All this lovely rainy, cloudy weather has had Bostonist looking for things to do that don't involve being outside. So, when yesterday's forecast was looking pretty glum, Bostonist decided to make a much overdue visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. When arriving at the MFA, Bostonist was greeted on the sidewalk with protesters claiming that the museum's head honcho makes $500,000 a year while his workers are underpaid. After entering the MFA and shelling out $15 (not including any of the special exhibits), Bostonist was about to join the protesters. Luckily, Bostonist's roommate's student ID came in handy...and saved a whopping $2 off admission.
While expecting to find lots of older women lunching along side Renoirs and Monets, the Museum was packed with lots of middle-aged men and their wives and/or kids; there are two male-friendly exhibits currently drawing them into the MFA.
After stopping by the Impressionist paintings and the John Singer Sargent collection, Bostonist made its way to the American Collection, which is featuring a special exhibit, "Rockwell and the Red Sox." Although pretty small, the exhibit features lots of old programs, jerseys, photos, and Ted Williams baseball cards, as well as more recent items like Damon's Game 7 ALCS cleats, a World Series ring and a ticket to Opening Day 2005. Norman Rockwell's 1957 painting, "The Rookie", which was also a Saturday Evening Post cover, is the main focus of the display. A fellow museum-goer got shunned by a security guard for trying to take a picture of the painting. (If there's no flash used, why not? The Louvre is okay with this policy.) Fun Fact from the exhibit: The first game played at Fenway Park was against the NY Highlanders (now the Yankees) ...but then you all probably knew that, right?
The Red Sox exhibit has been extended thru June 19; while it might not be worth $15 to get in, keep in mind that admission is free on Wednesdays after 4 p.m. Bostonist did not partake in "Speed, Style, and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection" for another $7, but with Father's Day right around the corner, this would be a good afternoon for you and Dad. The exhibit runs thru July 3.
The MFA recently announced that architect Lord Norman Foster is going to be designing the new American wing, as part of the $425 million dollar expansion. If any of you have visited the British Museum's Great Court or seen sketches for the new World Trade Center, you have seen Foster's designs; hopefully, this will make the museum's drawn out renovation to be worth the wait.
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