For the first time in recent memory, my family was able to bring three generations together in Traverse City this past fall to celebrate my mother’s birthday.
So where does the museum director take out-of-town guests when the sky is gray and the wind is blowing?
Inevitably we ended up in the Discovery Gallery at the Dennos Museum Center, where my nephew could enjoy everything from the interactive sound wall to the laser harp. He was mesmerized by the array of contemporary paintings and sculptures, enjoyed gazing out the floor to ceiling glass windows in the museum’s stunning promenade, and had a really hard time deciding what to pick out in the museum store.
He’s also in an “animal and reptile phase” at the moment and took a grinning photograph with Bill Allen’s alligator. I advised against hugging it since it’s steel and very sharp!
We enjoyed a snack break by the lobby desk and chatted with staff, enjoying the coziness that a museum can bring in a world where we are constantly doing, shopping, working, fixing, and caring for others around us. Museums can be the perfect respite from the day-to-day demands that are placed on all of us each and every day.
So if you have family or friends in town this holiday season, I hope you will bring this article to the museum between Wednesday, Dec. 27-30, 2023. Presenting this article (printed or on your mobile device) is good for two free adult passes per family or $10 off our Trailblazer membership thru Dec. 30, 2023. Please accept this small gesture as our way of “giving back” during the holiday season. I hope you can have a wonderful experience just as our family did and make some wonderful memories together.
Each and every one of us at the Dennos consider ourselves fortunate to work in such a terrific museum center supported by the best community you could ask for. Thank you for supporting our exhibitions, concerts, and programs this past year. We couldn’t do it without you.
We hope to see you soon,
Craig
PS: We have one of the best museum membership programs in the nation. Join the Dennos Museum Center as a member at the Trailblazer level and receive free reciprocal membership to more than 2,000 museums nationwide. This includes our partner museums in the NARM, ROAM, and ASTC museum networks.