adage from the Black Swan.
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