After a five-month hiatus, I’m back in harness for my attempt to visit 100 museums in 2019. (That’s a ridiculously ambitious goal now, but hey, you never know.) Last weekend I visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. I spent about three hours there, enjoyed every minute, and could easily have …
At various times in my life I’ve been a big reader (surprise). At one point, I got a bit obsessed with trying to understand All The Great Works Of World Literature courtesy of The New Lifetime Reading Plan, published in 1999. My home was full of books (actual print books), read and unread, especially inexpensive …
My beloved father, Edmund McCabe, has died. Here is his obituary from the Toronto Star. Here are the words I spoke at his funeral. I’m not sure what happens next, but I know this is the way of things, and we’ll figure it out.* At the moment I’m heartbroken … and I’m very grateful for …
I love a niche museum. It’s marvellous how one seemingly narrow subject (like brands or fans or clocks) can lead to insights on a greater whole. Bata Shoe Museum is a perfect example. As the museum’s “About Us” page says: The current exhibit, Want: Desire, Design, and Depression Era Footwear, is a feast for the …
The TD Gallery at Toronto Reference Library is small but mighty. This free gallery’s mandate is to showcase art, artifacts, manuscripts and more from Toronto Public Library’s extensive Special Collections. If you happen to be in the Yonge & Bloor area, it’s worth stopping by to see what wonderful stuff is on display. I could …
In 1972, the Campbell House (Museum), built in 1822, was moved to University & Queen from its original location 1.5 km southeast at Adelaide & Jarvis. Yesterday, during my visit, I happened to meet a woman who said she’d witnessed this extraordinary event. What a sight it must have been! The Toronto Public Library catalogue’s caption of …
Have you ever seen people with their hair made to stand on end by touching a Van de Graaff generator? During my visit to The Ontario Science Centre yesterday, I learned that over two million people have had that experience with static electricity in Toronto, including one lucky girl during yesterday’s “The Energy Show” (similar to the …
On one of the coldest nights of the year, and the day after the most snow Toronto’s seen in a decade, I spent some time warming up by walking through The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), reacquainting myself with the collections. I wasn’t familiar with the Indigenous galleries (I think they were under renovation for some time?) …
My previous visit to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada (a Fish Museum, so it qualifies for my #100museums challenge) had been on a Friday Night Jazz evening, with alcohol. This time, with six billion children running around, was just as fun, and I could pay even more attention to the captions. Plus, with no glass in hand, …
ANIMALIA: Animals in the Archives, an onsite exhibit at the Archives of Ontario at York University, is outstanding. When I first learned from Alison Little, Senior Coordinator, Educational Programming and Exhibitions at the Archives of Ontario, that the Archives would be mounting an animal-themed exhibit, I envisioned something similar to their (and her) 2017 Family Focus exhibition …
