This morning we left Sande's lovely home and hospitality outside Baltimore. As we headed toward Washington DC we felt the itch of our Oddasee lust. In what many of you will think is utter madness we chose to forego the usual Smithsonian Museums. Truth is this choice did not come easy but given our mission and current obsessions, the best plan seems to return to DC at a future time.
As you have seen from our previous adventures, our tastes have some focus but are also quite eclectic. Most of the targets for the road trip have been leaning toward the unusual and rare. Susan has added quilt museums, collections and people to the mix. Now some of you who know Rodney are well aware of his life long curiosity with the somewhat dark, mysterious and even the macabre -- it seems this all began with his early introduction and instant love of all things Edgar Allen Poe. Wel, l after the many years of loving horror films and other questionable interests, this road trip simply had to include places like abandoned asylums, hospitals and museums (i.e., The Glore Museum of Psychiatry). So, we set our sights on one DC institution, The National Museum of Health and Science at Walter Reed Hospital. Rodney has had this place on his "love to see list" for years.
Having visited the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, there was anticipation in the air. Poor Susan had no idea how far from a quilt museum this place would be. At this point, some things have to be cleared up..... Museums of this ilk are not about the macabre but rather the human spirit. Yes, there are shocking/yucky/eewww displays but all those thoughts are quickly replaced with amazement and awe. The human spirit is on view within the "specimens" and the doctors and scientists that tried to help/cure them. There is also a sublime beauty to seeing and reading about the lives of such extraordinary people.
"I seek to find beauty where it is least expected not where it is common" -- paraphrased quote from photographer Joel Peter Witkin.
I share similar aspirations for my art. The NMHS is such a place. The images found below have been chosen carefully. No need scaring any of you away from the Oddasee trek. The photos taken at The Mutter have served as inspiration for years and some of these may well make their way into my painting. It was a haunting, yet beautiful avalanche of images.
It must also be said that this place is probably one of the strongest anti-war statements one could ever find and it is within the walls of a military installation. There were no politics or trumpeting of so-called patriotism. This museum focuses on the the human body and many of the displays are about what happens to that body as a result of fighting wars and yes, defending our way of life. There are presentations about the various improvements in treating the military wounded. A pleasant surprise was the high quality art show housed in two of the exhibit rooms. The theme was related to the real life repercussions of injuries obtained in warfare. There is no proselytizing or judging in the art shown nor in the museum displays. It is simply about the realities of the injured and/or those with severe health issues. That expression of reality and the people devoted to helping the inflicted is beautiful and inspiring.
Susan and I had a great conversation about what the experience had been for each of us. The emotions are complex. There is sadness, amazement, curiosity, anger and learning around every corner in this exquisite museum. The displays are exceptional in every way. It was a moving and memorable morning. Again, the images below are a small attempt at capturing all we saw and felt.
After a brief time of just processing it all, we set off to an unplanned afternoon. Susan had never seen the sights of Washington DC. She expressed her desire to at least see some of the historical sites. "Let's just drive around the Mall." Well in a moment of complete dementia, Rodney agreed to serve as tour guide. This ill-conceived plan started at about 3:15pm. The GPS took us directly into the fray. Oy my gawd! What were we thinking? It was traffic Hades with a stampede of tour buses and then the entire city purging itself of it's impressive workforce. We fought the highway hell with no major incidents and Rodney did his best NY taxi driver impersonation. Bobbing, weaving and squeezing into impossibly tiny moving spaces with the best of them. Aside from a few fleeting glimpses of the governmental edifices and museum facades, it was a journey into the abyss. We were stuck in a huge throbbing parking lot. In our attempt to get out of town before the looming rush hours, we failed miserably. The short version is that we drove a total of 50 miles in about three hours.... Accck! We finally worked our sorry and misguided asses through the toll booth and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and came to a blissful rest in Easton, MD. Note: Susan owes Rodney big on that one; oh the things we do for love.
Love and "Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to ME?"
Rodney and Susan
ps. Beware, some of the pictures below are not for the weak at heart. Think me mad but I find them very beautiful..... and Susan agrees.
#01 - #8 (the museum)
#09 - #15 (the art exhibit) note: #11 is made of bullets - #12 hand is three feet wide
#16 - #22 (artful attempts)
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