Welcome back to my blog. It's been a couple of months since my last post. Since then, I have added a few things. Please feel free to check out the additions of Portraits, For Sale and Contact in the upper right corner.
As the dark days of winter are upon us I've decided it's time to post again. In looking back on my last site I have come to realize that I began to share with you our trip to Washington D.C. from last year but never finished. It seems I got as far as Buildings and Nature. In keeping with the organizational assistance of using my main theme keywords we are going to jump to the topic of Art, in Washington D.C. Yes, it's a bottomless topic and never ending. It is everywhere in that city, all the time. You'll find it in buildings, ON buildings, out in public and of course, in the countless museums. I present to you, a smattering of things I found interesting.
Oh my goodness, I've put some random things in here...I'll do my best to remember what they are.
We found these rocks and others like it in the unmarked enslaved persons burial ground at Mt. Vernon. One of the earliest descriptions of the enslaved burial ground at Mount Vernon came from the journal of Caroline Moore, who visited Mount Vernon on Tuesday, April 30, 1833, when the property was still owned by the Washington family. Moore reflected on her visit, specifically noting the presence of the burial ground. Moore noted, "Our guide first took us to the tomb where the remains of General Washington are now interred. They were removed from the old tomb about 3 years since....Near his Tomb, you see the burying place of his slaves, containing 150 graves. We then walked to the Old tomb, which is situated on the Bank of the Potomac; it is in a very ruinous condition." These stones are obviously a recent form of recognition as to who was put in the ground in this area.
This helicopter was part of a middle school project as near as we could tell. There were several drawings placed along the Vietnam Memorial Wall. It's hard to tell if they were placed under a particular person's name or not. Some of these kids were REALLY talented!
I believe both of these installations were found at the same museum, The Hirshorn. Many museums in D.C. are connected to the Smithsonian and have free entry. We barely scratched the surface.
We loved this room in particular, found in the Asian Art Museum. It represents a Tibetan Monastery and totally reminded us of the chanting we heard inside the monastery in Tengboche along the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal.
This is just a small example of art on the grounds of a museum.
This mural was across the street of a restaurant we ate at. It's a smoke shop.
Near the Vietnam Memorial was this sculpture celebrating the brave nurses who took care of people in that war. Dedicated in 1993, the Vietnam Women's Memorial pays tribute to the more than 265,000 women who served during the Vietnam era.
President Bill Clinton dedicated the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial on May 2, 1997. Different from the previous presidential memorials, the FDR Memorial uses elements of stone, water, and landscaping to tell the story of FDR’s presidency in a more approachable way. Quotes are at eye level and the statues are at or close to ground level and were meant to be touched. The memorial consists of five outdoor rooms- one as a prologue and four for the unprecedented four terms of FDR. The fountains and pools placed throughout the memorial represent the important role water played in FDR’s life. The water features and the stones also help set the tone during different times in his presidency, from the reflection to chaos.
The five men above are standing in a bread line during the Great Depression.
The Portrait Gallery is a must see. It had more than portraits and also some beautiful stained glass. If you like interior art I suggest visiting the Library of Congress. The building was stunning with all of it's stained glass and structure.
I'm not even sure where we saw this bench but it is a shining example of art being everywhere.
This was a moving exhibit in the Holocaust Museum. It depicts images from a town full of people that was wiped out by the Nazis. It's interactive and with an iPad you can hear the stories of each family or group of friends.
The African American Museum was intense, as you can well imagine. It has four floors of incredible exhibits held on seven floors, three of which are underground. In order to take it all in one would need several days.
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Oh my, as you say, so many things!! Many of these pieces speak to uncomfortable truths. I hope we can protect them from the current erasure impulse. We have to be able to be honest with ourselves.
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A great representation of what can be enjoyed and seen in DC, even though it only scratches the surface...Great job as usual!