COVID-19 kept the majority of people home. Not only were schools, social events, sports all cancelled or moved online, many of people’s travel plans were postponed and or revoked. Whether visiting family in another state or looking to visit a famous landmark, so many of us have been homebound these past months.
I have found how a way to travel the globe without leaving my house. In fact, I have had the opportunity over the past four months to attend cooking classes, virtually walk the streets of London on a Harry Potter tour, participate in art and history lectures, and even listen to conversations with internationally acclaimed designers, writers, and health experts. I learned to make gnocchi with a chef in Italy and tagine cooking in Morocco. I made steak and frites and traveled to Brazil to watch a chef demonstrate classic Brazilian cooking.
Indagare is a travel company and their mission is to inspire and empower people to change their lives through travel. When the pandemic hit this travel company created a global classroom hosting virtual travel and exploration for all.
This week our excursions include virtual adventures from Ancient Egypt and Rome to the worlds of Marie Antoinette and Harry Potter. My daughter and I travel virtually, as well as bake and taste our way around the globe starting with a backyard safari, a beekeeping and baking class, pizza-making, painting and photography lessons, among other activities.
After participating in a Lecture with Q&A: Contemporary Black Art in America I was introduced to amazing artists, some who I already knew and others I was enamored to learn more about:
- Kerry James Marshall
- Sam Gilliam
- Mark Bradford
- Lorna Simpson
- Nari Ward
- Hank Willis Thomas
- Rashid Johnson
- Nick Cave
- Mickalene Thomas
- Kehinde Wiley
- Fred Wilson
- Simone Leigh
- Toyin Ojih Odutola
- Wole Lagunju
- Devan Shimoyama
- Grace Lynne Haynes
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby
- Tschabalala Self
- Kara Walker
- Julie Mehretu
- Derrick Adams
- Wangechi Mutu
- Charles Gaines
- Faith Ringgold
- Betye Saar
- Howardena Pindell
There is a lot talk about learning loss during COVID-19 but that does not have to be the case. So many companies like Indagare are providing free content for the public. You can take virtual tours of many museums that still remain closed. Multiple museums are offering online lectures and Zoom conversations with authors, artists, and historians like The Jewish Heritage Museum in New York and the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
- Anne Frank House Website
- Anne Frank Video Diary Initiative
- Historical context around the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
- Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl
- A graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary for children
- A memoir by Miep Gies, one of the helpers who hid the Franks
- Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition catalogue
If you are like me with an appetite for learning, travel, and enhancing your mind, body, and spirit there are so many valuable virtual experiences for everyone. If you are looking for more options, also consider:
King Arthur Baking’s “The Isolation Baking Show”
The Teaching Factor 