How Times Have Changed for Elephants

Where: Natural History Museum

When: closing February 1, 2020

This display is housed in the two glass cases on the ground floor of the museum, not far from the Constitution Avenue entrance.  I can remember class trips from my elementary school days when most of the museum was housed in similar cases.

These materials show the change in society's view of elephants.  They used to be considered fair game (no pun intended) for hunters, nothing more than giant beasts to be slaughtered for adventure or entertainment or umbrella stands.

Although hunting and ill-treatment still exists, and there's a debate about the morality of allowing hunting to further conservation, most people are more likely to shoot elephants with a camera than with a gun.  Scientists bring back samples and data in order to further study elephants, rather than specimens to be displayed.

Theodore Roosevelt, a complicated figure in the history of conservation, gets a mention - his hunting expeditions provided over 23,000 animal specimens to the Smithsonian, as well as live animals for the National Zoo.  The most famous elephant at the Museum was not obtained by Roosevelt.  Henry has been on display in the main rotunda since 1959, and when he was installed, he was the largest land mammal on display in any museum in the world.

Verdict: An interesting display - a great way to complement a visit to see Henry.

Nothing Better on a Winter Day

Where: American History Museum

When: closing January 20, 2020

From the 1870s through the 1920s, silk manufacturing increased, while silk prices fell, and American women made a lot of quilts.  It was a way for them to express their individual imagination - to be artists in a way that was permissible in a society that frowned upon female expression.  And it was a way for them to decorate their parlors.

In case you don't know, silk is a filament extruded by a silkworm as it creates the cocoon where it will mature from a caterpillar to a moth.  Fun fact!

Quilts were made with pieces of silk left over from the dress-making process.  Early on, women made quilts in elaborate patterns.  Of those on display, I thought they were the nicest.  As time passed, crazy quilts came into fashion - no pattern necessary, which allowed for more artistic license.

The Museum houses the National Quilt Collection (I didn't even know there was such a thing until this week), with over 500 examples of American handmade quilts and quilt-related items.  Only a fraction of those items are on display in this show, in part because they are fragile.

Verdict: If you're a fan of needlework, this is a must see.

It's Amazing What a Little Chalk Will Do

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building

When:  closing January 26, 2020

This display of pastels is not getting the publicity of the Verrocchio exhibit upstairs on the Main Floor, but if you're at the National Gallery before the end of the month, it's well worth a visit.  The introductory wall notes tell me that pastel is one of the most versatile and beautiful materials in the history of art, and I cannot disagree.  Plus, these fragile works are almost never on display, so if you don't see them now, you may never get another opportunity!

Pastel is a sort of artificial chalk - it's made of pigment, white opaque filler and binder, then shaped into sticks and dried.  A case of pastels given by Mary Cassatt (one of my favorite artists) to a friend is on display, so you can see exactly what a pastel is.

The show is arranged chronologically; the first room is full of 18th century French portraits that look very much like painting.  Everything's very ornate and formal and exquisite.  One expects Louis XIV to stroll in at any moment.

In the second room, we move onto 19th century England, where the pastels are more like drawings.  We see landscapes, and the verdure of the English countryside.  We're not completely done with the French, however, as there are a large number of Degas dancers.

In the final room (this is not a terribly large show), we move into the 20th century and modern art.  There's a Roy Lichtenstein and a Jasper Johns on display.  Some of the works are more like painting and some are more like drawing.  The piece I liked the best was William Merritt Chase's "Study of Flesh Color and Gold."  It's a beautiful combination of fine, precise drawing of a model, with a blurred, painting-like background.  Captivating.

Verdict: This is a very interesting show, that's small enough to see easily in a lunch hour.  The interactive screens in the first two rooms allow for much closer examination of the pastel techniques.  One hopes the National Gallery is planning to do more of this in future.

The Reality Behind the Legend

Where: National Postal Museum

When: closing January 26, 2020

This is the second of two shows I saw last week at the Postal Museum.  I find it a bit difficult to believe that something about the Pony Express won't always be part of their display, since it is really the most exciting part of postal history.  Perhaps they're closing it to refresh it?

The legend of the Pony Express is a romanticization of a far less glamorous reality.  The service ran between St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA for not quite two years, in 1860 and 1861.  It was a way to guarantee Union control over communications between California and the eastern part of the United States, as it did not travel through the South.  A dangerous and uncomfortable job was made into the stuff of adventure in Wild West shows in the last 19th century.

Verdict: It's an interesting small show that would appeal to kids - a Q&A section is geared to them, and the family I saw there was enjoying themselves.

Diplomacy Behind the Scenes

Where: National Postal Museum

When: closing January 26, 2020

I'm writing this on January 1, 2020, so I'll wish all my readers a Happy New Year and a happy new decade.  It's odd to think we're now living in the Twenties; let's hope there's just as much fun, but not so much depression, as in the 20th century version.

I went over to the Postal Museum this week, and saw two shows.  The first was this one on diplomatic couriers. It's typical of their displays - full of information and well laid out, but I'm not sure that it's worth a trip over to Union Station to see.  Every so often, I toy with the idea of dropping this venue from my list of places to visit, and then I feel bad - who else will go if I don't?  And, every once in a great while, there's something really terrific, so it stays on the list.

Diplomatic couriers have been around in their current form for 100 years, hence the exhibit.  The service was established in Paris in 1918, to support the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, although couriers for sensitive materials have been used since the Revolutionary War.  There are now 100 badged couriers who send pouches, large and small, to over 275 diplomatic missions worldwide.

Verdict: I enjoyed looking at the "then and now" photos that show how the service has changed over a century, but I'm not sure I can recommend a special trip to see this, unless you're a great fan of postal history.

A New Favorite Artist

Where: Renwick Gallery

When: closing January 5, 2020

I feel as if I've seen Michael Sherrill's work before, probably at the Renwick, and I really like it.  It's colorful, and whimsical, and (somewhat) practical, and even when it's oddly shaped, it feels fun and accessible, sort of like the kind of objects a Dr. Seuss character would have in his house.

The first room of the show that I entered was full of teapots.  As a tea drinker, I'm always interested in seeing any display of tea accouterments, and these range from the lovely if mundane to the wild gold extravagance pictured here.

Just as the Ginny Ruffner show left me with a question, this exhibit did as well.  If the object in question is not functional, is it still craft?  Or is it then art?  Not that a functional craft can't be art, because it certainly can be, but if it has no function other than to exist, is it still a craft?  I feel as if the answer is no, but I'm quite willing to be persuaded otherwise.

The one quibble I have with this show, which overall I liked very much, is that it's set up oddly.  I entered directly from the Ruffner exhibit, and discovered later that this was the second room.  I walked through the whole display, and only then saw the first room at the very end.  Some signage directing me to the start would have been helpful.

Verdict: Go see this exhibit and then head to the Teaism close by for lunch or an afternoon snack!

Is Virtual Reality Art?

Where: Renwick Gallery

When: closing January 5, 2020

I've been running around to shows recently, trying to make up for the many days these past few months that I went to none.  I'm vowing to do better in 2020!

The Renwick has two exhibits now on their first floor that close very shortly; the Ginny Ruffner display of virtual reality sculptures is just off the entryway.  Basically, these are glass sculptures of logs, some with glass fungi.  When you look at specific spots on the logs with the provided iPads (or with an app on your own phone), animated plants emerge.

The idea is that this depicts a future world in which the nature we know has been destroyed, and this is a depiction of how it will re-emerge.  There are also pictures of botanical objects on the walls - I'm assuming these are also imaginings of future flora, but I'm not sure.

The question I kept asking myself is, "Where does art leave off and stunt begin?"  I realize I should have been contemplating the end of the natural world as I know it, and I do view that as a serious problem, but between the iPad not always working quite right, and dodging so many other people pointing at the same thing, I found it hard to keep my mind on the larger message.

Verdict: I appreciate the fact that this show uses new technology along with the traditional art of sculpture, but I'm not sure the execution always comes off.