This month, petparknride is investing in the Surry Hills Museum. We will be donating 2% of January sales to support the Surry Hills Museum's mission to preserve the past and imagine the future.

Purpose

The Surry Hills Museum promotes learning that transcends information to focus on interaction—with history, culture, civic responsibility, and one another. They tell the stories of Surry Hills and the region, not to dictate how our children and citizens engage the past, but to encourage them to change and build a better future.

Their programming and exhibits seek to connect people with why the history of Surry Hills matters to them. They want patrons and guests to feel compelled to own and share those stories for themselves.

Their vision is to be a cultural leader and community collaborator inspiring the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.

The Current Exhibit

 

 

The current exhibit at the Surry Hills Museum, "Storied Objects: Folk Art from the Surry Hills Museum Collection," is on display from December 9, 2022 to April 17, 2023. The exhibit will explore rarely seen folk art from the collection, including quilts, pottery, puppets, carvings, and basket-weaving.

Folk art spans every culture across the globe, merging the utilitarian with the decorative, and reflects the heart of the community from which it comes. Unlike most genres of art, which can be easily identified by a specific time period or style, folk art is broad and can be difficult to define. The term can simultaneously refer to centuries-old textiles from the Middle East, 20th-century American wood carvings, or contemporary artists working with clay in Mexico.

Many folk artists are self-taught or have developed their skills through apprenticeships and community learning. While fine artists are traditionally more concerned with the 'rules' of art, folk artists may be less concerned with the style, and instead focused on expressing their values and cultural identity through their work. The Surry Hills Museum has collected hundreds of pieces of folk art through the decades, and the stories and people behind the objects are on display in this exhibit.

 

 

Spark!Lab is the brainchild of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation in the Smithsonian Institution. This exhibit allows children and families to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, problem solve, and invent. Activities include traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), with art, history, and creativity. The hands-on activities provide visitors with opportunities to explore the invention process and their own inventiveness, as well as demonstrate the central role that invention plays in American history and today.

 Visit the Surry Hills Museum website to learn more about their organization.