Tag Archives: Special Exhibits

July 7, 2019 · 8:24 am

Hang out on the LAWN in the National Building Museum

The National Building Museum’s annual Summer Block Party installation just opened, and it’s one to put on your seasonal To Do list. LAWN transforms the Great Hall into an inviting, expansive green space that encourages recreation and relaxation — whatever your preference — with an aesthetic and activities that evoke a feeling of summer.

Designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group, the studio that built the PLAY WORK BUILD exhibit upstairs, LAWN is a sloping, stretch of “grass” (it’s a soy-based, recyclable product) adorned with elements for visitors to enjoy. Adirondack chairs and blankets offer seating. Corn hole and croquet mallets and soft balls welcome play. The gentle hill is fun to run up or roll down. Hammocks invite guests to lay back and relax…and listen to stories of summer.

The hammocks are equipped with speakers above them playing audio of famous people talking about summer experiences. You can listen to Jose Andres, Whoopi Goldberg, Venus Williams, and many more celebrated folks share their memories. It kind of feels like you’re chilling out with a friend on a lazy day, listening to them relay a story.

There are more speakers placed around the exhibit that play sounds of the season — crickets chirping, a thunderstorm, birds calling. A stand at the bottom of the hill sells summer treats, lemonade and ice cream and cookies. And the museum’s fountain is incorporated into the exhibit in an interesting way, reminding me of an inflatable swimming pool in the backyard.

You can get a bird’s eye view of the whole scene from a three-story scaffolding tower at the top of the hill. Walk in and climb the stairs to a platform to watch the action below and get new perspectives of the stunning Great Hall.

There will be special programming like movie night, yoga sessions, and late nights, so be sure to check the calendar to see what’s coming up. And DC residents should be aware of Ward Days, when they can visit LAWN with complimentary admission from 9–11am when the ward they live in is invited: July 23 is Wards 7 and 8, July 30 is Wards 2 and 6, August 6 is Wards 3 and 4, and August 13 is Wards 1 and 5.

Plan a day to play and relax on the LAWN. It’s one that kids of all ages (including us really big kids 😉) will enjoy.

LAWN
Where: National Building Museum | Judiciary Square, DC
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: $16/adult, $13/age 3-17, $10/AARP & Blue Star, FREE/members

* Museum members get free admission, so this is a good time to consider a Family Membership

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Filed under 2019, All ages, Annual, DC, Exhibit, Indoor Play, Museums, Seasonal, Special Event, Summer, Weekdays, Weekend

Tagged as August 2019, Children's Activities in DC, DC Museums, Family Fun, Fun Things to do with Kids in the Washington DC Area, July 2019, LAB at Rockwell Group, LAWN Installation with Kids, LAWN Review, National Building Museum, Special Exhibits, Summer 2019, Summer Block Party, Summer in DC

July 3, 2018 · 5:06 pm

Welcome to the Fun House at the National Building Museum

It’s time for the Summer Block Party at the National Building Museum, and I can tell you that this one is going to be really FUN! In case you aren’t familiar with the concept, the seasonal event features a major installation in the museum’s Great Hall with special programs and activities for the public to enjoy. Most of the exhibitions have been hugely popular (and literally huge, for that matter) since they began several years ago as well as interesting and interactive.

FUN HOUSE, this year’s installation created by Snarkitecture, easily lives up to its name. In fact, I think it may be the best of NBM’s summer exhibits yet.

Designed to look like a house with a front and back yard, FUN HOUSE is the first Summer Block Party that truly takes advantage of the entire Great Hall. Just about everything within it invites and encourages engagement as it “recalls and re-imagines the idea of the traditional home.” The various environments throughout incorporate other well-known projects by Snarkitecture, but you don’t have to be familiar with them to appreciate and enjoy them.

It starts with the Front Yard, where you can sit on soft “benches” or large letters that spell FUN HOUSE. The walkway into the house looks more like an excavation site than a door, and that’s just the beginning of many neat details and displays you’ll see as you tour the rest of the rooms. Walk through a sea of fabric strips hanging from the ceiling in the Bedroom. The Play Room contains a fantastic, intricate marble run that is sure keep kids (and adults) captivated for awhile. There’s a tub filled with plastic balls in the Bathroom. The Kitchen shelves are stocked with all kinds of cleverly designed pieces. In the Study, you’ll find more works that will make you take a closer look. As you tour, be sure to look up, down, all around, and try to catch views of it from different perspectives to see how it all fits together.

Okay, the reallly fun part is the Backyard — because that’s where you’ll find the pool. Before you come to it, though, you’ll encounter a big stack of outdoor cushions that welcome climbing and moving. You’ll also see the Play House with a cool optical illusion design. And just beyond that is the big kidney-shaped basin filled with those plastic white balls (if you went to THE BEACH, you know the ones), and it’s all as wonderfully enticing as the sparkling blue chlorinated water at the local rec center on a scorching hot DC summer day.

Yes, you can jump in a go for a “swim” at the FUN HOUSE pool, and I highly recommend you do! Just be sure to remove your shoes and hold on tight to your phone because they are easy to lose in there. When you need a break or don’t feel like taking the plunge, there are pool chairs lining the deck as well as a kiddie pool, where little ones can play or you can dip your toes.

There will be couple of special programs and activities to experience FUN HOUSE in different ways. There will be yoga most Sundays; Daybreaker, early morning dance movement on July 6; and Late Night on Wednesdays will special tours, pop-up talks, and food and drinks for purchase from 6-9pm. Note, too, that Hill Country Backyard Barbecue is back on the museum’s West Lawn this summer through mid-September with an expanded menu and a family-friendly atmosphere from Wednesday through Friday, 4–9 pm; Saturday, 12–9pm, and Sunday, 12–6pm.

DC residents should be aware of Ward Days, when they can visit FUN HOUSE with complimentary admission from 9–11am when the ward they live in is invited: July 24 is Ward 1 and Ward 3, July 31 is Ward 7 and Ward 8, August 7 is Ward 2 and Ward 6, and August 14 is Ward 4 and Ward 5. Story time and mobile library book check-out will be offered by DC Public Library on those days, and Community Forklift will be there with a creative construction activity. Reserve your spot here.

Are you ready to jump in? Here’s what you need to know:

FUN HOUSE
Where: National Building Museum | 401 F Street NW
When: July 4 – September 3, 2018
Hours: 10am – 5pm Mon-Sat, 11am – 5pm Sun, 6-9pm Weds
Regular Admission: $16/adult, $13/age 3-17, free for Members
Late Night Admission: $25/adult, $16/youth, $10/adult member, $5/youth member

* Advanced purchase is recommended. Tickets are timed entry and good for one hour in Fun House, which is plenty of time to explore it all. And admission gets you into all of the museum exhibits!

* Museum members get free regular admission and discounted late night admission, so this is a good time to consider a Family Membership

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Filed under 2018, All ages, Annual, Art, DC, Educational, Exhibit, Indoor Play, Museums, Seasonal, Summer, Weekdays, Weekend

Tagged as Children's Activities in DC, DC Museums, Family Fun, FUN HOUSE Exhibit, Fun House Review, Fun House with Kids, Fun Things to do with Kids in the Washington DC Area, National Building Museum, Snarkitecture, Special Exhibits, Summer 2018, Summer Block Party, Summer in DC

July 3, 2017 · 4:13 pm

HIVE is the New Summer Buzz at the National Building Museum

The National Building Museum’s Summer Block Party has become a much anticipated seasonal event. Showcasing a major installation in the Great Hall with special programs and activities for the public to enjoy, the exhibitions are interesting, interactive, and always Instagram-worthy.

Indoor mini golf kicked off the summer installation trend. Then it was the Big Maze. The BEACH had just about everyone in DC jumping in for some fun. And last year, ICEBERGS brought its own cool aesthetic.

This year, the NBM will be buzzing with HIVE. The massive installation designed by Studio Gang is constructed from more than 2,700 wound paper tubes, a material that is recyclable, lightweight, and renewable. Three chambers of different sizes, a very large one flanked by two smaller, are open for visitors to “explore how a structure can modify and reflect sound, light, scale, and human interaction.” It’s a striking sight — the tallest chamber reaches 48 feet, and the sci-fi looking structures juxtaposed with the museum’s stately Great Hall is at once beautiful and kind of bizarre.

Inside, it’s interesting to examine the tubes, note how they fit together, and look up to see the details of the museum’s top level beyond the oculus. The smaller chambers feature interactive elements that all ages, particularly kids, will enjoy. In one, several sets of chimes with strings hanging down let you “ring” them to hear their varying tones reverberate in the space.

In the other, a sound-machine that I heard one guest describe as something out of a Dr. Seuss book, is constructed of pipes, tubes, and other building materials to be used as instruments. Soft paddles are available to “drum” on open ends of pipes and tubes to create “music” and listen to the sounds they make.

One of my favorite ways to take in the installation was from the upper floors. A bird’s eye view of structures below lets you enjoy the colors in a new way. The tubes are painted gray on the outside and magenta within — the color was inspired by all the pink hats in the Women’s March, a detail that I adore — and it all seems to glow when you look down on it from above.

There will be special programs and activities to experience HIVE in different ways. Lectures, yoga, drum circles take place throughout the summer — find details here. Free concerts on Sundays from 2-3pm welcome all ages. And Late Night on Wednesdays will feature musical performances, drinks, and food from Hill Country’s Backyard Barbecue 6-9pm.

DC residents should be aware of Ward Days, when they can visit Hive with complimentary admission from 9–11am when the ward they live in is invited: July 18 is Ward 3 and Ward 8, July 25 is Ward 1 and Ward 6, August 1 is Ward 4 and Ward 2, August 8 is Ward 5 and Ward 7. Story time and mobile library book check-out will be offered by DC Public Library on those days.

HIVE opens at the National Building Museum on July 4 (UPDATE: Due to construction, it will now open July 6) and runs through September 4. Hours are 10am -5pm daily, with Late Night for all ages on Wednesdays 6-9pm. Admission is $16/adult, $13/youth/student with ID/senior, $5/Blue Star ages 3 and up with ID (limit 6 per family). And the entry fee includes admission to all other museum exhibits!

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Filed under 2017, All ages, Annual, DC, Educational, Exhibit, Indoor Play, Museums, Seasonal, Summer, Weekdays, Weekend

Tagged as Children's Activities in DC, DC Museums, Family Fun, Fun Things to do with Kids in the Washington DC Area, Hive Exhibit, Hive Review, Hive with Kids, National Building Museum, Special Exhibits, Summer 2017, Summer Block Party, Summer in DC

June 27, 2017 · 12:06 pm

Scenes from a Visit to Annmarie Sculpture Garden

A fairy house almost as tall as Owen at Annmarie Sculpture Garden

It’s probably evident from many mentions on the blog just how much we love Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center. Located in Lusby, MD, we don’t get out there very often — maybe a couple of times a year — but make a point to see the annual Fairies in the Garden exhibit every summer. The collection of handmade fairy and gnome houses, all contributed as part of a contest, is so delightful. And finding them throughout the grounds, mostly in the woods just off the looping walking path, is part of the fun of viewing them.

A Pegasus-Dragon face-off

We made a trip out to see them last week (coupled with our visit to Flag Ponds Nature Park), and the exhibition was as charming as ever. It’s always neat to see the whimsical combinations of craftiness and creativity.

The rest of the art at Annmarie is always wonderful, too. From the permanent collection of large sculptures to adorable little “tree pops,” we enjoy viewing it all. And the Fairy Lolly remains one of the most enchanting playgrounds around. Even at 11 years old, Owen still enjoy it. (I’m well past 11 and dig it, too!)

Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center is located in Solomons, MD, about an hour’s drive from DC. Grounds are open daily 9am – 5pm (Arts Center 10am – 5pm). Admission is $5/adult, $3/ages 6-17, free for 5 and under. Get a glimpse of Annmarie below and read more about it in this KFDC post, and plan to visit Fairies in the Garden before it closes September 4, 2017.