Museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
A Brief Guide to 13 Fascinating National Museums and Galleries
© Kat Long
Jan 1, 2009
The National Mall in Washington D.C. – a mile-long green expanse in the heart of the nation’s capitol – is home to 13 history museums and art galleries. They are all within walking distance of one another, and admission to all is free, making a visit to these cultural institutions an affordable and unmatchable American experience.
The museum area of the Mall is located between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue (which run east-west) and 14th Street to 3rd Street NW. The area is about a mile long and easily walkable. The D.C. Circulator shuttle bus also runs in a loop around the perimeter of the area on weekends, making transportation even easier.
The North Side of the Mall: Nature, History and the Arts
The north side of Mall houses four major museums: the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, and the west and east wings of the National Gallery of Art. All are extremely popular with tourists and locals alike.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, which reopened in November 2008 after a two-year renovation, is home to the original Star-Spangled Banner, newly restored and displayed in a custom climate-controlled gallery. The museum also features permanent exhibitions about the American presidency, arts and entertainment (including Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz), wars and military conflicts, and millions of objects and ephemera that comprise American culture and memory. The most famous and popular exhibit is undoubtedly the First Ladies at the Smithsonian, which contains inaugural gowns and other artifacts from past administrations.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History next door features an enormous (stuffed) elephant in its rotunda, and numerous galleries radiating from the central gallery. The museum recently unveiled its brand new Sant Ocean Hall, wherein interactive exhibits teach visitors about the importance of ocean conservations. Other popular galleries include the Hall of Mammals (also recently upgraded to dazzling effect), the Gems and Minerals collection, which includes the Hope Diamond, and the Hall of Paleontology, containing massive dinosaur skeletons and other fossils.
The National Gallery of Art is comprised of a west wing and an east wing. The west wing features paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from ancient times to the twentieth century, focusing on Renaissance painters (including Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Ginevra di Benci, probably the museum’s most famous holding), European masters, Impressionism and American artists. There are also smaller collections of sculpture (including many Rodin and Degas models), drawings, and photography. The east wing contains modern and contemporary works, as well as temporary exhibits, in a gorgeous building designed by I.M. Pei. A colossal Calder mobile hangs permanently in the atrium.
The South Side of the Mall: Global Heritage and Cutting-Edge Technology
The south side of the Mall features the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Hirschhorn, the Smithsonian Castle, S. Dillon Ripley Center and Arts and Industries Building complex; and three unique art galleries: the Freer Gallery, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the National Museum of African Art.
The National Museum of the American Indian, opened in 2004, looks rather modern compared to the Beaux-Arts architecture on the Mall. Its curvilinear building houses the premier collection of Native American arts, artifacts, and historical objects. The museum and collection was designed with the cooperation of Native tribes. Exhibitions include “Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World,” “Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories,” “Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identities,” and space for temporary exhibits by Native American artists.
The National Air and Space Museum, the most popular museum on the Mall year after year, is a testament to America’s space exploration program, science of space, and history of aviation. Famous planes like Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the first Wright brothers’ plane, and an Apollo 11 lunar module are set in the atrium. The “Space Race” gallery depicts America’s and the Soviet Union’s race to the moon, while objects from meteorites to rockets to fighter jets dazzle visitors (especially kids). There are numerous permanent and temporary exhibits, as well as an Imax theater.
The Hirschhorn Museum houses modern and contemporary art in its cylindrical building with impressive central fountain. Temporary exhibits feature American and international artists, and the Black Box theater screens contemporary film and video. The outdoor sculpture garden, sunken below ground level for a peaceful, meditative atmosphere, is home to massive works by Auguste Rodin (such as the Burghers of Calais), Henry Moore, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alexander Calder.
The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, both named for collectors who donated their holdings to the Smithsonian, feature Asian arts such as sculpture, ceramics, carvings, paintings and drawings from ancient eras to the present. The Freer also possesses the world’s largest collection of works by the American artist James McNeill Whistler, whose aesthetic was greatly influenced by Asian styles. Don’t miss the sumptuous Peacock Room, an art nouveau drawing room designed by Whistler in peacock blue and gold leaf ornamentation on the walls and ceiling.
The National Museum of African Art houses the nation’s largest collection of publicly-held African sculpture, carvings, musical instruments, textiles, and decorative arts in its underground space. Jewelry and objects carved from ivory are especially unique. There is also gallery space for contemporary work by artists from the African diaspora.
Finally, the Smithsonian Castle houses the Smithsonian Institution information center and the adjacent Ripley Center holds temporary exhibitions of varying genres in its underground gallery. The Arts and Industries Building, to the west side of the Castle, is closed for restoration until further notice.
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