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A new exhibition highlighting Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens opened in January at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The display features and examines Ruben’s most famed work, The Death of Adonis, as well as more than 25 pieces by 17th century Flemish and Italian painters. http://www.english.imjnet.org.il

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney will re-open on 31 March 2012 as a bold, new and expanded museum. Following an A$53million (approx £32.7million) redevelopment, the museum will be transformed into a major cultural centre for contemporary art and creative learning. The MCA is Australia’s only museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists. The opening weekend (31 March and 1 April 2012) will see a week-long series of launch events including a dynamic schedule of free artist talks and public programmes. The museum will open with Marking Time, an international exhibition that will explore the ways in which artists visualise time and its passing across diverse media. www.mca.com.au

Some of the biggest names in photography chose selected rising talents they believe to be most influential in the changing face of photography for a new exhibit, titled “State of the Art Photography.” The exhibit, featuring collections and installations by the more than 40 selected artists, is open from Feb. 4 through May 6 in one of Düsseldorf, Germany’s premier art venues, NRW Forum, a museum that specializes in photographic and new media collections.

The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (a.k.a., the Mob Museum) is set to open on Valentine’s Day in downtown Las Vegas.

The museum provides the true story of the mob via interactive exhibits and multi-sensory experiences. Artifacts include the St. Valentine’s Day Wall, where, in Chicago on Feb. 14, 1929, seven men affiliated with the Bugs Morgan gang were shot to death, reportedly by the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone.

Another artifact is the barber chair where Albert Anastasia was sitting when he was killed in New York City on Oct. 25, 1957. Artifacts belonging gangsters including Capone, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Ben “Bugsy” Siegel and Mickey Cohen also are on display. Included are weapons, jewelry and other personal belongings, as well as photographs.

Among the interactive elements, visitors can shoot a Tommy gun, listen to real FBI surveillance tapes on wiretapping equipment, take part in FBI weapons training, and hear evidentiary wiretaps, learning the meaning of what is being said and decoded.

The 41,000-square-foot museum features approximately 17,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors, plus a retail store, special event areas, educational areas and office space. Museum hours, though subject to change, are Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 8 p.m. Admission (plus tax) is $18 for adults; $12 for children ages 5 to 17 and students ages 18 to 23 with ID; $14 for seniors, military, law enforcement personnel and teachers; and $10 for Nevada residents of all ages.

Put on your birthday hats and take out your noise makers because Arizona is celebrating its 100th birthday as a state on Feb. 14, and Scottsdale’s hotels, resorts and museums are taking notice.

Stay in Scottsdale’s Old Town, a place that’s reminiscent of the Wild West, when you take advantage of The Saguaro’s Centennial Package. Each week until March 1, 2012, the first 100 visitors to book rooms at Scottsdale hottest new hotel will receive a $100 room rate when using the promotional code PROPEN. Take note of the Sonoran Desert’s vibrancy, manifested in the hotel’s bold color palette of yellows, oranges, pinks, and greens. Celebrate the rustic nature of an old Western town at The Saguaro’s Old Town Whiskey, a bar evocative of frontier drink parlors.

Check out the boundless beauty of the Sonoran Desert during a stay at The Boulders Resort with its Grand Centennial Tour package, which includes three nights in a luxury private casita, round trip airport transportation, daily breakfast for two, a dinner for two at the resort’s signature restaurant, Latilla, a couple’s massage, a desert photo tour and a hot air balloon excursion for two. During your stay, you’ll find out why Arizona is called the Grand Canyon State during a narrative helicopter tour over Arizona’s most recognizable landmark, also part of the package. Your tour includes a pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River, a pit stop at the Glass Skywalk, a visit to a Native American village, a hike and lunch. Package rates are $2,012 for single occupancy and $4,024 for double occupancy.

Beginning on Feb. 18, the Musical Instrument Museum will add its voice to the statewide centennial celebration through a special exhibition, “I Am AZ Music: MIM Celebrates 100 Years of Arizona Music.” The aptly named exhibition includes more than 30 exhibits that tell the story of Arizona’s history through a musical lens. You’ll be introduced to Phoenix classics such as Canyon Records, which was founded more than 60 years ago by media pioneers Ray and Mary Boley, and specializes in producing and distributing Native American music. You’ll get a look at the lives of musical instrument manufacturers based in Arizona, such as the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, Yaqui drum and rattle maker Alex Maldonado, classical guitar maker Brian Dunn and Apache fiddle maker Anthony Belvado. From cowboy tunes and mariachi music to the traditional social dance music performed by the Tohono O’odham, the exhibition will feature all things synonymous with “Arizona music,” including a unique video project in which musicians, instrument makers and community members show off their talents and discuss the role music has played in their lives. Included as part of the general admission ticket, you can experience this one-of-a-kind exhibit through Jan. 6, 2013.

Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the developer of the Saadiyat Island development in Abu Dhabi, announced new opening dates for the museums of the Saadiyat Cultural District, including Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2015, Zayed National Museum in 2016 and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017. These museums are strategic components of the Abu Dhabi government’s vision for development. The timeline was finalized in coordination with partners and advisors, Agence France Muséums, The British Museum and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

“The museums of the Saadiyat Cultural District will help to establish Abu Dhabi as one the world’s leading tourism and cultural destinations, and will encourage communication between different cultures,” according to the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Substantial work has already been completed on the museums. Detailed architectural designs have now been finalized, as well as all foundation and piling work. Growing teams with regional expertise that will operate each institution are undergoing comprehensive training, and the acquisition of the vast and diverse art and artifact collections for each is well underway.

Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Jean Nouvel, Louvre Abu Dhabi is set to be the first universal museum in the Arab world, and will showcase art from different civilizations and cultures. It will display paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, manuscripts and objects of historical, cultural and sociological significance from the ancient to the contemporary. The distinguishing feature of Louvre Abu Dhabi is its 180-meter-diameter dome, with intricate perforations, designed to resemble rays of sunlight passing through date palm fronds and diffusing light below.

An institution conceived as a place for discussion, learning, and inspiration, Zayed National Museum will tell the story of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s life, while exploring the history and culture of the UAE. Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Lord Norman Foster designed the museum, and its towers are reminiscent of the wing tips of the falcon, a symbol of the cultural heritage of the UAE. Zayed National Museum will have seven permanent gallery displays as well as a temporary exhibition program and library.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a transnational platform for contemporary art that will present the most important artistic achievements of our time. Global in perspective, it is a platform for local, regional and global contemporary art and culture. Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winning Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s design echoes gulf architecture, incorporating dramatic conical forms as a modern twist on the region’s traditional wind-towers.

Regis Galerie, located in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, specializes in art collectibles including rare, authentic Asian art pieces. The collection includes a variety pieces ranging from hand-carved jade and ivory sculptured figures dating as far back as the 1800′s, to original samurai suits used on the fields of battle. These intricate pieces share stories and the history and culture of China in exquisite detail. Photos of pieces in the collection are available.
For more information, please visit: www.regisgalerie.com

Entertaining and cultural, this fabulous package is perfect for family fun.

The exclusive Manhattan Museum Package is available ONLY at Hilton New York Fashion District, Hilton Times Square, Doubletree Suites by Hilton Times Square, Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan New York City, Hilton Garden Inn New York/West 35th Street, Hilton Garden Inn Times Square and Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square North – and includes overnight stay PLUS two tickets to the American Museum of Natural History, 2-for-1 admission to the Skyscraper Museum and discount coupons for Madame Tussauds New York, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, BODIES the Exhibition, Old Castle Restaurant, City Crab and Seafood Restaurant, Metropolitan Museum of Art Store and Children’s Museum of Manhattan.

Book our Manhattan Museum Package today by visiting www.hilton.com/nyc-museum or by calling 1-800-HILTONS and requesting plan code Li or Li1. Package is available now through June 30, 2012.

The only indigenous people in the EU area, the Sámi, are getting their own cultural center in Inari, Finnish Lapland. The Sami Cultural Centre Sajos opened on Jan. 2 to become the headquarters for Sámi culture and administration. The purpose of Sajos is to preserve and develop Sámi culture and the variety of Sámi languages, to create better possibilities for Sámi business ventures and to manage their cultural self-government.

Sajos is the new home of the Finnish Sámi Parliament and a bastion of multiculturalism. The center aims to actively communicate on all issues concerning the Sámi. Sámi traditions run deep in their native area, which covers largely the northern parts of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. Traditional sources of livelihood include reindeer herding, hunting, fishing and handicraft.

The Sámi are known for their mythical tales and a belief in everything having a soul. Sámi shamanism is a well-known concept in Finland. According to Sámi legend, the Northern Lights are caused by a fox running across the Arctic who falls and lights up the sky with sparks flying from its tail whirling up the snow. The modern Finnish term “revontulet,” meaning “the fox’s fires,” derives from this myth. For more information, email siida@samimuseum.

The Mob Museum, which opens on Valentine’s Day in downtown Las Vegas, is offering special event rentals and group ticket sales. The 41,000-square-foot historic venue offers experiential and interactive experiences for event attendees, including artifacts, interactive touch screens and other ways to engage with law enforcement and organized crime materials.

For example, during a party, guests can “shoot” a simulated Tommy gun, listen to real FBI surveillance tapes on wiretapping equipment, and take part in FBI weapons training.

The museum features several rooms that accommodate groups of 10 to 400 people. The building that houses the museum is a former federal courthouse and United States Post Office, which is listed on the Nevada and National Registers of Historic Places and is the site of one of 14 national Kefauver hearings that took place to expose and control organized crime in America.

It also houses the same courtroom where former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, once the mob’s go-to attorney, defended mobsters like Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, Meyer Lansky and Anthony Spilotro.

The museum features 17,000 square feet of exhibition space on three floors in addition to a retail store, special event areas, educational areas and office space. Admission is $18 plus tax for adults ages 18 and over; $12 plus tax for children ages 5 to 17 and students ages 18 to 23 with ID; $14 plus tax for seniors, military, law enforcement and teachers; and $10 plus tax for Nevada residents of all ages. Museum hours will be Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.