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Five Ways to Travel the World Virtually This Weekend

Although your physical travel plans may be on hold, there are plenty of ways to experience the world’s top cultural institutions from the comfort of your home. Arts and cultural institutions across the globe are finding creative ways to engage and enrich audiences online, allowing everyone from all corners of the world to experience their offerings.

This weekend, take a virtual trip around the world with these digital resources and opportunities from five cultural institutions supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies:

Keep Calm and Explore the British Film Institute Archives in England

There are more than 10,000 films and over 60+ collections in the British Film Institute’s archive available to you for free. Watch films that encapsulate 120 years of British life, many that have been unseen for decades. You can also engage with the institute’s photo collections, including one about punk fashions during the late 70s or Soho in the 1950s.

Check Out Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

If you’re looking for fun and creative educational activities for your kids while they’re home from school, look no further than Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. Your children can learn about these captivating gardens through a variety of online activity books that you can download for free. These activities are part of the garden’s “Letters to David” series, which consists of 11 educational correspondences from a botanist named David to his friends around the world. You can further enrich your soul with luscious imagery from the gardens by scrolling through its Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

If you’re curious about Latin American Culture, Head Over to Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) in Argentina

Use this time to learn about the art and traditions of a region – such as the rich Latin American culture on display at Argentina’s Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. MALBA’s website offers virtual art conversations, online booklets and various learning tools for the whole family, an extensive online gallery of its collection, and daily diary entries that spotlight Latin American artists and their works. You can also follow the hashtag #MalbaVirtual on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for even more insight into Latin America’s cultural and artistic diversity.

Looking for a Moment of Zen? Experience the Rubin Museum of Art’s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room 

During a time when many people feel stressed or anxious, The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City has made its Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, one of its most popular installations, available via YouTube to offer refuge in these times of uncertainty. Explore other ways to remain calm while connecting with the ideas, culture and art of the Himalayan regions with the Rubin Museum’s Care Package of art and practices, Mindfulness Meditation podcast, Spiral Magazine, and through audio tours, video, talks and more in the museum’s Media Center.

Budding Art History Lovers, Head to the Netherlands to Pour Over the Van Gogh Museum’s Collection

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is committed to bringing Vincent Van Gogh to you! The museum offers digital resources to educate and entertain children, share the story behind its namesake, and provide a virtual look inside its doors. Children can create their own Van Gogh painting with a downloadable coloring page, and both primary and secondary school students can watch educational art history video lessons. Anyone can learn about Van Gogh’s life and work with a collection of readable mini stories, an online collection of his letters, and the Unravel Van Gogh app that reveals the stories hidden underneath his paintings. Take a look inside the museum with a 4K tour and zoom in on details of some of the world’s most famous works of art, and continue to engage with the Van Gogh Museum through daily updates on FacebookInstagramTwitter or YouTube.

Check back next weekend for more fun and easy ways to engage with culture while you’re physically distancing, and follow Bloomberg Philanthropies on Twitter and Facebook for a daily cultural spotlight.

And catch up on last week’s post: Five Ways to Explore Culture This Weekend with Podcasts, Online Courses, Livestream, and Music

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