Hot Shots

If London's old-world charm and dynamic skyline and the rapidly plummeting pound aren't enough, aspiring travel photographers now have another reason to visit England's capital: the opportunity to compete in a unique contest. Photographic treasure hunts, organized by the innovative events company Shoot Experience, gather teams of two to four participants in hip urban enclaves like Camden, Shoreditch, and Westbourne Grove. Teams receive clues that correspond to local photo opportunities and then spend the day capturing their answers and inspiration on digital cameras. For London neophytes, assistance from maps, mobile devices, and Internet cafés is permitted. Prizes are awarded at the end of the hunt, and for some shutterbugs, fame and fortune could be just a click away. Shoot Experience exhibits select shots from its events at local galleries and sells the images through an online library at ShootBank.net. Photographers maintain their copyrights and receive 50 percent of the proceeds. This month, set your sights on the June 13 Shoot Brixton scavenger hunt. Tickets cost £12.50 (about $18.50) per person, and advance registration is required. shootexperience.com — Amy Syracuse

 

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At Your Fingertips 

Whether you're home or traveling this month, these tomes give you the background on the art in your foreground.

	Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, by Andrew Graham-Dixon ($24.95)	New Architecture: An International Atlas, by Francisco Asensio ($40)	Art: Over 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary, published by Dorling Kindersley ($50)
	Graham-Dixon's account of the history behind those masterful brush strokes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel inspires you to reevaluate the masterpiece Michelangelo never wanted to paint.	Focusing on modernist, minimalist projects that are influenced by climate and culture, Asensio explores geometrically inspired contemporary architecture.	Its 612 pages present short overviews of more than 700 artists and their significant works. Close-ups allow you to see painting details without setting off museum alarms.
	The book explains fine points in terms that an amateur can appreciate and includes 32 pages of color photographs for easy reference.	In addition to beautiful photography, the book features floor plans, site plans, and detailed sketches that explain everything from how glass is anchored to how a bridge might withstand an earthquake.	Each section begins with a timeline of important artistic styles, discussing their origins, influences, and defining techniques. Sections are color-coded, making it easy to browse.
	The detailed descriptions of each ceiling portion may not be the quickest guide when you're actually staring at the work.	There's no alphabetical index for easy reference.	Because it spans a broad timeline and primarily covers American and European artists, some readers might want to delve deeper.
	Rome, London, and Paris: Graham-Dixon offers private tours for small groups, exploring museums in popular European art destinations. andrewgrahamdixon.com	Tokyo: Catch a show, shop, visit the Mitsuo Aida Museum, and dine — all in the International Forum. The main hall, a 124-meter-long structure, designed by Rafael Viñoly and supported by two pillars, has suspended walkways and a roof that resembles a whale skeleton.  t-i-forum.co.jp	Madrid: The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia houses what some critics say is the greatest 20th-century painting: Pablo Picasso's Guernica uses cubist techniques to represent the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. museoreinasofia.es

— Kate Sitarz

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Colombia's New Golden Age

Visitors to Colombia's capital can strike gold once again. Following a four-year-long renovation, all the galleries of the Museo del Oro in Bogotá have reopened. In addition to doubling the exhibition space and expanding the trove of treasures by thousands, the museum has transformed the way it tells the vital — and cyclical — role gold has played in Colombia since precolonial times.

The bright, airy building is neatly divided into four galleries: Working of Metals explores advances in mining and metalsmithing; People and Gold delves into the cultural lives of local indigenous peoples; Cosmology and Symbolism explains the myths that inspired these societies to craft golden birds, cat-men, and body armor; and The Offering examines pieces that the shamans returned to the earth. An excellent audio guide allows non-Spanish speakers to follow along. Admission is free on Sundays. banrep.gov.co/museo

— John Rosenthal

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Cheers

A visit to the Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee starts out like a grade-school trip where everyone has to line up, follow the leader, and listen quietly. But the tour ends in decidedly grown-up style, with samplings of Great Lakes' award-winning artisanal spirits.

Opened in 2006, this is the first new distillery in Wisconsin since the Prohibition era. Free 90-minute tours, offered Fridays at 4:30 and 6 p.m. and Saturday afternoons at 3:30, walk you through the process of producing premium vodka, gin, grappa, and pear brandy in small batches using traditional copper stills. The tasting takes place at the Harley Davidson Museum's restaurant, Motor, which also pours, shakes, and stirs Great Lakes liquors in the bar. greatlakesdistillery.com — L.T.

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Study of Light and Space

Picasso and Pollock would be pleased. Their new home at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, whose works are as abstract and conceptual as those of the two painters. The new Modern Wing, which opened May 16, houses the institute's European and contemporary art collections and includes space for exhibits on photography, design, and architecture. The 264,000-square-foot expansion increases the AIC's gallery space by 30 percent and doubles the educational space, accommodating up to 1,500 students every day.

The limestone, steel, and glass structure makes for a fine artistic display in its own right. With 21,075 square feet of gardens and green space, the extension's design incorporates a giant, two-layered wall of glass that traps sunlight and helps to control the building's climate. An automatic dimming system continually calibrates the right amount of diffused sunlight to perfectly illuminate the galleries, making the entire building a stunning sculpture of glass and light. artic.edu/aic

— Andrew Eitelbach

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Ye Olde Colonial America

History comes to life at Colonial Williamsburg. The town, 50 minutes outside Norfolk, Va., is the world's biggest living history museum, presenting a unique look at life in 18th-century America. This year marks the 30th anniversary of African-American programming at Colonial Williamsburg, which offers hands-on activities and important insights about a painful, yet important part of our nation's history. The programs vary daily and cover such topics as medicine, religion, law, relationships, music, and freedom. Interactive walking tours, music demonstrations, and discussions led by interpreters (actors playing the roles of 18th-century colonials) take place both in the town and at the nearby Great Hopes Plantation. history.org

— Liz Rosenbaum

Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go Explore” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, visit Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.

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Photographs: iStockphoto (London); courtesy of the Bank of the Republic (Museo del Oro)