Until Labor Day weekend the National Building Museum is showcasing interactive artwork indoors and outdoors!
This block party usually brings crowds, so to avoid the risk of the spread of Covid, the block party has downsized this year. According to their press release: “This year’s iteration, however, features a handful of smaller projects and public programs both within the Museum and on the West Lawn that are better suited to the early post-pandemic era of smaller gatherings and social distancing”. Indeed, this year’s block party is entitled Inside Out for its art installations that are inside the museum and outside on the lawn.
Aileen Fuchs, the President and Executive Director of the Museum says “it is a treat for the Museum to be able to offer D.C. residents and visitors a variety of experiences this summer that fulfill our mission in many ways, from amazing architecture and engineering installations to engaging educational programs to partnerships with local organizations, artists, and designers.”
With only a few indoor and outdoor artworks to admire, these events will still be stimulating, interactive, and amusing!
Inside the museum, three special interactive art installations will be on display to explore. The Maze of Knowledge looks like a decomposed building made of wood and books “offering visitors an incentive to traverse the structure’s many paths and discover the variety of works it contains.” The second installation is The Notre Dame Truss Project, which is a remodel of the Notre Dame Cathedral Truss that burnt in 2019. The project managers hope to donate this remodel to aid in the reconstruction of the Cathedral in Paris. Finally, the last indoor installation of the Summer Block Party is called Lo-Fab Pavilion. The structure “is an experimental grid-shell structure” made with reused material. Through these projects, architecture is looked at through a new lens in reimagining skills, material, and design.
On the museum’s lawn, more fun exhibits will be showcased so that visitors can gather together in small groups while socially distancing and enjoying the weather. Interactive lawn art by artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer, who also painted the LOVE mural, now painted the West Lawn in colorful shapes and walking paths that immerse visitors into this artwork. The next outdoor event is hosted by DowntownDC Summer Flicks–Can I Kick It? where every Tuesday night free outdoor movies will be shown on the museum’s lawn.
Visitors can either purchase their tickets at the museum at the Visitor Center or reserve them in advance online. There are so many fun activities to discover this summer at the National Building Museum! Enjoy the summer DC!
[Featured image: National Building Museum]