A Visit to the Museum on Tuesday

The Autry Museum of the American West

Today, I visited the Autry Museum of the American West.  It used to be a favorite place to visit when my daughter was small because they had child-friendly interactive exhibits and play areas.  But, I haven't been there, recently, and I thought I should go, especially since they did some renovations since my last visit.  General admission is $14 for adults, $10 for seniors, but, on the second Tuesday of every month, admission is free and I took advantage of that!  Plus, parking is free, too.  Frugal fun!  I had lunch before I went, but there is a cafe on site, as well.

The museum is both a museum and an art gallery and it contains both historical artifacts and movie memorabilia pertaining to Westerns.  I took lots of pictures, that I haven't finished downloading!  I plan to do a couple of posts about today's visit!

There are several sculptures even before one enters the museum, itself, between the parking lot and the museum, like this one, which pays tribute to the Pony Express:

"Special Delivery"

According to a plaque at the base of the sculpture, it depicts the moment when Pony Express riders carried copies of Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address from a telegraph station in Nebraska to newspapers in California in the "record time of seven days and seventeen hours":

Pony Express and Sculpture Plaque 

In the courtyard in front of the museum entrance, one encounters this sculpture of a singing cowboy.  I am assuming it is supposed to be Gene Autry and his horse, Trigger  Champion.   Not only did I forget to look for a plaque identifying the statue, I cut off part of his head, too!  Oops! 

Singing Cowboy (I am assuming it depicts Gene Autry and his horse, Champion)

There is also this sculpture of a Native American:

Sculpture of a Native American

I like the setting for this sculpture, with the plants surrounding it.  But, I couldn't find a plaque explaining who he was, though. 

Inside the building, on the lobby level, there are art galleries and more sculptures:

"Red Branch"

According to the plaque, this sculpture was originally made of manzanita branches and then, cast in bronze that was given a patina to resemble the red color of manzanita wood:

Red Branch

Across the atrium from the Red Branch sculpture, is this sculpture, titled "Sacred Rain Arrow":

"Sacred Rain Arrow"

Sacred Rain Arrow

It reminds me how, when we were having our recent four-year long drought, a rain dance was held in hopes of ending the drought!

On one side of the lobby level, there were several Dine (Navajo) woven blankets displayed:

Woven Dine (Navajo) Blanket

Dine (Navajo) Beeldlei or Eye Dazzler Blanket

Dine (Navajo) Blanket - Early Classic-style

Dine (Navajo) Moki-style Blanket

Two Grey Hills-style

I thought the blanket patterns would make great quilts!

The lower level contains the more museum type displays.  In the middle of the lower level, is a large central area called the Heritage Court, with murals painted on the walls:

Start of the Mural

"Spirits of the West" 

End of the Mural

As I mentioned, I took lots of photos, so I shall be doing more posts about my visit to this museum.  But, I wanted to include this one photo of a display that pays tribute to Gene Autry, the "Singing Cowboy", after whom the museum is named.

Gene Autry, "Singing Cowboy"

I got to the museum around 2:30 p.m. and I left it around 3:45 p.m., as the museum closes at 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

On the way home, I stopped at the library to pick up the copy of a book I had placed on hold.  Then, it was home and tea.  I watched news and one other TV program, did a load of laundry, and video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Free days at museums
- Free parking, too
- Frugal fun
- Being able to request books through the library
- Having interesting places to visit that are within easy reach

Tuesday's joyful activity was the visit to the museum!

I didn't finish all my housework I had scheduled for Tuesday, so will do them on Wednesday.

How was your Tuesday?  Do you like to visit museums?