Temporary Space

One of the interesting features of the DC arts scene is the pop-up temporium project. The basic idea is that neighborhood organizations award grants to projects that open up empty buildings to use as retail/exhibit/performance space. They pop up, seemingly, out of nowhere, are only open for a few weeks, then close down. During that time they feature local designers, crafts, artists, and musicians. The one that everyone's been talking about is the Mt. Pleasant Temporium, which closed over the weekend. The shot above is from the Garment District, which is open at 7th and New York until March 20th.

Mercury Rising

It's finally getting warmer in the District! As winters go, this one actually hasn't been so bad for DC. The blizzards that hit us over and over last year headed to New York City instead, I guess. When it's cold outside, though, it's a great time to head indoors to the museums. There aren't as many tourists in the winter, and you have the place pretty much to yourself. The photo above is of Mercury, rising, no less, atop of Wind's breath. This fountain is in the rotunda (to continue with yesterday's theme) of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art.

Click here for a few more shots from the NGA.

On the Inside

I love taking pictures of the US Capitol Building. It's so intricately detailed that it's gorgeous in any lighting. It was a marvel of modern architecture and, of course, still is an icon in international politics. It also helps that it's conveniently located.

The inside of the massive dome is just as stunning. In the center of the great rotunda is "The Apotheosis of Washington," which is literally about the deification of George Washington, the first President of the United States. I think the fresco epitomizes the intersection between Enlightenment ideals and the government, a tradition that is often overlooked by those that argue for Christianity as the basis of government. Right there, in the very core of our democracy, is a symbolic image of pagan idolatry.