Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meiere

Where: National Building Museum

When: through November 27, 2011

Yet another treat in store for the fan of Art Deco is this small show on the muralist and mosaicist, Hildreth Meiere. She was prominent during her lifetime, enjoying many commissions in public buildings and churches.

One of her commissions was the Nebraska State Capitol; the gorgeous Art Deco work makes me want to visit Lincoln (a desire I have never had previously). She also designed a mural on the progress of women for the Chicago World's Fair and the sculptures on the front of Radio City Music Hall.

Verdict: Yet another show worth the $8 price of admission. I was unaware of her work before, but was very impressed with what I saw here. I only wish I could take a long trip to see all of her work!

Designing Tomorrow

Where: National Building Museum

When: through September 5, 2011

The original closing date for this show was July 10, but it has now been extended, so you've got lots of time to see it. This is a show dedicated to the World's Fairs of the 1930s, and if you like Art Deco, this is a must see.

My grandparents took their honeymoon trip to the Chicago World's Fair, so my desire to see the show extended beyond just casual interest. It was great to see a bit of what they saw, and feel some of the excitement that they must have felt, as they traveled from northern Minnesota to see the marvels on display.

A quote at the beginning of the show summed it up very well, I thought. "Their tomorrow looks much like our today." The technological advances we all take for granted now, especially those in transportation and communications, were mere visions then.

I was interested to see a picture of Greenbelt from 1938, an experiment in planned suburban resettlement, which is where my brother and his family live today. Much has changed, obviously, but the idea that people could live outside the city and be able to enjoy a bit of nature is still the same.

The exhibit also mentioned the "White City," the name given to the fairgrounds of the World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893. If you've not read the wonderful book, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, I give it a very high recommendation. It was really neat to see pictures of that fair; it brought the book back to me in force. The photograph on display made me appreciate just how beautiful the fairgrounds must have been.

Other fairs held prior to the 1930s that got mentions were the 1925 Paris Exposition, where Le Corbusier declared that houses would some day be nothing more than machines for living. How lucky we are that this has not yet come to pass; the idea of a machine for living sounds a bit cold and antiseptic to me, and the 1927 Barcelona International Exposition. Included was a picture of the German pavilion designed by Mies van der Rohe - almost as ugly as the MLK library in downtown DC.

World's fairs were originally intended to bring people together in appreciation of human advances and a variety of cultures, but they tended to increase nationalism. Reminded me of the Olympics today.

At the New York World's Fair, there was a contest to find the typical American family. Note that the contest was limited to parents with a male breadwinner - anyone deviating from the Cleaver household model need not apply! It was fun to see the 20th Century Limited poster - we have a print of that in our dining room, along with a print of one of the posters from the Chicago World's Fair.

World's Fairs were opportunities for ordinary people to see the works of major international designers, including Raymond Loewy, a critic of bad American design. His idea was that good design is meant to reduce the irritations and uneasiness of the average person. That's the sort of thing you don't think about until you replace your old desk chair with an ergonomic one, and discover you no longer have back aches at the end of the day.

The New York World's Fair featured two architectural marvels - the Trylon and the Perisphere. For some reason, they reminded of me of Disney's Epcot Center. There's something sort of artificially modern about them. To me, they look much like a "Jetsons" future, exaggerated and cartoonish.

Verdict: Go see this show - it's worth the $8 admission, especially if, like me, you're a fan of Art Deco. The show is huge; I only had time to scan the contents - you could spend two hours here with no problem.

Investigating Where We Live

Where: National Building Museum

When: until January 17, 2011

This exhibit was designed by the teenage participants in the Building Museum's four-week summer program. The young people divide into 3 groups and go to visit a particular D.C. neighborhood. They take photographs, talk to neighborhood residents and learn about the community. The show represents the fruits of their labors, and the visitor gets to find out more about the neighborhoods they visited, as well as the kids' own learning process. All three groups reported that they had thought the neighborhood to which they had been assigned (Petworth, Trinidad or the Southwest Waterfront) would be run down or poverty-stricken. They were surprised by the vibrancy of the neighborhoods and the enthusiasm of the people they interviewed.

This is a really great program; the kids learn photography and they have a chance to change their own perceptions. The show they've designed is quite good; some of the photographs are excellent. A Step Closer, taken in Petworth, by Amira Samiy is particularly good. There is also writing to go along with the photos. Why Me? by Jasmine Marr was impressive.

Verdict: Go see this show. It's only one room, so you can easily see it in a lunch hour. It's great to see kids learning new skills and having a chance to be creative.

Palladio & His Legacy

Where: National Building Museum

When: until January 9, 2011

I was pleasantly surprised by this exhibit. I wasn't certain how interested I would be in looking at architectural drawings, and at first, I felt my lack of architectural background as a hindrance in appreciating the show. However, once the focus of the exhibit moved to American buildings, especially those with which I am familiar, I became much more engaged in the show.

The exhibit features some copies of drawings of famous buildings, and drawings of buildings that were never built. The age of some of these items is breathtaking; they are hundreds of years old. I also enjoyed the story of how Palladio translated architectural tomes into Italian, so that his contemporaries could understand them. Palladio's own works were then translated into other languages, including English, so that generations of architects born long after Palladio's death, could learn from his work.

Presently, the United States is the place where Palladian architecture has really taken hold, and is featured in myriad buildings in DC. As I left the exhibit, I caught a glimpse of the National Gallery of Art building, and thought, "Ah Palladio!" On my walk each morning from Union Station to my office in the Gallery Place area, I see numerous examples of Palladio's ideas, and knowing them for what they are increases my interest. It's amazing what more there is to see in the city, if you know how to look.

Thomas Jefferson was a great adherent of Palladio, and his house at Monticello and some of the architecture at the University of Virginia shows this. I was unaware that there was a competition to design what we now call the White House, and I certainly didn't know that Jefferson submitted a design. I liked his offering - it featured a wonderful dome.

Verdict: Do make time for this show. It's not terribly large; you can see it easily in a lunch hour. Once you have your eye out for Palladio, you see him everywhere - which adds to the fun.

Cityscapes Revealed: Highlights from the Collection

Where: National Building Museum

When: until December 31, 2010


The Building Museum is a great place to see exhibits, as it's off the beaten path, and doesn't attract lots of visitors. I was the only person in this exhibit, so I could look to my heart's content, without having to maneuver around other people. The exhibit focuses on architectural details that set buildings apart, or are representative of certain architectural styles. They are the sort of things you see, but don't really notice. This exhibit reminds you to pay attention as you walk down the street - interesting stuff is all around!

I was stuck by how often buildings are designed for one purpose, then re-used for something else. The original home of the Corcoran School of Art is now the Renwick Museum. The Building Museum itself started as the Pension Building. Not mentioned in the exhibit, the American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery began its existence as the Patent Office. I like to see buildings re-used when possible, and not simply torn down. Of course, my feelings on this vary according to the beauty of the building - they could tear down some of those horrible box-like structures that pollute the neighborhood where I work and put up something else any time!

One of the more interesting items in this exhibit was the "Turner Cities" pictures. Turner is a major construction company, hired to build all kinds of structures all over the world (sports stadiums, municipal buildings, cultural centers, large office buildings, etc.). Every year, they commission a picture of a fictitious city that includes all the buildings they've competed that year. The pictures started out fairly modest in size, but have grown to be quite large. I think the idea is a clever one, and a creative way to show what the company's accomplished over the course of the year.

Verdict: Worth a look, if you've got some time, and want a break from the typical museum crowd.