Learning a Lot about Hip Hop

Where: National Museum of African American History and Culture

When:  closing May 5, 2019

I'm delighted to say that the African American Museum is now open on a walk-up basis after 1:00 pm on weekdays.  This means that I can go to see special exhibits on my lunch hour - something I've been wanting to do for years.  I understand the need to limit the number of visitors at first; if they'd let in everyone who wanted to come all at once, no one would have been able to see anything.  But now, hooray(!), the crowds have decreased a bit, and I can go over and see things without having to take a day off of work to do it.

The first show I saw was one on hip hop photography.  I'll admit, I had my doubts about this.  I don't know anything about hip hip, and it has always seemed like something that just wasn't for me.  I knew so little, that I didn't even know where to start to learn about it.  But, I reminded myself that learning new things is why I go to museum exhibits, and off I went.

I'm really glad I went, because I learned a lot.  Hip hop is not just music; it's music, DJing, graffiti and breakdancing.  The culture began in the Bronx in the 1970s.  Young people living there felt alienated from mainstream America, and hip hop was a way both to express that feeling of being cut off from the dominant culture and to create a new cultural expression.  Photographs of hip hop artists are paired with photographs of older, more traditional African American artists, which helped me to understand hip hop better.  For instance, breakdancing can trace its roots back to the Lindy Hop, the dance craze of the 1930s and 1940s.  Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington were ground-breaking artists in their day, and are now part of the 20th century American canon.  I have no doubt that hip hop will be viewed the same way in time.

Verdict: Great introduction to hip hop for those who are not well versed in the culture.

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.

Before Selfies...

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When: closing August 18, 2019

This survey of self-portraits from 1900 to the present is drawn largely from the Gallery's own collection, which totals over 500 works of art.  So if you think memorializing oneself is narcissistic, it's been a problem long before the advent of the smartphone.

The earlier works in the Gallery's collection are traditional representations; it's only in the 20th century that people start taking liberties with the idea of portraits.  Much of the show is composed of paintings or drawings or photographs, but there are also collages, textiles, sculpture and video works.

I was filled with a sense of self-satisfaction when I noticed a colossal head photograph from across the room and identified it correctly as Chuck Close.  As I walked over to take a closer look, I thought to myself, "Wasn't he accused of sexual harassment?"  Sure enough, he was, and the museum made mention of that in the wall note accompanying the piece.

The note went on to say, "The museum recognizes the positive and negative impacts that individuals represented in our collections have had on history."  I think the Portrait Gallery has an issue that other museums don't, in that, if a person's picture is included, there is some sort of implicit approval of that person given by the display.  Of course, not all famous or important people are worthy of approval, and that's where things get tricky.  Over the course of our nation's history, some of our Presidents have done things that do not bear close examination.  Yet all of them are in the Presidential portrait display.

I'm not a curator or museum director, but I think the Gallery has chosen the right course - include people who have played an important part in our history, but use the wall notes to explain them more fully.  I'd also like to give the Gallery credit for highlighting the works and contributions of all Americans.  The early years are largely male and white, but galleries covering more recent years are much less monochromatic.

Verdict: There's some interesting stuff here that's worth a look.