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.

Seasons: Arts of Japan

Where: Freer Gallery of Art

When: through February 12, 2012

This is another in the Freer's "seasons" series, exploring the ways that the seasons of the year are depicted in or influence Chinese and Japanese art.  Perhaps it's my long association with academia, and its yearly rhythms, but I like marking the seasons or the months of the year.  There's something comforting in the notion that the season change (especially if the season you're in is not your favorite!) and nature presents us with something new to notice and appreciate throughout the year.

The Japanese express seasonality not only in the subject matter of their artwork, but also in the textures and glazes used in their pottery.  Something could represent winter, even if it didn't depict a snowy scene.

There was on display a lovely set of black vases with chrysanthemums in muted colors that really caught my eye.  I was surprised that I liked so much, as I couldn't describe them as colorful.  The flowers were very striking, especially as they were set against a black background.  Another favorite of mine was the painting pictured above, Heron and Willow, by Hanabusa Itcho.  It features lovely brushwork on the willow branches and the heron is very lifelike.

The Japanese also used the objects portrayed in their art to symbolize aspects of life.  The cherry blossoms, which appear so fleetingly in spring, are a symbol of the brevity of life - a melancholy thought.  The long flight of the goose represents solitude, and the pine, bamboo and plum are the three friends of the winter season, when, in my view, I need as many friends as I can get!

In a small room off one of the main exhibit areas is a display devoted to tea utensils.  Tea practitioners (what might they be, one wonders?) were given to using different glazes for different times of the year, so one might use a particular teapot in winter, but not in summer.  Apparently, emotional qualities were attributed to different utensil materials (a bit of a stretch there, I think), and there were tea masters and different schools of tea.  I would love to see a real Japanese tea ceremony - far more interesting then watching myself dunk a bag in hot water, I'm sure.

Verdict: This is a lovely exhibit that you can see comfortably in an hour, and the Freer is always a wonderful place to go.

Directions: Empire³

Where: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

When: through February 26, 2012

This exhibit is made up of three videos of the Empire State Building.  The first, in the room to the right, is by Andy Warhol.  He set up a camera in a building facing the Empire State Building and filmed it overnight.  In its entirety, it's six or eight hours in length.  That's right; hours and hours of film of a building: nothing happens.  Apparently when it was first shown, people rioted to get their money back.  I watched for a few minutes, felt I'd gotten the gist of the film and made my way to the next video.  I didn't feel myself hard done by, but then I watched it for free.

The second video, in the entryway, is a video of Warhol's movie.  Douglas Gordon filmed a screening of Warhol's movie and what you see is the resulting video.  It's the same immobile building, except grainier and with a shaky camera.  I gave this even less time than I'd devoted to the Warhol and moved onto the third video by Wolfgamg Staehle.

Staehle's piece is a webcast from 1999 (so don't expect current webcast techniques) in which he streamed still photographs taken at six second intervals for 24 hours.  Still not much going on here.

The Hirshhorn just never disappoints.  You go expecting ridiculous things, and that's what you get.  Ten minutes will give you an excellent sense of what these films are about.  The problem is that the Empire State Building, that triumph of Art Deco architecture, is best viewed clearly to appreciate its many gorgeous details - these are all just grainy, even the Warhol, which is the clearest of the bunch was shot at night, so you can't really see anything.

I know, I know, I'm missing the point of the films, I'm sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Warhold created his film, at least in part, to see if people would really be gullible enough to watch footage of a building for hours.

Verdict: Pass - surely you've got something better to do with your lunch hour?

Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley

Where: African Art Museum

When: through February 12, 2012

Apparently, the art of the Benue River Valley has not been much explored by historians or art enthusiasts.  They have turned their attention to areas both north and south of central Nigeria.  This exhibit seeks to redress this imbalance, by displaying many different art works from this region.

The "fluid and dynamic nature of art" makes pinpointing the exact source of this artwork very difficult.  People moved about within the Valley, and took their art with them.  Items found in one place could actually have been created elsewhere.  In addition, when people moved, they influenced the people they came into contact with, so you see similarities between different groups, which also makes the art curator's job more difficult.

I don't really know anything about African Art, so there were times I found it difficult to keep up with exactly what I was seeing - I really needed more than just a lunch hour to see everything.  One of the things I noticed is how often human representations in the art included scarification.  Clearly, this was part of their culture and it was reflected in their art.  Always seems a bit gruesome to me, but then I don't even have a tattoo!

Interestingly enough, for all the hardships involved in positively identifying the place of origin of much of the artwork, they know the individual person who created some of the more modern works.  They include pictures of this person when they have them available, so it seems as if they know either everything about the artist, or nothing at all.

There are several videos of people using the many ceremonial masks on display.  If you have time to watch them, they are quite interesting.  The videos date from the 1970s and earlier, so the quality is not the best, but you get an idea of what a Nigerian masquerade is like.

It's a very large display, and really requires quite a bit of time to see everything.  There are lots of different media on display: clay, stone, iron - the people of the Benue River Valley tuned their hands to many diverse materials.

Verdict:  This show is probably most worth seeing if you have more than a lunch hour in which to do it.  If you're already familiar with African art, you could probably get a lot out of it in an hour, but if you're a neophyte like me, you'll need a bit more time.

Gift of the Artist: Photographers as Donors

Where: National Museum of American History

When: through February 29, 2012

This is the latest of the Archives Center's exhibits and occupies their two display cases.  I've waxed rhapsodic about this little alcove of quiet enough in earlier posts, so I'll forgo that this time.

The photographs in this display are recent gifts to the archives from the photographers themselves.  One of the donors is Jonathan Singer, a podiatrist turned photographer.  He used to photograph orchids and received national attention for his work.  Now, he has turned his efforts to guitars, and one of his guitar photos is on display.

Fernando Sandoval is another donor, a DC photographer.  The photos he donated are of downtown DC in the 1980s and early 1990s.  I find the history of this area, where my office is located, fascinating.  In his pictures, it looks seedy and rundown, not a part of town in which one would wish to spend any time.  This is absolutely accurate - downtown was a place you hurried through to get to somewhere nicer.  Now, of course, that part of town is lovely.  I feel comfortable walking there anytime, even in the evenings - lots of activity (legal activity, I should stipulate), restaurants, shops, etc.  How times have changed!

Verdict: I saw this exhibit with the Toys display - an easy way to spend a short period of time.  You could combine this with another show in the museum - sadly, Julia Child's kitchen is closed for renovation, but there's lots else to see.

Toys from the Attic

Where: National Museum of American History

When: through February 2, 2012

Beginning in the early 19th century, middle class children no longer needed to work to help support their families, allowing them time for school and play.  There grew a large market for toys, which mimicked adult work: house cleaning implements, dolls and tools.  One of the toys on display is the "Little Embroiderer" which reminded me of the many beading kits I've seen in children's toy catalogs today.

The 19th century also marked the time when Christmas became a time for gift-giving, so if you're upset with the crass commercialization of the holiday, be aware this is not a recent phenomenon.  On display was a photo of a boy with a (toy?) rifle, which of course brought to mind "A Christmas Story."  I very much enjoyed seeing the game "Trusts & Busts or Frenzied Finance" - there's a game that could make a comeback!

The exhibit is in one of display cases by the Constitution Avenue entrance, what the museum calls its "Artifact Walls."  It's quite small and is not only easily seen in a lunch hour, you can see something else in addition.

Verdict: Worth seeing if you're on your way to the museum for something else and have a few extra minutes - not stunning enough to merit a trip on its own.