Dinosaurs Outside the new Fossil Hall

Where: Natural History Museum

When: closing September 29, 2019

True confession: I've not yet been to the new Fossil Hall at the Natural History Museum;  I go to see things that have impending closing dates, and presumably the new hall will be with us for quite some time.  Maybe that's something my niece and I could go see when she has a day off from school...

I did get to see some dinosaurs at Natural History this week though.  The exhibit that served as a "dinosaur place holder" while the new Hall was under construction is now closing, so I went to see that.  Called "The Last American Dinosaur," it's quite well done.  It provides lots of information, presented in an easy-to-understand style.  I especially liked the explanation of the difference between an actual fossil, a scientifically accurate cast, and a fake.

I also enjoyed the information about the digs that yield the fossils and the way that scientists preserve what they find and transport it back to the museum.  The Hell Creek Formation, which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, is full of fossils - sort of a paleontologist's playground.  It's a lot of work to travel out there, find useful specimens, wrap them up so they don't get damaged and get everything and everyone back to DC.

The exhibit also included information on the 5th great extinction - the one that killed the dinosaurs.  An asteroid hit the earth, which set off a chain reaction of terrible events that resulted in the death of all non-avian dinosaurs.  So, every time you see a bird, you're actually seeing a dinosaur.  And mass extinctions are bad for the species that die off, obviously, but they're good for new species that can arise from the ashes.  Like mammals.

Verdict: The new fossil hall is getting all the press, but this exhibit is worth a look.  And I really wish the museum would have returned to the original name for the dinosaur display: the Hall of Extinct Monsters.

Fireworks in the Library

Where: National Gallery of Art Library, East Building

When:  closed September 6, 2019

This library show is a tribute to fireworks and festivals throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Although all the books are in black and white, one feels as if one can see the vibrant pyrotechnics and feel the excitement as one looks at the display.  I particularly enjoyed seeing John Bate's instructions for how to make a flying dragon.

Verdict: Hope you had a chance to see this small exhibit - more fun than the usual offering.

Architects' Greatest Crime

Where: Hirshhorn Museum

When: closing September 8, 2019

This somber display closes tomorrow, so if you want to see it, you'll need to hurry.  It's contained inside the "What Absence is Made Of" show on the 2nd floor, so you'll need to walk through some nonsense to see it, I'm afraid.  It's worth it, though, so make the effort.

It's a visual installation that presents the evidence collected to prove that Auschwitz was a mechanism for mass murder.  This was not merely a camp to hold people against their will (although that would be bad enough); this was a place designed by architects to end people's lives in as efficient a way as possible.

The entire installation is white, which I found made it hard to understand the documents that line the room.  What really made the piece real to me was the video at the end that explains the decisions the architects made to ensure as many people were killed in as short a time as possible.

Verdict: In a time when Holocaust denial is making a comeback, this is an important statement of facts.

Japanese Animal Art - It's Not Just Hello Kitty

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building

When: closing on August 18, 2019

First of all, this is a far larger show than you can see in a lunch hour.  I suppose you could get through it if you ran from end to end, but that's not really any way to appreciate the terrific pieces.  So, I'm advising you to take an extra-long lunch hour, or go on a weekend or day off.

This is a survey of animals in Japanese art from ancient times to the present day, so we're covering a lot of ground.  This series of screens is right at the entrance to the show and sets the tone nicely.  It's colorful and fun and features lots of animals.  And that's largely what the rest of the show does.  The first room includes several ancient representations of dogs and horses, along with Kusama Yayoi (she of the polka dots, pumpkins and mirror rooms) dog sculptures.  The thing I thought about all of these works was how friendly the animals were.  They all seem to be smiling at you, and you just can't help but smile back.  I couldn't anyway, and I was feeling irritable and stressed out when I went over there, so a cheerful welcome was just what I needed.

I also learned that the Japanese have a zodiac, very similar to the Chinese one.  I'm the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, and the same is true of the Japanese version.  Large banners, one for each year were displayed on one of the walls, and the picture on my year was of the Japanese god of seas and storms, whose name happens to be Susano'o.  How appropriate is that?  The god slayed a dragon and removed a sword from its tail.  I've decided the next time I get frustrated at work, I'll remember I'm really the god of seas and storms, slayer of dragons.

There's painting; there's sculpture (some of it massive); there's kimonos - really, something for everyone.  This would be a good show to see with kids, since a lot of the art is accessible and fun.  It's long, but you wouldn't have to see everything.

Verdict: This big show has lots of great stuff and is worth making time to see.

Have No Fear

Where: Hirshhorn Museum

When: closing July 24, 2019

This show is a combination of Thai cooking (the title is a reference both to Thai political groups and to types of curry) and protest art.  Since this would have been the first food/art combination I've visited, I was disappointed that the food part wasn't in operation when I turned up.  Perhaps I was there too early; I went at noon.  It's also possible the food portion isn't operating every day.  Whatever the timing issues, I was left with only the art.

The first room, the one with the cooking stations, have drawings of protesters and political situations on the walls.  And when I say "on the walls," I mean directly painted on the walls - not hung in frames.  In fact, two people were working on more drawings as I walked around.  I noticed lots of U.S. imagery, as well as pictures that I am assuming were from Thai news stories.  So, if you go, don't worry that you won't understand any of the art.

The second and third rooms contained videos - a series of documentary shorts that I believe are shown on a rotating basis.  I didn't have a very strong reaction to either of them, as I can't remember much about them now...

Verdict: Since the point of this exhibit is to combine food and art, I feel as if I missed a lot by not scheduling my visit for the curry service.  Check the website to see when the food will be available!

Mixing Cooking and Civil Rights

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: closing June 30, 2019

Leah Chase was not only the "Queen of Creole Cuisine."  She was also the owner of a gathering place for leaders of the civil right movement.  Martin Luther King and other activists ate and planned strategy in her restaurant.

In her later years, Chase became an advocate for the arts, and the art displayed in her restaurant is considered by many to be the finest collection of African American art in New Orleans.

The portrait on display is by Gustave Blanche III, part of a series of paintings depicting people at work.

Verdict: It's worth a trip all on its own, and if you're in the museum to see a show, be sure to stop by.

An Architect I Grew to Appeciate

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: closing June 16, 2019 (although I have my doubts)

Something I've noticed about the "In Memoriam" space at the NPG is that a portrait is only guaranteed to remain up for its originally allotted time if no one else dies.  Since I see from the Smithsonian website that a portrait of Leah Chase is now on display, I'm not sure this one of I.M. Pei is still up.  Not to be morbid, but perhaps they should have two spaces for the recently deceased?

Pei's work is something I've developed an appreciation for over the years.  The Kennedy Library is phenomenal - the feeling you get when you see the sailboat out on the lawn through the window - I can't really put it into words.  My visit there many years ago taught me that architecture can be emotional.

Those glass pyramids in the courtyard of the Louvre look weird from the outside, but bring in so much light when you're inside.  And as much as I've never been a fan of the National Gallery of Art East Building, it's the best possible home for the modern art collection.  None of it belongs in the West Building.

As for the portrait itself, I like that he's standing in a doorway, as if to welcome the viewer into his world.  And the photographer?  Our old friend, Yousuf Karsh.  And wasn't I filled with self-satisfaction when I saw that name and recognized it!

Verdict: If it's still up, take a few minutes to see it.