|
|
On the Net
Museums make use of the Internet
February 3, 1997
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Brian Nelson
(CNN) -- Museums are taking to the Internet in increasing numbers, offering previews of what's to be found at the actual museum -- peeks at the treasures inside for those who can't make the trip or those looking to maximize their time.
First stop: the Met
Art lovers from around the world often make New York's Metropolitan Museum their first stop in the city.
A stroll through the museum's Web site can help you better organize your time in the mammoth display area. Interested in Islamic art? How about the French impressionists? It's all there on the Met's home page.
Even if a trip to Fifth Avenue isn't in your plans, you can learn about technique -- light, color, composition and motion -- on the education pages.
And if a stop at the gift shop crosses your mind after crossing the Delaware, you can order prints and posters instantly.
Film buff heaven
Preserving great works of art from the silent screen is one mission of the American Film Institute.
The AFI Web site shows you how this salvation and restoration process is done.
And after you grab a bowl of popcorn, settle in to watch Charlie Chaplin's 1916 classic, "The Rink," the site's current VDOLive feature.
America's treasure house online
The Smithsonian's home page offers a key to the vast resources of the national museums of the United States.
Visitors can follow their curiosity from the lively history of American jazz -- with guide Lena Horne -- to the birth of a rhino at the National Zoo, to the real and fictional heroes of the skies at the most-visited of its sprawling displays, the National Air and Space Museum.
And the serious researcher can tap into the Smithsonian's Online Research Information System from the site's resources and tours page.
The wonder of science
The diversity at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is almost overwhelming, and its online exhibits match the wonder of the real thing.
In a childhood fun and fantasy land, there's a diamond studded doll house. A German U-boat captured in 1944 provides an intriguing glimpse of World War II.
And there are even some cute chicks -- a QuickTime movie provides a fascinating look at the hatching of an egg.
Related sites:
Metropolitan Museum in New York American Film Institute The Smithsonian
See previous On the Net reviews.External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.