Brooklyn Museums

Jun 15, 2009

An historic location in its own right, Brooklyn features several museums that highlight Brooklyn’s history, a smorgasbord of cultures, and an opportunity to explore creativity. With some of the oldest museums in the country, Brooklyn boasts a bevy of talents and exhibits that can only be experienced in Kings County.

Brooklyn Museum of Art:

Housed in the 560,000-square-foot, Beaux-Arts building, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the country’s oldest and largest museums. Collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces, to contemporary art. With a mission to bridge the artistic heritage of world cultures and the unique experience of each visitor, the Brooklyn Museum draws on new and traditional tools of communication, interpretation, and presentation.

The historic museum features Egyptian galleries like The Mummy Chamber, and Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets. The museum also features Raw/Cooked, which invites four lesser known artists to display in the museum, in a space of their choosing, no matter how unconventional. Raw/Cooked is in its second season, with Supple Beat, the latest installment, being the seventh exhibition.

 

Lefferts Historic House:

Built in 1783, Lefferts Historic House is one of few farmhouses still in existence from Brooklyn’s Dutch settlement period. In 1917, the estate of John Lefferts offered the historic house to the city, on the condition that it be moved from the original location to city property. In 1920, it was opened as a museum portraying family life in Brooklyn in the 1820s. To help people understand the change in Brooklyn’s landscape, the museum features period rooms that reflect daily life, demonstration gardens, and hands-on craft activities.

Part of the Historic House Trust, Lefferts Historic House is one of 23 houses sustained in New York City parks. The houses span 350 years of New York City life. Leffert’s Historic House operates a children’s museum that highlights the life of a Brooklyn family in the 1820s, including Dutch and Native Americans who lived in the area.

 

Brooklyn Historical Society:

A nationally recognized urban history center, the Brooklyn Historical Society is dedicated to the study of Brooklyn’s 400-year history. Throughout its existence, the Brooklyn Historical Society has contributed back to the society it is dedicated to. In the early years they turned the auditorium into a headquarters for Red Cross, and it has served over 120.000 teachers and students through on-site education programs. BHS has also given the public access to over 30,000 images of Brooklyn’s history, walking tours of Brooklyn, and exhibits on- and off-site that cover Brooklyn’s social and cultural history.

In 2012, the building began a renovation that will update the interior, but remain respectful of the building’s historical value. Remaining open through the renovation process, BHS is adding state of the art classrooms, improved exhibition areas, and an expanded retail section. The historic entrance will also be completely restored as the main entrance for the museum. The renovations are anticipated to be completed in fall of 2013.

 

Brooklyn Children’s Museum:

Founded in 1899, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the oldest museum in the world dedicated solely to children. It was also the first museum for children. With the ever changing hands-on exhibits, and the forward thinking “green” design, Brooklyn Children’s Museum has captivated the curiosity of kids of all ages. Renovating in 2008, the museum is also slated as New York City’s very first green museum, including solar energy and occupancy sensors to control the lighting throughout the museum.

The Neighborhood Nature exhibit gives museum-goers an introduction to a freshwater pond, a saltwater beach, an urban woodland, and a community garden. Kids of all ages can climb through the pond, and get “fish-eye view” of life under the water. They can also dig, plant, and harvest in the garden, play in a tide pool at the saltwater beach, and explore exotic plants in the Greenhouse and outdoor Garden.