Cynthia Collins's Blog, page 4
January 23, 2015
Metropolitan Museum of Art Explores the Music of Paintings
Chief Vann House Preserves Cherokee Leader’s Wealth and History
February 16, 2014
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum: Uniting Modern Art With American Southwest
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Artist Georgia O’Keeffe captured the special beauty of the American Southwest with her unique painting style that united modern art with images of northern New Mexico. She painted a variety of subjects that ranged from landscapes to a single flower, and sun-bleached animal bones to architecture.
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, January 14, 2014, Cynthia Collins)
Keeping Time: From Sundials to Atomic Clocks
The interest in keeping a record of time has progressed over thousands of years with timepieces ranging from ancient sundials to modern atomic clocks. The earliest examples of measuring time were based on observing the position of the sun, moon, and constellations.
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, January 5, 2014, Cynthia Collins)
Vienna Austria Concert Celebrates the New Year
The Musikverein, Vienna, Austria’s famed music hall, is the setting for the annual New Year’s celebration given by the Vienna Philharmonic. From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2014 is a traditional program, comprised mostly of Strauss family waltzes, polkas and marches.
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, December 31, 2013, Cynthia Collins)
December 28, 2013
Nutcrackers Are Not Only for Christmas
Nutcracker from Austria at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum
Nutcrackers are not only for Christmas even though they are often associated with that time of year. As a follow-up to a recent Guardian Liberty Voice article about how The Nutcracker ballet was inspired by the popular wooden toys, this article focuses on nutcrackers around the world.
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, Cynthia Collins, Dec. 26, 2013)
‘Silent Night’ Austrian Christmas Carol’s History of Heavenly Peace
Silent Night Memorial Chapel in Oberndorf
Silent Night, one of the world’s best loved Christmas carols, has a history that includes its humble beginnings in an Austrian village and its use in World War I during a cease fire on the front lines. The carol was written following the end of the Napoleonic wars which had resulted in new borders being drawn throughout Europe under the Congress of Vienna….
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, Cynthia Collins, Dec. 24, 2...
Popular Poem Creates Jolly Santa Claus
Clement Moore’s popular American poem, A Visit From St. Nicholas, also known as Twas The Night Before Christmas, is credited with creating the jolly image of Santa Claus recognized throughout the world. Moore wrote this poem Christmas Eve, 1822, as a gift for his family. He did not plan on it being published.
Read full article here. (Written for the Guardian Liberty Voice, Cynthia Collins, Dec. 21, 2013)
December 19, 2013
Mount Vernon Christmas: Colonial Holiday Festivities of George Washington
Christmas at George Washington’s Mount Vernon consisted of holiday festivities that were typical throughout colonial Virginia. Both a religious and celebratory occasion, it was customary to attend church services Christmas morning then return home to enjoy dinner with friends and relatives. Guests were encouraged to participate in popular activities of dancing, foxhunting, concerts and hunting, and children received presents such as dolls, toys, tea sets and books.
How Scrooge Saved Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is about a crotchety, stingy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by spirits trying to save him from his “humbug” attitude of Christmas. His bitterness is evident ranging from the way he treats his underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, to his dismissal of the poor. The spirits succeed in changing this insensitive miser to a generous and thoughtful person who knows “how to keep Christmas well.” In real life, it was the story of Scrooge w...
