Endangered Species Sculptures on the National Mall

On our morning walk this week on the National Mall I was on the lookout for a photo - of anything. We parked the car across from the American Indian Museum and made our way towards the pond there that alway has some interesting scenes. Then we walked to the Enid Haupt gardens by the Hirshhorn Museum. It was an extraordinarily beautiful day and there was so much less traffic and pedestrians about. On our return route towards the Capitol we noticed an odd spectacle in the middle of the mall across from the National Gallery of Art. Upon closer inspection there were three massive sculptures of an elephant, a rhinoceros with a chicken in its back, and a polar bear placed together. And there was also a coyote standing across from them. In the background was a looping story about what animals really think about us. Apparently this was a project sponsored by PETA, though we didn’t know it at the time. The sculptures were interesting in sheer size, the shape, and the materials that were used. The artist is Quill Hyde. Set against the Capitol in the background made it even more unusual. You never know what you will come across on the Mall. We haven’t seen anything like this before. 

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Sculptures

We are anxiously awaiting the reopening of the US Botanic Garden. Yes, you can walk around the Bartholdi fountain garden by the House Office buildings, but the First Ladies garden and botanic garden building are still closed. So when we go in to town, we usually park on the national mall rather than in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill, and walk through the Hirshhorn and Smithsonian castle gardens. Every once in a while we will also stroll through the Hirshhorn sculpture garden - as we did recently. I’m not one for remembering the names of the sculptures nor the artists who created them. But I do have my favorites and they look really lovely in every season. There is a man and woman sitting in the corner and every time we visit I am drawn to them. This was the first time in a long time that there was a tour of some kind with a lot of people going through it. We are used to having the place to ourselves over this last year. It’s harder to get good photos with people milling about. My husband prefers the activity - I prefer the quiet. Anyway, it was a lovely visit as usual. When we moved from DC two years ago we knew we would probably continue to visit. It’s a great diversion with or without a pandemic. 

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

It was a long walk but well worth it. It’s been almost six months since we actually got out of the car in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood.  We decided to take our morning walk following in our old footsteps. That lead us to the Capitol and the national mall to the Smithsonian Castle and Gardens and back to the US botanical gardens. In the middle of all this was the Hirshhorn sculpture garden - a place we have seen and been through in every season and many times. We didn’t think we would be able to enter, but surprisingly the guard waved us in. There were a couple of people visiting and a few staff doing some kind of work. There was a new sculpture that had been placed since we were there last. It’s called “We come in peace.” It’s a 12 foot woman warrior with five faces by Huma Bhabha. It essentially takes over the space and sits in the center of the garden. My favorite is the couple sitting in the corner. It was a pleasant enough walk to enjoy the space once again with signs about to remind us of social distancing and hand sanitizer stations. None of the Smithsonian museum buildings are open so things still look weird in town. We are just glad we have the option to visit when we feel like it.