At first blush, we think of museums as illustrious storehouses of art and artifacts such as the Smithsonian Institution’s complex of 19 scientific, historical and art museums on Washington’s National Mall. But in ever-increasing numbers, curious “cultural tourists” are also poking their heads into much more modest and personal houses of treasures. Houses, literally. “House […]
The Washington That Wasn’t
Most museum exhibits are about things that are, were, might be down the road, or are just imagined. But I just toured a yeasty one about things that very well could have been but never were. It’s Unbuilt Washington, a new exhibit at the National Building Museum that will run through May 28th next year. […]
World’s Fairs Then, Now, and Whenever
Imagine a time of wonderment when lofty dreams and sleek designs and magical technology could inspire a worn and dejected nation to dream. World’s fairs had that power in the 1930s — the decade that bore the brunt of the Great Depression — when six U.S. extravaganzas lifted spirits and gave our people the […]