General Interest
http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/
When Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett collaborated with the Commercial Club of Chicago in 1909 to create a dramatic vision for the greater Chicago Region they took on the task with vigor and sustained commitment. The Burnham Plan Centennial group is made up of organizations that include the Adler Planetarium, the American Planning Association, and the University of Chicago. Visitors can get a sense of their work by clicking on the "About the Centennial" section. Here they can learn about upcoming events and lectures sponsored by member organizations, their staff members, and their press releases. Moving on, the "Our History, Our Future" area includes links to the complete original 1909 Plan, along with links to the "Virtual Burnham" project at Lake Forest College and information about current exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago. Finally, the "Learning Resources" area is a gem, and visitors can view classroom resources, a bibliography of books and web publications on the Plan of Chicago, and a kid's portal. [KMG]
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/georgia/index.html
William O. Field spent much of his long and interesting life as a geographer, pioneer glaciologist, and active member of the American Geographical Society. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Field made three visits to the Soviet Union. During his time there he photographed some of the highest peaks in the Caucasus and also found time to document a variety of historical churches, towers, and settlements in the surrounding area. As part of their ongoing work with the archives of the American Geographical Society, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Libraries scanned and digitized over 700 of Field's images for this fine collection. Visitors to the collection can browse through the images via thematic categories like "Architecture" or "Cities and Towns". As a special bonus, visitors can also view Field's travel notes and diaries from these sojourns. [KMG]
http://huntington.org/thehuntington_full02.aspx?id=3000
Ideas that change the world can be few and far between, so it's nice to learn about this fine digital collection from The Huntington Library. Designed to complement the renovated Dibner Hall of the History of Science at the Library, this site peers into the world of astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light. After reading a brief overview about the exhibit, visitors should click on over to the "Learn More" section. This area is truly a treat as users can look at a series of interactive timelines. Using digitized materials from their collection, visitors can learn about the history of astronomy and natural history via key dates, persons of importance, and vital discoveries. Moving on, the "Modern Perspectives" area features videos of scientists and historians talking about the beauty of science in its many combinations and permutations. Finally, the "Digital Book Samples" contains a selection from several important works featured in the collection, such as Englishman Mark Catesby's tome "Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands, 1731-1743". [KMG]
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
More than half a dozen government cultural agencies, including the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have contributed to this website celebrating Women's History Month. The theme for 2009 is "Women's commitment to the environment", but this website also has information on influential women in all areas. Visitors can read more about the current theme by clicking on the link "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet" on the far right side of the page, near the top. Once there, click on the big square logo to learn more about this year's theme, and its honorees. Back on the homepage, visitors can link to "Exhibits & Collections", using the menu on the far left side of the page. Some of the categories to view are "First-Person Accounts", "Politics", and "Women and War". In the link to "Audio/Video", also located in the menu on the far left side of the page, visitors will find a variety of authors discussing their books, as well as other podcasts, webcasts, and readings from the annual National Book Festival.
Moving on, in the "For Teachers" link, in the left side menu, visitors will find lesson plans, student activities and research aids, all incorporating primary sources from Library of Congress, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, and the National Park Service.
[KMG]
http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/index.html
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has designated 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres. The goals of this year are three-fold: to raise the profile of natural fibers in a market increasingly dominated by synthetic fibers; convey the value of using natural fibers to consumers; and help sustain the income of the often poor farmers of natural fibers. This very interesting website for the "Year" is available in English, French, Chinese and Spanish. Visitors interested in learning about the history of natural fibers, as well as what different types of natural fibers there are, what they look like, and what they are used for, will find this website fits the bill. On the menu on the far right side of the page, visitors can click on the link "15 Natural Fibres" to peruse a brief history and learn about the different natural fibers that come from plants and animals. Most of the fibers featured include information on what the fiber is, who produces it, how it's produced, and how much is produced, which can be accessed by rolling the mouse over the name or picture of the fiber, and clicking. The link on the menu on the far right side of the page entitled "Fibre Stories" has four stories about new innovations for several different natural fibers. There is a story about cotton in Asia, hemp in China, alpaca in Peru, and sisal in Tanzania. Events around the world celebrating the International Year of Natural Fibres can be found on the far right menu, at the "Events" link. [KMG]
The British Museum has a fascinating online exhibit of Islamic art that showcases how Arabic writing is often used in art for its decorative qualities. The importance of Arabic was such that it was learned in conjunction with local languages, and Arabic writing often displaced local scripts. The pieces in this exhibit range from the 7th century A.D. to modern times. Each of the 35 images in the online collection is accompanied by a very informative description, as well as a zoom function, that can be accessed by clicking on the "Larger Image" link. Visitors should not miss image six, which is a double page of the Qur'an from the 14th century that has a very light, airy quality, and is executed in gold and colored inks. Image seven, a modern piece of calligraphy, is by the artist Osman Waqialla, and has smaller script inside of a larger letter that is stunning from a distance, and in detail. [KMG]
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/nature-online/first-fleet/
The Natural History Museum of London website features an online collection of some of the artworks that were created by the members of the First Fleet, the group of nine ships that set sail from Portsmouth to establish a colony in New South Wales, Australia. The artworks are considered to be "outstanding drawings of aboriginal people, the environment and wildlife found on arrival as well as of the early foundation of the colony." Bird lovers out there will find this collection quite a treat, as there are a slew of drawings of birds. Mammal lovers will get to see drawings that are some of the only know record of species that have become extinct since 1788. The drawings are divided up into four different topics, "Natural History", "Ethnography", "Topography", and "History", and can be accessed by their links on the homepage. Each topic can be viewed as a "list" or "gallery", with the gallery view providing thumbnails and the title, and the list providing the title and the name of the artist. Once visitors have chosen a drawing to view, they can click on it to see the dimensions and date of the drawings, as well as an enlarged image of the drawing. Those with interest in more details, such as the donor of the drawing or where it's held at the Museum, should click on "show notes". The "interactive enlargement" link below the image allows visitors to zoom and pan within the image. [KMG]
Lush flesh, portraits of fur-draped nobles, and plenty of angels and religious imagery characterize this exhibition presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, superstar painters of the Italian Renaissance, created these works for the burgeoning art market in 16th century Venice. The exhibition details the rivalry between these three artists by showing works each created on similar themes, side by side. A slideshow concludes with Titian's Venus with a Mirror, Veronese's Venus with a Mirror (Venus at Her Toilette), and Tintoretto's Susannah and the Elders, all depictions of beautiful nude women. The site includes a feature on the conservation of Tintoretto's The Nativity, a large painting from the 1580s. The conservation process was undertaken just before the exhibition was mounted, and answered some questions about the painting, but also managed to uncover further mysteries. There is also a series of audio highlights, which feature recordings of curators speaking about the exhibition. [DS].
