A Little Taste of What Awaits

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through January 31, 2017

If, like me, you're still waiting to go to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, seeing a model of the museum will either give you a tiny substitute until you're able to go, or make the waiting all the more excruciating.

For me, I was able to savor it as a preview of coming attractions, as I have a ticket to see the museum in April!  Expect a blog post on my experience, obviously.

Verdict: Great or awful, depending on your point of view.

First 3-D Printed Presidential Life Mask and Bust

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through December 31, 2014

This is a great time of year to visit the Castle - it's decorated for the holidays with a big tree and other greenery, festive without being overwhelming.   Another reason to wander over is to see a bust and life mask of President Obama - the first president to have these made using 3-D printing technology.

Staff from the National Portrait Gallery used some really cutting-edge tools to scan the President for the bust and life mask - both banks of LED lights and handheld devices.  The results are on display this month at the far end of the Castle, where the exhibit of items from various Smithsonian museums are located.

Along with President Obama, two 3-D printed versions of the life masks of President Lincoln are also on display.  When you think about how uncomfortable and time-consuming it must have been in the 1800s to have plaster put all over your face to create a life mask, you realize that the 21st century's version - a few seconds sitting in a chair - is a vast improvement.

The idea is that the 3-D printer creates an objective picture of reality, as opposed to paintings or sculptures, which are inherently non-objective.  Of course, the same case has been made for photography, and I've seen more than one exhibit demonstrating that the camera certainly does lie.  Whether the same is true of the 3-D printer, I think we'll have to wait to see.

If you're interested in learning more about the process of making the images, see this short video at the Smithsonian Magazine website: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/president-obama-now-first-president-to-be-3D-scanned-printed-180951784/?utm_source=gosmithsoniannewsletter&no-ist

Verdict: If you're heading over to the Castle, make sure to have a look.  I'm sure this technology will be commonplace some day, but it's still pretty exciting today.

LEGO Model of the Smithsonian Castle

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through August 5, 2014

Two displays at the Castle simultaneously!  A great treat for those of us who like the building. 

This Lego model is next to the guard station by the exit that leads to the Haupt Garden.  It's just what you think it is - a model of the Castle made out of over 45,000 Lego bricks.  It's quite good, and done to scale.  Decorating the outside of the Castle are toy animals (not done to scale) that are a reminder of the original location of the National Zoo.  The Haupt Garden has not always been the peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the Mall that it is today!  At that point, what is now the Zoo was called the Department of Living Animals, and this was where they lived.

Originally, the model was set up as part of the 2012 Zoolights display.  I'm not sure where it will find a permanent home, but one hopes they won't dismantle it.

Verdict: Have a glance as you head to the Sackler or African Art, or combine this with a trip to see Souvenir Nation.  Really, who doesn't like Lego?

Souvenir Nation: Relics, Keepsakes, and Curios

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through August 17, 2014

It's not very often that I get to see an exhibit at the Castle, as they have very little in the way of space, so it's always a treat to wander through.  Of course, it's frustrating as well, as there's so much of the building that's closed to visitors.  To increase my sense of being denied a treat, there were photographs of the views from the tower on display in the hallway you pass through to get to Schermer Hall.  Seems a bit mean to show us the lovely vistas, but not allow us to see them for ourselves.  Oh well, maybe one day...

But enough of what you can't see at the Castle - let's talk about what is on display.  This exhibit is small, but chock full of wild and weird things.  It's composed of stuff people have collected that are connected with events in American (or other countries') history.  Many of the items would be discarded as trash, except for the descriptions that accompany them.  The items were donated to the Smithsonian by those who collected them, and they're an interesting assortment.  They are part of the collection of the American History Museum, which made me wonder why this wasn't on display there?  Perhaps it's because of the renovations going on?  Perhaps they just didn't have a good space for this?  Whatever the reason, it's in the Castle.

There's a fragment of Plymouth Rock; apparently at one time, people were given hammers when they visited in order to pick off a piece for themselves.  Since 1880, it's been fenced off, so that most of it remains.  Souvenirs from other countries include Napoleon's napkin, a beam from Newgate Prison and a stone from Joan of Arc's dungeon.  Next to that is a fragment of the Washington Monument cornerstone, a model of the Statue of Liberty, a fence rail split by none other than Abraham Lincoln and, my personal favorite, a collection of locks of Presidential hair (Washington - Pierce) amassed by John Varden, who set up a museum in his own home.  Eventually, he worked for the Smithsonian.

Verdict: Where else will you see a collection of the hair of early U.S. Presidents?  Stop by for a look on your way to another show nearby.

Experience Civil War Photography: From the Home Front to the Battlefront

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: closing in July 213; no exact date set

I've often heard it said that Vietnam was the first televised war, that the war was brought into people's living rooms through television.  A similar phenomenon occurred during the Civil War: it was the first photographed war.  Photography brought the war and its horrors into people's parlors, both through family photographs taken of soldiers before they went to the front and through photographs taken of the war itself and the major actors in it.

3D photographs, called stereoviews, were very popular (just shows, everything old is new again eventually) - they reminded me of the Viewmaster Viewer I had as a child, which is not surprising, since it's the same technology.  Of course, while I was looking at scenes from fairy tales or cartoon characters, these stereoviews were of battlefields and generals.

The wet plate collodion process (familiar to me from my visit to the National Portrait Gallery's ambrotypes exhibit) allowed for reproduction of photographs, which broadened both their appeal and their audience.  Matthew Brady's photograph, "Dead of Antietam" was seen by many people, and it brought home the human cost of war in ways that no newspaper account could do.  I'm pretty sure this was part of the American Art Museum's "Civil War and American Art" show I saw a while ago.  I must say, if you're interested in the Civil War, there's a wealth of exhibits for you to see.  Truly, you're spoiled for choice.

The Smithsonian itself played a role in the Civil War.  The Castle was greatly damaged by fire (which I gather was not the result of the War, but did occur at this time), and suffered a loss of valuable objects.  Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian, and his family actually lived in the Castle, in an eight-room apartment.  What a fantastic place to live!  I really wish the upper floors weren't closed to the public; I would love to look around and see the view from the top spire.

For the Henry family, it wasn't all about the lovely views; they took delivery of muskets and ammunition to defend the Institution (which was entirely contained in the Castle at that time).  Military recon was conducted on the roof of the Castle.  As I know from the Library of Congress exhibit on the Civil War, Washington was a hotbed of Southern sympathizers, so I can only imagine that life must have been a nervous business for the Castle's inhabitants.

Verdict: A small show, easily managed in an hour.  In fact, if you've not had a look at the cases with samples of items from each of the Smithsonian museums in the Commons, you can do both on the same trip.

Smithsonian Exhibit on the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through May 20, 2012

This exhibit opened Wednesday and closes today, for reasons that escape me.  I would think that there would be a fair amount of interest in the plans for the new African American museum and that visitors to the current museums would be eager to see what will be available to them should they choose to come back to DC in a few years.  Oh well, I check the exhibit listings frequently for exactly this reason - so that I don't miss something good that's only around for a short time!

The new museum was in the design process for four years, will be located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue (on the other side of the American History Museum) and will open in November 2015 - in other words, it will be a while yet before I'm blogging about shows I see there!  Outside of the museum, there will be an area called a "reading grove."  I don't know exactly what this is, but I like the sound of it.  It appears that the entrance to the museum will lead to a large open space, which reminded me of the American Indian museum.  It also seems that a really impressive water feature will be part of the design, and since I'm a sucker for a good fountain, I was glad to see this.

In addition to the plans for the museum, results of recent excavations were also on display, mostly pottery and some glass shards.  I could not help but be reminded of the Riseholme Museum described by E. F. Benson in his novel, Lucia in London - filled with items that the characters no longer wanted, but couldn't bring themselves to discard.

Verdict: One can only hope that perhaps this exhibit will appear again, closer to the time of opening - it's a wonderful way to whet one's appetite for the exhibits to come.

Stamps of Approval

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through April 29, 2012

I like going to the Castle; it's a beautiful building, and one can remember what the Smithsonian used to be  - one museum with a hodgepodge of items all jumbled together.  If you've not been to the Castle before, it's well worth a visit, regardless of what's exhibited there.

This show features several of the 20th century items shown on stamps issued by the Postal Service in their Pioneers of American Industrial Design collection.  It occurs to me that the Postal Museum might have been a more logical location for this show, but it's more convenient for me to go to the Castle, so I'm not complaining.

These items are the work of industrial designers, who shaped the look of life in 20th century America.  In the 1920s, companies began to hire these people, to give their products a modern, streamlined appearance.  My favorite items on display were the Fiestaware pitchers designed by Frederick Hurlen Rhead - the shape and the colors are wonderful.

Many more of these items are on display at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York; I'd never thought much about this museum since it's not in DC, but now I think I'd enjoy a trip.

Verdict: Do go see this show - everything on display has a marvelous look to it - well worth some time to admire.

The Wonder of Light: Touch and Learn

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through February 6, 2012

This display is in the Great Hall of the Castle, in an exhibit case by the doorway out to the Haupt Garden.  Contained in the case are various items from the Smithsonian collections that involve light, along with information about where to go to get more information.  There seemed to be an interactive component to this, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to work, so that part was lost on me.

One of the items was a painting entitled Sunlihgt and Shadow by Allan Rohan Crite.  He used dabs of white paint to denote the light filtered through the trees - it's a very effective technique.  I learned that the Smithsonian Astrophysical Laboratory used to be located behind the Castle - now it's in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The area that now contains the Haupt Garden has had an interesting history - at one point, bison were living there!

Verdict: I'm not sure how successful this exhibit will be - it's quite easy to overlook, I must admit.  If you're walking through the Castle anyway, have a look, otherwise, you're not missing much if you don't see it.

Editors' Picks: The Best of Smithsonian Magazine's 7th Annual Photo Contest

Where: Smithsonian Castle

When: through February 28, 2011

Every year, the Smithsonian holds a photography contest, with submissions in several different categories. The finalists are hung in the Castle main room, where they are on public display. I went last year, and was looking forward to seeing this year's entries. There are 7 winners and 23 other finalists, so this is an easy lunchtime outing. My only criticism is that the photos are hung in the eating area, so one can't really look at the pictures as long as one might like, without intruding on people eating. I wish they'd move the exhibit out of the main room so that I could look at the pictures in a more comfortable setting.

All of the photos are terrific, so it's difficult to pick out a few to mention, but the ones that particularly caught my eye were:

• Sarah by Marie Land, a girl in a school uniform, showing how institutions make communities out of individuals
• A coconut floats in the shallows by Ethan Daniels, a picture of Palau's inner lagoon - a great water scene
• The nomads of Tagong by Conway Liao, showing how even those living the simplest of lives can be happy
• Lonely coffee break by Tobias Putzer, a photograph of the artist's girlfriend sitting in a diner
• Lake with flax and red gum trees by Rex Naden, I love the way the plants and trees are reflected exactly in the water, an example of "natural abstracts"
  
• Tree in wheat fields by Jia Han Dong, gorgeous countryside with the curved lines of the farms, with one tree in the middle of the field

It was crowded when I went (the week between Christmas and New Year's), but I'm guessing the crowds have thinned quite a bit now. The Castle also has a lovely enormous Christmas tree in the main area during the holiday season, worth seeing on your way to exhibits at the Sackler or African Art Museum.

Verdict: Well worth stopping by, either as a lunchtime destination, or as something to see on your way to or from another exhibit.