Thursday, February 28, 2008
VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
VERY IMPORTANT!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Africa Remix
Chéri Samba
This is the exhibition that I referred to during class section last Tuesday. I post this as an example of the type of art that was not shown in the National Gallery of African Art. As one of you noted, there was a lack of variety in the African Art Gallery that was different than museums lke the National Gallery of Art. What is art? Who decides what "African" art is? These links might help you think about the setting of defintions of art.
Africa Remix
Universes in Universe
For Class Tuesday
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Assignment one
Audie Murphy
WMST250
February 12, 2008
Ana Perez SEC. 0107
Prior to visiting the various museums required by this assignment, I had mixed feelings about feminism. I felt feminism was an act of being girly or showing girly emotions that a man would not be expected to show. Before I embarked on my voyage to these museums I looked up the meaning of feminism. According to the dictionary, feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of social, political, and economic equality to men. This means the public awareness of the women’s rights movement.
I considered a museum to be feminine based on the art inside and the overall environment. For example, if there was art with typical things women like such as flowers I would consider the museum feminine. Also, if the museum was manly about women I considered it to be feminism. I felt only one of the museums I visited was a true feminist museum. That was the first museum I visited.
The first museum I visited was the National Museum of Women and the Arts (NWHM). Before visiting the museum I presumed that many things in the museum would be majority pink, yellow, and/or purple. I was proven wrong once I finally arrived at the museum, which is located in northwestern Washington DC. The museum lived up to its name because it had a lot of exhibits about the history of women, even information about women in the colonial times of Jamestown. This was an overall interesting exhibit.
After looking at numerous exhibits, I concluded that the national museum of women and the arts. The museum was home to well over one hundred and fifty exhibits. Every exhibit is in some way, shape, or form is directly related to women. So this museum would definitely be filed under feminist in my book
The second museum I went to was the National Museum of the American Indian. Prior to going to this museum, I assumed that the museum would be very small and very boring. I also assumed that the museum wouldn’t have many exhibits that were feminine because men were the main contributors to society while women just took care of children.
The national museum of the American Indian was home to many different exhibits by women. The exhibits were mainly clothing and accessories made by women back when native Americans were predominant in the united states. My assumption about the museum being boring was definitely wrong. There was a hands-on event going on when I visited the museum of the American Indian. I was able to make and taste a Native American version of hot chocolate. As for the feminism of the museum, I felt the museum was not too feminine. It was in the middle of feminist and non-feminist.
The third museum I went to was the National museum of African art. I assumed this museum would have only modern African art. I also assumed African Americans would be the only ones interested in this museum.
I found both of my assumptions to be wrong about the African art museum. The museum was not home to many modern exhibits. For example, most of the collection was old costumes and sculptures made by Africans who were in tribes throughout African. Finally, I noticed the people visiting the museum were very diverse. There were more than just African Americans in the museum. Visitors ranged from Caucasians all the way to Hispanic people. As for the feminism of this museum, I felt it was also in the middle of feminine and non-feminine.
The final museum I visited was the Holocaust memorial museum. Prior to visiting the museum, I assumed the museum would be very graphic. I also assumed there would not be any feminism in this memorial.
Both of my assumptions were partially right. The museum had numerous graphic images of scenes and events during the holocaust. There were some pictures of starving anorexic prisoners. There was pretty much no feminism in this museum. I felt all the exhibits focused on Jewish people as a whole rather than separating them by sex. Many Nazis viewed Jewish women and children as useless and along with elderly people they were usually the first people to be executed in concentration camps. This museum was the less feminine of all the museums I visited. Many graphic images and numerous images of violence show this museum has no feminism.
Many people have different views on feminism. Visiting these four museums changed my views on feminism and women in today’s society. I feel this was a good learning experience for me. I learned feminism is and always will be present in almost every aspect of life. This is true for the past, present and the future. Hopefully, everyone can learn from museums and help support the movement for feminism and women’s rights.
- I assumed only art by women would be presented
- I assumed many feminine colors would be used
- I assumed a lot of women would be in the museum
- I assumed only native Americans would visit the museum
- I assumed the museum would be boring
- I assumed the museum would be very graphic
- I assumed there would not be any feminism
- I assumed only African artists would be featured
- I assumed a lot of women would not be in the museum
- I assumed no feminism would be shown
Assignment 1 Post
The National Museum of Women’s Arts is located in the heart of downtown Washington D.C. on New York Avenue. With fairly reasonable admission prices, the museum serves to offer a look into Women’s Arts. The museum dates back to 1960, when a collection of art began by the Holladay family and established the museum in 1981. The museum has a variety of exhibitions ranging from paintings, crafts, drawings, and pottery. The museum’s collection of art focuses on recognition of women in the arts and their talents which are displayed on its many floors. The museum has a floor designated to holding permanent art, known as the Great Hall. On this floor, you can find their permanent collection, coat rooms, an education gallery, and a museum shop. There are other floors which have the cafeteria, special exhibitions, sculpture galleries, a library and a research center, all of which offer services and comfort during a visit through the museum. The museums permanent collection houses over 2500 art items. In their library collection you are able to access art files and information on over 18,000 pieces of art from all different periods. In the museum gift shop, you are able to buy small gifts, books about art, art, posters, and decorative items.
Prior to visiting the National Museum of Women’s Arts, I was skeptical in the types of art work that would be displayed. Overall, I held the assumption that the art would solely and somehow be related to feminism and exhibitions about women being powerful. To my surprise, the art work that was in the museum ranged from beautiful photography of not just women to sculptures that were not only depicting women. The museum was more of a way to commemorate women as artists and their incredible work as opposed to just art work by women of only women. One of the beautiful exhibits in the museum that really stood out was the pottery by the Native American women because of its roots and how much it dates back into history, even dating back to the 1800’s. One of the most intriguing historical facts I learned from visiting the museum was that the museum was not started by only a woman, but by a couple, Wallace and Wilhimena Holladay who donated around 200 pieces of art that they had been collecting.
Another museum visited was The National Building Museum which is located in downtown Washington D.C. This museum’s focus is primarily on construction, architecture, design, and engineering. There is no admission fee to enter the museum. The museum houses many exhibitions as well as holds events such as film viewings and lectures on important aspects of art and design. The museum is for all ages as it has lectures and exhibits for the older tourists and a hands on “building zone” for visitors as young as two. With the exhibit, children can build a tower, brick wall, browse through books, and explore a playhouse. Within the museum, an area called the Great Hall has a four story atrium and beautiful Corinthian Columns. The great thing about this museum is that it focuses a lot on architecture and design which is often overlooked because we are used to seeing the design of the buildings in Washington DC. However, having a museum that focuses on this allows us to appreciate them and take notice of other buildings.
The Smithsonian Museum is a popular museum located near the White House in Washington DC, which houses over 40,000 pieces of art from over 3 centuries. The Smithsonian Museum has numerous areas of focus but I particularly enjoyed the displays of African American Art. There was music, videos, a museum store, and beautiful sculptures.
Lastly, The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum also found in the heart of Washington D.C. on the national mall. This museum has a video introduction followed by exhibitions. This family friendly museum has no entrance fee and is accommodating to tourists with the large museum, welcome desk and dining area. The museum design is fun and friendly to all with its spiral ramps that take you from floor to floor. One of the most memorable parts was the actual clothing displays which featured traditional garments and dress for the Native American families. There are other collections which are of pottery from the native Americans and tools and items that they used on a every day basis to survive.
Prior to visiting any museum, I initially related feminism and art in a context that was different then what I discovered from the museum. My assumptions were that feminisms in entirely revolving around the liberation of women from traditional submissive views that women were once subjected to. Feminism further explains women’s rights to be equal in society in terms of education, salary, and responsibility. I believed that feminism in relation to art was going to depict women who are powerful and overshadowing men in society or depicting them as equals to society as a whole. Overall, the exhibits in the museum were by women but in no way solely focused on depicting women as superior to men.
Assumptions:
It will only be women’s art work
Exhibits will only be of women
Exhibits may depict women’s power in society or equality or even submissive men as opposed to women
The museum will not have much art work because women’s art is not as recognized as opposed to just art a whole.
Women may use their voice through art to depict women being superior to men
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Assignment 1
I first visited the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This museum is located in Washington, D.C. and is the only museum solely devoted to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Since the birth of this institution in 1987, the museum has obtained a collection of more than 3,500 sculptures, paintings, works on paper and decorative art contributed to women.
I assumed that this institution would be a lot larger then it actually was. I imagined this museum to be one of the larger museums that I visited with red and pink walls! Although this institution was not as large as I imagined, it still presented more than 200 exhibitions which included: Playing with Fire by Julie Taymor, Hot Women Designers by Nordic Cool, etc. One of the exhibits that I found to be most fascinating was the Paula Rego exhibit, Looking Out. It was a picture of a woman with her back turned to the viewer, looking out a window. It was a pastel drawing mounted on aluminum. I found it captivating that Paula Rego is one of the leading figurative artists today, and the National Museum of Women in the Art in Washington D.C. is the first museum to present her work. This museum is feminist; it presents over 200 exhibits contributed to women only.
Second, I visited the National Museum of the American Indian located in Washington, D.C. I assumed that this museum would have little to do with feminism and the art of women. I thought this museum would be dedicated to the chiefs/leaders of the native culture or warriors who have died. When you think of leaders or warriors, you tend to think of a male, not a female. I was surprised to see that this museum contributed some work to women as well. For example, a current exhibit in this museum celebrated Native women’s clothing, such as dresses. I learned that dresses are more than simple articles of clothing for the Native women. The Native women wore dresses to express their culture and identity. Their dresses often embody messages about their life. I found this to be interesting because I looked at this exhibit and thought of just a dress, but in their culture it tells a story.
I would say that this museum is neither feminist nor non feminist because it does contribute to women, however, it does not show great concern with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. Just because this museum contributes work to women, does not make it feminist.
Third, I visited the National Gallery of Art which is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. I assumed that this institution would contribute to women. I imagined beautiful paintings and sculptures of women, portraying purity and natural beauty of women. This museum presents some of the finest collections of Western painting and sculpture in the world. This museum does not contribute as many pictures and sculptures to women as I had originally assumed it would. Most paintings are of landscapes and old French and Renaissance pictures. One of the exhibits that I found intriguing was the Homer painting, called, Autumn. I found this painting to be intriguing because it was a picture of a woman however she seemed to be dressed up in boy’s clothing. She looked like she was wearing a man’s vest and a hat but it looked like the bottom of her outfit was a dress. I thought it was a woman because her face was delicate and her cheeks were rosie red. I really admired this painting, I thought it was beautiful.
I do not think this museum was neither feminist nor non-feminist because it did contribute to women, however, it did not suggest any inequality among men and women.
Lastly, I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum which is also located in Washington, D.C. (in between 14th and 15th streets SW, adjacent to The National Mall). I assumed that this museum would have little to do with women. I thought it would contribute more to men and the Jewish population in general during the period of Holocaust. I also assumed that this museum would be very large and filled with sad stories and paintings about the Holocaust.
This institution is very large, dedicated to documenting, studying, and interpreting the history of Holocaust. Every corner you turn, there’s a sad story or heartbreaking story to read. Surprisingly, this museum contributed more to women then I had originally assumed. One of the personal stories that stuck out in my head was that of a female. Her name was Helene Melanie Lebel. She was diagnosed with a mental illness then later officially listed as dying in her room of “acute schizophrenic excitement”. This story touched me, and like Helene, there were many other stories told about women during this time. I do not feel that this museum represents feminism because it is more about the hardships that both women and men had to face during the Holocaust. I don’t think this museum discriminates against young, old, female, male, it does not say that men were faced with greater struggles than women. I think this museum does a good job at portraying the hardships between both sexes during this period.
Visiting these museums has really changed my perspective on what feminism is and what women stand for. Before I thought feminism was a group of “butch” angry women who wanted to bash men. I now realize that feminism is a friendly term that aims to understand gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. Many feminists focus on the promotion of women’s rights and interests.
Assumptions
I assumed that the National Museum of Women in the Arts would be a big beautiful building with nothing but pictures and sculptures of beautiful women. I could imagine the walls being painted pink and red, what’s more feminine then that?
When I looked over the assignment, I thought to myself why would we visit The National Museum of the American Indian for a Women Studies course? I assumed that this institution would have nothing to do with feminism. I assumed that this institution would be dedicated to mainly male Indians because you think of warriors and chiefs.
I assumed that the National Gallery of Art would contribute to women. I imagined beautiful paintings of women. I could imagine sculptures of women, portraying natural beauty.
I assumed that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would have little to do with women, but mostly to do the Jewish population in general during this time. I assumed that the building would be very large filled with sad stories and pictures of the Holocaust.
akbar molkara
The first museum I visited was The National Museum of Women and the Arts. This museum was amazingly very small. I assumed that this museum would be a much bigger museum. I also assumed that this museum would try to persuade people to become feminists. It was crammed in between two other buildings. I don’t believe this museum dealt much with feminism, even though the museum was about women and the arts, it did not particularly show how women tried to get equality. I assumed that this museum would be a museum to persuade people towards feminism, but it was just very interesting and intriguing art. I believe that feminism is much more than the arts that have been painted by women mainly about women. This museum allows the women who have accomplished these master pieces to be expressed publicly, but I would not say that the art was about equality. At least I did not feel that expression from the majority of the arts. These arts acquire complexity and express many emotions and how the artists feel. There have been many exhibitions at the National Museum of Women and the Arts one of which is the Paula Rego exhibition available from February 1, 2008 until May 25, 2008. Paula Rego is a Portuguese artists currently residing in London. This museum shows that there are a lot of women in the arts and that their art is just as worthy and interesting as the next male artist, it is only necessary for people to open their minds and see the beauty without a bias, and or discriminating thoughts.
The second museum I visited was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This museum was very interesting and has a prison like feeling when inside. I assumed this museum would not deal with feminism at all. Even though this museum did not deal with feminism it had one main concept that is very similar to the main concept in feminism which is equality. This museum shows the horrifying unjust discrimination that the Jewish community had to face during the Second World War. This Museum expressed the hurt that can be caused by one race making another race inferior and discriminating against them. The exhibition I visited was the “Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story” exhibition. I assumed that this exhibition would just show the pain and suffering of the Jewish community and children. I was wrong I learned that a small amount of discrimination can lead to a huge worldwide phenomenon if it is not dealt with. Discrimination can hurt a lot of people and it is not fair to treat other unequally if we all want to be treated equally. No one deserves to be discriminated against let alone women they are in no way different from men and discrimination does happen and it needs to be abolished.
The third museum I visited was the National Museum of African Art. This was another relatively small museum. This museum is located in the Haupt Garden. I assumed that this museum would deal with some aspects of feminism or equality, but this was not true. I found this museum oddly off topic and not very related to feminism or any aspect of feminism. There are many exhibitions that get hosted in this museum but at the time that I visited there wasn’t one. The “Body of Evidence” exhibition has been taken down since late last year and unfortunately I was unable to view this exhibition and maybe get a better understanding of the museum and its relevance.
The fourth museum I visited was the Hishhorn Museum. This was an oddly shaped museum and I was not planning on attending this museum. I was interested in the circular shape of the museum so I decided to attend this museum. I assumed that this museum was mainly about sculptures and that it had very little to contribute to feminism. While at the museum I visited the “Recent Acquisitions” exhibition. Amazingly I proved myself wrong again I saw a very interesting art piece in different sections done by a young Korean Women named Nikki Lee. She would dress herself up with makeup and possibly tanning to fit a certain race, age, or group of people and have photographed pictures with them as she fit in to their community. This showed me that down deep we are all equal and nothing should be able to change that. Even though the whole museum doesn’t express feminism, this particular art piece did express itself to be standing up for the concepts of feminism.
The fifth and last museum that I visited was The National Museum of the American Indian. This museum has a very elegant and interesting interior and exterior design. I assumed that this museum would not at all be related to the feminism. There are many exhibitions at this museum including “Identity by Design”, “Return to a Native Place”, “Our Peoples”, and “Our Lives” exhibition. The exhibition that I visited at this museum was the “Identity by Design” exhibition. All of these exhibitions have a lot to do with our nature and the American Indian people and their beliefs. The exhibition “Identity by Design” shows that art by women has a major role in this museum and that it shows a lot about feminism. This exhibition shows that women were treated fairly equal among the American Indian in the work that needed to get done. They helped with their tribes in skinning the animals and making very interesting clothing for their tribes. The women had very highly fashioned articles of clothing made form deer skin. I believe this exhibition is one of the most feminist exhibitions I have visited throughout this visiting of museums in DC. I believe that the American Indian women were treated with a lot more equality than many of the other women in the world were before a lot of the women rights movements.
In conclusion I learned that a lot of my assumptions were off and that assumptions are not necessarily true. Assumptions are guesses that people make and that is how I believe we lead in to discriminations. During this assignment I have learned that concepts of feminism take place all around people, we just have to open our minds and eyes and learn a lot more about equality among all people no matter what their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status and economic status. Feminism is not just about women, it is the right to have equality among everyone. There were some really interesting pieces of art work that I saw by women and these art works express a lot of emotions about how they feel and view the world. I believe that the museum of women and arts should be a much larger museum to express much more of the emotions women around the world feel to the public.
Markisha S. (Ass. #1)
The next stop was the National Museum of the American Indian. This museum is a cultural institution which explains the lives and traditions of Native Americans. I assumed that a museum of the American Indian would include Native American traditional pieces along with speakers to discuss the cultural influences America has had on their heritage. One exhibit called Identity by Design featured dresses designed by Native American women. This exhibit displayed the designs made by Native American women which served as a form of identity and told stories of the women’s lives. The designs on the dresses show what tribe a woman may belong to, it was a way to provide for the family, and it was also worn for ceremonies. I would say that this particular museum is definitely a feminist museum because it greatly credits women for their contributions amongst American Indians. The dresses in the exhibit credited women as it explained that these dresses made by the women served as ways for them to make a living. So, I can infer that women were the providers of the household.
Then, I visited the Holocaust Museum, which told visitors all about the horrors of the Holocaust. All of the exhibits showed the Holocaust from different aspects. I assumed that the museum would have many exhibits showing what the Jews encountered during the Holocaust. I also assumed that the museum would show the places where the Jews hid such as the secret crawl spots. In one exhibit called Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story, the story of the Holocaust was told in a way in which children could understand. This exhibit showed Daniel’s room and some of the letters he wrote while hiding from the Nazis. He told of his experiences of his life while hiding out by writing short journal entries about some of the things he witnessed. I was shocked to see that the museum had become so in depth with the topic by using a room and the actual letters.
Finally, I visited the National Museum of Women and the Arts. This museum is an institution which highlights the arts of women and their contributions to society. The exhibits in this museum are those paintings which represent the everyday struggles and happenings of life. I went to explore the permanent collection of the sixteenth through twentieth centuries. I assumed that this museum would be smaller since women aren’t given enough credit in society and that it would be a museum which uplifts women. The exhibits showed Europe’s previous laws which prevented women from gaining any kind of recognition for art. During the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, women weren’t fully prohibited to express themselves through art but there were some restrictions which led into the twentieth century, the age of the “new woman”. My assumptions were shocking because I had expected the museum to show the great contributions of women to society, not show how they were treated unfairly by society. I thought that the purpose of this museum was to uplift women and show how they have changed society. This museum is feminist because it is based on the struggles that woman have had in an attempt to be recognized by society. Feminism involves recognizing the need for equal rights for women and this museum shows how far women have come in society.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to visit the museums. I learned so many new things about different cultures. I was amazed at how one picture in the museum of African Art can explain so much from the African heritage to African history. I was shocked to learn that the women in the Native American culture were providers of the family. I had assumed that the men were the only providers of the family because women were rarely recognized. I also had a chance to learn more about the Holocaust. The museum included exhibits in which the horrors of the Holocaust were explained but I was shocked to see how involved the museum was in the topic. There was an exhibit which told about the Holocaust from a Jew’s perspective. Finally, I learned how much women have contributed in society and how they are not credited enough. This experience has taught me to refrain from making generalized assumptions about a particular subject or culture but to find out the truth because it may be shocking.
Assumptions
1. I assumed that feminism was all about fighting for equal rights for women.
2. I assumed that feminism was solely used to credit and uplift women because they are often overlooked by society.
3. I didn’t know that a feminist museum didn’t always focus on giving credit to women.
4. I didn’t know that one picture of art could give an explanation of history about a culture. I was surprised to see that Africans were able to draw one picture and from it, visitors can learn about the history of the African culture.
5. I assumed that the African museum would be full of different types of African patterns and colors.
6. I also assumed that a museum’s purpose in general was to give a brief and somewhat detailed explanation of the topic at hand. I was completely wrong when I saw how in depth the museums became with the topic.
Chris Maltbie
In the modern world it is easy for the average male to forget about feminism. After all, it is not difficult to assume that women have caught up in the world and then just forget the issue; in fact, in my analysis of life as a whole, I find that much of life is comprised of assuming and forgetting. Until my recent visits to the nation’s capitol, I assumed there was nothing of interest in the city for me, and as such, I nearly forgot the District’s proximity. Furthermore, until I was prompted to go into the city for this assignment, I was largely ignorant to the ongoing nature of feminism in the modern world, and was unaware of the vast number of assumptions that I had forgotten that I had.
When I was initially instructed to explore my assumptions about feminism, the first few seemed easy, if not terribly ignorant. I assumed that feminism was about promoting women’s superiority over men and the suppression of women in the world; however, through exploring the world of art, my assumptions were not only overturned, but my knowledge of feminism was cast in an entirely different direction.
The first museum I decided to explore was the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This museum seemed like the logical starting place for my exploration (after all, if there were a single place that would smack me right in the face with feminism, this was going to be it). Before entering, I decided to log several of my assumptions. I realized that I assumed that all the works of art in the museum would be of women, I assumed the museum would be completely devoid of anything relating to men. I also assumed that that the pieces of art would be fairly limited in range (mostly modern art, due to the assumed notion of inferiority of women in cultures of the past), and that the pieces of art would shy away from presenting women in the nude, since I assumed that feminism would conceive this as demeaning and cliché.
Once I had all my assumptions about art out in the open, I took the plunge and bought my ticket. The first thing I noticed in the museum’s massive entrance hall was the large bust of an open-mouthed male near the ceiling, which immediately seemed to shatter my assumption that males would be completely absent from the works in the museum. As I proceed up the stairs, I came upon a long series of European portraits from hundreds of years ago, all done by women. One particularly large and amazing portrait, “The Family of the Earl of Gower” by Angellica Kauffman from 1772, was exceptional not only for its detail, but for the fact that it would not have been at all out of place in any other museum’s classical exhibit. Additionally, while the subjects of the portrait were primarily female, at least one male was present, reinforcing the destruction of my assumptions. At the head of the hall I discovered a beautiful, mahogany sculpture by Ru Yi. This intricate piece was interesting because it showed that the art of women is equally present and outstanding in many mediums and many cultures.
The third floor of the museum held Paula Rego’s exhibit, which broke even more barriers of assumption with each work I viewed. “Target” depicted the rear of an undressing woman, while another area of the exhibit featured several paintings titled after animals, which depicted women in seemingly wild, animal-like positions. This in particular struck me, as it seemed to depict women in a way that I would have thought to be demeaning, but appeared to be more about the animalistic tendencies of humans as a whole. Finally, one part of Paula’s exhibit featured a series of untitled painting that depicted women waiting to have abortions. Although I had assumed such a controversial subject would be avoided, I was pleasantly surprised to see Paula confront the issue in such an uncensored manner.
The top floor of the museum finalized the extermination of my assumptions. Several paintings by Alma Thomas showed of the abstract-abilities of female artists, while Marguerite Thompson Zorach’s “Nude Reclining” depicts a nude woman with an exaggerated figure, and another area was completely devoted to British female silversmiths. Overall, this exhibit demonstrated the vastness of types of art covered by women, and their talent in all of these areas. As I overheard one guest say, “The only thing that I don’t like about this museum is that all of this stuff should be in one of the Smithsonian’s”.
As a final note on this museum, I found myself amused at the fact that the building’s men’s bathroom did not have any urinals (which I realized after the fact was something that I had sort of assumed). Overall, the museum had a very feminine feel, from the pink and white interior, to the elegant main hall; however the contents of the museum shown a whole new light on my view of feminism.
The following day, I visited 3 more museums. The first stop of the day was the
Due to the fact that this museum was not specifically targeted at women, but rather at a set of cultures, I assumed that this museum would not be very feminine and that women would only be discussed as part of the community. For the most part, this assumption was correct. One of the largest exhibits at the museum showcased the modern cultures of many different Native American tribes. Many women had given interviews to discuss the culture, but very little was gender specific. The major exhibit at the museum at the moment, however, is very feminist.
After walking into the “Identity by Design” exhibit, I realized that I would have assumed that a large exhibit would not have been about something so cliché as women designing dresses; however, as I examined the exhibit more closely, I realized that it was not about women dressing up at all, but about the cultural significance and art that goes into designing the intricate and beautiful dresses. For example, one of the dresses on display was a special buckskin dress that is put on a girl by her godmother at the sunrise dance when it is time for her to become a woman. At the end of the event, the girl removes it herself and enters womanhood. Another example is the elks-tooth dresses that were sometimes worn as wedding dresses. The husband would search his entire life for elk’s teeth that would later be made into a dress by the mother-in-law for the bride.
The Hirshorn museum did not initially seem very feminist. As I walked through the upper levels of the museum, I found very few works of art by women; however, when I went into the basement to see the Recent Acquisitions, I was surprised to find that almost all of the works were not only by women, but quite shocking and feminist as well. Carolee Schneeman’s “Eye Body: 36 Transformative Actions” was a series of photographs that featured a nude woman in provocative poses. Ana Mendieta’s two films on display also featured a nude woman doing some peculiar things, such as rolling in blood and feathers. These two works in particular surprised me, as I had thought that feminism would steer away from the sexual ideas associated with women. It occurred to me during this exhibit that, perhaps, feminism was more about a woman exploring how people think about her, without worrying about the preconceived notions of society. Another incredibly striking piece was “Note to Self” by Mary Coble, who had herself tattooed and photographed with the names of 435 gay, lesbian, and transgender people who had been murdered. I suppose I had assumed that “feminists” would not generally confront controversial issues, since it would probably just exacerbate their efforts to have feminism more widely accepted in society.
My final stop in D.C. was the
With this museum in particular, I had assumed that women would be equally represented as a part of the tragedy that was the Holocaust, but very little would be shown that would exclusively focus on women. For the most part, this assumption was correct. The most feminist part of the museums was the “Daniel’s Story” exhibit, which followed the story of a young boy in the holocaust, who was sent from his happy life to a ghetto and from the ghetto to a concentration camp. Although the exhibit was all about the one little boy, it highlighted many aspects of his life. One aspect in particular about his life, his family, gives us a glimpse of feminism during the Holocaust. Through the tales of his mother and sister, the exhibit demonstrates the toil that everybody endured during the holocaust, and how people of both sexes were treated. Daniel’s sister steals bits of cloth from her job in the ghetto to preserve a bit of her culture by making her mother a dress for her birthday. When the family is separated at the concentration camp, we see the different treatment put upon women: While men were seen as useful as workers in the camps, women were often deemed useless and killed on the spot.
Overall, this assignment showed me many things about feminism and taught me quite a bit about assumptions that I had not been aware of making. Museums, such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts, showed me the wide range of art created by women over time, in different cultures, and in so many different mediums. The
Assumptions:
I assumed that feminist museums would not display any pieces of art featuring men or by men.
I assumed that women would not be depicted in stereotypically demeaning ways, such as nude, cooking, etc.
I assumed that most feminist art would be modern
I assumed that feminist art would not undertake controversial topics.
I assumed that a woman’s museums would not have urinals.
I assumed that feminism was about female superiority.
I assumed that feminism would emphasize women being suppressed
I assumed that I would feel unwelcome in a very feminist museum
I assumed that feminist museums would go out of their way to emphasize that the works were by women
I assumed that feminism would not be very prominent in museums other than the National Museum of Women in the Arts
I assumed that art by women would be grouped together as if to show off that it was, in fact, created by a woman
Akash Garg Assignment 1
Assumptions List
The National Museum of Women and the Arts:
-I assumed that most of the workers at the museum would be female.
-I assumed that most of the paintings would be of women.
-I assumed that because it was a museum for women’s art that the color pink would not be there at all.
-I knew that a woman founded the museum, but I assumed that she wouldn’t be very ‘womanly’.
-I assumed that the museum would be bigger and would have more art.
-I assumed that the museum would be a feminist institution
-I assumed that all of the artists would be feminists
-I assumed that only women would be visiting the museum
The National Museum of the American Indian:
-I assumed that the museum wouldn’t be very big.
-I assumed that there would not be a lot of people visiting the museum
-I assumed that the people who worked there would be Native Americans
-I assumed that all of the art would be Native American art
The National Gallery of Art:
-I assumed that there would be tons and tons of artwork in the museum
-I assumed that the museum would be in one building
-I assumed that out of all the museums, this one would have the most visitors
-I assumed that this museum would take the longest to visit
-I assumed that this museum would be the biggest
Hirshhorn:
-I assumed that the artwork in this museum would be more different and abstract than in other museums
-I assumed that the museum would be in a standard museum-type building
“The Trip”
Taking the metro down to D.C. couldn’t have been easier. We took the green line from College Park down to Gallery Plaza and then switched to the red line to get to the Metro Center. From there, we walked up 12th street and made it to the National Museum of Women in the Arts on New York Avenue. It was surprising to see that the museum wasn’t a lone standing building like most museums are; it was part of the block. Overall, there was a sense of smallness about the museum. After receiving a few brochures from the information desk, my friend and I proceeded to the next floor, the Mezzanine, to begin our journey through the museum. After walking down a short hallway with various paintings on the walls, my friend and I proceeded to the elevators where we then went to the 4th and 3rd floors as the 2nd floor was closed. These two floors contained the permanent collection of the museum. It was on these floors that we noticed that almost all of the museum staff were female. We explored these two floors and examined every piece of artwork we could find.
After the National Museum of Women and the Arts, we walked back down 12th street to the metro center and took the metro down to L’Enfant Plaza. Upon getting out of the metro station, my friend and I walked up 7th Street to Independence Avenue where we laid our eyes on the Hirshhorn museum. Both of us were taken aback by its unusual, circular shape. We were also confused as to where the entrance was located, and ended up walking around the entire outside garden and seeing all of the sculptures before finally making it to the front entrance of the museum. We made our way up the escalator to the 3rd floor where we saw most of the artwork. The second floor was closed due to the fact that the museum was adding a new exhibit. The artwork that we saw was very simple and was made up mostly of various shapes arranged together in different colors. There were also main stretches of hallway filled with photographs.
After Hirshhorn, our plan was to see the National Museum of the American Indian, so we came out of Hirshhorn and walked east on Independence Avenue until we got to 4th street where the museum was located. This museum was, unlike the National Women’s Museum, a separate building standing alone. It was also extremely big. Outside there were Teepees and other things and when we entered the museum, we were in a vast, great hall at the center of which were long, real Native American boats. This museum had an especially large gift shop, which was on two floors. My friend and I, after looking at the boats, went up to the upper floors where we saw the newest exhibit and other exhibits as well. The newest exhibit was the Identity by Design exhibit which was a showcase of various Native American Women’s dresses. Unfortunately we weren’t able to spend a lot of time at this museum as we had another, larger museum to. We walked around the whole museum rather quickly, but we were fortunate enough to see almost everything, and afterwards made our way to the National Art Gallery.
To get there, all we had to do was go north on 4th Street. We both got confused because we couldn’t figure out which building was the actual museum. Neither of us had expected that the museum was so big that it was divided into two buildings. When we entered the museum, after walking up the long front staircase, there was a security desk. There hadn’t been a security desk in any other museum that we had visited so it was a bit unusual. The entrance hall was much bigger than any of the other museums. We were not able to see nearly everything in the museum because the amount of artwork housed in this museum was phenomenal; it would take multiple days to see everything. After staying until the museum closed, we made our way back to the metro so we could take the green line back up to College Park and begin writing about our trip into D.C.
“Feminism in These Art Venues”
I believe that feminism is all about making women and men equal to one another. Sometimes feminism is seen as a bad thing because of the anti-male mentality that some feminists have. This anti-male mentality stems from men who are reluctant to view women as equals. One of my friends and I went to Washington D.C. to visit various art venues in order to further understand our own personal assumptions about art and feminism and to explore whether or not these institutions were feminist. We On my visited the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), the Hirshhorn Museum, and the National Art Gallery.
After visiting the NMWA, it was clear to me that this venue was quite feminist. One of the main reasons I thought so was because of the fact that one of the ladies at the information desk rudely asked if my friend and I were a couple. We were outraged that just because we were two guys visiting the NMWA that she thought that we had to be gay. I feel that this helps prove that the NMWA is feminist because it shows the anti-male mentality that some feminists have. The woman clearly felt that there was no way a guy would walk into the museum genuinely interested in women’s art without being different in some way. Another reason why the NMWA is feminist is the various tidbits of information about different feminists and feminist movements. As the museum was an art museum, most of the feminists described were artists and their movements were related to art in some way. For example, the animal painter Rosa Bonheur frequently dressed as a man in order to paint in public areas. Another example is the problems women faced when attempting to study nude figures. The concept of nude figures was very popular in the art form, but women learning about this concept were constantly looked down upon. The fact that the museum so frequently displayed information such as this about various feminists helps convince me that the museum is a feminist institution. It is clearly attempting to gain sympathy for some of the hardships women faced and to show that women can make a difference, which is a very important part of feminism.
Feminism did not find its way into the NMAI. This museum was specifically center upon Native Americans, both male and female. The museum was much larger than I expected it to be and was more full of visitors than I thought it would be. The reason I feel that this museum was not feminist is that it did not specifically focus on women. Yes the new exhibit was called Identity by Design and was all about Native American Women’s dresses, but this was not something that they had all the time; it was a limited time exhibit. The other parts of the museum were split equally between male and female art and artifacts. Therefore, because the museum didn’t specifically support mainly women and did not attempt to make women and men equal, the NMAI is not a feminist art venue.
I had never heard of the Hirshhorn museum, so I did not know what to expect. The shape of the building was a big surprise for me. I had expected the museum to be a typical museum type building but it ended up being completely different. The artwork there was very simple and abstract. The majority of what my friend and I saw was collages of various shapes and colors. I was very surprised that such work made it to a museum and was considered to be art because I felt that I could have made some of the designs myself. The issue of feminism was not present in this museum either because there was no real focus that I could see. Because my friend and I were not able to see the 2nd floor as it was closed, we were not able to get a broad sense of all of the work in the museum. From what we saw, most of it was of the shape-filled collages. There was no attempt at the advancement of women and no attempt to make men and women more equal. Therefore, this art venue is not a feminist institution.
The last museum we visited was the National Art Gallery. My friend and I both knew that this museum would be huge given its immense reputation. We were not however, expecting it to be split into two very large buildings. The amount of artwork that the National Art Gallery contained was phenomenal; it would take many days to see it all. After walking through the museum until closing time, and examining as much of the art as we could, I came to the conclusion that this art venue is not a feminist institution. Being the National Art Gallery, (a very broad name) means that this museum could not focus on any one specific thing. It contained a very broad collection of artwork and did not focus on any specific group, let alone women. The museum did not attempt to promote women in any way, which therefore means that the venue is not a feminist institution.
Taking this trip to D.C., and visiting all of these art venues, really helped me to see more clearly the assumptions I had about feminism and art. Some of these assumptions turned out to be true while others did not.
Feminism & Art
The National Museum of Women in the Arts had a very elegant sophistication to it, from its beautiful marble floors and chandeliers, to its grand staircases and Mezzanine Café. This museum stood out the most to me because of its very unique and diverse artwork. The Great Hall featured highlights from the Permanent Collection, which is comprised of the artwork of over 800 women artists from the 16th century to the present day. As I examined the paintings in the Great Hall, I was reassured of my assumption that art by women is very colorful and vibrant. However, I was taken aback by the amount of portraits of women. I assumed that women artists would paint pictures of their family, or flowers and beautiful landscapes, not self-portraits. As I explored upward in the exhibition, I reached one floor which only featured the artwork of the Portuguese artist, Paula Rego. Any assumption I had about female art prior to this was derailed after viewing her work which depicted stories of love, betrayal, and revenge. I found myself feeling disturbed while looking at her paintings with titles such as Red Monkey Beats His Wife and Wife Cuts off Red Monkey’s Tail. Each room featured Rego’s different styles, some which were bright and colorful, and others which were extremely dark and dreary. The next level I reached were selections from the Collection. This floor featured very colorful and vibrant abstract art. One painting had a quote from Hans Hofmann about his student Lee Kras which said “This is so good, you would not know it was painted by a woman,” which offended me but did not particularly surprise me. This museum is feminist because it features only women artists, pictures which depict females doing what is considered to be a male’s job, and some of the pictures had women dressed as men, and feminism is about giving recognition to women’s successes and contributions to society and eliminating gender roles therefore it does meet the definition of feminism.
The National Museum of the American Indian was exceptionally different than the three other museums. This museum had This exhibition featured all aspects of a Native American’s life, from their clothing and the materials that they used to make their tools, to a bombardier, which looked like a military tank that they used to ice fish. I really enjoyed the Changing Exhibitions room because it featured the Native American women’s clothing, which was made to relate to mother-nature in their color choices. Their dresses were decorated with beads and were hand woven by the women in the family. An interesting display called “Ghost Dance Dresses,” explained that the Native American women would weave “ghost dresses” which spoke out against the cultural changes that they were being faced with. These particular dresses were unique because they were mostly painted and were decorated with moons, stars, and dragonflies. I also went into the Resource Center where I met Juanita Velasco, a Mayan weaver from the highlands of Guatemala, who was weaving a piece of clothing. I also was able to visit the Our Lives Exhibition where I was able to see how they lived and what they used in order to survive. As opposed to the Changing Exhibitions room, this one was more focused on the men and their duties in the family. This museum is not feminist since it separates the men and women’s exhibits. The Changing Exhibitions displayed nothing but dresses, shoes, and bags which were made by the women for themselves and their family, whereas the Our Lives exhibition focused on the men and their responsibility to hunt and build items for their family. Since feminism is about eliminating gender roles and making male and female’s responsibilities equal, this museum cannot be considered feminist.
The National Museum of African Art was my favorite because I found it to be the most artistic. The museum was made up of old artifacts and sculptures, which were all very detailed. I like that the sculptures were made out of wood or copper alloy and remained their natural brown color, and they were still beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not find that there was that much variation in the artwork, the majority of the displays were either masks, human-like figures, or actual figures of men, women, or children. However, a few of the displays were of their jewelry, bowls, and a few beaded sculptures. The sculptures showed how spiritual they are and how proud they are of their heritage. This museum is not feminist because it has sculptures that were mostly of men, and were more masculine because it had a lot of warriors and fighters, and feminism is about having equal opportunities for women, therefore it does not meet this definition of feminism.
The Hirshhorn museum was the most interesting because it had very diverse types of art, and some pieces that I would not even consider as art. There were very abstract pieces, and some with different colors of paint splattered onto paper. I did not particularly understand a lot of the artwork, some of which were blank pieces of paper with light colored lines around the border. I also observed their sculptures, real photographs, and ceiling mobiles. Hirshhorn was showing a thirty minute video called “The Way Things Go” which was a set of chain reactions, almost like Dominos. Feminism is not at question at this museum because it was all modern art that was not focused on one gender or the other.
Feminism and art are related in some cases, and The National Museum of Women in the Arts is a good example of that. However, feminism and art is not always related, which was shown in The National Museum of the American Indian, The National Museum of African Art, and Hirshhorn.
Assumptions about feminism:
1) I assumed that women who were feminists were radicals, lesbians, and anti-male females.
2) I assumed that only women could be feminists
Assumptions about art:
1) I assumed that art was only drawn or painted.
2) I assumed that all art has deep meanings.
3) I assumed that art was only done by those with the talent of painting or drawing pictures. I found quite a few that were blank or was just painted all one color.
4) I assumed that art by women would be of their family, children, or flowers and be colorful.
sanaz pakzad
The first place that I visited was the National Museum of African Art. This museum was located on Independence Avenue next to the Smithsonian Castle. There was a beautiful garden in front of it, and glass doors. The museum was made out of beige and grey cement with a particular shape design. When I first went into the museum, I assumed that there would be many exhibits about feminism. When I went in, I saw that the museum was not a feminist because many of the exhibits were about men. Since feminism is about the contributions of women being valued, this museum does not meet the definition of feminism. There was a figure of a female with a child in her lap from the late 19th century in Mali. There was also another figure of a female carrying a basket on the top of her head. This museum only had one floor of sculptures. I assumed that there would be more sculptors and definitely more of women and their contributions in Africa. This museum showed nothing about women contributions. There were only two sculptures of women in the entire exhibit. When I went to see the Body of Evidence, we discovered that they had taken that exhibit down. I was very disappointed because I was hoping that it would show some of the women contributions in Africa.
The next museum that I visited was the Hishhorn. The Hishhorn was located about two blocks down from the African Art Museum, on Independence Avenue. This building was circular with cement on the outside with a few sculptors in front of it. When I walked into the museum, the museum was circular shaped with white marble floors. I assumed that this building would be very boring and would not have many interesting exhibits inside. When I went inside and started to discover all of the different exhibits, it was very interesting. The most interesting part of the Currents: Recent Acquistions was the artist Nikki Lee. She would be in every picture that she photographed by fixing the camera and getting into the picture. The most fascinating thing about her pictures was that in each picture she looked like someone different. She would go to a tanning salon and get the color of the ethnic group that she wanted to take a picture of so that she can act and behave like the people in the neighborhood. She has a hip hop project, a ghetto scene, and an older scene. I felt like this was a good way to learn about different ethnic groups. This museum was not a feminist because it did not show anything with the equality of men and women and feminism is about the equality of men and women.
The third museum that I visited was the American Indian Museum. This museum was located on Maryland Avenue. This building was shaped in a very interesting form, it was the most out of the ordinary building I have ever seen. In this museum, there were five different exhibitions including our lives, our peoples, our universes, return to a native place, and identity by design. The purpose of these various exhibitions was to basically show the whole American Indian universe and how their lives were. The place that art by women have the most contribution was the identity by design. In this exhibition, there were many different sets of clothing made by Indian women. This exhibition is feminist because the women in this museum and the culture had a purpose. The women would make different clothing for themselves, their children, and their husbands while the men would kill animals for food. The women also skinned the animals with the men. In this museum the men and the women were equal. I assumed that I wouldn't see anything related to feminism and that there would not be a lot of exhibitions and information.
The fourth museum that I visited was the Holocaust museum located on 15th street. This museum looked like a memorial museum from the outside. It had brown and white color bricks and looked very depressing. I assumed that as soon as I walk in, there would be pictures of the holocaust and very devastating. The museum did not have anything when I first walked in but it was separated into different levels and exhibitions. The exhibition that touched me the most was Daniel's Story. This exhibition made me cry at the end. I was very upset and mad at what they had done to the Jewish community. What made me even madder was that these innocent people didn't choose to be Jewish, and they should not have been penalized for that. I believe that this museum was not a feminist, but it did deal with equality because the Jewish community was fighting for fair rights like other races and that is was feminism is about.
The last museum that I visited was The National Museum of Women and the Arts located on New York Avenue. This museum was just about women. I assumed that this museum would be all about feminism because it was a museum dedicated to women. I also assumed that there would be a lot of different types of artwork. In this museum there were three different floors. The first floor was dedicated to Paula Rego. The second floor was the Permanent collection and the third floor was the Performance Hall Theatre. Surprisingly, there were not that many pieces of artwork in the museum. Each exhibit had a few pictures. I was very surprised because I expected the museum to have a lot of different types of artwork but more importantly to be about feminism. Although this was a women's museum, it had nothing to do with feminist because feminism is about equality for women in all aspects of social, political, and economical. This museum showed nothing about equality. The Paula Rego exhibition will be taken away in May and replaced. This month, photographs of Cherel Ito will be placed into the museum. Also last month, the museum received a national medal for museum and library resources. The medal is located on the wall in the main lobby. When I first went in, the receptionist explained to me how Paula Rego's exhibition will be taken away soon and that there will be photograpsh of Cherel Ito coming in soon.
These five museums, The National Museum of African Art, Hirshhorn, The National Museum of the American Indian, Holocaust, and The National Museum of Women and the Arts, have given me another look at feminism and what exactly it is. Feminism isn't just about having women contributions valued, but it is also about equality and fighting for rights that women should be given. Although I made many assumptions, they were not all true. Also what I expected in each meusum about feminism wasn't entirely true either. In conclusion, women should be given equal rights and should not have to fight for freedom. Without women, the world would never evolve.
Assumptions List
1. The National Museum of Women in the Arts
- I assumed that the majority of the art displayed would be about women.
- I assumed that the museum would be very large and take up a large portion of the block.
- I assumed that the museum would strongly display feminism, and thus not use “feminine” colors such as pink so often.
- I assumed that most, if not all, the workers there would be women.
- I assumed that most of the visitors there would be females.
- I assumed that a lot of the paintings might attempt to degrade men
- I assumed that the founder of the museum, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, wouldn’t be so “woman-like” and “gentle-looking”.
- I assumed that this museum would be feminist.
2. Hirshhorn
- I assumed that the building would be just another regular rectangular building.
- I assumed that the museum would be boring, because I thought the name was unusual.
- I assumed that the museum wouldn’t be very large and crowded.
- I assumed that the museum would contain very abstract and unusual paintings.
- I assumed that this museum would be the most boring out of them all.
3. The National Museum of the American Indian
- I assumed that the building wouldn’t be very large.
- I assumed that the museum would be easy and fast to cover.
- I assumed that the museum to be packed with visitors
- I assumed that quite a few of the workers would be of Native American descent.
- I assumed that there would be many interactive exhibits there for the visitors.
4. The National Gallery of Art
- I assumed that the museum would be extremely large, in part because of its name.
- I assumed that there would be countless floors, and paintings
- I assumed that it was just one large building, not two (East and West Wings)
- I assumed that inside the museum, everything would be well lit and highly secure.
- I assumed that there would be tons of visitors there.
- I assumed that the museum would take the longest to cover.
- I assumed that there would be high security and surveillance.
- I assumed that some of the paintings would be dull, simple, and boring.
- I assumed that many of the workers would be females.
The Canvas Within
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feminism is defined as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”. It is an extremely important movement, which originated in the late 1800’s and is still well displayed today, not just by parades, sittings, riots, and speeches, but also by art, whether it be a painting, a sculpture, or an object. In order to get a first hand experience, my friend and I ventured to the nations capitol, Washington, D.C., to journey through four prestigious museums and get a feel for art and culture, whether it be a piece of history or present-day. Throughout the journey, at each art venue, we asked ourselves, “Is this place feminist?” We were surprised with our findings and have discovered that feminism can mean more than just paintings of women.
The very first museum we arrived at was the National Museum of Women in the Arts, located on New York Avenue. My friend and I were a bit surprised by the building structures; we assumed that it would be a separate large building like most museums, but instead, it was part of the city block, and not very large or eye-popping. As soon as we walked in, we noticed pink tiles, many pink ceiling moldings, flower wall moldings, pink tablecloths, and in the first piece of artwork we laid our eyes upon in the lobby, which was a painting of the founder of the museum, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, who was dressed in all pink! This was very surprising to me because I believed that a women’s museum like this would try it’s best to avoid and/or eliminate using the color pink, because it might be seen as “typical feminine”. However, the color was very proudly and prominently displayed throughout the venue, including the artwork and paintings. I also noticed that every worker I saw was female, an interesting observation. After snooping around the museum and working through everything it had to offer, especially the 3rd floor’s permanent collection, I believe that this museum is feminist for a number of reasons. Every artist I recorded was a female, there was an abundance of information about feminist movements, what feminism is, and important feminist leaders, such as Rosa Bonheur, who even wore men’s clothing just so she could paint at certain places in public, and much of the artwork displayed would contain women and various shades of pink/red. It was difficult to find males in many of the paintings. I recall viewing a painting in which sex equality is displayed. In addition, many of the white walls contained chunks of information about feminism and feminists, right next to pieces of artwork. This leads me to conclude that this art venue is indeed feminist.
Our next stop was the unusually named (at least I think) Hirshhorn Museum off of Seventh Street and Independence Avenue. As soon as we arrived there, I was astonished; I had never seen such a beautiful museum structure. The building was circular in shape and hollow in the center; it almost resembled a small European coliseum. Once we walked all around the building and finally found the entrance, we were a bit disappointed to hear that the second floor of the museum was closed due to plans of adding more exhibits. Nevertheless, we went up to the top floor and worked our way down. I immediately noticed that many of the paintings contained simple and abstract images, such as triangles, hexagons, squares, and circles, with highlighting color. Quite frankly, many of the paintings looked so simple and effortless that I believed I could paint them without a problem. I kept asking my friend and myself, “Is this art? How is that art?” I guess it takes a true artist to see the beauty within each simple painting. After some time, once we viewed a large chunk of what the museum had to offer, I asked myself if this venue was feminist. Frankly, I believe this question is not very meaningful to ask at this location. Unlike the previous museum, I saw no signs of art displaying feminism; much of it was of abstract shapes, lines, and simple designs. I think the exhibit contained a different and unrelated type of artwork, nothing that displayed feminism.
The third venue we ventured to was the National Museum of the American Indian. From the outside, the building looked like many other museums I have visited. Once we entered, we noticed that the museum was very large and open, containing a huge front foyer with some artifacts with numerous overbearing floors. Working through the exhibits, I learned that many Native Americans lived in and used everything they possibly could from their surrounding environment to survive. For example, I found an exhibit displaying boats/canoes, which were constructed from tree bark, straw, and canoes. In addition, on the second floor, we came across a large room which was specially dedicated to Native Americans’ clothing, in particular, women’s clothing! From interactive games, to displays, to special displayed media broadcast, there was so much information about women’s clothing. My friend and I observed that many different things, such as Navajo Indian women’s headdresses, cradleboards for carrying babies, what materials the Indians used, and babies’ dresses. We even learned how to put on a women’s headdress. Overall, we had a good experience in the large exhibit. After viewing as much of the displays and artworks as possible, I came to the conclusion that this art venue also displays some form of feminism. Part of the theory of feminism is the belief that the sexes are equal. This museum clearly displayed that by dedicating a whole section and a major part of the second floor strictly to women’s clothing and lifestyle. Clearly, one can see that this museum values art by women and art of women. Because it prioritizes the women’s exhibit, I believe that this venue is feminist.
Our final visit in Washington, D.C. before heading back to College Park was the famous National Gallery of Art. Right off the bat, I was surprised to learn that the museum actually consisted of two buildings: the East Wing and the West Wing, both located across the street from one another. Upon entering, we noticed that the museum’s main halls and alley wasn’t very well lit and was a bit dark inside; however, it was very open, large, and spacious. We also noticed that around the paintings, there was very good lighting, which helped when viewing the paintings. There were a vast variety of impressive displays we looked at; from the Baroque Woodcut pieces, to the famous Renaissance paintings from the Robert H. Smith collection, to the abstract paintings of faces and figures displayed throughout the museum. There was a lot to cover and everywhere we looked, there was some kind of art. Overall, I don’t believe this museum is a feminist institution. As a whole, the museum contained so much variety and different types of paintings that I don’t think it focused on any one recurring theme. It seemed as if the museum contained a piece of history from about every time period and movement. Thus, I believe that labeling this museum as “feminist” is inappropriate.
Throughout our journey, I have discovered that art is the canvas for millions of ideas, whether it be feminism, slavery, historical movements, or even wars. We witnessed how much variety many museums have to offer first hand. In conclusion, out of the four ventures we visited, I believe that the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Museum of the American Indian display feminism. The other two institutions we visited, Hirshhorn Museum and the National Gallery of Art, are more general based and their pieces do not focus on one recurring theme, they all display so many different themes and ideas. All in all, this trip was very worthwhile and opened my eyes up to art. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but art is worth a million.