Thinking of the perfect gift to give to
the person who has everything? Consider a membership to a cultural
institution (memberships have their privileges after all) or
a gift from one of their shops. These gifts will delight your
family and friends and serve as a sorely needed financial boost
to the institution you choose to support.
The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, has three gift shops
– one on the main floor with a variety of gifts, another on the
fifth floor with ancient-themed gifts relating to its new exhibit,
"Eternal Egypt" and another on the fourth floor with
truly funky, unusual items related to its "Vital Forms"
exhibit.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music giftshop, Shakespeare & Co.
BAMshop, 30 Lafayette Ave., is on the second floor and has gifts
ranging from T-shirts to CDs to books.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden gift shop, located across from the
lily pond (1000 Washington Ave.), has an array of bulb kits ($7.95-$14.95)
and windowsill herb kits at reasonable prices ($3.50-$9.99) which
are easy on the wallet and easy for novice gardeners. Going straight
for the heart? Why not get the colored glass hummingbird feeders
($33.95-$44.95) – a pretty addition to any yard.
Calendars are another gift that everyone needs. Brooklyn Information
and Culture (BRIC), which produces the Celebrate Brooklyn performing
arts series and operates the Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn Heights
is offering its 2002 calendar, titled "A Place Called Brooklyn:
Literary and Photographic Interpretations" ($14.95). To
order, call (718) 855-7882, ext. 10, or visit their Web site,
www.brooklynx.org. The
Brooklyn Museum of Art ("Winslow Homer," $13.95) and
the Brooklyn Botanic Garden ("Trees," $11.95) are also
offering 2002 calendars.
The Brooklyn Youth Chorus’ new soul-stirring CD "Voices
of Harmony" ($18), a collection of 18 songs recorded at
St. Paul’s Church in Cobble Hill, is available via the Web site
www.brooklynyouthchorus.org
or by calling (718) 243-9447.
A membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society ($45) will
get your recipient free admission for a year to the New York
Aquarium [West Eighth Street at Surf Avenue, (718) 265-FISH]
and the Prospect Park Zoo and others. For more information, go
to www.wcs.org/getinvolved.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum (145 Brooklyn Ave.) offers memberships
beginning at $50 (Family Friend) which includes unlimited free
admission for two adults and all children in a family as well
as other benefits. To order, call (718) 735-1798.
The Brooklyn Museum of Art’s membership program begins at $40
for an individual (or $35 for seniors and artists) and $60 for
a family which includes a variety of benefits ranging from discounts
in the Museum gift shop to invitations to preview receptions.
To order a membership, call (718) 638-5000. These discounted
membership rates are good until Dec. 31, 2001.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers memberships tailored for those
who love to visit the Garden (Individual, $35) and for those
who want to work on their own garden (Subscriber, $35) – a good
gift for those who live out of state, as the benefits include
subscriptions to the Garden’s publications and reciprocal privileges
at botanic gardens across the country. To order, call (718) 623-7210.
Brooklyn Academy of Music offers two memberships – one for BAM
events in general (beginning at $75) offering a range of insider
privileges, such as members-only discounts and invitations to
working rehearsals, or a membership to the BAM Cinema Club (beginning
at $60). BAM is now offering bonuses for gift memberships purchased
prior to Jan. 4, 2002. For details go to www.bam.org/asp/membership.asp
or call the membership office at (718) 636-4194.
