MUSINGS: WHICH CELEBRITY MUSEUM MOMENT ARE YOU?

WALK OF FAME

BY: MADELINE SMOLARZ

Celebrities are hard to ignore, and this includes in the museum world. Unexpected visits can cause media storms, their appearance at events can give the museum’s image a boost (well, depending on their reputation…), and many are philanthropists of arts and culture institutions and initiatives. It seems few can turn away from the shine of the stars.

With the sudden, epic rise of “Pratt-Keeping” on social media following the June 12, 2015 release of Jurassic World, many of us have celebrities and museums on our minds. Chris Pratt isn’t the first famous individual to have been linked to an institution that falls under the museum umbrella, intentionally or not. Have you ever found yourself wondering which memorable celebrity museum moment you would be? Of course you have. Wonder no more, dear Musings readers. It’s quiz time again. Sit back and indulge - it’s Friday, after all!

This example of Pratt-Keeping from the Smithsonian might be the best yet. Source.

Unlike my last quiz, the system I have implemented below is based on points. Please record the point value of each of your answers, total them up when you are done, and then use your final tally to uncover your result and the museum you’re associated with.

THE QUIZ

Question 1: Choose an artefact / artwork.

a) A dinosaur skeleton. – 5 points
b) An Easter Island head. – 3 points
c) The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. – 4 points
d) A Picasso portrait. – 1 point
e) The Mona Lisa. – 6 points
f) A famous piece of fashion. – 2 points

Question 2: What would be your dream location to live?

a) Chicago. – 1 point
b) New York. – 3 points
c) A Costa Rican island. – 5 points
d) Barbados. – 2 points
e) Egypt. – 4 points
f) Paris. – 6 points

Question 3: Pick an outfit.

a) A vibrantly coloured ball gown with a minimum 5-foot train. – 2 points
b) Something that incorporates a leather vest and a knife in my belt. – 5 points
c) A flowing dress or skirt with my favourite bangles. – 4 points
d) Anything designer. – 6 points
e) As long as it’s not my work uniform, I’m happy. – 3 points
f) My best throwback 80s getup. – 1 points

Question 4: If your life was a movie, who would be your sidekick?

a) My significant other. – 6 points
b) My two best friends. – 1 point
c) A bumbling sibling. – 4 points
d) Who needs a sidekick? – 2 points
e) Three raptors. – 5 points
f) My son / daughter. – 3 points

Question 5: Which special talent / skill would you rather have?

a) Talking to artefacts. – 3 points
b) A unique singing voice. – 6 points
c) Wild animal wrangling. – 5 points
d) Expert-level knowledge of an ancient civilization. – 4 points
e) No-fail hooky skills. – 1 point
f) Memorable style. – 2 points

Question 6: What do you do to relax?

a) Go anywhere that’s not work. It’s way too stressful there. – 3 points
b) Take a day off and have an unplanned adventure. – 1 point
c) Tear around on my motorcycle. – 5 points
d) Travel. – 2 points
e) Visit a famous artistic masterpiece. – 6 points
f) Read a book on my favourite subject. – 4 points

THE ANSWERS

If your score is between 0 and 6, you are…

Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” – The Art Institute of Chicago

This 1986 classic revolves around a young high school student who just wants a day off. Broderick's character teams up with his two best friends to have an adventure in Chicago while managing to escape the wrath of their principal and families. One sequence depicts the trio interacting with and responding to various works of art at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sloane, Ferris, and Cameron gaze at some Picasso portraits. Source.

If your score is between 7 and 12, you are…

Rihanna dressed for the Costume Institute Gala – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The annual Costume Institute Gala at the Met has become a star-studded affair, with flocks of celebrities sporting designer clothing often specially crafted with the year's theme in mind. In recent years, musician Rihanna has quickly become the most-watched attendee as her outfits are often the most extravagant.

Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala. The theme was "China: Through The Looking Glass," the title of it's current exhibition. Source.

If your score is between 13 and 18, you are…

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley in “Night at the Museum” – The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History

Who hasn't started a new job and found out it's not exactly what you expected? The museum Larry Daley works at has artefacts that come to life at night. The film and its two sequels are nearly entirely set in the National Museum of Natural History in New York, making it a very popular destination for fans of the film since the first one was released in 2006.

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley, striking a Zoolander-esque pose in a main hall of the NMNH. Source.

If your score is between 19 and 24, you are…

Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan in “The Mummy” – The Cairo Museum of Antiquities

We first meet Weisz's character in the library of the Cairo Museum where she accidentally knocks down all of the bookshelves in a room while working. The Museum appears a few other times in The Mummy trilogy in pivotal scenes and it is Evelyn's vast knowledge - no doubt gained in part through visits to the Museum and it's library - that drives the storyline. It is now known as The Egyptian Museum.

A snippet of Evelyn's introductory scene sequence. That poor library. Source.

If your score is between 25 and 30, you are…

Chris Pratt as Owen Grady in “Jurassic World” – zoos / natural history museums

This memorable scene was mentioned in this article already. Pratt's character Owen Grady has a special bond with a group of raptors he is in the middle of training when he has to rescue a worker from their pen, leading him to assert his dominance over them in the now-iconic scene.

Pratt as Owen Grady, calming the raptors long enough for his colleague to escape. Source.

If your score is over 31, you are…

Beyoncé posing with the Mona Lisa with husband Jay Z – The Louvre

The multi-talented Beyoncé, known best for her singing career, and her equally musically-inclined rapper husband Jay Z paid a visit to the Louvre in the fall of 2014. Their photo in front of the Mona Lisa exploded on social media; it's nearly impossible to take one on a regular, crowded day at the famed gallery. The couple apparently paid for the gallery to be opened for their private perusal.