Honor and Access


Wherein Our Heroine Contemplates Culture.
The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian opens today. It will be a while before the crowds ebb away, and rightly so, as it looks tremendous. The architecture, the site (it is the last building to line the National Mall), the approach (from the tribes' viewpoint, not an anthropologist's), and the cooperation of various nations make it something I want to experience; however, that experience is one that I will willingly delay.

I really love museums. There is something that seems to expand within me when I go into one: a sense of possibility, achievement, history, and creativity. It gives me a thrill to know that such things are honored. I especially love many of the Smithsonian museums: living here in the DC area, I am able to visit them a few times a year, and I don't feel as if I have to "do" the entire thing in one sitting (as if you could). Best of all, there is no admission charge, so if you just want to visit a favorite object, you can. It gives me a wonderful sense of both honoring the things and people inside the building, and yet the immediate access give the feeling that they are also a part of everyday life. When my in-laws were here, we visited Julia Childs' kitchen in the American History museum, and on our way to see the Buddhas at the Sackler, we made a side trip into the West Building of the National Gallery. I was able to show my mother-in-law a quick glimpse of some of her favorite Impressionist masterworks - paintings she has only seen as reproductions - and it was fantastic fun to see her face light up as she recognized some of the pieces.

All of that casual dropping-in can only occur during off-peak hours and days, though. On weekends, or immediately post-opening are not my favorite times to go to museums. All the thrill of possibility that occurs when you see the product of great culture and talent can be all-too-easily interrupted when you can't see anything due to a massive tide of humanity blocking the view.

So, we will go to visit the Mall's new addition someday. When the thrill of the new has worn a bit, I look forward to moving quietly into its soaring atrium and experiencing the people and objects that this place honors.
Posted: Tuesday - September 21, 2004 at 08:51 AM         | |

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