Discover The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Sculptures

Discover The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Author: USA City Directories
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is located on 150 acres of land at 1150 Oxford Rd. in the city of San Marino, California. San Marino is best known for the financial wealth of it's residents and for it's proximity to the city of Pasadena http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com " target='noframes"'>http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com . Many people, however, believe that the city's biggest asset is the Huntington Library which is made of three art galleries and a library which "showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts", and the botanical garden with a collection which "features over 14,000 different species of plants".

The Huntington houses such treasures as "the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; a Gutenberg Bible on vellum; the double-elephant folio edition of Audubon's Birds of America; a world-class collection of the early editions of Shakespeare's works; original letters of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln; and an unsurpassed collection of materials relating to the history of the American West.", 18th century British and French art, American art ranging from the early 18th century to the early 20th, French and British sculpture, tapestries, furniture, porcelain, and silver, and British drawings and watercolors. Additionaly, the Huntington is world renowned as home to Gainsborough's Blue Boy and Lawrence's Pinkie.

"Henry Huntington began developing the Botanical Gardens in 1903. Now they span nearly 150 acres with sweeping lawns and vistas interspersed with statuary, tempiettos, and benches. Approximately 15,000 kinds of plants from all over the world make up the botanical collections, many landscaped into a series of theme gardens."

The three and a half acre Huntington Rose Garden is comprised of approximately 1,200 cultivars made up of "Old Garden Roses (roses developed before 1901); China, Tea, and Noisette Roses; Shrub Roses (including the David Austin English Roses); and Modern Roses from all parts of the world".

"Playful plant choices, such as topiary animals, weeping mulberry trees, papyrus, and tree aloes resembling something from the world of Dr. Seuss, create a storybook atmosphere that combines elements of fantasy with the very real wonder of nature" make up the children's garden.

"The Shakespeare garden contains shrubs and perennials that evoke an English garden. Many of the plants have been cultivated for centuries and were even mentioned in works of Shakespeare, including pansies, violets, pinks, rosemary, daffodils, iris, roses, pomegranate, and orange."

In the Subtropical Garden, "Walking east to west from the Jungle Garden, the areas transition from subtropical southeast Asia and South America plants, to Mesoamerica plants (Mexico and Central America) in the central beds, Chile in the upper central bed, southern Africa in the western bed extending along the road and in beds continuing uphill to the lawn, to the Mediterranean region in the upper two west beds."

There are also Chinese, Desert, Herb, Camellia, Japanese, Australian, Palm and Lilly Pond gardens as well as a Botanical Conservatory

The Huntington is closed Mondays and the following holidays: Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Admission is free to members. For non members the fees are Adults $15, Seniors (age 65 ) $12.00, Students (age 12-18 or with full-time student I.D.) $10.00, Youths (age 5-11) $6.00, children under 5 are free. Groups of 15 or more are $11 per person. Admission is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month.

For more information about the city of San Marino, California see http://sanmarino.usacitydirectories.com " target='noframes"'>http://sanmarino.usacitydirectories.com , a directory of links to city of San Marino, California guides and directories listing information, resources, services, things to do and places to go.

About the Author

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is currently the publisher of several internet directories, including http://www.usacitydirectories.com " target=noframes>http://www.usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

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Discover Norton Simon Museum In Pasadena California

Sculptures

Discover Norton Simon Museum In Pasadena California
Author: USA City Directories
The Norton Simon Museum sits on 9.5 acres, is housed in an 85,000 squrare foot structure and is located in the beautiful city of Pasadena, California at 411 W. Colorado Blvd. right across the street from where the television cameras are set up every year for the Rose Parade. Therefore millions of people view the front of the museum each year as they watch the Rose Parade. What most of these viewers do not know is that "The Norton Simon Museum of Art holds one of the world's finest and most prestigious private collections of European, American and Asian art."

The collection, which includes works by van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Rodin and Fragonard consists of over 1,000 works, including paintings, etchings (by Rembrandt, Goya, etc.), sculptures, photographs (Ansel Adams) and other mediums spanning a period of over 2,000 years. The museum also hosts lectures, gallery talks, family programs, musical performances, dance performances, films and tours.

The museum provides both private tours and monthly free public tours of their collection conducted by Museum Educators.

The museum's store features a large selection of books on American, Asian and European art along with posters, prints, slides and stationery goods as well as books on photography, gardens and architecture.

The museum is closed on Tuesdays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's hours are 12:00 noon - 9:00pm on Fridays and 12:00 noon - 6:00pm all other days. Admission fees are adults $8.00, seniors $4.00 and patrons under 18 years of age, students with valid id and museum members free.

For more information about the city of Pasadena, California see http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com " target='noframes"'>http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com , a directory of links to city of Pasadena, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, churches, physicians, attorneys, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go, art galleries, service organizations, auto dealers, nursing homes, convalescent hospitals, antique dealers and more.

About the Author

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is currently the publisher of several internet directories, including http://www.usacitydirectories.com " target=noframes>http://www.usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

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Birthday Gift Baskets – The Ideal Gift For Everyone!

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Birthday Gift Baskets – The Ideal Gift For Everyone!
Author: Wendy Wood

No matter how old we are, we enjoy being remembered on that special day of the year that celebrates the day we were born! Birthdays are a time to recognize special people in our lives with joyous celebration. It is a time-honored tradition to pay tribute the birthday gal or guy with a mouth-watering cake decorated with sugar-laden frosting sculptures and a candle representing every year of their life on earth! We bestow on them gifts and cards filled with birthday verses and best wishes for many more birthdays to come. Birthdays are just plain fun!

Typically, the most difficult part of the birthday celebration is deciding what to buy the recipient. After all, what do you buy for someone who has it all? Admit it – every year it becomes more difficult to find the "perfect" gift for your mom, dad, sibling, husband, and even the kids in your family. How much time do you spend thinking about it and ultimately browsing through department stores without a clue?

Birthday gift baskets are an excellent choice for the birthday gal or guy at any age – they are virtually fail-proof and always a big hit with the recipient. The question may come to mind, "What are the perfect ingredients for a gift basket?" That will vary from one individual to the next. The great thing about birthday gift baskets is that they can be built for children and adults of any age – and based on their unique interests and likes. The following ideas may help you in selecting a birthday gift basket for everyone on your list:

Women

You can't ever go wrong with a birthday basket designed for every special woman in your life, whether it is your mom, grandmom, wife, sister, or daughter. Women love to be pampered. A pampering basket may include bath and body products, a loofah, a fragrant candle, an inspirational book, and a CD of soothing sounds of nature. The woman who enjoys gardening would welcome a basket containing a garden trowel, gloves, decorative garden picks, seeds, and hand lotion packed in a decorative flower pot. For the tea lover, a perfect basket would consist of flavored teas, biscotti, a tea infuser, and a china tea pot.

Men

Men are not as hard to please as you think – and a birthday gift basket is a perfect solution for that hard-to-buy for dad, husband, brother, grandfather, son, or boss! If he is your handyman, fill the basket with small tools and gadgets he is always mentioning he needs but never buys. Don't forget to add some treats to round out the basket – after all, you will want to satisfy that sweet tooth. Consider a sports-oriented theme for this birthday gift basket. There are great options out there for sports enthusiasts in every category. If you are thinking about something with a little more style, a bottle of cognac, his favorite cigars, and gourmet treats may appeal to him – packaged in a brown derby!

Kids

The sky is the limit when selecting a birthday gift basket for a kid of any age. Stick to items that are age-specific from babies through teens. Consider items that you know the child likes. You can stick with a specific theme or create a hodge-podge of items that you know will bring hours of enjoyment to a child. Ideas for an assortment of items are a small stuffed animal, books based on age and interest, healthy snacks, travel-size games, small puzzles, and flavored beverages for kids. Consider containers they can reuse.

If you just do not know what items to select, consider a gourmet food basket that usually satisfies everyone's pallet – even the most hard to please! There is no limit on what you can include in a birthday gift basket, but always consider the recipient when making a gift basket purchase and ask yourself whether or not he or she will like the birthday gift basket you select!

About The Author

Wendy Wood is the owner of Seek Gift Baskets, an online gift basket directory listing professional gift basket designers from around the world. http://www.seekgiftbaskets.com " http://www.seekgiftbaskets.com

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Authenticity of Eskimo Inuit Art

Sculptures

Authenticity of Eskimo Inuit Art & Native Indian Art
Author: Clint Leung
Both Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art have gained international recognition as valuable art forms over the past few decades. However, the rising popularity of both Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art has resulted in the increased proliferation of imitations and mass-produced reproductions of original Native arts. Some obvious fakes are made in Asia from molds where the finished pieces are forms of plastic, resin or ceramic.

Other fakes are actually made of cast stone simulating actual Inuit Eskimo art carvings and wood for imitation Native American carvings. These fakes, which are harder to distinguish from authentic artwork, are often hand carved reproductions of an original piece of artwork. Workshops have illegally reproduced hundreds of copies without the artisan's permission. The counterfeiting companies would then attach some type of tag that claims the fake pieces were influenced by aboriginal artisans and even background information on the Native designs used in the artwork. Some even go as far as adding in Inuit syllabics on the bottom of the fake Inuit Eskimo art carvings.

These are very deceptive tactics on their part since they give the consumers the impression that the imitations are authentic and income producing for the aboriginal communities.

Fakes and imitations have lowered the image of authentic Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art. Sales of genuine aboriginal artwork have declined which in turn have deprived aboriginal artisans of income. The argument against these claims is that not every consumer can afford to buy authentic Inuit Eskimo art or Native American art so the souvenir level reproductions legitimately meet this part of the market. The imitations, which are usually low priced, enable students visiting Canada for example, to bring home a Canadian souvenir without breaking their travel budget. This claim would have more support from Native communities if aboriginal artisans were paid a fair royalty as income for each imitation and reproduction piece sold. However, this is seldom the case since most of the time, no royalties are paid at all.

The obvious fakes can be spotted quite easily. An imitation of an Inuit Eskimo art carving spotted at a gift shop was not made of stone as it was not cold to the touch. It was very light in weight unlike a stone which has some mass to it. The detail and the bottom of the piece had the molded look to it. There was even a sticker on the bottom with the company name Wolf Originals. Side by side comparisons of similar pieces in the souvenir store revealed that they were all identical in every detail, which is impossible for original artwork.

A black totem pole had a very flat uniform back and bottom again giving away the fact that it came from a mold. Other totem poles made from wood or mixed wood with a claim that they were hand painted were among many similar pieces in the store. All of these examples were each priced less than $20 Canadian which was another indicator that they were not original artwork.

Imitations of Inuit Eskimo art sculptures were recently spotted for sale in shops located at major Canadian airports. From a distance, these Inuit Eskimo art sculptures of hunters, polar bears and Inuit women with children looked very authentic. However, each piece had several identical copies on the same shelf.

To avoid accidentally buying a fake or imitation, it is suggested that consumers buy Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art from only reputable galleries and dealers rather than from tourist souvenir shops. A piece of original, authentic Inuit Eskimo art or Native American art is one of a kind. There should be no other identical pieces on the shelves. In addition, original Inuit Eskimo art carvings should come with an Igloo tag (or sticker) which is a Canadian government registered trademark. Inuit Eskimo art carvings that are certified by the Canadian government to be handmade by Inuit artisans, come with Igloo tags.

About the Author

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery (http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca ), an online gallery specializing in Inuit and Northwest Native art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native art as well as free eCards.

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