The Women of World War I

Where: American History Museum, Third Floor East exhibit case

When: closing April 28, 2019

When one thinks of Americans serving in WWI, the image of a fresh-faced doughboy comes to mind, or, more realistically, the image of a young man with a thousand-yard stare, covered in mud from the trenches.  What both of these pictures leaves out is the large number of women who also served during the "Great War."

Even before the U.S. entered the war, women volunteered with social service and religious organizations.  Over 20,000 volunteered for the Navy Nurse Corps, and 13,000 filed the ranks of the Navy and Marine Corps, doing office jobs that freed up the men to fight.  In the Army Signal Corps, there were 450 female telephone operators.

Of course, as women were nursing and administrating and signaling in the military, they were also fighting for the right to vote at home.  I'm assuming that the work women did during the war, including taking over jobs at home that there were no men to do, helped lawmakers to see that they could be entrusted with the vote.

This display includes the uniforms of several women who worked, either at home or abroad, during WWI.  As we head into the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote, I'm hoping we see more of these informative shows that highlight the role of women in American history.

Verdict: If you're in the museum, be sure to give this a look while you're on the third floor.

No Pottery, No Problem

Where: Freer Gallery of Art

When: closing mid-April 2019

First, I'm happy to report that the weekly mindfulness meditation class has returned to the Freer.  It's held on Tuesdays, starting  at 12:15.  The teacher is great, and it's a wonderful way to take a moment of relaxation in the midst of a stressful day.

And after the class, you can work in a visit to the Freer's collection - another way to take a break.  This week, I saw "The Peacock Room Revealed," which is the Peacock Room without any pottery on the shelves.  The gallery has removed the pieces that were there (I confess, I can't recall what they were - maybe that collection of lots of different styles that I saw several years ago), and while the staff is preparing to install a collection of blue and white porcelain, the shelves are empty.

Rather than bemoaning the emptiness, the Freer is billing this as a way to see the room all the more clearly.  And they're right.  I walked away with a greater appreciation of the room itself, when I wasn't distracted by other works of art.

Verdict: Even if you've visited the Peacock Room before, take a few moments to visit again.  You'll be surprised at what you notice.

A Far Better Location than the Hirshhorn Lobby

Where: Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, Kogod Courtyard

When: closing April 28, 2019

One of the best things about winter in Washington is the return of the orchid exhibit at the Smithsonian.  In my view, there's no better location for this than the Natural History Museum.  It's set in a tucked-away space, far from the more popular (and populous) exhibits, and you feel transported to a tropical paradise when you enter.  I especially like to go on a day that's cold, grey and miserable, so I can enjoy the contrast all the more.

In 2017, much to my chagrin and dismay, the display was put in the lobby of the Hirshhorn.  Not enough room, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, stuck on shelves, rather than planted in a natural looking setting - it was dreadful.  This year, the display has moved to the National Portrait Gallery/SAAM, to the covered courtyard in the middle of the building.

This location is superior to the Hirshhorn in every way.  Lots of room to move around and see the beautiful flowers, real displays - no horrible white shelving, and a quieter atmosphere all around.  The fact that this is only a block from my office is a great benefit to myself, but obviously, it could be nearer or farther from your own place.  I'll say that I still prefer the Natural History site - it's more like entering a different world, but this is so much better that I shall not quibble.

Our theme for this year's extravaganza is adaptation.  Orchids make themselves at home on every continent except Antarctica (there's even some that live in the Arctic), so they are masters at survival.  There are 28,000 different species, and in addition to living in soil, they also live on rocks and on other plants.   They fool insects into thinking they are prey or mates, but rather than getting food or sex, the insects wander off, spreading orchid pollen as they go.

And they have different aromas: sweet smells for bees and rotting smells for flies.  Happily, in this show, I only smelled pleasant scents, so some kind person decided to leave the rancid varieties off display.  They come in all different shapes, sizes and colors - just like people, as the notes remind us.  They also perform a vital service as a sort of "canary in the coal mine"; when they fail to thrive, it's an indication that something is wrong in the habitat.

In addition to the lovely flowers, I also enjoyed learning about the work of the Smithsonian Gardens and the U.S. Botanic Gardens.  Both organizations are members of CITES, rescuing illegally imported orchids and other plants.  They work around the world to preserve orchids and their habitats - this is important work, and I'm glad the shutdown is over, so the Smithsonian can get back to it.

This show is part of a year long series of displays and programs called Habitat, that will go on throughout the Smithsonian Gardens - I look forward to seeing what else in on their agenda.  Fun fact: the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection started in 1974 with five plants; they now have approximately 8,000 specimens.

Verdict: Don't just see this once!  The flowers rotate every week, so there's always something new to see.

An Eyewitness to History

Where: American Art Museum

When: closing April 7, 2019

Bill Traylor saw a lot in his long life.  Born into slavery in 1853, he moved in the late 1920s to segregated Montgomery, Alabama.  At the end of the 1930s, when he was in his eighties and living on the street, he began to draw and paint.  Over the course of about ten years, he created over 1,000 works of art.

I was struck by the certainty expressed in the wall notes for this show.  It could well be that, as the curators posit, these are depictions of his life, both the times he remembered in the country and the times he was experiencing in the city.  But how do we know that?  He's not here to tell us, and I saw no references to writings or interviews in which Traylor explained his work.

Traylor's perspective is often that of someone looking up at events.  People are depicted on the roofs of houses, or balanced on something above the viewer's natural sightline.  Might this be because his memories of country life include his childhood and this is a child's perspective?  Or might he be sitting on the street in Montgomery, watching people go by above him?  Possibly.

Drinking plays a large part in much of Traylor's work.  It seems to indicate a loss of control, a cause of people acting out their emotions in wild ways.  What I'm uncertain about is whether this is meant to be good or bad.  Is this a teetotaler showing the evils of demon drink?  Is this a cry for people to act against terrible circumstances?  I don't know.

Verdict: This is a fine show of an artist that offers much food for thought.  I'm certain he's communicating something in his works, but I'm not sure what it is.  I recommend you see this and judge for yourself.

Not Sure What I'm Looking At Here

Where: National Gallery of Art Library, East Building

When: closing April 12, 2019

This library display contains selections from the Evans-Tibbs Archive of African American Art.  The pieces are interesting and give the viewer an insight into the art world as experienced by African Americans in the late 20th century.  I particularly liked reading about Mr. Imagination, whose work has a lot in common with the tinfoil sculpture at the American Art Museum - my favorite Smithsonian object.  And now I know about Howardena Pindell, who railed against the lack of diversity in gallery and museum exhibits.  The Guerrilla Girls carry on her important work today.

My beef is that there's no explanation at the show itself of who Tibbs was or why his collection is important or how it came to the National Gallery.  You can learn about it online, but a couple of paragraphs at the display would have been helpful.

Verdict: If you are thinking of seeking out exhibits about African American history this February, put this on your list.  But look at the website before you go.

A Moving Small Show

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building

When: closing April 21, 2019

In 2005, the photographer Dawoud Bey traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to see if he could create a work to commemorate the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church.  He spent a lot of time in Birmingham, getting to know many people there.

In 2012, he created a series of paired portraits.  In each pair, there is a young person, the same age as the children who were murdered (either in the bombing itself or in the violence that raged afterwards) and a person the same age as those children would be now, had they lived.

His goal was to make the victims less of an abstraction and reveal their humanity.  Because it's a lot harder to look away from actual human suffering than it is to look away from statistics.

In the second room is a video he created that is also in two parts.  One is a drive through Birmingham in a car, with the camera placed at a child's viewpoint.  The other is a camera moving through various locations: a lunch counter, a barbershop.  The music, composed by Bey's son, is haunting.

Verdict: This is a very small show - only two rooms, but it's a show worth seeing.

Something Great at the Hirshhorn

Where: Hirshhorn Museum

When: closing April 28, 2019

It's possible I've posted two laudatory Hirshhorn write-ups back to back before, but I'm going to guess this is the first time ever.  As long-time readers know, I usually can't say enough bad things about the brutalist nightmare that is the Smithsonian's collection of modern art, but I'm telling you, they've got themselves something great on now, and you need to run right out and see it.

It's called "Pulse," and the artist is Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.  He sets up installations that are powered by the pulse (hence the name) of you, the viewer.  You put your finger or your palm on a little gizmo (technical term), and lights flicker or water moves in time to your heartbeat.  I could discuss the interplay of art and technology, or I could place Lozano-Hemmer in a long line of artists who have used the human heart in their work, but I'm willing to bet someone else will do that.

What I'm going to tell you is to go to this show because it's fun.  This show is literally what you make it.  The final room has not only flickering lights but a "soundtrack" of heartbeats - I was transported back to a childhood trip to the Franklin Institute, walking through their model of the human heart.

Verdict: In all of the chaos that is DC at this moment, sometimes, you just need to have a good time.  If you have a heartbeat, this show is for you.