Horrified, as we all were, by the news from Brussels, I surfed yesterday to the website of a museum there that I’d always wanted to visit—the Musical Instruments Museum.
My jaw dropped when I saw this intro on MIM’s visitor information page:
Everything you need to know to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Tuesday’s supremely “unpleasant surprise,” which forced the closure of all Brussels museums (including MIM), moved me to tweet this:
Sadly ironic: “Everything you need to know to avoid unpleasant surprises”–from @MIMBrussels‘ visitor info webpage. https://t.co/Avjsd54Ugu
— Lee Rosenbaum (@CultureGrrl) March 23, 2016
I never expected a reply to this, let alone a whole conversation:
Although they didn’t identify it in the tweet, the image they sent is this Muselaar Virginal by Antwerp maker Andreas Ruckers, 1633. The Latin proverb on its lid comfortingly says:
Music is a sweet solace for great labors.
After my tweeted exchange with MIM, I came upon this welcome news:
Correction: #mimbrussels will be open from tomorrow, Friday March 25th. Thank you all !
— mim_communications (@mimbrussels) March 24, 2016
Other Brussels museums will reopen tomorrow as well. Life and culture go on…