Swimming, diving, weight lifting, track and field, volleyball, and the list goes on! We all love the Olympics, but did you know that your very own local museums love the Olympics just as much as you do? Museums across the country are combining art and sports on the Twittersphere with the hashtag “MuseumOlympics.”
A cheeky way of introducing art to Olympics-lovers, the online banter pokes fun at beloved art works and their “potential” in the sports world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rubin Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and the Morgan Library and Museum have been regular contributors to the #MuseumOlympics.
The Rubin Museum of Art, specializing in Himalayan art, has updated its Twitter feed with images of Hindu gods who would, no doubt, have no problems in any Olympics sport:
@RubinMuseum
Off to a late start, but we think this 1000 armed Avalokiteshvara can win gold in pretty much any event #MuseumOlympics http://pic.twitter.com/LyLX40oc
The Morgan, a museum focusing on literary manuscripts and drawings, offered this tweet of a Correggio drawing:
@MorganLibrary
The one-tenth point reduction clearly disappoints our usually composed athlete http://bit.ly/OwTNa4 #MuseumOlympics
The Folk Art Museum, located at Columbus Circle, found an image of a copper Indian who they argue would be the perfect addition to the museum archery team:
@FolkArtMuseum
Our archers are ready, and they're shooting for gold. http://bit.ly/MmoErf #MuseumOlympics
The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located downtown in Battery Park right on the water, joined in the fun with an photograph from their collection depicting women in bathing suits:
@MJHnews
More from the Catskills: Is synchronized posing & flirting an Olympic sport? http://bit.ly/N1R6N5 Join the conversation at #MuseumOlympics
Not only are these museums highlighting their own artworks, they are also interacting with other museums across the country, playfully trying to distract them from “winning” any races or teasing potentially “losing” teams.
San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum tweeted an image of an ivory statuette depicting a boy with a puppy:
@asianartmuseum
@MorganLibrary If you don't win #MuseumOlympics, hugging it out is good. Or a puppy pile. Puppies make things better http://bit.ly/N5Vnxo
The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, teased participants with their 19th-century Tennyson vase:
@cmoa
#MuseumOlympics - Compete all you want, we already have the trophy :) - ht.ly/cHjdZ
The Royal Ontario Museum, Canada, jumped in on the excitement, but posted a disappointment from the start:
@ROMtoronto
T-Rex wanted to be on the archery team, but, you know....short arms :-( #museumolympics http://pic.twitter.com/AeRl4K19
Followers have been loving the interaction between museums, watching the online chitchat as much as the live television events:
Victoria Baranow tweets:
@BavarianCowRiot
Apparently my way of getting excited about the #Olympics is by reading #MuseumOlympics tweets.
Kelly Crow, who just posted an article for the Wall Street Journal, wrote:
@KellyCrowWSJ
So is anyone WINNING #museumolympics yet?? I need a medal count! @sfmoma
All in all, I’d consider all of our New York museums winners in the #MuseumOlympics. With outstanding, strong works of art as participants, there’s no limit as to how far the teams can go!
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