Exterior: National Museum of the American Indian

My recent visit to The Mall took me past one of my favorite buildings.

Designed to evoke a western canyon rising up with cliffs along a meandering river, the organic qualities of the building give it a regal sensibility.

 The entrance is among the grandest of any structure in the world, in my opinion!

National Museum of the American Indian, part 1 - Native Artist Kay WalkingStick

One of the gallery areas at the National Museum of the American Indian is dedicated to contemporary living artists.  During my recent visit, the work are Kay WalkingStick was featured.

National Museum of the American Indian, part 1-Water Transportation

Already on The Mall and only a stone's throw away from the National Museum of the American Indian I had to visit it again.

 In every aspect, an architectural marvel.

The Plaza @ The National Museum Of The American Indian

Viewed from the lawn of the National Gardens at the foot of the National Botanical Gardens Conservatory, the National Museum of the American Indian is a stand out structure perfectly suited as a neighbor to a place dedicated to recreating a natural setting.

Absolutely one of the most organic buildings on the planet, it possesses a natural form that eludes the works of other masters of the genre like Antonio Gaudi and Frank Gehry. It most imposing feature is the overhang of the plaza on its eastern facade.

Standing under it at the main entrance, the view is one that would deceive the viewer. Can we really be steps away from the Capitol of the United States? It's so convincing that a pair of mallards were hanging out with the other tourists--fool Mother Nature and you've got bragging rights!

Look to the utter left corner of this image. That's the vantage point from which I took the final two photos.

This one I took by pivoting 90˚ to my left from a full on view back at the museum.

Here I have returned 90˚ to the right to face the museum again.

13 views of Washington, DC, A Nocturne

Statuary in front of the Theological Collage @ Catholic University - 3:28 AM

Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips on Florida Avenue - 3:37 AM

Ace Cash (Open!) U Street & 16th - 3:44 AM

Connecticut Avenue, NW, DuPont neighborhood - 3:45 AM

DuPont Circle fountain - 3:56 AM

Water main break @ L Street & 25th from Pennsylvania Ave NW - 4:04 AM

Christmas tree @ Pennsylvania Ave & M Street, Georgetown - 4:06 AM

Georgetown, M Street NW - 4:08 AM

Georgetown II, group of young men speed walking across Wisconsin Avenue NW - 4:17 AM

Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin - 4:30 AM

Museum of the American Indian - 4:37 AM

The U.S. Capitol - 4:44 AM

Union Station - 4:49 AM

Art I'm Seeing #36

detailfscholderpainting, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

Kudu's to the National Museum of the American Indian for it's staging of the retrospective "Indian/Not Indian" the paintings, prints and sculptures of Fritz Scholder. It's one of the most dynamic exhibitions I've seen in a long time. And for me, it was also an introduction to a contemporary American artist of whose works I was wholely unfamiliar.

By and large the exhibition is full (35 canvases) of large, lush, electrically colorful portraits and abstracted images with a dozen or so sculptures, and another 3 dozen smaller works. En toto, it's the story of one man's attempt to define a people and rescue them from the stereotypical iconography of the past. On a canvas by canvas basis, it's also the story of an artist in love with his craft.

On this rainy Sunday morning, I had the place completely to myself and was free to really spend time with the artwork unhindered by the noise and movements of others. What a gift. And as amazing and captivating as the large paintings in the exhibition are, the images that I am left with most profoundly are a series of simple skull paintings made using Diet Coke mixed with the artist's blood.

If you are in D.C. anytime in the near future check this one out.