Blog – Ellen Kwatnoski

STARE… IT IS THE WAY TO EDUCATE YOUR EYE, AND MORE. STARE, PRY, LISTEN, EAVESDROP. DIE KNOWING SOMETHING. YOU ARE NOT HERE LONG.

– WALKER EVANS

Let’s stir up the mulch of inspiration — the sparking, loamy source of the creative process. At times, my mulch-stirring will have direct bearing on what I’m writing, and at others, none at all. Or, more likely, I just haven’t yet found the connection. Let me know what inspires you . . .

Gardens, Museums, Outdoor Art

Happy New Year from the National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden

And good-bye 2020. Universally deemed a dumpster fire or an unprintable act among consenting adults, the year hauled a lot of crap in its wake. But there were unexpected benefits, too. I slowed down. That was good. As for my art rambles,…

Dance, Museums

Degas at the Opera–the National Gallery Reopens

At my reserved time slot, properly masked and distanced, I walked into the National Gallery of Art on a beautiful September day. It was like going home after a six-month exile and I was more than ready to see some art, in the flesh, so to…

Museums, Outdoor Art

Seeing Slowly on the National Mall

Hey, howdy! What’s keeping you sane-ish in these strange and trying times? For me, it’s been hour-long walks near our Southwest DC condo. But with museums and galleries closed, I’m really missing art. Sure, I could tour museums online,…

Dance, Museums

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company — 25 Years of Delighting Audiences in Washington and Around the World

Every time I see the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company perform, I wish I could watch each dance over and over again. On Saturday, my wish came true. My friend Jeanne and I were privileged to observe a rehearsal for the up-coming DTSBDC…

Museums

Infinity Mirrored: The Art of Yayoi Kusama

After what seems a long hiatus away from this space, your intrepid art blogger is back, excited to tell you about “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors,” now on view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. This popular…

Museums

Cutting Edge: The National Gallery’s East Building Reopens

Well worth the three-year wait, the newly redesigned and refurbished East Building of the National Gallery of Art has reopened. Perry Chin, a colleague of I.M. Pei, architect of the original, undertook the extensive, if subtle reworking. First…

Ellen Boyers Kwatnoski

Stories of Secrets Kept and Told