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.

By the Light...

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Ground Floor

When: closing January 5, 2020

In the first room of this two-room exhibit of lunar photographs, there are pictures of the moon dating from as far back as the 1800s.  I confess, I was more amazed at the age of the images than by the images themselves.  The moon is just not that photogenic, I'm afraid.

The second room focuses on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.  A film of the historic event, "Live from the Surface of the Moon," runs on a loop, and there are viewers available, so you can see the moon in 3-D.  I'll admit, that was pretty cool.  Still not terribly photogenic, but cool nonetheless.

There's also a picture of "Earthrise," one of the 20th century's most famous photographs, on display.  Sometimes, you need to take a step back to see just how beautiful our planet is.

Verdict: This small show is worth a glance, especially for fans of space travel.

More on Verrocchio

Where: National Gallery of Art Library, East Building

When: closing January 10, 2020

If you've seen the National Gallery's Verrocchio show and would like to see more of his work, take a few moments to visit the Library in the East Building.  On display are a few photographs by Clarence Kennedy, an art photographer who made a study of his sculpture.  You get another look at Verrocchio's art and the hard work that went into creating it.  A photograph of Kennedy opens the exhibit; it's by Ansel Adams.

Verdict: Great if you haven't had enough of Verrocchio!

More Than Just Leonardo's Teacher

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building

When:  closing January 12, 2020

The big show at the National Gallery right now is the first exhibit in the United States devoted entirely to Andrea del Verrocchio, an Italian artist and teacher who lived in Florence in the 1400s.  Best known for his pupils, among them Leonardo da Vinci, and his patrons, the Medici family, Verrocchio deserves to be honored in his own right, for his enormous talent.

His sculpture of a boy David, victorious over Goliath, dominates the first room, but I was drawn to a portrait of Alexander the Great that pops out of its frame.  It's the sort of technique one expects to see in a show of modern art; truly there's nothing new under the sun.  Other sculptures, with the paint still intact, seem almost alive - as if they're about to come down off the walls and stride about the room.

But it's not just human forms on display; there's a gorgeous small vase with a lid in the second room that's lovely, both for the agate used and for its shape.  It's a reddish-orange color that I've seen only very rarely, and it looks as if it were crafted quite recently.

Verrocchio was an innovator - his work is hundreds of years old, but is fresh and modern and accessible to a 21st century audience.  It's a great shame he's overshadowed by da Vinci, which happens even in this show.  The National Gallery owns a da Vinci, a portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, and it's on display in the 3rd room of the Verrocchio exhibit.  And where were the crowds and phones all pointed in this room?  At the da Vinci, of course.  A sort of microcosm of what goes on all day every day at the Louvre.  The painting is lovely, but there's so much else to see!

Verdict: This show is wonderful, and well worth your time to see.  Don't get caught up in who else is in the show; go to see Verrocchio.

Another Show on Women's Suffrage

Where: National Portrait Gallery

When:  closing January 5, 2020

Unlike so many other examinations of the women's suffrage movement in the United States, this show confronts the exclusion of non-white women from the struggle.  It's a stain on the fight for equality that white women were so willing to cast aside the rights of their non-white sisters.

The show tells the story of women's suffrage from the earliest years in the anti-slavery movement of the 1800s through to final victory in 1920.  It was a long fight - one of the longest existing social reform movements in US history.

One thing I learned in this show: suffragette is the name for British women advocating for the right to vote; the word is the US is suffragist.  Who knew?

In 1913, suffragists went to Washington in the first non-violent protest to march on the Capitol.  They then began protesting outside the White House, in Lafayette Park, where people continue to this day to bring attention to causes they believe in.  Among those protestors were students from the Washington College of Law, a law school for women, which is now part of American University and co-ed.  My husband works at WCL, so it was nice to see the school get a mention.

I was very pleased to see a code you can scan to register to vote at the end of the show.  All the work that all those women put in over all those decades will be for naught if people don't exercise their right to vote.

Verdict: An excellent, and compete, look at the women's suffrage movement, warts and all.

Unicorn of the Sea?

Where: Natural History Museum

When: closing January 5, 2020

As usual, lots of shows are closing in January.  I think they leave them up for the holiday crowds, which is why very little closes in December.  So that means I'm rushing around to see things as fast as I can; press of work this fall meant there were several weeks I didn't get out at all, and I'm trying to catch up now.  Wish me luck!

The Natural History Museum has a show up about narwhals.  It's not as flashy as the new dinosaur hall, but it's nicely done and has some great photography.  The model of a narwhal is also interesting - it just seems like such an unlikely creature.

The thing coming out of its head is a tooth, not a horn, and it's a mammal, not a fish.  It lives only in the Arctic, so climate change is doing them no favors.  It may well have inspired the unicorn legend - I was happy to see a unicorn tapestry photograph used as a background for part of the exhibit - I remember seeing the original in Paris many years ago.  There's also some Inuit art in the show, and I love Inuit art - so I was very happy I caught this before it closed.  And I didn't have to come during Christmas week - which is a mad house.

Verdict: See this soon; it's not very large, so you could combine it with another exhibit with no problem.

Any Day Featuring the Swedish Chef is a Good Day

Where: American History Museum

When: closing January 1, 2020

I went over to American History this week to have a stroll around the "American Stories" space.  I think they're going to swap out some of the older pieces for new acquisitions, so keep your eye out for a new and improved display in 2020.

I took with me a list of "highlights," as I was pressed for time and needed to get in and get out.  Happily, I didn't limit myself to what was on the list, as there's a lot there that I would have described as a highlight that didn't make the list.

There were baseball items, including Willie Mays' hat, glove and shoes, and a baseball from the 1937 All-Star Game, signed by that year's Yankee lineup.  Joe DiMaggio's signature is front and center.

They also have a piece of Plymouth Rock, which might be nothing more than legend.  The Pilgrims landed in 1620, but there's no mention of this specific spot until the 1700s.  Fake news is clearly not a new phenomenon.

But the best thing of all was the original Swedish Chef.  My favorite of the Muppets, then and now, Jim Henson and Frank Oz had to work together to bring him to life.  His culinary chaos never fails to entertain.

Verdict: No show that includes the Swedish Chef will get anything less than an enthusiastic two thumbs up from me!