Friday, March 26, 2010

The Art of Gaman at the Renwick

The use of found objects in art is a modern notion. In other times, art was made with items available. Scarcity required that everything be used. In no other exhibit is art by necessity more evident than in The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942–1946, an exhibit currently on display at the Renwick Gallery.

Delphine Hirasuna, guest curator of the exhibition and author of the accompanying catalogue, said that the idea for the exhibit began because of a bird pin. After the death of her mother, Hirasuna found a stunning hand made bird pin while she was cleaning out her mom's attic. She realized it was a piece of art jewelry created when her mother was interned in camps at the direction of the FDR following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.


Japanese Americans taken to the camps were only allowed to bring what they could carry. The camps provided only Army cots in the living quarters. Folks interned in the camps began to create objects out of necessity. The made chairs, tables, places to hang their clothes.

As time in the camps progressed, artists began to train camp dwellers in various crafts to help stave off boredom and to add beauty to life events-- both special and ordinary.. Corsages were made out of shells to celebrate weddings. Vases were made from leftover pipes to hold plants. Canes were carved from wood to help folks walk in the mud.

Discovery of the bird pin led Hirasuna to investigate other crafts made in the camps. The result is a spectacular exhibit. Hirasuna managed to select fabulous examples of found art and explain the significance of each piece in a way that highlighted the plight of its maker. My college age son, a government major, declared The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942–1946 "the best exhibit I have seen in a long time." I concur.

The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942–1946 is on exhibit at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC now through January 30, 2011.

Photo credits
Himeko Fukuhara, Kazuko Matsumoto (Interned at Amache, Colorado, and Gila River, Arizona). Bird pins. Scrap wood, paint, metal. Collection of the National Japanese American Historical Society. From The Art of Gaman by Delphine Hirasuna, ©2005, Ten Speed Press. Terry Heffernan photo.

Art of Power : Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain

So you missed the Art of Power : Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain when it was on view at the National Gallery of Art through November 1, 2009. If you find yourself in Spain then plan on visiting the exhibit at Museo Nacional del Prado until May 16, 2010. The exhibition appeals to all ages.

Walk through the Art of Power exhibit hall and you will see shields, helmets and armors worn by holy roman emperors, kings and the children of Spanish royalty. The exhibit consists of 75 pieces of decorative armor fabricated by master craftsmen dating back to the 15th to 17th century.

The pieces included in Art of Power were all intended as parade armor. They were designed and made for show, not war. The armor was more likely worn for tournaments, jousting and other peace time noble gestures than on a battlefield. Crafted of gold on steel, the shields, helmets and armors all contain a not so subtle advertising campaign for the imperial ambitions of the Spanish monarchy and Hapsburg dynasty. No wonder that decades later the armors still fulfills its clear intention to both dazzle and intimidate.

Watching the crowd observe the dazzling art is a treat. Young boys clearly dragged to the art museum by their parents against their will quickly quiet their objections and begin animated discussions about ancient stories of knights and kings. While the comparison to Power Rangers may be a little off putting to some, the excitement is spectacular. Young girls equal victims of their parents efforts to educate also found intrigue at the detailed stories carefully carved, etched and hammered into the armor and then highlighted in gold.

A favorite in the hall is the decorative armor intended to be worn by a horse. Gold images overlaid on steel show the of Sampson and Delilah on one side. On the other side are the stories of Hercules as a child fighting serpents and as an adult killing the multi- headed hydra. Other armor tells the tales of past wars, the procession of roman gods, the passing of imperial power form Egypt to Rome, the meeting of ancient roman generals and the long story of the 300 year rule of the Hapsburg imperial family and Spanish monarchy.

The amazing Art of Power exhibition pieces are all borrowed from the Royal Armory in Madrid. David Brown, curator of Italian and Spanish Paintings at the gallery, said that the selected works are some of "the finest examples of renaissance armor in the world."

The National Gallery of Art prepared both audio and video podcasts for the Art of Power.

If you can not get to the exhibit in Spain or loved the exhibit and want to see even more armor, remember that the National of Art has an impressive collection of armor in its permanent collection. The museum staff prepared a self guided tour of 25 works of art in its permanent armor collection. For a map of the tour click here. The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1.

Michael Jackson Exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum

Oil on silkscreen on canvas, 1984 Time cover, March 19,  1984 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
Oil on silkscreen on canvas, 1984 Time cover, March 19, 1984 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
Photo courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian

So you missed seeing the stunning 1984 portrait of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol when it was on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC and you are fascinated by the life and works of Michael Jackson after seeing the movie This Is It.

Fans living in or visiting California should head on over to the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE. On the third floor of the museum you will find an amazing collection of many of Jackson's most iconic wardrobe pieces. The exhibition includes the suit Jackson wore on the cover of his 1984 Thriller album.

The GRAMMY Museum's exhibition was planned before the pop star's death but the exhibition was extended due to the incredible sustained fascination with Jackson. Interest in Michael Jackson soared when Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California and died on June 25, 2009. Interest in the pop star increased further when the Los Angeles County coroner ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide this past August. The GRAMMY Museum announced yesterday that it would extend the Michael Jackson exhibition though the summer.

The GRAMMY Museum is located on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, on the campus of L.A. LIVE. The Museum entrance is located on Figueroa Street. The museum is open Sunday to Friday 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM and on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM. Folks who plan to visit the Museum prior to attending an evening program receive a discounted rate of $8 per person and may visit the Museum from 6:00 pm until it closes at 7:30 pm.

Ford’s Theater and Lincoln Museum


Newly renovated Ford's Theater. Photo courtesy of NPS

If you have never been to the Ford’s Theater and Lincoln museum, now is the time to go. If you have visited, think about visiting again. The Ford’s Theater and Lincoln museum reopened recently after an extensive renovation and the result is spectacular. Gone is the shabby exhibition cabinet highlighting Lincoln’s top hat and the gun that killed the 16th president of the United States. The gun remains as part of the exhibition space, but the museum designers knew how to capture the imagination of visitors young and old alike.

Visiting the museum is different from the moment of arrival. The National Park Service contracted with Ticketmaster to distribute free, timed tickets to the exhibit. The entrance to the exhibit space was moved. You now enter through an entrance separate from the theater. The stairwell down to the museum was transformed to re-create the mood of Lincoln’s time.

The exhibition space itself is divided into areas explaining Lincoln’s life and death. You can look through a file cabinet drawer and view biographies of Lincoln’s cabinet members. OK, it is a little on the cheesy side, but the kids look through and read the material in a way you do not often see in museums. Each area of the museum has a running clip from the history channel embellishing the vast written content of the exhibit.

The museum space is well thought out and well used. It takes about the time given to go through and thoroughly take advantage of the exhibition space. Once time is up, the time ticketed group is invited up into the theater where a park ranger explains the significance of the theater and what happened on the day of Lincoln’s death. The stairwell and hallway toward the entrance of the theater has descriptions of what both Lincoln and Booth were doing throughout the day on the fateful day Lincoln was shot. The sound of a clock ticking in the hall adds to the visitors' experience and is illustrative of the thoughtful multimedia approach taken throughout the museum.

Ford's Theater National Historic Site is open for tours by reservation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Petersen House located directly across the street from Ford's Theater (also called the "House Where Lincoln Died") is open 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and also requires a ticket.

To investigate some of the many other sites in the Washington, DC that explore President Lincoln and his legacy see the Lincoln tour of Washington, DC.

Portrait of J.D. Salinger on view at the National Portrait Gallery

“J. D. Salinger” by Robert Vickery, 1961.
“J. D. Salinger” by Robert Vickery, 1961.
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Time magazine, © Robert Vickrey/Licensed by VAGA, New York, N.Y.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery installed a portrait of the late J.D. Salinger in the first-floor gallery space designated for remembrance of recently deceased individuals. The portrait was created by Robert Vickery and is part of the museum’s collection. Vickery’s portrait first appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1961. The portrait was made available for public view when the museum opened at 11:30 this morning.

J.D. Salinger is the author of The Catcher in the Rye (1951), a classic coming of age story enjoyed by generations of teenagers. He also published Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961), Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963).

Salinger’s last published work was a novella entitled Hapworth 16, 1924 that appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965. Salinger entered into a book deal to publish Hapworth 16, 1924 with Roger Lathbury, an English professor at George Mason University and owner of Orchises Press, a small literary publishing house based in the professor's Alexandria home. The book deal fell through after Lathbury granted an interview about the upcoming publication with a local business journal and the Washington Post picked up the story. Angered at the advanced publicity, Salinger decided against publication and terminated his burgeoning friendship with the professor.

In Vickery’s Time magazine portrait, Salinger is painted against what the National Portrait Gallery termed “a metaphorical amber wave of grain.” He stands in a white striped dress shirt and a black tie. In the background the painter included a small child dressed in a red sweater and blue jeans. The child's arms are outstretched and he stands beside a cliff. The portrait will be on view in the first floor of the National Portrait Gallery to commemorate Salinger’s life for a limited time.

Salinger shied from public life and is considered a rather infamous recluse. There are few photographs of and little news about the much admired author. Salinger died at the age of 91on January 27, 2010.

The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W. at the Metro’s Gallery Place stop. The museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.

Meyerhoff Collection at the National Gallery of Art as part of the Cone sisters' legacy

Roy Lichtenstein, Bedroom at Arles, 1992 oil and Magna on  canvas
Roy Lichtenstein, Bedroom at Arles, 1992 oil and Magna on canvas
Collection of Robert and Jane Meyerhoff. Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.

The eccentric Cone sisters left multiple legacies to the people of Baltimore when they bequeathed their fabulous collection of modern art. The Cone sisters left a world class collection of enduring art. As importantly, the Cone sisters issued a challenge to the people of Baltimore to appreciate modern art.

The citizens of Baltimore would raise money and build an addition to the Baltimore Museum of Art to house the spectacular Cone Collection of modern art. Many of the people of Baltimore took the Cone contribution as marking the beginning of art collecting as a competitive sport. The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection presented to the National Gallery of Art is evidence of the Cones' legacy.

Selected works from The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection are on view now through May 2, 2010. The post war collection put together by the Meyerhoffs is quite simply sublime. In the opening ceremonies, Robert Meyerhoff stated with his characteristic teasing way "that I regret that I have but one art collection to give to our country."

This is the second exhibition the National Gallery has held featuring the Meyerhoff collection. An exhibition displaying 190 works was held at the National Gallery of Art in 1996. The current exhibition features 24 works acquired after 1996. The entire Meyerhoff collection of almost 300 works of art is promised to the National Gallery and will become part of the Gallery's permanent collection. To date, the Meyerhoffs have donated 47 works of art.

Harry Cooper, curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery of Art acted as for the current exhibition. The National Gallery of art is located on the National Mall at 4th and Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, DC. The National Gallery of Art is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Ted Bundy’s VW Beetle at National Museum of Crime and Punishment

Ted Bundy's deadly VW Beetle at the National Museum of Crime  & Punishment
Ted Bundy's deadly VW Beetle at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment
National Museum of Crime & Punishment

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment (NMCP) today unveiled the 1968 VW Beetle used by notorious serial killer Ted Bundy during his crime spree resulting from 1974 to1977. The bug was purchased by Arthur Nash from the police and stored until its début at the museum.

Wyndell C. Watkins, Sr. retired Deputy Chief of Police for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C. said at the unveiling, “Ted Bundy was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Bundy did not look like a monster. He was well educated. Bundy used his charm and charisma to get close to his victims." Watkins is the author of YOUVESTIGATE, DON’T SPECULATE, a 2008 book explaining processes, procedures and technology members of the public can use to stay safe.

According to Watkins, the term "serial killer" was coined during the Bundy case. Bundy admitted to killing between 30 and 40 women, but the FBI estimates that he may have had as many as 150 victims.

Bundy sometimes used his car as a rouse to lure his victims. The killer often wore his arm in a sling and asked women to help him open the car door. When the victim came near, Bundy would pull out a crow bar and strike her on the head. Other times Bundy would pose as a policeman or fireman to gain his victim's trust.

Watkins explained that the lesson to be learned from the Ted Bundy case is that it is important to be vigilant. "Do not assume anything until you have checked out the facts. Be sure the badge is real. Make sure any ID has a picture on it." Most importantly, Watkins said to do everything you can to get out of the car if you are forced into it. His experience demonstrates that if you can not, you are not likely to get out alive.

Ted Bundy’s VW replaces John Dillinger 1933 Essex Teraplane getaway car in the museum foyer. The Dillinger car was moved to the Southwest terminal at BWI Airport.

NMCP’s mission is to provide insight into issues of crime, crime fighting, and the consequences of committing a crime in the United States. The museum includes the television set of America's Most Wanted with host John Walsh. NMCP is located at 575 7th St. NW between E and F Streets in downtown Washington, D.C. at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro (Arena exit).

Museum Camps in Washington, DC

Spring break is approaching and parents are deciding on summer plans for area kids. The many museums in the District offer a variety of themed camps to consider.

Smithsonian Summer Camp for kids aged K-grade 8 runs from June 21 to August 13, 2010 and explores the museums on the National Mall.

Art & Architecture Camps

National Building Museum runs CREATE Summer Camp for children ages 8 to11. Two week sessions are July 12 to 23, July 26 to August 6 and August 9 to 20. Embark on projects related to architecture, design, or engineering.

Corcoran Gallery of Art runs Camp Creativity for ages 5 to13, plus Studio D for ages 14-16. Week long workshops allow kids to learn both traditional and non-traditional arts.

History Camps
There are a number of area camps that offers a “revolutionary” experience. Children experience life 200 years ago. These camps explore historic food, dance, music, art, games and clothing.

Dumbarton House holds a one week sessions for kids ages 9 to 12 from 9 a.m. to noon throughout the summer for its History Summer Camp.

DAR Museum holds Quilt Camp for kids ages 10 to 17 and one week sessions of Colonial Camp for children 8-12.

Tudor Place holds Georgetown Summer History Weeks. The programs run from 9 a.m. to noon for kids ages 3 to 5 and ages 6 to 8. The program for older kids ages 9 to 12 runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If American history is not your kid’s thing then consider the history and techniques of spying:
International Spy Museum runs “No Grownups Allowed!” from July 26 to 30, 2010 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Science Camps
National Zoo offers Summer Safari Day Camp for grades K-5 from June 21 to August 13, 2010. The zoo camp features hands-on zoo activities, craft projects, science experiments. The FONZ Nature Camp is for kids grades 5 to10. It runs from July 5 to August 14, 2010 and features one- or two-week sessions with an overnight at the Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Rock Creek Park Horse Camp offers one week sessions for new and experienced riders ages 8 to 14 from June 14 to August 7 (9:00am--3:00pm). The Camp offers an extended day group lesson in equine studies which ends at 5:30pm.

Hendrick Avercamp at the National Gallery of Art

Hendrick Avercamp A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle,  c. 1608-1609 oil on panel unframed: 40.
Hendrick Avercamp A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle, c. 1608-1609 oil on panel unframed: 40.
The National Gallery, London

Serious art can be a lot of fun. The National Gallery opens a small exhibit entitled Hendrick Avercamp: The Little Ice Age on March 21, 2010. This is the first exhibition dedicated to Dutch landscape artist Hendrick Avercamp, whose works depict ice skating, sleigh rides and the frozen games of kolf (a precursor to our modern game of golf).

Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., the National Gallery’s curator for Northern Baroque Paintings and professor at the University of Maryland, said that “Avercamp’s work is a celebration of winter.” Wheelock advises viewers to look carefully at the detailed paintings to understand the stories and vignettes contained in them. Avercamp’s paintings show all members of society. Lavishly dressed men and women, some playing golf, are watched almost wistfully buy a poor beggar. Skaters glide on the ice, but also are depicted falling down. A sled breaks through the ice and the artist shows the horse struggling to right himself and community members rushing to help those on the sled before it sinks into the frigid water.

Bianca du Mortier, curator of costumes from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, explained that “little is really known about Avercamp” apart from his art. He was born in Amsterdam in 1585, but moved to Kampen when he was only two years old. Avercamp studied art in Amsterdam but moved back to Kampen. He was known during his life by the politically incorrect term as the “mute of Kampen.” Art historians speculate that Avercamp may have been deaf as well as mute.

Whatever the extent of Avercamp’s disabilities, it is clear that the artist observed much and sought to portray both the joy and hardships in Dutch society. Avercamp began the “ice scene” genre.

Children and adults who love puzzles will enjoy searching for Hendrick Avercamp’s signature in his paintings and drawings. Avercamp was fond of hiding his signature. Look carefully at his work and you will find his initials or signature—but never the date—hidden in a sled or scratched discretely in some other portion of his complex paintings, sometimes more than once.

The exhibit will run through July 5, 2010. The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW. The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday.

Kehinde Wiley Portrait of LL Cool J at the National Portrait Gallery

LL Cool J Kehinde Wiley, 2005 Oil on canvas 243.8 x 182.9 cm  (96 x 72 in)
LL Cool J Kehinde Wiley, 2005 Oil on canvas 243.8 x 182.9 cm (96 x 72 in)
© Kehinde Wiley

Fans of hip hop and fans of the TV show NCIS Los Angeles will enjoy the portrait of LL Cool J by Kehinde Wiley currently on view in the National Portrait Gallery. Kehinde Wiley was commissioned in 2005 to paint LL Cool J and others for the VH1 Hip Hop Honors program. The painting was inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography of John D. Rockefeller. Both LL Cool J and the artist wanted the portrait to have a pose similar to John Singer Sargent’s painting of Rockefeller.

The painting was first on view in the Smithsonian as part of the exhibition RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture.

At age sixteen, James Todd Smith released his first single “I Need a Beat” and changed his name to LL Cool J (short for “Ladies Love Cool James”). LL Cool J continued his career with nine consecutive multi-platinum albums. His music is considered significant in transforming rap “from an underground genre to a mainstream cultural force.”

In 1993, LL Cool J began including gangsta rap in his repertoire of music. In addition to his musical talents, LL Cool J is well known for his acting in film (Toys, Halloween H20, Rollerball) and on television (In the House, 30 Rock, House). LL Cool J currently stars in the new series NCIS: Los Angeles.

You can find the 2005 portrait of LL Cool J by Kehinde Wiley in the first floor of the National Portrait Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W. at the Metro’s Gallery Place stop. The museum is open daily from 11:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.

Found art of Brian Jungen at the National Museum of American Indian

Carapace, 2009. Industrial waste bins, 11.63' x 26.25' x  21.9'.
Carapace, 2009. Industrial waste bins, 11.63' x 26.25' x 21.9'.
Courtesy of the artist, Casey Kaplan, NY, and Frac des Pays de la Loire, France. Photo: Mathieu Génon. ©Brian Jungen.

Brian Jungen is of Dunne-za First Nations and Swiss-Canadian ancestry Jungen was born in the small town of Fort St. John in northeast British Columbia. For the past 20 years, he has resided in Vancouver.

Jungen’s credits his passion for found objects to the Native ingenuity of crafting one object out of another. Jungen grew up watching relatives recycle everything. “It was a kind of salvaging born out of practical and economic necessity, and it greatly influenced how I see the world as an artist,” said Jungen.

Strange Comfort will be on view at the National Museum of the American Indian until August 8, 2010. The NMAI is on the National Mall at Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W. in Washington, DC. The museum is open daily form 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In the Tower: Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko Untitled (man with green face), 1934/1935 oil on  canvas
Mark Rothko Untitled (man with green face), 1934/1935 oil on canvas
Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. Copyright © 1997 Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel

Any exhibition is by definition a snap shot, reflecting both the mood of the artist as depicted in the work and the choice of the curator in deciding what works to include in the exhibition. In the Tower: Mark Rothko at the National Gallery of Art is no exception.

The current Rothko exhibition is noteworthy because it features works from the beginning and end of Rothko's career. Both depart from the colorful blocks that are so characteristic of Mark Rothko.

According to Earl A. Powell III, director of the National Gallery of Art, the works were donated to the National Gallery of Art from Rothko’s estate. The four black paintings in the tower were studies for the Catholic chapel in Houston commissioned by the collector Dominique de Menil and now the non-denominational Rothko Chapel. The 1964 works are hung as they are in the chapel .Music composed by Rothko's close friend Morton Feldman to play in the chapel high lights Rothko’s works. Feldman composed the music a year after Rothko's death, also as a commission by de Menil.

The curators of the exhibit focus on the depths of color in Rothko’s texture black works, but it is hard to look at the paintings and not feel an incredible anger at the art world that collectively championed Rothko’s art but failed to see the despair of the artist.

It does not take a clinically trained psychologist to see that these haunting paintings were a departure from Rothko’s breathtaking use of color. Rather than evidencing a maturity in his work as an artist, they seem to represent a not very oblique call for help from a man sinking deeper and deeper into despair.

The fact that those purporting to represent the man apparently attempted to swindle his heirs after his suicide demonstrates the callous indifference the art world sometimes shows individual artists. Years of litigation over the ownership of Rothko’s work restored his children with ownership and control over Rothko’s estate. They formed the Mark Rothko Foundation and donated 295 paintings and works on paper, and more than 650 sketches, to the National Gallery of Art in 1985 and 1986 so that Rothko’s works can be enjoyed by the public in exhibits like the current exhibit in the Tower. The large donation makes the gallery the most important repository and study center of the art of Mark Rothko.

Designing the Lincoln Memorial at the National Gallery of Art

Detail of the six-foot plaster model (1916) of Abraham Lincoln  by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931)
Detail of the six-foot plaster model (1916) of Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931)
Photo by Jerry L. Thompson, 2004. Courtesy Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site, Stockbridge, MA.t

Have you ever wondered how the nation's greatest monuments were conceived and designed? Visitors to Washington, DC and District natives that want a better understanding of the incredible monuments we pass daily on our way to work will both enjoy the exhibit at the National Gallery of Art entitled Designing the Lincoln Memorial: Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon .

The exhibit is part of the 200th anniversary celebration of Lincoln's birth. Designing the Lincoln Memorial features models of the Lincoln Memorial that allow visitors to get an up close look at the architectural features of the Parthenon inspired marble building.

In addition to numerous explanatory panels, the exhibit includes: the 6-foot-high plaster working model of the statue created by American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), a wood model of the Lincoln Memorial created by American architect Henry Bacon (1866–1924), life-size photo banners of the final Lincoln sculpture and a watercolor of the East Elevation of the Lincoln Memorial by Jules Guerin (who created the murals in the Memorial).

French’s plaster model of the seated Lincoln was used to carve the final 19-foot-high sculpture placed in the center of the Lincoln Memorial. The plaster model on view in the National Gallery is the second model made by French after collaboration with architect Bacon. The final sculpture was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers. It took a full year and 28 blocks of Georgia marble for create the sculpture now on view in the Memorial. French's plaster model is being lent by the Chesterwood Estate and Museum, French's country home and studio located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

The wood model in the exhibit was as part of Bacon's entry into the design competition for the Memorial held by the Lincoln Memorial Commission. Bacon’s wood model is the original scale of the actual monument. Bacon recommended using French to create the Lincoln sculpture the building would house. Like the sculpture inside, the monument building was made from white marble and was constructed between 1914 and 1922.

Designing the Lincoln Memorial is on view in the National Gallery's West Building, Main Floor now through April 4, 2010. The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Lincoln Tour of Washington, DC

This year is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 1809. Most folks visiting Washington, DC begin reflecting on the life of the sixteenth president with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. To get a deeper understanding of the man behind the Emancipation Proclamation, plan to expand your visit to include exhibitions about different aspects of Lincoln's life and death in the many other museums around the city.


Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

The National Gallery of Art has a small model explaining the architectural development of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Smithsonian Museum of American History recently opened a Lincoln exhibition in the newly renovated museum entitled Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life The exhibit includes Lincoln's pocket watch. The Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life exhibit is planned to run through January 2011 and includes a virtual exhibition.

Before Lincoln became president of the United States, he was a postmaster for the town of New Salem, Illinois. The Philatelic Gallery of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum has eleven unique certified plate proofs for postage stamps on display that all honor Abraham Lincoln. The stamps feature a variety of Lincoln portraits and were issued from 1894 to 1959. Certified plate proofs are the last printed proof of the plate before printing the stamps. The plate proofs include approval signatures and the date of approval. The certified plate proofs will be on exhibit through October 2010.

To further celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday, The Smithsonian National Postal Museum developed an on-line exhibition called From Postmaster To President: Celebrating Lincoln’s 200th Birthday Through Stamps & Postal History.

The Library of Congress has a spectacular collection of Lincoln materials. The library put together an astounding exhibit called With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition. The Library's exhibit opened in Washington, DC and is now touring around the country and can be viewed on line. The vignettes of Lincoln throughout his life are particularly interesting.

An official portrait of Lincoln hangs in the Presidents hall at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, along with portraits of every other president of the United States. The National Portrait Gallery had a special exhibition entitled One Life: The Mask of Lincoln that according to the museum staff "concentrates on presidential portraits to show the changing face that Abraham Lincoln presented to the world as he led the fight for the Union." One Life: The Mask of Lincoln closed on July 5, 2009, but can still be viewed on line. The audio tour of the One Life exhibit can also be heard on line.

Lincoln was inaugurated for his second term on March 6, 1865. That evening Lincoln held an inaugural ball. Although Lincoln did not know it at the time, the Civil War in its final stages. Six weeks later Lincoln would attend the Ford's Theater and be assassinated. The Reynolds Center, the building which houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, has an exhibition simulating the Lincoln inaugural ball experience. The exhibition includes an invitation to the ball, the lavish ball menu as well as engravings illustrating the night's events. On the floor of the exhibition are instructions on how to dance as they did 147 years ago. Children visiting this exhibit immediately get into the mode and begin dancing as if taken back in time. The exhibit also hints at what seasoned Washingtonians have known for year. The ball was poorly planned, resulting in fights over food,. The exhibit is guest curated by Charles Robertson, author of the recent book Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark.

For those interested in seeing how President Lincoln and his family lived during the Civil War, visit the Lincoln Cottage. President Lincoln and his family summered in this home from June to November of 1862, 1863 and 1864. Lincoln's Cottage is located on the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) campus at the intersection of Rock Creek Church Road NW and Pusher Street NW. Be sure to schedule a tour before you go.

To understand Lincoln's life in the White House go to the virtual exhibit Mr. Lincoln's White House. To understand the Lincoln's personal dispare at the loss of their eldest son during the civil war, visit Robert Todd Lincoln's Tomb in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Arlington National Cemetery was created during the Lincoln administration. Arlington House was confiscated from the Lee family during the civil war. Lincoln and his generals intended to preclude the Lees from ever enjoying their property again. They turned the Lee’s home into a grave yard. Among the first buried were 1,800 Union casualties from the Battle of Bull Run.

No tour of Lincoln's time in the District would be complete without a visit to the Ford's Theater and Lincoln Museum. Ford's Theater recently opened its renovated museum in the basement of the building where Lincoln was was assassinated on April 14th, 1865. Across the street from the theater is the home where Lincoln was treated for his mortal wound and died. Both buildings are owned and run by the Department of Interior as part of the National Parks. Tours are led by guides wearing period dress.

The medical aspects of Lincoln's shooting are examined at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in their exhibit called Abraham Lincoln: The Final Casualty of the War. The National Museum of Health and Medicine is located at 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW in Washington, DC. You can find photos of the exhibit on flickr.

After viewing Ford's theater, the Lincoln Museum and the house where Lincoln died, head over to the Newseum to see their exhibit called Manhunt: Chasing Lincoln's Killer. Purchase tickets on line or at the Newseum

To see the fate of those charged with conspiracy to kill President Lincoln, walk over and buy a ticket for the National Museum of Crime and Punishment where you can view the instruments used to punish those found guilty of conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States.

Leo Villareal's Multiverse at the National Gallery of Art


Leave it to the National Gallery of Art to turn a walkway between buildings into a spectacular work of art. If you have not yet seen it, do not miss Multiverse, a light sculpture created by American artist Leo Villareal especially for the National Gallery of Art.

Multiverse is the largest light sculpture created by Villareal to date. The work was commissioned by the National Gallery of Art for the passageway connecting the East and West Buildings. The moving, changing light show is scheduled to be on view for one year. The work is made from approximately 41,000 computer-programmed light–emitting diode (LED) nodes that run through channels along the entire 200-foot-long walkway. The light sculpture is constantly changing, to the delight of those passing through the space. Children squeal as they walk the length of the passage way or glide by on the moving sidewalk. Enthralled kids often double back to examine the sculpture from different angles and see if they can catch the light show in a repeat pattern.

The development of Villareal’s LED project in Washington, DC began in 2005 and was installed in September 2008. Villareal programmed the lights to include an element of chance. The curator explains that “while it is possible that a pattern will repeat during a viewer's experience, it is highly unlikely.”

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Photo: National Gallery of Art Walkway to East Building

Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #65 at the National Gallery of Art

Want to challenge your kids on the notion of what is and what is not art? Visit Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #65 on view in the East Building of National Gallery of Art . If your kids are like many, they are likely to look at the drawing and shout, "Hey, I can do that!" And they would be right.

Sol LeWitt had a different notion of art than did many artists of his time and before. LeWitt liked the temporal nature of line drawings. Although LeWitt carefully planned his drawings. The art itself was created using groups of workers under his supervision, rather than toiling alone in his studio as is typical of many artists. LeWitt saw himself as more of a conductor than a soloist and so his art demanded that it could, in fact, be created by anyone.

So the next question that kids inevitable ask is, "what is that work doing in a museum? Especially since it looks like it could have been done by a kid!" Exploring the answer to these questions is where adults and children alike can really explore what constitutes art.

Wall Drawing #65 was a gift from Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. Wall Drawing #65 was installed in the National Gallery of Art in 2004 on a wall in the Concourse galleries around the corner from the East Building, Small Auditorium. As is typical of LeWitt, the drawing was planned in advance and then assembled in the National Gallery of Art by a team of workers under LeWitt's supervision. It took eight days for LeWitt and his team to create Wall Drawing #65, a work on a white wall using red, yellow, blue, and black colored pencil.

The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

To see other items in the National Gallery of Art' collection of LeWitt's work click here. For more information on Sol LeWitt and a review of the huge of the Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective see, Sol LeWitt at Mass MoCA.

Photo: Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing #65



Cheney Miniatures at the Baltimore Museum of Art


Looking for an interesting outing for you and your daughters? Grab your girls and head for the Baltimore Museum of Art. Elementary school age girls will squeal in delight at the miniature rooms in the Cheney collection.

Elizabeth F. Cheney commissioned Eugene Cupjack, the acclaimed miniature maker from Park Ridge, Illinois, to make a series of tiny English and American rooms in the styles of the 17th to 19th century architecture and interior design. The miniature rooms are all scaled one inch to one foot. Almost all the items in the tiny rooms were made by Cupjack in his Illinois studio.

Although each miniature room is a work of decorative art comprised of tiny craft, the exhibition looks like a group of every girl's wildest doll house fantasy. You will know you are educating your daughter in modern decorative arts and crafts, but she will see only a series of spectacular doll houses.

The Baltimore Museum of Art clearly understands its audience because under each tiny room is a step stool so that younger art patrons can examine the rooms up close and in detail. Although some youngsters expressed concern that there were no dolls in any of the rooms, one group of ten year old girls vigorously debated which room each girl liked the best and which "doll house" each wanted to keep as her own.

Ms. Cheney was an honorary trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art from 1978 until her death in1985. The miniature collection was bequeathed to the museum in 1987 and is now part of the permanent collection.

The Baltimore Museum of Art offers free admission to guests, along with audio tours of the museum. The museum is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Wednesday through Friday and from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on the weekend. The museum is located at 10 Museum Drive at the corner of North Charles and 31st Streets, three miles north of Baltimore's Inner Harbor in the neighborhood of Charles Village.

Photo:
Miniature American Bedroom in the Federal Style, 1790-1810

Women’s Art History at the National Museum of Women in the Arts


Celebrate women’s history month by visiting the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The museum has a number of great special exhibits but do not ignore the museums impressive permanent collection.
Begin your tour on the third floor in the 20th to 21st century gallery. Do not miss Frida Kahlo’s 1937 Self Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky. According to Michele Cragle, the museum owns the only painting of Frida Kahlo in a public gallery in the Washington, DC area.

Other works to take note of include two paintings by Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Catlett and Alma Woodsey Thomas, an active member of the Washington Color School (the dominant art movement in Washington, DC during the 1960s and 1970s) and “The Little Paris Studio” (a group of artists formed by Lois Mailou Jones, Celine Tabary and the Barnett Aden Gallery). Thomas broke down barriers as an African American woman expressionist painter. Thomas was 68 when she held her first solo show. Her paintings hang in the White House but she is still remembered fondly in the DC area for teaching art to poor children.

You can challenge your girls’ notion of what is art by discussing Chakaia Booker’s Acid Rain enormous sculpture made entirely from old, used rubber tires and wood. Admire Harmony Hammond’s Hunkertime during its limited engagement at the museum.

Work your way downstairs to the 19th Century, 18th Century and 16th to 17th Century collections. Explore what Krystyna Wasserman, calls the “landscapes of the artists mind” as you enjoy the product of generations of women artists from around the world.

Be sure to stop in the lovely gift shop near the entrance of the building before you leave. True to the museum mission of encouraging women artists, you will find all kinds of creative arts and crafts (including unique jewelry) by interesting artisans at reasonable prices that you can add to your personal collection or give as gifts.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. The admission fee is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors and free for those aged 18 and younger. The museum allows free admission on the first Sunday of every month.

Photo: Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954) Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky 1937

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Gift of the Honorable Clare Boothe Luce

National Museum of Women in the Arts


Grab your girls and head down to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. This stunning museum a few blocks from the White House is the only museum in the world dedicated to the art work of women.

The museum began when Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her husband, Wallace F. Holladay, were traveling in the 1960s and admired a 17th century still life painting by Clara Peeters. When they returned home they tried to find out more information about Peeters but discovered that neither she nor any other female painters were discussed in art history text books. The Holladays decided to collect works by women. Orienting their art collection to women artists proved to be a shrewd investment decision as the works of women were undervalued by art auctioneers.

The Holladays amassed a large collection. Word of their innovative art collection spread and interest in art work by women grew. The Hollidays donated their works in 1981 to become the core collection that began the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Today the museum sits in the heart of the nation’s capital in an elegant, historic building renovated to become the museum. The museum currently owns about 4,000 works of art by more than 800 women.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, in a landmark building near the White House. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sunday from noon to 5 pm. The admission fee is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for senior citizens aged 65 and over and free for students and children aged 18 and younger. The museum invites the community to visit the museum for free on the first Sunday of every month.

Photo: Clara Peeters (Flemish, 1594- ca. 1657) Still Life of Fish and Cat

Photo Courtesy of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay



The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum



Photo courtesy of the FDR Library

Washingtonians heading up I95 to upstate New York and who are looking for something to do over the long Thanksgiving weekend should consider visiting Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Franklin D. Roosevelt used his estate in Hyde Park, New York during his presidency as a retreat and presidential library. FDR loved Springwood and considered it home. He used the presidential library he built on the property while acting as president. On his death, FDR bequeathed the land and the library to the public.

Today, the FDR library is a history lovers delight. Exhibitions at the museum touch on both the lives and political contributions of FDR and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. The website contains a fabulous copy right free collection of photographs detailing the lives of the Roosevelts.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is important not just for the history it contains but it set a precedent when FDR established the the first presidential library. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is a public/ private partnership. The library and museum is maintained by a non-profit organization. Information about the library and museum can be found on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum website. The home and grounds are part of the national park system and are maintained by the National Park Service and can be found on the web as the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.

The grounds of the FDR home is open year-round, seven days a week except Thanksgiving day, Christmas and New Years Day. The buildings are open 9:00am to 5:00pm. Walking the extensive grounds is free and open to the public from sunrise to sunset. The walk from the home to the river is delightful. There is a fee to visit the buildings. The last tour of the library and home is at 4:00pm.

Sol LeWitt at Mass MoCA


Teenagers are not always the most reliable art critics, but when the Edmund Burke School cross country team returned home from their annual preseason training in Vermont with most members raving about the Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) it is hard not to take note.

The Sol LeWitt retrospective includes 100 pieces of LeWitt’s work created from 1968 to 2007. The exhibition was conceived by the artist and Jock Reynolds, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale University Art Gallery, before LeWitt's death in 2007.

In life, LeWitt often stated that the idea behind his work was more important than the actual execution. LeWitt is considered one of the leaders of minimalism and conceptual art. He is known primarily for his simple, elegant geometric structures and his incredible dynamic wall drawings. LeWitt’s experiments with wall drawings began in 1968 and were considered radical at the time, partially because LeWitt also sought help from other artists and students with both the creation and installation of his huge works of art.

Before you go see the exhibition, be sure to visit the museum website and watch the time lapse photography documenting the creation and installation of Sol LeWitt’s enormous creations. The coordination of workers is reminiscent of a symphony conductor. The precision with which the artist works stands in sharp contrast with temporal quality of his art. Artists, students and art patrons unable to make the long trek up the I95 corridor to see the museum will also find the creation and installation process shown in the slide shows very instructive.

The Sol LeWitt retrospective is a collaboration between Yale University Art Gallery, Mass MoCA, and the Williams College Museum of Art. The installed exhibition will remain on view through 2033.

Mass MoCA opened in May 30, 1999. The museum complex sits on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings in North Adams, Massachusetts. The museum compound occupies nearly one-third of the North Adams downtown business district. Mass MoCA claims it is the largest center for contemporary arts in the United States. According to museum officials, "the institution is dedicated to the creation and presentation of provocative visual and performing arts pieces, and of works that blur conventional distinctions between artistic disciplines."

Mass MoCA is located at 1040 Mass MoCA Way in North Adams, Massachusetts. The museum is open during the winter (September 9, 2009 - June 25, 2010) from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, except Tuesday when the museum is closed. Tours are conducted during the winter at 2:00 p.m. on weekdays and noon and 3:00 pm on weekends. Tours are included in the admission fee. In the summer the Mass MoCA museum hours are extended to 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day and tours are offered more frequently. Admission fees are $15 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for children ages 6 to 16. The museum is free for children 5 and under and for members.

Mass MoCa has a combined admission package with The Clark for $22.50 (through October 31, 2009) and with the Norman Rockwell Museum for $25. Mass MoCa is about a seven and one half hour drive from Washington, DC.

Exhibition Coal Mine: Beckley, West Virgina


Anybody interested in expanding the use of "clean coal" as an energy source and all visitors to Beckley, West Virgina should make it a point to stop and visit the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia. The exhibition coal mine shows the work and life of a miner.

The coal mine tour includes an amusement park style ride through an abandoned coal mine. The museum is housed in a 14,000 sq. foot modern building that serves as both coal museum and visitor center. The museum provides visitors with a great explanation of life in a West Virgina coal camp for both miners and the men that managed the miners. The museum gallery displays an extremely impressive collection of coal and coal mining artifacts, tools, geological specimens, photographs and other items reflecting the difficult life of miners in an early coal town in southern West Virginia.

The tour of the mine itself is unusual. Rather than walk through the mines, as in the tours of nearby Virginia and West Virginia caves, visitors ride 1500 feet below the hillsides of New River Park on a track in authentic "man cars." The tour begins at the mine entrance and proceeds to old working areas of the coal mine and back. A veteran coal miner serves as tour guide. The guide stops the man cars throughout the mine to explain both the history and process of low-seam coal mining. The guide describes important technological innovation in mining and its impact on miners individually as well as the economics of the coal mine. Both early hand mining tools and modern mechanics are shown.

The museum complex includes a restored coal camp that includes shanty housing for miners, the old coal company house, the mine superintendent's home, the Pemberton coal camp church and the Helen coal camp school. The well restored camp site gathers actual buildings from around West Virginia to provide museum visitors with an important impression of the social structure of a early 20th century coal camp life. It also shows just how difficult life is and was for the coal miners.

The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia is about a five hour and twenty minute drive from downtown Washington, DC. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is open daily from April 1 to November 1 from10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The last tour of the mine begins is at 5:30 pm. Visitors should bring a jacket since the mine is essentially a man made cave and so the temperature in the mine is always between 50 and 58 degrees. Underground tours of the mine usually last between 35 to 40 minutes. It takes most folks another 45 minutes for a tour of the restored coal camp.

After visiting the old mine, go eat, shop and explore at Tamarack. The cold war bunker at the Greenbrier is a short drive from Beckley.

Tamarack

Folks looking for Greenbrier food at diner prices will love visiting Tamarack. The fried green tomato sandwich and the world famous Greenbrier peach with hand made whipped cream are each worth the long journey down I-64 to Tamarack.

The food is not the only attraction for this interesting stop just off I-77 and I-64 in Beckley, West Virginia. Tamarack was established as a cultural center showcasing the best of West Virginia artisans. Roam the halls at Tamarack and you are sure to find fabulous arts and crafts by artists that still use traditional techniques.

There are always four resident artisans at Tamarack that work in studios with glass walls. Visitors can observe the creative process, watch demonstrations and ask the artists questions about they make their hand made, museum quality goods.

If you are lucky, you can watch a performance in Tamarack's 178 seat theater . The facility often schedules live music, theater, dance and storytelling performances. Musicians playing at Tamarack often use instruments made by the musicians themselves from techniques learned from parents and grandparents. Story tellers repeat stories passed down by West Virginia families as well as contemporary stories made up by creative local artists. The theater also shows West Virginia oriented films.

All works sold at Tamarack are made by artists resident in West Virginia. Artists offering goods sold in the large, light filled Tamarack gallery must compete in a rigorous juried process. Tamarack was developed to be an interesting stop for tourists and surely it succeeds, but Tamarack also serves the important function of providing economic stimulus to the impoverished Appalachian region. The facility offers area artists an important outlet to sell their spectacular, sometimes under appreciated goods. Crafts sold at Tamarack come from artisans living in all 55 counties in West Virginia.

Tamarack is about a five hour and twenty minute drive from downtown Washington, DC. There are many hotels and motels in the area surrounding the craft market. Tamarack is located at One Tamarack Park in Beckley, WV 25801 just off I-77 and I-64.

The hours at Tamarack vary by season. Tamarack is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. from January 5 to March 1. Tamarack is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. from March 2 to January 4. The food court serves breakfast from 8 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. and lunch/dinner from 11 a.m. until closing.

Cold War Bunker at the Greenbrier


How do you build a secret, hidden facility large enough to hold the entire United States Congress and their chief aids in the event of a nuclear war? In the Eisenhower administration, the United States Congress did it by constructing a hidden bunker underneath a five star resort considered the play ground of the rich. The bunker was built as part of a renovation of the Greenbrier.

The Greenbrier is a 6,500 acre, award-winning resort located in the Allegheny Mountains in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The hotel is designated as a National Historic Landmark, only partially because of the now abandoned cold war Congressional bunker.

Greenbrier history. The sulfur springs on the Greenbrier campus were discovered in the late 1700s. The springs quickly became a popular travel destination for their healing powers. The Greenbrier began as a cottage community built in the early 1800s. The Old White Hotel was added in 1858. The C & O Railway purchased the Greenbrier for $150,000, expanded the hotel facilities and added a rail stop at the entrance of the hotel. The US Army purchased the property and used it as the Ashford General Hospital. After the war, C & O repurchased the property and began an extensive renovation spear headed by interior designer Dorothy Draper during the Eisenhower Administration.

Building a Government Relocation Facility. The renovation both expanded the Greenbrier facilities and acted as a front to build the facility large enough to house the government should it need to flee Washington, DC. The West Virginia wing was cleverly designed to be both functional resort space and a hidden government facility. The Government Relocation Facility was a top secret of the Cold War and was code named Greek Island. Building of the government relocation facility began in 1958 and was completed in 1961.

The renovation included a 16,544 square foot exhibit hall used for countless conventions at the Greenbrier. Unbeknownst to most Greenbrier visitors, the entire exhibit hall sat behind a hidden blast door and was designed to be the work space for members of Congress and their support staff to conduct the business of government. The 133 seat auditorium in the convention wing known as the Mountaineer Room was designed to be the emergency meeting room for the US Senate. The 440 seat auditorium in the convention space known as the Governor's Hall was built to be the meeting room for the House of Representatives.

Maintaining a Cold War Top Secret. Greek Island was maintained as an emergency facility by a small cadre of government employees working under the name of Forsythe Associates from 1961 until May 31, 1992 when the Washington Post published a story exposing the secret facility. The government began to phase out the facility the day after the story broke. In July 1995, the United States government terminated the lease of the bunker space.
About the Secret Bunker. The abandoned bunker is buried 720 feet into the hillside under the West Virginia Wing of the Greenbrier Hotel. They ceiling and walls of the facility are made from three to five feet thick reinforced concrete. The bunker is built below 20 to 60 feet of dirt covering between the substructure and the West Virginia Wing.

The bunker below the Greenbrier consisted of 112,544 square feet of space on two levels divided into a total of 153 rooms. The space was designed to protect 1,100 people for up to 40 days. The Greek Island kitchen had a 60-day stockpile of provisions. The bunker was built with four entrances. Each entrance is protected by a large steel and concrete door designed to withstand a modest nuclear blast approximately 15 to30 miles away. The bunker is also designed to prevent radioactive fallout from entering the facility when it is sealed off. Two of the entrances are vehicular tunnels into the facility. One entrance is through the Exhibit Hall Foyer of the Greenbrier hotel. The final entrance is a vertical point of entry deep within the self contained power plant built to support the bunker in the event of an emergency.

Touring the Greenbrier. The Greek Island bunker space can be toured by appointment during the summer season. Tours take about 90 minutes. No cameras, cell phones or electronic equipment are currently allowed in the space. For reservations, call the Reservations Department 800-624-6070 or the Bunker Office 304-536-7810, or email the_greenbrier@greenbrier.com.

Other Greenbrier Exhibits. Many famous guests have stayed at the Greenbrier over the years, including 26 United States presidents, royalty from around the world, important business leaders and movie stars. During the summer months, the Greenbrier keeps memorabilia from important visits displayed in the Presidents’ Cottage Museum, a historic two-story building.

Where to stay: The Greenbrier is a world class resort with multiple places and styles to eat on the premises. The food is often outstanding. Guests still dress up for dinner in the main dining hall. In the warm weather months, the cottages are wonderful lodging.

If you would like to visit the historic Greek Island relocation facility but do not have a Greenbrier stay in your budget, then consider camping in the nearby 5,100 acre Greenbrier State Forest. The camp grounds are on the same fabulous topography as its resort neighbor at a fraction of the cost. The camp ground has a pool, although the public pool is not as spectacular as the pool at the Greenbrier. Book ahead if you want to rent a cabin in the Greenbrier State Forest.

The Greenbrier Valley is about a four hour and twenty minute drive from downtown Washington, DC. The Greenbrier and the retired government relocation facility are located at 300 W Main St, White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986, just off Interstate 64.

Camp David Museum


Even if you can not hitch a ride on Marine One, you can get a glimpse of why the Obamas love Camp David. Hop in your car and journey to the Catoctin Mountains in Thurmont, Maryland. Just a little over an hour from downtown Washington, DC by car, Camp David is located in the middle of a National Park. Although Camp David itself is closed to the public, the National Park Service and the Maryland park service both operate two fabulous park facilities that the public can enjoy for a day or over night.

Camp David, the presidential retreat, was carved out of 10,000 acres of land that is now the Catoctin Mountain National Park and the Cunningham Falls State Park during the Roosevelt administration. The national park park allows visitors to take day hikes, rent cabins or pitch tents in designated areas of its 5,000 acres. Be sure to plan ahead. The competition for park reservations can be fierce in season and the park is subject to "temporary partial park closures" that often coincide with presidential visits to Camp David.

Cunningham Falls State Park has a beautiful lake with camping, boating and multiple beaches in its 5,000 acres. The state park boasts a wonderful hike from the beach area to Cunningham Falls. During the summer, expect to find the 78 foot falls full of children climbing and frolicking in the natural land mark.

Before pitching tent or after taking a dip in the lake, make a stop at the Camp David Museum at the Cozy complex. The Cozy Restaurant and Inn has been a hang out for press since President Roosevelt established Shangri La (FDR's name for the presidential camp when it was first created). The Freeze family, owners of the Cozy property, created the Camp David Museum from items donated by the many members of the press corp that stay and eat at Cozy while covering news events at Camp David.

The impressive collection includes Camp David trinkets and memorabilia from the Roosevelt to the Obama administrations. Of particular note is a commemorative plate from President Carter's historic summit at Camp David with President Anwar El Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menahem Begin of Israel. The presidential trinkets reflect the dramatic shift in social trends and values. For example, the collection includes packages of cigarettes with the presidential seal that are no longer made, but were replaced with packages of M&Ms with the presidential seal.

The Camp David Museum is located at 103 Frederick Road in the town of Thurmont, Maryland. The museum is approximately 50 miles from both Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland and 20 miles from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Museum hours are 11:00am to 9:00pm weekdays and 8:00am to 9:00pm on weekends.