The New Hall of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is a New York institution, dating back to 1869. Since the 1970s, one of the museum’s permanent exhibitions has been an impressive showcase of gems and minerals. As a part of the museum’s 150th birthday celebration, this exhibition was overhauled, receiving a complete redesign, including a new floor plan, new specimens, and way more information. The new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals reopened this summer, after being closed for several years. It was well worth the wait, as the new gallery is stunning and full of fascinating educational resources describing “how the vast diversity of mineral species arose on our planet, how scientists classify and study them, and how we use them for personal adornment, tools, and technology.” The new exhibition features everything from huge glittering geodes to multicolored crystal formations and cut precious gemstones. There are specimens from 98 countries around the world, and many from right here in New York. Educational and beautiful, the new exhibition is a must-see part of one of our favorite museums in New York City.

Plastic Fantastic! by Capucine Bourcart

Last year, New York enacted a law banning single-use plastic bags in an attempt to reduce waste and pollution in a state where over 23 billion plastic bags have typically been used every year. Artist Capucine Bourcart has long been fascinated with single-use plastic bags as a symbol of both waste and consumerism. Her newest work, “Plastic Fantastic!,” on display in Harlem Art Park, is a large-scale consideration of these items. Consisting of about 1600 small pieces of colorful aluminum sheeting, the work spans 66 feet across one side of the small park. Each piece is printed with a close-up image of a plastic bag, which the artist collected from friends and neighbors over several years. The colored blocks are woven into the existing metal trellis in the park, creating a rainbow gradient that catches your eye immediately. The wide span of the work illustrates the far-reaching effects of single-use plastics on the environment. Bourcart seems to ask, now that plastic bags are banned in New York, how much of this environmental harm will be mitigated?

London Landmarks

Sometimes, when you are familiar with a place, you can forget to appreciate its most unique facets. Playing tourist in a city you know well is a fun way to see places like this in a new light. London’s Tower Bridge, for example, is a functioning bridge that people drive over every day, so it is easy to forget its long and rich history, and its status as an iconic landmark. But in taking the time to look at it in the way that someone who has never seen it might, you remember how remarkable it is. The gorgeous bridge took 8 years to build and is well over a century old, but it looks bright and modern when it’s lit up at night. Nearby, the historic Tower of London sits in stark contrast to the sleek, sparkling buildings of the financial district. These ultra-modern skyscrapers and the people who live and work nearby share space with a centuries-old castle that has housed royalty, prisoners, and maybe even ghosts. It’s a fitting place to play tourist, especially now that the Halloween season is here!

Eros in London

Anyone who has ever visited London’s Piccadilly Circus is familiar with the winged statue of Eros, the mischievous Greek god of love, who watches over the popular public space. The statue, designed by English sculptor Alfred Gilbert, sits atop the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, a tribute to the politician and philanthropist, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. A statue of the god of sensual love seems a strange tribute to such a sober figure. And it would be, because the statue is actually (probably) meant to depict Eros’ brother, Anteros, the god of requited love. Gilbert described Anteros as representative of “reflective and mature love, as opposed to Eros or Cupid, the frivolous tyrant.” Interestingly, the true identity of the figure is a subject of significant debate. Some will claim that Gilbert only called the statue Anteros after receiving criticism from Victorian moralists, scandalized by a nude sculpture displayed in public. In fact, it is due to these very critics that the statue has a third name: “The Angel of Christian Charity.” No matter what you call it, the beautiful statue is an iconic fixture of Piccadilly Circus.