Baltimore and Washington DC

This will be a mini post. I made a quick trip out to visit a dear friend living in Virginia with the specific purpose of going to the Baltimore Museum of Art to see the Amy Sherald exhibit. You might have heard of her because she did the portrait of Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery - a bold and wonderful choice by my favorite First Lady. The exhibit was supposed to be at the Smithsonian but the current administration decided there were paintings that couldn’t be displayed - so picking and choosing what they wanted to show. That’s not how it usually works when you ask an artist to put an exhibit together. Kind of like inviting a family over but requesting only certain children be included. So the artist decided she wouldn’t show any of her work, but the Baltimore Museum of Art quickly reached out and said they would be honored to show her entire exhibit. As soon as I read that I decided I would travel to Baltimore to see it and support her. I called my friend and asked if she had any interest in joining me and she immediately said yes, but come for longer than just one night which is how this trip came together. Big shout out to Mary Ann and Mike for being the most welcoming hosts. As much as I enjoyed seeing the exhibit and spending a day in DC at the Library of Congress my favorite part was the time spent with them around their kitchen table talking.❤️

Off to Baltimore we went! Just an hour drive from where she lives right outside of DC. I forget how close things are out on the east coast. It was a cloudy drizzly day and parking is not super easy so no picture of the outside of the museum. But just picture a classical art museum 100 years old and that’s basically what it looks like. I had luckily booked our tickets in advance. The museum itself is free but a charge for this special exhibit. It was sold out and they said it has been sold out every day. That made me happy. So if by chance you decide to see it book your ticket if you even can at this point. April 5th is the last day. But its next stop is in Atlanta at the High Museum of Art so if that works for you catch it there.

We both loved the exhibit. About 40 portraits - that’s what Amy Sherald is best known for. They are hung so that you are at eye level with the subjects. The exhibit had good audio accompaniment mostly by the artist herself. These were three of my favorites. Top right is entitled Listen, you a wonder. You a city of a woman. You got a geography of your own. (2016) Bottom left Fact was she knew more about them than she knew about herself, having never had the map to discover what she was like. (2014) Bottom right Planes, Rockets, and the Spaces in Between. (2018)

I wish this exhibit was coming to Chicago. I would see it all again and take friends. Very impactful.

And of course the most famous portrait of all was there❤️

There is a wonderful restaurant at the museum called Gertrude’s but it was packed with a two hour wait. Got to find somewhere else! We had driven by an eclectic place in our search for parking called Paper Moon. The online reviews were good so we decided to give it a try. It did not disappoint. An explosion of vintage toys, Pez dispensers, Barbie dolls, and Hot Wheels cars to name just a bit of what is covering every square inch. And the food was delicious!

The goal of our day in DC was really to visit the Library of Congress right across from the Capitol. I love libraries especially after visiting the New York City library in Bryant Park and the British Library in London. Well the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world! It houses more than 175 million items which includes books, other print materials, recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music and manuscripts. The current building opened in 1897 and in 1980 was named for Thomas Jefferson in honor of his role in the Library’s history. Reservations are definitely recommended and if you fill out a request form in advance you can get a library of Congress library card. With your picture on it. Of course I had to have that. Without that library card you can’t get into the Main Reading Room and trust me you would be sad.

Just a few pictures to whet your appetite. Happy to report it is very well maintained and really quite spectacular. Top left ceiling in the Grand Hall. Top right mosaic of Minerva by Elihu Vedder made of glass and gold-leaf mosaic. Bottom left is the huge Main Reading Room. Bottom right one of the many corridors on the lower level. They also have special exhibits. One currently is called The Two Georges - Parallel Lives in an age of Revolution.

Another special place is the Thomas Jefferson Library. In 1814 when the British burned the Capitol and the Congressional Library housed there, Jefferson had the largest personal collection of books in the United States. In fact he loved books so much he almost went broke buying them, so offered to sell his collection to Congress as a replacement. Here is where his original books are kept.

There was a whole brochure of special events you could get tickets for. Writers, musicians, dancers, and many other interesting topics. There were many volunteers available to answer questions, point you in the right direction or make suggestions on other things to see. Such a fun pleasant day. Thank you so much Mary for offering to take me there and show me around.

Right across the park is the Capitol. Standing tall and beautiful. A symbol of democracy around the world. I pray we can still say that in the years to come. 🇺🇸