– This post was written by Neesha Kanga –
While Mother Nature takes a breather, many of us are finding ways to enjoy culture at home through Twitter and Instagram. Be it by transforming into famous works of art or taking time to find our own inner artist, there is arguably a new genre of culture booming at the moment – a sort of quarantine-induced creativity.
So, while the travel industry may have come to a halt, that doesn’t mean your own explorations have to as well. Many museums, attractions, and art communities have taken their acts online so you can get your culture fix at home. Find more ways to culture by following these exciting Twitter and Instagram profiles that will keep your wanderlust alive throughout this coronavirus crisis.
Museums to follow on Instagram and Twitter
1. LA County Museum of Art
(From LACMA’s Instagram)
LACMA’s online presence is just about as big as its physical presence – it’s one of California’s biggest art museums, after all.
Their frequently updated profile is full of beautiful artwork accompanied by helpful information about social distancing and mental health during the coronavirus quarantine. The splash of witty posts helps make this one of the best museum Instagram accounts right now.
2. The Museum of English Rural Life
(From the MERL’s Twitter)
The MERL is undeniably one of the best museum Twitter profiles in the observable universe. Hit the follow button and embark on a side-splitting journey through the English countryside. Learn about pastoral history as you meet oat-loving pigs and absolute units.
They also have awesome initiatives for getting your culture fix online. One of the MERL’s latest initiatives is learning about the countryside through Minecraft – a perfect activity for staying at home with kids during the coronavirus quarantine.
3. Moderna Museet
(From Moderna Museet’s Instagram)
With an addictive feed and a truly Scandinavian take on the art world, Moderna Museet’s ‘gram is better than it has any right to be. This small, Stockholm-based contemporary art museum can give even the best museum Instagram accounts a run for their followers.
Moderna Museet has a diverse range of cultural offerings, which means you’ll learn about everything from the Korean War to Matisse’s travels in Tangier in a single scroll. Insightful photos accompany every post, which makes this a great museum to follow on Instagram if you want to stay in the know about art and culture at home.
4. Museum Generator Bot
(From MuseumGeneratorBot’s Twitter)
Are you a fan of the Museum of Future Crop Circles? Or perhaps you’re more of a Museum of Thoughtful Humming While You Look at Art kind of person? Find your wackiest culture fix by following the Museum Generator Bot on Twitter.
In the truest and dankest sense envisioned by the memelords of the internet, this Twitter account randomly generates museums and exhibitions based on buzzwords. It uses generic museum-speak to create fun and nonsensical posts that will take your mind off the current state of world affairs. It’s a slightly different way to access culture at home, but it’s (internet) culture, nonetheless.
More ways to enjoy culture at home
While you’re hunkering down at home, turn your living space into a space of cultural exploration that you can experience in loungewear. Over the past few weeks, the internet has filled up with all sorts of artistically inclined hashtags and prime quarantine content.
Here are some ways to get a culture fix while you’re pacing your living room for the fiftieth time.
1. Check out #TiqetsHomemadeMuseum
Our very own culture at home initiative was inspired by The Ideal Exhibition by French artist, performer, and illustrator Hervé Tullet (@hervetullet).
With this hashtag, we invite you to create your own exhibition at home. There are weekly activities to keep you inspired and you also stand to win prizes in giveaways.
Need to up your ‘gram game? Want to join the ranks of some of the best art Instagram accounts? Check out the hashtag and you might get featured in Tiqets’ Stories or Timeline!
2. Be a part of #tussenkunstenquarantaine
(Photo from tussenkunstenquarantaine’s Instagram
Life imitates art at #tussenkunstenquarantaine. This wildly entertaining Dutch hashtag and profile is coming out on top as one of the best art Instagram accounts during this crisis.
Tussenkunstenquarantine is not a museum or a cultural institution in the traditional sense. It is crowd-sourced cultural comedy at its finest. Its success and entertainment value lie in its simplicity: recreate famous works of art with household objects and upload it with the aforementioned hashtag.
Go forth and be fascinated by the endless creativity of people making culture at home and at work!
3. NASA At Home
(From NASA’s website)
If there ever were a bunch of people who knew a thing or two about isolation, it’s astronauts.
Scott Kelly spent a groundbreaking amount of time in space when he and two other astronauts embarked on their year-long mission aboard the ISS in 2015. Astronaut Michael Collins holds the title of being the loneliest man in the universe when his service module dipped over the dark side of the moon. His crewmates Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were busy walking on the lunar surface.
Now’s the best time to look at the stars of spaceflight for inspiration. NASA At Home brings the universe to you with VR tours of space, awe-inspiring videos, kid-friendly activities, podcasts, and more.
Launch yourself on a different route of experiencing culture at home – your living room has never felt so tiny!
4. Art subreddits
If you can think it, there’s a sub for it.
Reddit is a Pandora’s Box of pop culture, politics, memes, and user-generated content. But unlike most other social media platforms that always end up falling victim to some form of simulacrum, Reddit is chaotic and unpredictable. It’s also an easily accessible and addictive platform on which you can experience culture from home (or anywhere, really) – if you know where to look.
Subreddits like r/art, r/pics, and r/watercolor only scratch the surface of Reddit’s pool of talented artists. There’s more than just art. Subs like r/accidentalrenaissance showcase mundane 21st-century moments that bear striking Renaissance-era aesthetics. r/trippinthroughtime is full of witty and socially relevant commentaries plastered onto artworks created years or centuries ago; it’s similar to r/classicalartmemes.
Need to know what a painting is? Ask the art sleuths over at r/whatisthispainting. Or, check out r/ATBGE and ask “But… why?”
Bonus culture at home tip: Travel, art, and culture podcasts
1. The Way I See It by MoMA and the BBC
(From the MoMA’s website)
Officially, the MoMA is closed. But their online presence is bigger than ever, thanks to their digital magazine, very active YouTube channel, free online courses, and podcast they’re doing in collaboration with the BBC.
The Way I See It is a 30-episode podcast series available on BBC Sound. It engages 30 creatives to bring MoMA’s unique collection to life. From stand-up comedian Margaret Cho’s hot take on modern art, to how a cosmologist reads the skyscape of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, there’s a culture fix for almost every art hound.
2. The Lonely Hour
If you’re a regular globe trotter, you might be alone on your couch right now, trying to grasp at what you can of culture at home. But seasoned solo travelers know that lonely is fine – nay, lonely is good.
One less travel companion to wait on, one less day trip derailed because someone had too wild a night at the hostel party.
Hear solo travelers talk positively about loneliness, and how it can manifest while traveling solo around the world. It’s a great one for reeling in our emotions about missing the outside world and appreciating the adventures within ourselves for a bit.
3. One More Road for the Beer
Travel is about the destination… and all the beer you’ll find there.
Join beer guide author (yes, that’s a thing) Joe Stange and food and travel writer Zach Johnston on a beer walk around the world. Looking for the best Belgian beer-walk city? They’ve got you covered. How about ruin bars in Budapest, or beer spas in Prague, and beer-themed hotels in the UK? Also, covered.
Crack open a cold one and listen in for a boozy way to experience culture at home. Get that travel inspiration brewing for when you’re allowed outside again!
Getting a culture fix from home varies from person to person. Pick your way to culture and enjoy the infinite amount of content that’s out there – whether it’s traveling the world through Netflix or watching Shakespeare online. Also, check out our blog for more things to do during the coronavirus quarantine.
