dc
Jul 21st 2010 01:14:43 pm
On Monday, I took a day trip to Washington, DC. I got on the train way too early in the morning, but it was worth it because I had a full day to explore the city with my Aunts, Amy and Dana. Dana was in town for a conference, but Amy and I got to spend the whole day walking the National Mall and checking out a few museums.
We started at the Capitol building (seen above) and then made our way to the new National Museum of the American Indian. I was thrilled to get to visit that museum. When I was in grad school studying museums we often discussed the, then in progress, Museum of the American Indian. The museum has many beautiful, historic artifacts, but it also has a strong focus on contemporary native communities and cultures. Its use of community curators and consultants from nearly every native tribe in the US was groundbreaking and unprecedented in museum development. The exhibits are emotional and sometimes difficult because they address the atrocities and controversies of the past head on, but they also show that Native Americans are not some quaint, extinct specimens (as museums often implied in the past). They are important members of our communities with living cultures that continue to make a large impact on our country. The museum does a great job of showing how native traditions are continued today… I could have spent hours reading every panel and learning about each of the tribes!
The museum is also a beautiful building designed by Native American architect, Douglas Cardinal… I took lots of photos!
It was really hot out on Monday, but we persevered and checked out the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art (where I was excited to see a Roxy Paine piece) and then briefly toured the Museum of American History. I liked the exhibit on the Apollo Theater – it had so much style!
After all the museum hopping we were tired and hot, but we managed to meet Dana for dinner and even found a delicious cupcake shop! (I’ll have more on the cupcakes in an upcoming review.) It was a great day! I wish I could have stayed a few more days in DC, but I have so much going on over the next few weeks that I had to get home…
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2 Comments » Categories: Family, Trips, museums
Aaron on 21 Jul 2010 at 3:41 pm #
Amber and I are so jealous, we wish we could go back!
Libby on 22 Jul 2010 at 11:33 am #
I wish I could go there, but in style!