On a high hill in a beautiful park in Zurich, Switzerland, travelers can discover the Reitberg Museum , displaying art work from around the world — including China, Angola, the Congo, Japan, Nigeria, India, Liberia, Pakistan, and Mali, among others. It’s the only museum in Switzerland for non-European art, mostly exhibiting art from Asia, Africa, and Ancient America. The purpose of the museum is not only to display and study the art, but to foster an interest in and understanding of foreign views, religions, and cultures.

The museum’s core collections begin with the donations of Baron Eduard von der Heydt, who lived from 1882 to 1964, and continues to grow. As recently as February of 1997, the Rietberg Museum was able to double its exhibition space. Various works of art from Asia, Africa, America, and Oceania, are now available to the public for the first time.

The three main display areas include the underground extension known as The Emerald. Here, the focus is on Chinese art, with bronze vessels and tomb art from the Han to the Tang Dynasty (ranging from 2nd Century BC to the 9th Century AD). Buddhist art is also featured here, in addition to a jar of imperial quality, considered to be one of the most important examples of Chinese cloisonne art work.

In the underground extension, Asian works may be found next to African objects, where the viewer can appreciate the differences in styles. You’ll find, too, masks from Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea.

The Wesendonck Villa contains Buddhist sculptures from India and Pakistan, some of which contain Greco-Roman influences. There are Hindu temple sculptures and south Indian bronzes from the 9th to 11th century. Also in the Villa, there’s work from Indonesia and New Zealand, as well as artifacts from North and South America and Mesoamerica.

In the Park-Villa Rieter, the third part of the museum, visitors will find mostly Indian paintings, but temporary exhibits will also show art work that’s taken from a collection that draws from 1,500 paintings, covering an entire range of painting styles from the 12th to the 20th century. On the upper floors, there are illustrations and art work from Iran dating back as far as 1340.

Situated in central Zurich, close to many fine Zurich hotels, it’s also easy to get to by bus or tram, right at the Reitberg stop for Tram Line #7. The museum is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, ten a.m. to five p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed on Mondays.

Reitberg Museum in Zurich is a post from: World Venture Travel

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There are some who might believe that Austin has gotten less weird over the past few years, but they are in a minority for certain.  The wheel has already been set in motion, long before we ever got here, and some wheels start to spin spontaneously, and some are guided by ancestors that speak inspirations from a land far beyond.  It’s not the perfect time in history, nor is it the place, any place, to determine the weird no place and every place that Austin can be.  It’s one of those unspeakable energies that cannot be evaluated while it is performing is natural mystic magic but only is open for assessment later, much later.  All we can know for now is that Austin has hotels and they are lovely, and you will have a lovely time here.

It’s not the time to decide, or even guess, at the long-term effects of Greg Romero because it’s simply much too soon.  We can know for certain, however, that he was part of a series of coincidences here that caused the wheels that were already set in motion to spin just a bit faster, and a bit stranger, which means that Austin will remember him because he understood where he was when he was here.  This experimental playwright (among many other hats) has left footprints, and coming to Austin and looking at living memories reveals some of his day-glo traces over all the important sacred cows.

Not that Romero doesn’t like cows.  The deeply compassionate vision is elaborated in plays like The Most Beautiful Lullaby Ever Heard, and can also be found in public acts that move art backwards into dada while it moves into the great ceiling fan of the future, the one that will chop us all up unless we learn how to burp.  These acts include taking extremely small donations from large groups of people, and shaving his beard in public.  This is an electric word machine, with one conduit to pop culture, and one to the angel of history, and simultaneously stalked by Cajun pookas who know your mother.  His influences come from everywhere, and he brought them here with him, for a time, and now has gone to the four winds and scattered, or is perhaps in Philly, where it will be nice to meet him for a beer or a coffee sometime.

Greg Romero in Austin is a post from: World Venture Travel

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Located in the northwestern corner of India, Punjab is a fantastic state that’s experiencing a nice growth in its tourist industry, making it a new hot spot for world travelers.  It has a very rich history, with a long record of human habitation here.  The Harappa civilization was here, perhaps as long as 8,000 years ago, and their are magnificent archeological findings that are still obscure, but very fascinating, and illuminating the story of human life on the planet.  There are many ways to enjoy your stay in Punjab.  Hotels are plentiful, and we’ve selected some of the finest for your lodging pleasure.  This is a gorgeous way to get away from the noise of daily life and experience luxury and relaxation in a beautiful setting.

Our hotels are selected for their excellence in service and style, so that you’ll be waking up in sumptuous surroundings, with spacious rooms decorated with a fine sense of design, reflecting the old and the new in Punjab.  You’ll have plenty of choices for beginning your day in paradise, from delicious meals prepared by master chefs, to state of the art workout facilities to make your eyes bright.  Rejuvenation of the body and spirit are what Punjab has to offer, and there are some spectacular things to do for guests of all ages.  The art of Punjab has an iconic quality, and some of the great living artists, such as Kanwar Singh Dhillon, speak to old and new worlds simultaneously.

This artist, born in Amritsar and raised in Toronto, Canada, has been making a splendid name for himself by creating some of the great heroic scenes from Sikh folklore and history.  His work is based in a realist style, inspired by the likes of Sobha Singh and Caravaggio.  Through formal training in classical painting techniques, as well as some forays into illustration art, he has developed a look that is extremely colorful, and depicts bold acts of some of the great heroes of Sikh literature.  His work can be a great source of illumination into the history of the region, and makes some nice memories for when you’ve returned home.

Kanwar Singh Dhillon, Pujab Artist is a post from: World Venture Travel

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Of all the iconic areas in New York to find a hotel, Central Park is undoubtedly among the highest on the list.  It should be, of course, because this park, designed as a gift to the city, has become one of the major landmarks in a city where everything tries to be a landmark.  This sprawling patch of green is the only sign of nature among one of the most urban areas on the planet.  With outdoor concerts in the summer, and an amazing visual treat when snows hit in the winter, Central Park holds a special place in the hearts of all New Yorkers.  Our hotels here offer luxurious accommodation and stunning views, a combination that’s awfully hard to beat.  There are world-class chefs preparing meals, top designers making an ambience that will refresh you spirit, and a sense of hospitality here that is absolutely sensational.

This is New York, and in the city that has everything, you should have the best.  It’s all possible here.  The city has attracted the best minds in the world for a long time, drawn by the promises of the possible.  In 1961, New York’s Greenwich Village was a magnet for young artists from all over, and saw the arrival of the vagabond Bob Dylan.  It was here, in these formative years of Bob Dylan’s life, that some of the most important inspirations for Dylan’s music found their roots.

He lived here with his first long-term girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, and she graced the cover of one of his most formative albums, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.  New York City in those days had already established itself as a cultural meeting ground for countercultural refugees, and it proved a rich and exciting place for the young Dylan.  Today, there are walking tours available, for fans to trace some of the more enigmatic New York spots, and see the geographies of a particular dreamer whose influence will be felt for many generations.  The roughness and cheap rents that Dylan knew here might be long gone, but the energy is still here, in the pavement, and in the soil.

Bob Dylan’s New York is a post from: World Venture Travel

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North West filmmakers were screened at the film and digital media festival of Chester ,England. Ten short films ranged from a documentary about prisoners attending a patchwork and quilt making course, to a four minute clay animation which were followed by a panel discussion at the Screen Deva event. Screen Deva is Chester’s very own film and digital media festival. All around Chester there will be digital media projects by local artists and outdoor movies being shown in Chester’s local parks.

Last year’s success, helped this years bigger and better program. It included 18 feature length outdoor films, which were screened in the park and at many other unusual venues. Even the Chester Hotel participated in allowing screening in the lobby of the hotel.  There was a 48 hour mass participation film challenge, there were wonderful opportunities for budding filmmakers where they got to create and showcase their work. Screen Deva has created a fantastic opportunity to embrace an emerging artists of media and bring forth and enjoy indie and arthouse films in an outdoor cinema setting.

Panelist were shown films upstairs at the Screen Deva Studio. They watched Kate Jessop’s ‘When the Telescope Came’,  an animated tale based on a poem where a woman tries to stop the stars from coming into her house. Martin Talbot’s ‘Northern Cowboys’,  where singers battled it out at a talent show in Blackpool to win a trip to Nashville and a documentary from Fiona Collins about prisoners and quilting. The panel answered questions form an audience of over 40 festival goers and they discussed their own journey’s from being a first time filmmaker to their now global fame and also offering valuable tips.  I’m heading off to the interactive exhibition with is staged downstairs at the Scree Deva Studio. I keep thinking that maybe I should fill the screenplay that floats around in my head all the time. What, now that we have a legitimate Film Festival.

Chester’s Film Festival is a post from: World Venture Travel

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The goodbyes were sad and lasted for what seems like hours, but I finally got on the bus to  Chester. I made reservations at a Chester Hotel for a few days because I though it would be cool to check out all the Roman History. When I arrived and checked into my room, I went off to investigate the museums and run some other errands.

Chester does have a lot of cool Roman stuff. Roman gardens with artifacts with descriptions to go with them and a bunch of quaint little museums. I really like the garden though, it was peaceful, more peaceful than the rest of the city. I had to leave the peaceful garden because I needed to find a notary. I needed to copy my passport and ID to start my Irish citizenship application. There was one not too far from the garden, but it was closed. So, I had to walk way up to Hoole, a small town north of Chester, approximately 2 kilometers. I had a hard time finding it because the sign was so not what it looked like in the phone book listing. But, at least they were open.

I headed back to Chester and bought some cheese from an indoor market that was actually a local farmers market, but inside instead of outside. I picked up a loaf of bread and cranberries to eat with the cheese.  I found a place just outside of town, a little woodland between two roads which offered shade and quite. My bread, cranberries and cheese seemed like a good combination to me at the time, but put all together, it’s not as good as it promised to be. I noticed I wasn’t alone, there was a tent pitched behind some trees and brush, barely noticeable from the road. I though I’d push off my disappointing meal to whom ever was camping, but as I approached, I noticed trash was strewn all over the place, flies everywhere and it smelled. I decided to back off and leave the area. I got a bad feeling.

It was getting dark, so I headed back to my hotel room for the evening. Being exhausted from all the walking I did and playing with my nieces and nephews last night, I decided I’ll probably sleep in tomorrow.

Romans in Chester is a post from: World Venture Travel

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, by August Wilson, is currently playing at The Lincoln Center Theatre in New York. It was recently nominated for Best Revival of a Play at the 2009 Tony Awards. This production was directed by Bartlett Sher, who was also nominated for Best Direction of a Play. In total, this production received 6 Tony nominations including those for Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in Play. It won 2 of the awards and they went to Roger Robinson for Best Performance and Brian MacDevitt for best Lighting. Tourists who were in town for the Tony Awards and consequential celebrations stayed at best Manhattan hotel to catch some of the pomp and circumstance of the evening.

The play was originally produced on Broadway in March of 1988 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It ran for 105 performances and was nominated for Best Play in that year’s Tony Awards. The script is the second installment of Wilson’s decade by decade chronicle of the African American experience, The Pittsburgh Project. It was staged by Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut before it moved to Broadway. The play is set in the 1920s and deals with the lives of freed slaves. It deals with post slavery racial identity issues and on a more personal level it addresses the struggles of self-discovery and expression.

The play is a drama though it is deals with some supernatural elements such as possession and it incorporates music into the action. Most of the characters either play an instrument or sing. The dialogue in the script is an essential component, well, this actually true for all plays, however in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the dialogue’s structure is a representation of the character’s spirit. Each of the characters has a specific rhythm to their speech and unique patterns. The dialogue is also reflective of the specific accents that each of the characters would have.

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone in New York is a post from: World Venture Travel

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International travelers looking for five-star Dubai hotels will be pleasantly and consistently surprised.  One of the world’s hotspots, guests here usually return, which speaks very well of the hospitality to be found.  The hotels really are outstanding, with an exquisite attention to detail in design, and a generous dose of old-world charm.  This is a magnificent place to begin a journey here, and a place to make a beautiful temporary home.

There is so much to do in Dubai. With its lovely beaches, first-rate shopping, with spectacular new shopping centers as well as old marketplaces, and sumptuous nightlife, Dubai’s reputation is well-deserved.  There is a fascinating trend in the past few years toward intellectuals and artists who are making this their home base.  Some of the most interesting galleries in the world are here, some built into existing structures, some created from the ground up.  But there is no doubt that the governments vision to make this a creative capital in the world market is helping to change the face of the global art market.  Art Dubai is one of the initiatives that is causing an interesting stir.  A sort of central point where contemporary art in the Arab world is displayed and discussed, Art Dubai is an annual festival, where galleries show works by local and international guests.  The deadline has recently opened for the next round of submissions.

The vision here is very inclusive to the global community, and still maintains a dedication to promoting artists from the UAE.  One of the initiatives under Art Dubai, Contemporabia is a fascinating week-long event that is more or less simultaneous, where curators, critics, and artists gather to discuss important issues in Gulf Art today.  The considerable attention to art production and critical discussion from this region is suggesting a remarkable shift in the art world generally, and it begs it to continue to open its doors to the notion of a global culture.

Art Dubai – Now Accepting Proposals is a post from: World Venture Travel

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