THE KANSAS CITY (MISSOURI) ZOO TAKES THREE PENGUINS FOR A PRIVATE TOUR OF A LOCAL ART MUSEUM©

A DELIGHTFUL CULTURAL ARTS MOMENT DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN.

Several weeks ago, the Kansas City Zoo did something so wonderfully engaging that not only did it "perk up my day" when I first heard about this story, but it has continued to make me smile whenever I have thought about it over the following weeks while continuing to shelter-in-place.

Back in May, the Kansas City Zoo's Director took a walk on the wild side to the nearby Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art with a trio of Humboldt penguins from Peru in tow. These adorable flightless birds—Bubbles (5), Maggie (7), and Berkley (8)—took in the Museum's Impressionist and Baroque collections.

According to the Museum’s Director, Julian Zugazagoitia, the birds “seemed, definitely to react much better to Caravaggio than to Monet” despite his anticipation that they would prefer Monet’s cool-toned water lilies. The three penguins, being from Peru, also seemed to “really appreciate it” when Zugazagoitia spoke to them in Spanish.

ABOUT THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM:

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art arose from the instincts and ambitions of two private individuals who shared the dream of providing a public art museum for Kansas City and the surrounding region.

William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star, was convinced that for a city to be truly civilized, art and culture were necessities. When he died in 1915, the bulk of his estate was used to establish the William Rockhill Nelson Trust for the purchase of works of art.

Kansas City school teacher Mary McAfee Atkins had similar aspirations. She provided the city with approximately one-third of her million-dollar estate to purchase the land for a public art museum.

The Nelson estate was combined with Mary Atkins’ legacy to build an art museum for the people of Kansas City.   The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and the Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts opened to the public Dec. 11, 1933. The Main Building was designed by Wight and Wight in the Beaux-Art classical style of architecture.

On June 9, 2007, the Nelson-Atkins unveiled the Bloch Building, an addition designed by Steven Holl Architects, which increased gallery and storage space for the growing collection, which includes art created in various types of media from all over the world -- spanning from antiquity to modern -- representing a wide range of cultures.

(Source: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)

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