After my late night at the Kennedy Center, and without needing to walk Pookah, I slept in this morning. For me, that means until 7:30.
By 11am I was at the National Mall, heading into the Hirshhorn Museum. It was the exhibit of the work by Simone Leigh that attracted me. I’d read that she had represented the US at the 2022 Venice Biennale, one of the most important contemporary art exhibitions in the world. She uses clay and bronze to create massive sculptures (many 10 or more feet high). Her work is intended to reframe stereotypes associated with black women and celebrate black life. The show was fantastic, visually, symbolically and because I know a lot about ceramics, in her craftsmanship.
While at the Hirshhorn, I spent time at two other amazing exhibits: Contemporary photography from China and an installation by Laurie Anderson.
Leaving the museum my next stop was going to be The Castle, the original building of the Smithsonian. It is, unfortunately, closed for renovation.
So, I walked a little further down the mall to the Freer Gallery of Asian art. There, I strolled through the galleries focusing on ceramics and visited the Peacock Room, designed by James McNeil Whistler (of Whistler’s Mother fame).
Tired from walking, a took a ride on the circulator bus around the mall. By this time the mall was crowded, made especially so because there was an enormous demonstration (pro-Gaza) taking place a few blocks away.
My last visit was to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is a vast museum, worthy of a full day. But with limited time and energy, I saw only a small fraction of the collection. The Afrofuturism exhibition highlighted history, aspiration, aesthetics, and the display made even the most difficult of topics engaging. Down the hall is a contemplation fountain. I sat there resting and reflecting. It is a peaceful respite in the midst of crowds. In the museum’s art collection, I was wowed by much of the work on display. Bisa Butler, one of my favorite artists, is represented by a stunning portrait that I’d not seen before.
My feet hurt, my brain was overstuffed, and I was hungry. I would have walked somewhere to have dinner, but the crowds overflowing from the demonstration made that a near impossibility.
I ordered a Lyft. It arrived quickly and then the “fun began.” What should have taken seven minutes took nearly an hour. The demonstration was breaking up and the police blocked off nearly every street downtown. I saw (in great detail because we sat for so long) parts of DC I’d never seen before.
When I finally arrived back at my hotel that was it for the night.