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!

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

When: closing July 21, 2019

It was a slow museum week for me; between lunch plans, bad weather and press of work, I only made it to one show.  I'm hoping to do better next week.

The exhibit I saw was on American pre-Raphaelites at the National Gallery.  I was, of course, reminded of the major pre-Raphaelite show I saw there several years ago - this is much smaller.

American pre-Raphaelites were strongly influenced by the English artist, John Ruskin.  They ventured out to record the natural world as they saw it - blemishes and all.  Their work was highly detailed and brightly colored and working outdoors was a laborious process.

They were also quite progressive in their thinking; they were abolitionists at a time when not everyone thought slavery was wrong.  The idea of painting nature without "improving" upon it was a radical notion, but one to which they were dedicated.

I thought the nature pieces in the show were lovely and the colors were stunning.  Once people make their way into the scene, however, I found the works a bit maudlin.  Perhaps this is merely Victorian sensibility, but I find it wearying.  My favorite piece was "Path in the Woods" by William Trost Richards, which reminded me of an illustration of the Hundred Acre Wood, from the Winnie the Pooh books.

Verdict: If you are a fan of pre-Raphaelites, make time for this show.

It Wasn't Just About Us

Where: American History Museum

When: closing July 9, 2019

I don't know about you, but the history classes I had in elementary school (and high school too, for that matter) tended to portray the American Revolution as a stand-alone event, where the underdog colonists defeated the evil British, to establish liberty and justice for all.  Setting aside the fact that the liberty and justice were for a very select few, the war in North America was part of a much larger conflict, the Americans had lots of help from other nations, and the British basically gave up on keeping the colonies because they had bigger fish to fry elsewhere.  Not the sort of story that would go over big on the Fourth of July, but a more realistic picture nonetheless.

The Revolution had its origins in the Seven Years' War of 1756 - 1763.  In that war, the Americans were British subjects and fought with the British against the French.  France lost its land claims in North America and began plotting revenge against the British.

One of the historical items on display in this show is a pistol owned by General Braddock and given to George Washington.  Braddock was killed at the Battle of Monongahela (one of the major North American conflicts of the Seven Years' War), where Washington earned acclaim.  This is part of the reason I'm such a museum geek - here on display is an item that actually belonged to George Washington.  I hate to say it makes history come alive, because that's such a cliche, but it does make long ago events seem much more immediate.

France bided its time, and when the colonists took up arms against the British, they offered their assistance.  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" was apparently their philosophy, and it worked out for them.  Britain, facing a large number of adversaries, with no allies to assist them, decided after their defeat at Yorktown to pack up and go.

Verdict: This is one of those exhibits at American History that's a bit tucked away.  Take the time to seek this out, as it provides a lot of context to a story you may think you know well.

Flowering Stamps

Where: National Postal Museum

When: closing July 14, 2019

I wasn't really looking forward to seeing this show; it was on my list, so I went to the Postal Museum to see it, but it wasn't with a sense of eager expectation.  As it happened, I really enjoyed it.  That happens sometimes, a show surprises me by being much better than I think it's going to be.  It's what encourages me to go to things I would otherwise skip.

This is a display of stamps featuring flowering plants, which doesn't sound terribly exciting, but the display is so well done that you feel as if you've stepped into a garden.  In fact, as you can see a bit in the photo, the Smithsonian Gardens set up a small arrangement of plants at the entrance, and there are garden benches scattered through the show.

Flower stamps are some of the most lovely in the museum's collection, and they are perennial (forgive the pun) favorites among customers.  Stamps from the 1960s were the result of Lady Bird Johnson's highway beautification efforts; there have been any number of stamps featuring the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin (if you ever visit DC in the springtime, go to see those in person - they are stunning), and in 1992 the USPS released a series of stamps featuring wildflowers from each state.

I loved this quote from Moya Andrews, an Australian gardening expert: "I can satisfy my addiction to flowers even when I mail my bills."

Verdict: A show that provides a colorful respite from the grey days of winter.