Posted by Mary E. Gallagher, Editor-
Washingtonians and visitors to our nation’s capital are invited to discover and document the city’s exciting Dupont Circle-Kalorama neighborhood on the first weekend in June. Nine diverse museums of the Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium (DKMC) will be opening their doors to the public free of charge during the 29th Annual DKMC Museum Walk Weekend (Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, 2012). This year’s theme, “Documenting Dupont,” encourages visitors to capture the many details that make one of D.C.’s most beautiful neighborhoods unique, including its many museums. While documenting the exteriors, step into the interiors to discover the Anderson House, Dumbarton House, Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, National Geographic Museum, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, and the Woodrow Wilson House, all open free of charge June 2 and 3, 2012.
DKMC Museum Walk Weekend is an opportunity for locals to travel in their own neighborhood, and for visitors to explore D.C.’s “off-the-Mall” museums. A wide variety of exhibitions are featured, such as Anderson House’s The American Revolution at Sea, and The Textile Museum’s Dragons, Nagas, and Creatures of the Deep, a celebration of the Chinese Year of the Dragon. New on the 2012 Museum Walk is the addition of the National Geographic Museum, hosting three exhibitions, including Titanic: 100 Year Obsession. Many sites are offering special programming, including The Phillips Collections’ Jazz ‘n Families Fun Day event, The Textile Museum’s annual Celebration of Textiles, the Woodrow Wilson House’s Electric Car Rally, the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site’s panel discussion, musical performances, and book lecture, and the National Museum of American Jewish Military History’s Family Stories (see below for each museum’s exhibition and programming details).
Local restaurants and shops will offer discounts to Walk Weekend participants, including 10% off at Firehook Bakery and at Teaism, as well as 15% off purchases at Looped Yarn Works. Enter your Walk Weekend photos in Washington City Paper’s photo contest for a chance to win a DKMC prize pack and exposure on FotoDC’s online galleries. More information at www.washingtoncitypaper.com/promotions.
The 29th Annual DKMC Museum Walk Weekend media sponsor is Washington City Paper. Additional support is provided by FotoDC, GoDCGo, and Cultural Tourism DC.
TO NOTE: The Museum Walk event is held rain or shine. Open hours at each museum vary each day. The National Museum of American Jewish Military History is open Sunday only. Photography may not be permitted inside all participating sites, per individual collections policies. A free shuttle service is offered between sites.
About the Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium
The Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium (DKMC) was established in 1983 to promote the “off-the-Mall” museums and their neighborhoods in the greater Dupont Circle-Kalorama area of Washington, D.C.
Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium Members & 2012 MUSEUM WALK Exhibitions
NEW THIS YEAR! National Geographic Museum
17th & M Streets, NW
202-857-7588
www.ngmuseum.org
Exhibitions: Samurai: The Warrior Transformed; Titanic: 100 Year Obsession; Beyond the Story: National Geographic Unpublished 2011.
Anderson House
2118 Massachusetts Ave., NW
202-785-2040
www.societyofthecincinnati.org
Exhibition: The American Revolution at Sea, April 27-December 29, 2012.
Dumbarton House
2715 Q Street, NW
202-337-2288
www.dumbartonhouse.org
Exhibition: World War II at Home: The American Red Cross at Dumbarton House, 1942-1945, through June 30, 2012.
Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center
El Museo Latino/Multicultural
2112 R Street, NW
202-483-2777 or 202-265-9235
www.fondodelsol.org
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
1318 Vermont Avenue NW
202.673.2402
www.nps.gov/mamc
Programming: Saturday, June 2: 11am, panel discussion, Artists and the Tradition of Civil Rights Activism; 1pm, performance, Readings in Revolution, Movement, and Hope; All Day, Creative Reflections through arts and crafts;
Sunday, June 3: 1pm, Book Lecture, Heart of The Race Problem: The Life of Kelly Miller; 2pm, violin and vocal performance, Freedom Songs; All Day, Jazz Garden Reception with Jeff Antoniuk Trio.
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
(OPEN SUNDAY ONLY)
1811 R Street, NW
202-265-6280
www.nmajmh.org
Exhibition: Fallen Heroes: Remembering American Jewish Causalities of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
Programming: Everyone has a story…be part of the story. The National Museum of American Jewish Military History will devote this special afternoon to some of the most important men our lives. We invite you to portray your beloved male relatives through skit, scrapbook, video, DVD, memoirs, comedy or whatever your imagination can conjure. Not local? Send us your stories and we will post on our website or in our lobby.
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW
202-387-2151
www.phillipscollection.org
Exhibitions: Antony Gormley: Works on Paper, June 2-September 9, 2012; Jasper Johns: Variations on a Theme, June 2-September 9, 2012; Intersections – Sandra Cinto: One Day, After the Rain.
Programming: Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days. Musicians improvise to artworks in the permanent collection, and visitors create jazz-inspired sculpture to take home, explore an exhibition of artworks by local elementary students, and visit the instrument petting zoo. Interactive, all-ages discovery packs are available to enhance the experience. In collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival.
The Textile Museum
2320 S Street, NW
202-667-0441
www.textilemuseum.org
Exhibitions: Dragons, Nagas, and Creatures of the Deep, February 3-January 6, 2013; Sourcing the Museum, March 23-August 19, 2012; Woven Treasures of Japan’s Tawaraya Workshop, March 23-August 12, 2012.
Programming: 34th Annual Celebration of Textiles, Saturday, June 2, 10am-4pm, and Sunday, June 3, 2012, 1-5pm. This FREE festival invites visitors of all ages to explore the textile arts and cultures of the world through hands-on activities and artist demonstrations in the museum’s gardens, historic buildings, and galleries.
Woodrow Wilson House
2340 S Street, NW
202-387-4062 x12
www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org
Exhibition: Woodrow Wilson, President Electric: Harnessing the Power of Innovation in the Progressive Era.
Programming: Electric Car Rally, Saturday, June 2, 10am-4pm, display of modern and historic electric cars, 11am Electric Car Parade. Museum and Garden Openhouse, Sunday, June 3, 1-5pm.Did you know that First Lady Edith Wilson was one of the first women in DC to drive an electric car? Have your photo taken behind the wheel of an electric car, speak to electric car owners, discover how to build and race a solar-powered model and see some in use (weather permitting), and get special behind-the-scenes access to the 1921 Milburn Light Electric Opera Coupe-the same make and model driven by Wilson’s secret service agents in the White House-on loan from the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. At 11am, the cars will parade down Massachusetts Avenue to Dupont Circle. In partnership with the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, DC.