What can I say about the museums in DC? They are mostly FREE! Certainly that is something, right? Most museum hours are 10AM-5PM but please check their sites for changes.
Here are some of my favorites and the reasons why they are:
National Gallery of Art East Building 4th Street NW, Off Pennsylvania Avenue NW
First off, and straight away, when you walk into the East Building, the security guards are so nice and friendly! I really like that and it’s not just occasionally, it’s all the time.
The first place I go to is downstairs to see Villereal’s Multiverse exhibit. I spend a lot of time here too, going back and forth. Multiverse is one of Villareal’s largest and most complex light sculptures. It is experienced by visitors as they pass through the Concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings. The work features approximately 41,000 computer-programmed LED (light-emitting diode) nodes that run through existing channels along the 200-foot-long space. The programming both instructs the lights and allows for an element of chance, so that it is very unlikely that any pattern will repeat during a viewer's experience.
NGA Leo Villereal’s Multiverse
Hahn/Cock (2013) by Katharina Fritsch
Hahn/Cock (2013) by Katharina Fritsch (German, b. 1956) is installed on the Roof Terrace and a surprisingly site to see! Originally commissioned for the City of London's series of temporary public artworks installed in Trafalgar Square, the 14.5-foot-tall sculpture, made of glass fiber reinforced polyester resin on a stainless steel structure. Hahn/Cock will be on long-term loan courtesy of Glenstone, the museum of contemporary art in Potomac, Maryland, which acquired the work in 2014.
Honestly, who doesn’t like a blue rooster on the roof? It’s fun for little, and big kids alike!
Jazz in the Park (NGA’s Sculpture Garden) 5PM-8:30PM
The Jazz in the Garden Series begins its season in May. The free concert series features jazz artists performing a wide variety of styles—Brazilian Folk Jazz, Alternative Modern, Blues, Reggae, World Steam Punk, Afro Funk, African Fusion Jazz, Cuban Charanga, Django Guitar, New Orleans Jazz, and more—every Friday evening from 5:00 to 8:30 in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.
Hirshhorn Museum 10:00AM-5:30PM Open 364 Days a Year and closed on Christmas
Independence Ave and 7th St
Washington, DC 20560
OK, so let’s get our priorities straight, there is a Dolcezza located inside the Hirshhorn Museum, so plan your visit accordingly. As one of the most visited modern art museums in the U.S., the Hirshhorn seeks to share the transformative power of modern and contemporary art by creating meaningful, personal experiences in which art, artists, audiences and ideas converge.
The exhibit that has had the most impact in my life, for no other reason than jaw-dropping, is the Kusama Exhibit which was featured in 2017. The Museum has bought Yayoi Kusama’s reconfiguration of her very first Infinity Mirror Room, Phalli’s Field. This 2017 version of the original 1965 room appeared in the recent six-city North American touring exhibition organised by the museum, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, which drew sell-out crowds in every location and ended on 17 February at the High Museum in Atlanta. Its popularity helped send the Hirshhorn’s visitor numbers in 2017 past the 1 million mark for the first time in nearly 30 years.
“The exhibition had such an impact on the museum, and we began to think about adding something to the collection,” says Melissa Chiu, the director of the Hirshhorn. The museum already had three Kusama works, the recently-acquired Pumpkin (2016), a painting and an early sculpture. Phalli’s Field, Chiu says, is “art-historically important” and complements the collection’s strength in 1960s works. The museum purchased the installation for an undisclosed sum from Kusama’s Tokyo gallery, Ota Fine Arts. Chiu says the acquisition will go on view at the Hirshhorn in 2020.
The National Building Museum Monday–Saturday, 10 am–5 pmSunday, 11 am–5 pm
401 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001
ADMISSION: varied, depending on special exhibits
Something deep to my heart: Architecture and the Summer Block Series that begin July 4 through Labor Day.
The National Building Museum transforms understanding of the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and design. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and special events, we welcome all ages to experience stories about the built world and its power to shape our lives, communities, and futures. The Museum resides in one of the most awe-inspiring places in Washington, D.C., with a soaring Great Hall, colossal 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns, and a 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze.
They have special summer-long exhibits that change each year. Here are some of my favorites, past and present:
