The United States of America is home to some of the most exquisite museums, grand theatres, music, and art centres of the world. The country is home to some of the most exciting venues, concerts, and cultural attractions, blended with tradition and modernity. There is no end to the list of art and culture activities available for visitors to the US, many of whom promote preservation and conservation as well.
When it comes to exploring the art scenario of the land, museums are on top of the list. Ranked as one of the top museums of the world, the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois boasts of some of the finest collections of art and artifacts from 5000 BC to contemporary times. Edward Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’, Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Sky above Clouds” are some of the most notable American artworks among the collection of 300,000 works of art. The Museum also has an enviable collection of Impressionists, next only to Paris- including creations by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat.
To dive deep into the old West cultural phenomenon, there’s no better place than the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Founded in 1955, this museum in Oklahoma City collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts, while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of America’s West.
The US is also known to alter conventional experiences at museums too, and Jazz museums from across the country are unique to that list. Known for its connection with legends like Louise Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie Parker, the American Jazz Museum of Kansas City, Missouri hosts live shows four nights a week.
Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts houses an independent venue that offers amazing acoustics. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre hosts the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, as well as Broadway productions, musical shows, and comedy acts. The adjacent Helzberg Hall presents international talent and the Kansas City Symphony.
The Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, Arizona Housing hosts an exhibition of 7,000 instruments, with a collection from all corners of the world as well as personal items from famous performers such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, John Lennon, Pandit Ravi Shankar among others. You can listen to live shows in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee- the temple for country music lovers and experience the moments that made country music history.
The National Blues Museum in St. Louis explores blues music, that originated in the south-eastern region of the USA, from the late 19th century to the present. The museum is close 10 minutes away from the Gateway Arch and scenic Mississippi River Greenway.
In Eunice, Louisiana, visitors explore how the Acadian settlers, who populated southwestern Louisiana during the late 18th century, spread the roots of Cajun music and had an effect on the Zydeco music of African Americans sharecroppers, slaves and farmers during the mid-19th century. While both these genres have distinct flavours, they use quite a few similar instruments, with Cajun music having closer connections to French and other European folk music, andZydeco being closer to the Blues, Afro-Caribbean, and R&B music.
With more than 42,000 events each year from 200 of the world’s greatest arts and cultural organizations, the Palm Beach area is known as “Florida’s Cultural Capital.” Apart from The Flagler Museum, The Morikami Museum, and Japanese Gardens, visitors throng the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach. The Society of the Four Arts, a non-profit cultural organization established to encourage the community’s cultural growth, includes a library and a sculpture and botanical gardens. Visitors can also attend art exhibitions, listen to speeches by notable guest speakers, attend informational seminars, and enjoy top-grade concerts. The Miami City Ballet company performs more shows at the world-class Kravis Center in Palm Beach than anywhere else.
Another option is to browse through the art, listen to open-air concerts, and enjoy tasty treats at the Street Painting Festival in downtown Lake Worth, while not missing out on Art Palm Beach, a large show of contemporary art.
