--FREE-- John Carter Brown Library, Brown University's College Green, George and Brown Streets. 863-2725; www.jcbl.org. Exhibit, France and the American Revolution. Mon-Fri 8:30 am-5 pm, Sat 9 am-noon.
Culinary Archives & Museum at Johnson & Wales University, 315 Harborside Blvd. 598-2805; www.culinary.org. More than half a million items related to culinary arts and hospitality: Artifacts, books, menus, art works, signs and autographs. Exhibits: Diners, Still Cookin' in the 21st Century; On Safari; Pantheon of Chefs; Kitchen Stoves: From the Open Hearth to the Microwave. Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm. $7, seniors $6, college students w/ID $3, children 5-18 $2, children under 5 free, group rates available.
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Manning Hall, Brown University, College Green (Prospect and Waterman streets). 253-8388; www.haffenreffermuseum.org. Believing Africa, an investigation of the diversity and nature of African spiritual beliefs. Tue-Sun 10 am-4 pm and third Thu of the month 5-9 pm. Donations.
--FREE-- John Hay Library, 20 Prospect St. 863-3723, 863-2146. Collection of toy soldiers. Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm.
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park, off Elmwood and Park Avenues. 785-9457; www.osfn.org/museum. Into the Unknown: The Spirit of Exploration; All Things Connected: Native American Creations; Natural Selections: Treasures from the Museum Collection; Circle of the Sea. Daily 10 am-5 pm; $2, children under 8 $1. Planetarium shows (not suitable for children under 4 years of age) Tue-Sun at 2 pm; $3, $2 for children 4-7 (includes museum admission).
--FREE-- Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit St. 421-6970; www.providenceathenaeum.org. Membership library and cultural institution established in 1753. Mon-Thu 9 am-7 pm, Fri 9 am-5 pm, Sat 9 am-1 pm.
--FREE-- Rhode Island Historical Society Library, 121 Hope St. 273-8109. Third largest genealogical collection in New England; manuscript collections date from 1635 to the present. Wed, Fri 10 am 5-pm; Thu noon-8 pm.
--FREE-- Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial Museum, 401 Elmgrove Ave. 453-7860. Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm and by appointment.
RISD Museum, 224 Benefit St. 454-6500; www.risdmuseum.org. From Goodnight Moon to Art Dog: The World of Clement, Edith and Thacher Hurd; Draw Me a Story: Book Illustration from the Museum's Collection; The Art of the Book in Japan; The Language of Ornament in Asian Costume and Textiles; An-My Le: Small Wars; Back to the Future: Re-Viewing the Twentieth Century. Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm; until 9 pm the third Thu of each month. $8, $5 for 62+, $3 for college students with valid ID, $2 for ages 5-18. Museum members, RISD and Brown students and children under 5 are admitted free. Free admission for everyone Fri noon-1:30 pm, Sun 10 am-1 pm, the third Thu of the month (Gallery Night) from 5-9 pm, and the last Sat of the month (Free-for-All Saturday).
Russian Submarine Museum, Collier Point Park (off Allens Avenue). 521-3600; www.saratogamuseum.org. Juliett-484 submarine was used by the USSR during the Cold War, then appeared in the film K-19: The Widowmaker. Sat-Sun 10 am-6 pm. Last tickets sold 30 minutes before closing time. $8, uniformed military personnel/65+ $6, children 6-17 $5 (museum not suitable for children under 6); visitors must demonstrate ability to pass through a mock hatch before touring the sub. For safety reasons, no high heels, open-toed shoes or sandals.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY
Museum of Work & Culture, Market Square, 42 South Main St., Woonsocket. 769-9675; www.rihs.org. All about life in a New England textile city: Nine walk-through displays, two films, multiple interactive audios, hands-on displays and a re-created 1934 union hall. Mon-Fri 9:30 am-4 pm, Sat 10 am-5 pm; Sun 1-4 pm. $7, $5 for students and 62+, children under 10 (with adult) free. Special exhibit: From Newport to Yorktown, exhibit commemorates the 225th anniversary of the events leading to the eventual defeat of the British in the battle of Yorktown.
Slater Mill, A Living History Museum, 67 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket. 725-8638; www.slatermill.org. Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America. Step back into the early 19th century, experience the way people lived and "meet" some of the men and women of the time. Daily 10 am-5 pm. $9, 65+ $8, children 6-12 $7, children under 6 free.
Woonsocket Historical and Preservation Society, 42 South Main St., Garden Level, Woonsocket. 356-0067. Exhibits of Woonsocket history, including copies of newspapers The Bivouac, The Woonsocket Home Investor and L'Independent; menus, arrest reports, funeral home bills and colonial maps with Indian names of locations. Tue, Fri-Sat 11 am-3 pm.
EAST BAY
--FREE-- Barrington Preservation Society Museum, 281 County Rd., Barrington. 247-3770. Exhibits highlight Barrington's past, including its history, transportation and early residents. Special exhibit: Select group of wedding gowns (1850s-1950s) from the society's collection. Tue, Sat 10 am-2 pm.
Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, 48 Court St., Bristol. 253-7223. Collection of General Burnside materials, and paintings and historical materials relating to the Bristol area. Wed, Fri 1-5 pm.
Cape Verdean Museum, 1003 Waterman Ave., East Providence. 228-7292; www.capeverdeanmuseum.org. Historic photographs, embroidery, balai baskets, a documentary video, pano cloth and sculptures. Tue, Thu, Sat noon-4 pm. Donations accepted.
Coggeshall Farm Museum, Route 114 to Poppasquash Road, Bristol. 253-9062. Historic farm portrays life of the 1790s. Daily 10 am-6 pm. $2, $1 children 6-15/seniors, under 6 free.
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Mount Hope Grant, 300 Tower St., Bristol. 253-8388; www.haffenreffermuseum.org. Packrats for Posterity? Relevance in the Anthropology Museum; Hopi Katsina Dolls: Ancestor Spirit Carvings. Death, Defense, Distinction: Weapons and Power; Kayak, Umiak, Canoe. Native American dwellings (outdoor exhibits). Tue-Sun 11 am-5 pm. $3, $2 for 60+, $1 for children under 12.
Herreshoff Marine Museum/America's Cup Hall of Fame, 1 Burnside St., Bristol. 253-5000; www.herreshoff.org. Displays of sail and power yachts, steam engines, fittings, photographs and memorabilia of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Daily 10 am-5 pm. $8, $7 for 65+, $2 for students with ID, free for children under 12. Groups by reservation.
Wilbor House Museum, 548 West Main Rd. (Route 77), Little Compton. 635-4035; www.littlecompton.org. The museum, circa 1690, spans three centuries and contains rooms representative of each. Thu-Sun 1-5 pm (last tour begins at 4 pm). $5, children $1, members free. Special exhibit: The Life and Works of Sydney Burleigh.
NEWPORT
--FREE-- Beavertail Lighthouse Museum, Beavertail State Park, Jamestown. 423-3270. History of this lighthouse and others in Rhode Island. Daily 10 am-4 pm. Donations appreciated.
Fort Adams State Park, Ocean Drive, Newport. 841-0707; www.fortadams.org. Explore the engineered tunnel system and climb the bastions to view sweeping views of Narragansett Bay at the largest coastal fortification in the United States. Guided tours on the hour 10 am-4 pm daily. $8, 6-18 $5, under 5 free.
International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum, 194 Bellevue Ave., Newport. 849-3990, www.tennisfame.com. Tennis memorabilia, housed in the historic Newport Casino, built in 1880. Daily 9:30 am-5 pm. $9; 65+, students, military, AAA members $7; children 6-16 $5; children under 5 free, family of four $23.
--FREE-- International Yacht Restoration School, 449 Thames St., Newport. 848-5777; www.iyrs.org. Watch shipwrights at work restoring classic sail and power boats, see the 1885 schooner yacht Coronet or take a seminar, workshop or training class. Daily 10 am-5 pm.
Museum of Newport History, Brick Market, 127 Thames St., Washington Square. 841-8770, 846-0813. Overview of Newport's history and architecture. Daily 10 am-4 pm. Suggested donation: $4, $2 children 8-18, younger children free. Special exhibit: Form, Functions and Finery: Silver from 300 Years of Newport History.
Museum of Yachting, Fort Adams State Park, off Ocean Drive, Newport. 847-1018; www.museumofyatching.org. Exhibits: America's Cup Gallery; Single-Handed Sailors' Hall of Fame; In-the-Water Classic Yacht Collection; fine art gallery, small boat collection. Open daily 10 am-5 pm. $5, $4 for 62+ and children under 12, free under age 2. Group rates and tours available.
National Museum of American Illustration, 492 Bellevue Ave., Newport. 851-8949, ext. 18, or www.americanillustration.org. Original illustration art by Stanley Arthurs, Harvey Dunn, N.C. Wyeth, Gayle Porter Hoskins, Frank Schoonover and Philip R. Goodwin; Maxfield Parish's Daybreak. Open for guided tours by advance reservation, Mon-Fri. $25, 60+/military with ID $22, children 12 and under not admitted.
Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Ave., Newport. 848-8200; www.newportartmuseum.com. The Art of Golf: Gilded Age through Newport Days; The Landscape of Golf; Fantastic Architecture, recent glass sculpture by Steve Easton; At the Beach, selections from the permanent collection. Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun noon-5 pm. Gallery Night 2nd Thursday of the month, 5-8 pm free admission. $6, 60+ $5, students $4, children 5 and under free; admission by donation Saturdays before noon.
Newport City Hall, 43 Broadway, Newport. 846-9600. 62 paintings by Helena Sturtevant. Mon-Fri 8:30 am-4:30 pm.
--FREE-- Newport Historical Society, 82 Touro St., Newport, and Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House (1729), attached to main building. 846-0813; www.newporthistorical.org. Tue-Fri 9:30 am-4:30 pm, Sat 9:30 am-noon; closed Saturdays on holiday weekends.
Portsmouth Historical Society, 870 East Main Rd., Portsmouth. Artifacts, documents; the former Christian Union Church, recently restored; The Southermost School, Rhode Island's oldest standing schoolhouse. Special exhibit: Weathering the Weather, a look at weather events that affected the area; photographs, news articles, diary entries written by David Durfee Shearman in the mid-1800s. Sun 2-4 pm.
Redwood Library & Athenaeum, 50 Bellevue Ave., Newport. 847-0292; www.redwoodlibrary.org. America's oldest lending library features an art gallery and antique furnishings. Mon, Fri-Sat 9:30 am-5 pm; Tue-Thu 9:30 am-8 pm, Sun 1-5 pm. Tours weekdays at 10:30 am.
Watson Farm, 455 North Rd., Jamestown. 423-0005; www.spnea.org. Historic 265-acre working farm reflecting New England life since the 17th century. The farmhouse is part of a working farm and is not open to the public. Tue, Thu, Sun 1-5 pm. $4, seniors $3, students $2, children 6 and under/SPNEA members/Jamestown residents free.
NORTHWEST
--FREE-- Rhode Island State Police Museum and Learning Center, 301 Danielson Pike, North Scituate. 444-1000; www.risp.state.ri.us. Displays of the Rhode Island State Police since its inception in 1925, and how they relate to major events that have occurred throughout Rhode Island history. Mon-Fri, 8 am-5 pm (must call ahead); weekends by appointment.
SOUTH COUNTY
--FREE-- Block Island Historical Society, Bridgegate Square, Block Island. 466-2481. Open daily 10 am-4 pm.
Carpenter's Grist Mill (1703), Moonstone Beach Road, Perryville, South Kingstown. 783-5483. Operating water-powered mill grinding Rhode Island flint corn. Call for grinding dates. Built by Samuel E. Perry.
--FREE-- International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, University of Rhode Island, 3045 Kingstown Rd. (Route 138), Kingston. 874-2375. Mon-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat-Sun by appointment.
Kenyon's Grist Mill, off Route 138, Richmond-South Kingstown line. 783-4054, kenyonsgristmill.com. 1886 operating historic grist mill. Tours by appointment or by chance. Mon-Fri 10 am-4:30 pm.
Museum of Primitive Art and Culture, 1058 Kingstown Rd., Room 4, Peace Dale. 783-5711, www.primitiveartmuseum.org. Archaeological and anthropological objects; Hazard Heritage, interpretive exhibit overlay commemorating the museum's founders. Wed noon-2 pm, and by appointment. Donations accepted.
Old Narragansett Church, Church Lane, Wickford, North Kingstown. 294-4357. The church is about 300 years old; a pipe organ, parts of which were built in the late 1600s, is on exhibit. Tours Fri-Sun 11 am-5 pm, and by appointment. Donations.
Old Washington County Jail (Pettaquamscutt Historical Society), 2636 Kingstown Rd. (Route 138), Kingston. 783-1328. Period jail cells and schoolroom, exhibit of artifacts -- including women's hats and fans, toys, textiles, furniture -- from South County villages. Genealogy and local history research library. Mural by Ernest Hamlin Baker, The Economic Activities of the Narragansett Planters. Exhibit: South Kingstown & The Civil War. Tue, Thu, Sat 1-4 pm. $3 donation ages 12 and older.
Quonset Air Museum, Quonset State Airport, 488 Eccleston Ave., North Kingstown. 294-9540; www.theQAM.org. 27 aircraft on display and under restoration including jets, props, helicopters and an F-14 Tomcat; children's educational exhibits; guided tours. Daily 10 am-4 pm. $7; $3 children under 12, free for military personnel with valid ID.
--FREE-- Rhode Island Railroad Museum, Kingston Station, 1 Railroad Ave., West Kingston. www.kingstonstation.org; e-mail kingstonstation@cox.net. Traces the 1875 station's roots from the time the Stonington Steamship Co. opened it through the arrival of the Acela train. Sat-Sun 3-6 pm or e-mail for an appointment.
Smith's Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive (off Route 1), North Kingstown. 294-3521, www.smithscastle.org. One of America's oldest plantation houses (1678). Guided tours by costumed docents. Tours Thu-Mon noon, 2 and 3. Large group tours and special reservations welcome by appointment. $5; $1 children 6-12; members free. Grounds free every day.
South County Museum, Canonchet Farm, Strathmore Street, Narragansett. 783-5400; www.southcountymuseum.org. On the former Canonchet estate of Gov. William Sprague, the museum has seven interactive exhibit buildings where visitors can experience 19th-century life as it was in the towns, on the farms and on the sea, and features costumed interpreters and traditional artisans to bring the Victorian era alive. Wed-Sat 10 am-4 pm, Sun noon-4 pm. $5, seniors $4, children 6-12 $2. Special event: Quilt Show (21st annual), Fri-Sun.
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum, 815 Gilbert Stuart Rd., Saunderstown. 294-3001. Birthplace of the foremost painter of George Washington. Colonial working-man's home with working grist and snuff mills. Thu-Sun 11 am-4 pm, with last tour at 3 pm. $6; children 6-12 $3; members free.
Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum, Arcadia Village, 390 Summit Rd., Exeter. 539-7213; www.tomaquagmuseum.com. Native American artifacts from across the continent, including Southern New England stamped and painted ash splint baskets, corn husk dolls, and other historical and archaeological specimens. Mon-Fri 11 am-4 pm. $4, children/seniors $2. Special Exhibit: The Pursuit of Happiness: An Indigenous View.
USS Saratoga Mini-Museum and Retail Store, 6854 Post Rd., North Kingstown. 398-1000; www.saratogamuseum.org. Artifacts from a wide range of topics, heroes and eras, ranging from a flight suit worn by Rhode Island astronaut Woody Spring to a Soviet Navy dive suit. Tue-Sat 10 am-6 pm.
Watch Hill Lighthouse Museum and U.S. Coast Guard Station (1856), 14 Lighthouse Rd., Watch Hill. 596-7761. Grounds open daily 8 am-8 pm; Museum open Tue, Thu 1-3 pm. No parking, visitors must make a short walk from town.
MASSACHUSETTS
--FREE-- Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, 42 Union St., Attleboro. (508) 222-3918; www.industrialmuseum.com. Thu-Fri 10 am-4 pm. Donations. Guided tours available: $6, children $4.
Battleship Cove, Exit 5 off Route 195 East, Fall River. (508) 678-1100; www.battleshipcove.org. World's largest collection of historic naval ships. Five National Historic Landmarks. Massachusetts' official veterans memorial for WWII and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars. Daily 9 am-5:30 pm. $14, 63+/AAA $12, children 6-14 $8, children 5 and under free. Free parking.
Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast/Museum, 92 Second St., Fall River. (508) 675-7333. Collection of Fall River and Borden memorabilia. Daily 11 am-3 pm. $10, 60+ 8, children 7-12 $5, children under 6 free. Photography allowed.
--FREE-- Carpenter Museum, 4 Locust Ave., Rehoboth Village, Rehoboth. (508) 252-3031; www.carpentermuseum.org. A 1700s country kitchen, 1800s formal parlor; exhibits/displays, research room; diorama of the Mason Barney Shipyard. Sun 2-4 pm and by appointment.
Fall River Historical Society, 451 Rock St., Fall River. (508) 679-1071. 16 rooms with art and artifacts (including a Lizzie Borden exhibit) from Fall River's past. Tue-Fri, 9 am-4:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1-5 pm (tours on the hour from 9 am-3 pm, except noon). $6, $4 for children 6-14, children under 6 free.
Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St., Brockton. (508) 588-6000; www.fullercraft.org. The Elemental Stitch: Photorealism in Thread by Linda Behar; Randal Thurston: Wunderkammern; The Scale of Things to Come; (r)evolution; Dan Clayman: Line, Form, Shadow, mixed media installation; Works from the Fuller Craft Museum Permanent Collection. Daily 10 am-5 pm. $8, students/62+ $5, children under 12 free.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library & Museum, off Morrissey Boulevard, Columbia Point on Dorchester Bay. (866) 535-1960; www.jfklibrary.org. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy: First Lady; John Glenn and the Space Race; Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy; The Cuban Missile Crisis; Nixon v. Kennedy Presidential Race; The Struggle for Civil Rights; The Peace Corps; Kennedy and the Press. Daily 9 am-5 pm. $10, 62+/college students with valid ID $8, ages 13-17 $7, children 12 and under free. Special exhibits: A Journey Home -- John F. Kennedy and Ireland; Handmade and Heartfelt: Folk Art from the Collections of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
Marine Museum, 70 Water St., Fall River. (508) 674-3533. Exhibits on the Titanic, the Colonial Navy of Massachusetts, the old Fall River Line steamers and New England's maritime heritage; models of the HMS Bounty and Charles W. Morgan. Wed-Fri 10 am-4 pm; Sat noon-5 pm; Sun, holidays 9 am-1 pm. $5, $4 for 62+ and children ages 5-12.
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. (617) 267-9300 or www.mfa.org. Degas to Picasso: Modern Masters; Light My Fire: Rock Posters from the Summer of Love; Laura McPhee: River of No Return, 40 large-scale photographs; Americans in Paris, 1860-1900; On Stage in Osaka. Mon-Tue, Sat-Sun 10 am-4:45 pm; Wed-Fri 10 am-9:45 pm (only the West Wing complex open Thu-Fri until 9:45 pm). $15, seniors/students 18 and older $13, 17 and younger free; free admission Thu 5-8:30 pm.
New Bedford Art Museum, 608 Pleasant St., New Bedford. (508) 961-3072; www.newbedfordartmuseum.org. Daily 10 am-5 pm, Thu until 7 pm. Inviting Response: Celebrating Our First Decade. $3, $2 students/seniors, youth under 17 admitted free with adult; free second Thursday of the month, 5-9 pm.
Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum, Battleship Cove, Central and Water Streets, Fall River. (508) 674-9340; www.ocandfrrailroadmuseum.com. Caboose for visitors to explore, Fall River Trolley display, video theater, railway-safety exhibit. Fri-Sun noon-5 pm. $3, 60+ $2:50, children 3-12 $1.50.
Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. (508) 799-4406; www.worcesterart.org. David Thorpe: A Meeting of Friends; Surrealist Works on Paper; Mountain Harvests: Chinese Jades and Other Treasures Stones. Wed-Sun 11 am-5 pm, Thu 11 am-8 pm, Sat 10 am-5 pm. $10, seniors and students $8, free for youth 17 and under and members. The "Museums on Us" program offers free admission in May for Bank of America and MBNA cardholders and a guest.
CONNECTICUT
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket. (800) 411-9671; www.pequotmuseum.org. Lifesize dioramas, artifacts, art, films and interactive media portray the way of life of the Pequots and other Northeastern woodland Indians tribes. Daily 10 am-4 pm, with last admission at 3 pm. $15, 55+ $13, ages 6-15 $10, children 5 and younger free. Library/archives and special collection hours: Mon-Fri 10 am-4 pm; free admission. Special exhibit: TUSKS! Ice Age Mammoths and Mastadons. Special programs: Family Archaeology, Thu 10 am-3 pm; explore Native archaeology sites around the Cedar Swamp at Mashantucket; participants 10-15 years must be accompanied by a parent; $40, members $30; advance registration; rain date Fri; (860) 396-6839. Atlatl Demonstration, Sat 1-4 pm; learn how indigenous people around the world made and used the atlatl as a device for hunting everything from large mammals in North America to birds and seals in the Arctic and kangaroos in Australia; free with museum admission.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St., Hartford. (860) 278-2670; www.wadsworthatheneum.org. Reflections and Shadows: Impressionism and 19th-Century Style; Eloquent Vistas: The Art of Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography; American Splendor: Hudson River School Masterworks; Shifting Terrain: Contemporary Landscape Photography; Samuel Colt: Arms, Art and Invention. Wed-Fri 11 am-5 pm, Sat-Sun 10 am-5 pm. $10; $8 for students with I.D. and 62+; $5 for children 13 through college (with student ID), free for children 12 and under.
07.19.2006 17:39
Museums: What the critics are saying
"Believing Africa," a small but sparkling exhibit at the Haffenreffer Museum's satellite gallery in Providence, boasts plenty of rare and beautiful objects. But unlike traditional museum displays, which tend to focus on mainly the objects' aesthetic qualities, "Believing Africa" provides viewers with a wealth of background and contextual material.
That means more squinting at wall labels and text panels than some viewers may be used to. But it also seems appropriate, especially since "Believing Africa" deals with a topic -- Africa's rich melting pot of religious practices and traditions -- with which few Americans are familiar.
You'll come away from this terrific little show with a deeper understanding of African spiritual traditions, as well as a new appreciation for the depth of the Haffenreffer's permanent collection.
-- BILL VAN SICLEN
"Degas to Picasso: Modern Masters" is an alternately engaging and frustrating exhibit that charts the gaps and the glories of the modern-art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The show, which closes Sunday, brings together nearly 300 artworks by a Who's Who of modern art. Yet sprinkled here and there, like generic products on a shelf full of brand-name merchandise, are artists of distinctly lesser renown.
The show's sprawling installation doesn't help matters. On the plus side, the sheer number of artworks encourages visitors to pick and choose according to their own tastes and interests. On the minus side, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.
-- BILL VAN SICLEN
"The Art of Golf: Gilded Age to Newport Days," an enjoyable exhibit at the Newport Art Museum, traces golf's Rhode Island roots from the 19th century to the present. Fleshed out with loans from the U.S. Golf Association Museum and Archives in New Jersey, the show features everything from golf-related paintings and photographs to displays of wood-shafted golf clubs and vintage golf trophies.
A companion show, "The Landscape of Golf," features the work of eight contemporary artists invited to paint scenes of the Newport Country Club, with a special emphasis on its historic -- and recently restored -- clubhouse. The result will almost certainly appeal to avid golf fans, while casual viewers may want to play through quickly, leaving more time for the richer rewards of "The Art of Golf."
-- BILL VAN SICLEN
Welcome to the is-it-live-or-is-it-Memorex world of An-My Le, a Vietnam-born photographer whose work is the focus of a thought-provoking exhibit at the RISD Museum. The show features two of Le's most recent projects, both of which put a new spin on the old military catch phrase "the theater of war."
For her "Small Wars" series, Le spent three years following a group of Vietnam War reenactors as they tromped around the Virginia woods, dressed in vintage camouflage gear and toting Vietnam-era rifles and machine guns. The results range from bosky landscapes in which Le's weekend Rambos are all but invisible to action-packed battle scenes that look frighteningly real.
The second series, "29 Palms," focuses on the California military base of the same name. Located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, the base is the prime training facility for Marine units headed to the Middle East.
