TBT #12: New Wings in Spring and Other Updates

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a 30 Before Thirty update and I realized I’ve knocked a few more off the list since last time.  On the cultural front, after staring at each other for 15 minutes having the “I don’t know, what do you want to do today?” conversation on Saturday morning, Conor and I headed out to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  I fully planned to con him into going to the Museum of Fine Arts too but I figured I didn’t have to bring that up right away.

via Apartment Therapy

This museum is truly one of my favorite places in Boston.  The courtyard inside is so beautiful and such a unique space.  The museum recently completed the addition of a controversial new wing so I was excited to see what it was all about.  If you’re not familiar with the latest in Boston’s museum scene, the controversy surrounded the stipulations in Mrs. Gardner’s will that nothing in the collection be altered or it will be forfeited to Harvard.  When the museum announced plans to add a wing in order to expand cultural programs and keep people coming through the door, the opposition brought the case all the way to the state Supreme Court to examine what could and could not be done to update the building without altering the spirit of its charter so to speak.

All that being said, I was a little disoriented at first.  I was so accustomed to the museum as it used to be, I didn’t even recognize it as we walked up to the new entrance.  Like most things art related, it all made much more sense to me after reading about Architect Renzo Piano’s vision and intent for the new space.  If you’re interested, check out more on the design of the new wing here and here.

After wandering around for a while, Conor was game for more so we headed across the way to the MFA.   Back when I started this list in January of 2011, The Art of The Americas wing had only just opened and I was determined to check it out.  It took me a while but I finally did it.  To be honest?  I was completely turned around and confused.   We weren’t interested in following the map too closely and it was Conor’s first time there so we decided to just wander around and see what we stumbled upon.  I guess it’s either a good thing or a bad thing that we couldn’t tell where we were at one point or another.  The new wing does blend well with the existing museum so that you can wander in and out aimlessly but I did find all the different vestibules and doors a little confusing.  Maybe I was just over-loaded and wearing uncomfortable shoes but after a couple of hours it was time to head for the door.  Upside?  It was great for grabbing #tlacpatterns shots.

In other TBT news, the headboard (#9) is done!  We took a paneled door that someone was going to throw out and worked some magic on it. It’s inspired a little makeover project so I might save the details for another post.  Here’s a peek:

Also, if you’re looking to create some photo albums, I’d highly recommend My Publisher.  I used them recently to make some albums of my nephews (#5) and I really like their format.  Also, they send out coupons all the time including buy one, get one free offers that are great if you’re looking to use them as gifts.  See, this is what happens when I’m planning to spend Christmas in a different country…I start my shopping early.

What about you guys?  Anyone take advantage of the gorgeous weekend weather (in New England anyway) and do something out of the ordinary?  I have about 5 months to go with this list.  Better get down to it!