Think. Breathe. Silly. Genre. Gratitude.
These words kept popping in front of me on a 22-foot-high wall as I stood there mesmerised. I was at Planet Word in Washington, D.C., a museum that aims to bring language to life through engaging, interactive exhibits. At the entrance, I had already been greeted by the “Speaking Willow,” an immersive metal sculpture which conjures murmurs in hundreds of languages as you pass by its branches. Meanwhile, at “The Spoken World” exhibit, I had the option to learn phrases in 31 different languages, including some fictional ones! I chose Klingon—the language spoken by the fictional alien race in Star Trek. nuqneH to all the Trekkies out there. (For the uninitiated, that’s “hello” or rather “What do you want?” in Klingon as there is no exact equivalent to hello.)
Having been taught the origin of words by the 22-foot wall, I made my way to the karaoke room where my singing attempts led to the room emptying out rather fast. I then tried my hand at “painting” with words. In a room that had a giant painting on three walls, I used a “brush” to dip into a bucket to choose a descriptive word. I chose “spring” and the painting changed. Suddenly the sky was bluer, the grass greener and the flowers brighter. With “surreal,” the cows in the pasture took on Salvador Dalí-like characteristics. I played around, changing the weather and season by using one among a dozen descriptive words. As I still had not had enough of this fascinating museum that was launched in 2020, I even tried my hand at speech delivery with a teleprompter for better pronunciation and diction.
Undoubtedly one of the most interactive museums I have come across, Planet Word is just one of several such places in Washington, D.C. that offer free entry. In fact, the capital of the United States is a treasure trove for museum-goers. There are the usual suspects of course, like the Smithsonian museums (all 17 offering free entry) that line the National Mall, but the city is also home to many others.
Besides the quirky Planet Word, I loved the National Museum of Women in the Arts—the only museum in the world dedicated solely to women artists. Ironically, it is housed in an erstwhile Masonic Temple. The building has amassed a collection of more than 6,000 works by over 1,500 artists from the 16th century to today, including one by Frida Kahlo called “Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky.” The collection includes numerous paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed media art, but does not feature any Indian artists, although there is a tradition of women in the arts in India like Amrita Sher-Gil, Anjolie Ela Menon, Bharti Kher and more.
Having mentioned that in the feedback form, I made my way to the National Gallery of Art—among the largest museums in the US—to admire the only work by Leonardo da Vinci in Washington, D.C. The painting titled “Ginerva” is a square portrait of a young woman that was painted by da Vinci in 1474, when he was a rather young artist. It was bought by the gallery in 1967 for a cool USD 5 million then. The painting is now valued for over USD 450 million.
The National Gallery of Art is divided into two buildings: the neoclassical West Building houses works from the medieval period through the late 19th century, including masterpieces from Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci; while the East Building, designed in a trapezoidal shape, is where you’ll find modern and contemporary art from Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and others. Entry to the National Gallery of Art is free and if, like me, you end up going a bit early in the morning, you will miss the tourist rush which makes the experience that much better. There are guided tours you should take advantage of and like all good art museums across the globe, the National Gallery is not made for a one-time visit.
While the Smithsonian museums offer everything from Asian art to national portraits to African-American history, two of my particular favourites are the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History.
At the sprawling National Air and Space Museum, check out exhibits on the experimental methods of early flight, learn how the Wright brothers changed the face of aviation, trace the history of American commercial flight, marvel at the “Destination Moon” exhibit, and take in a show at the planetarium. For me, the highlight was Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit and the Wright Brothers' first aircraft from 1903. The museum gift shop also has some great souvenirs for you to take back home, including dehydrated food eaten by astronauts in space; I brought back a bag of choco mint ice cream. While admission is free, you are required to book a time slot to avoid overcrowding.
When you walk into the National Museum of Natural History, you are immediately greeted with the taxidermy of a large African elephant. There is a whole gallery dedicated to the taxidermy of mighty mammals, tiny insects and all kinds of sea life. Saunter through the “Dinosaur Hall,” the “Hall of Human Origin,” and an Egyptian exhibition featuring 2,000-year-old mummies with the ceramics, tools and jewellery found in their ancient tombs. Or, if you want to follow in my footsteps, make your way straight to the Hope Diamond exhibit. Before coming to the Smithsonian, the Hope Diamond travelled from a mine in India to the court of Louis XIV in France, and from the merchant houses of Europe to the homes of the American elite. American jeweller Harry Winston donated it to the museum in 1958. This unique 45-carat blue diamond has been viewed by over 100 million visitors since then. The gallery also exhibits other rare minerals and gemstones that I spent a decent amount of time gaping at.
What I liked the most about my experience in Washington, D.C. was that I didn’t have to jostle with people to see the exhibits and all of the museums, except for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, were free. Compare this to museums and art galleries in the United Kingdom and Europe, where you have to pay a hefty sum to see the collections while contending with crazy queues wherever you go. So, if you love museums and find yourself in Washington, D.C., spend a few days exploring them all.