Iconic Washington Buildings Host Two Days of Themed Tours and Talks
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will partner with the National Building Museum to celebrate World Architecture Day with two full days of dynamic programming for all ages, Sunday, Sept. 30–Monday, Oct. 1. Two of Washington, D.C.’s most striking buildings, the Hirshhorn’s circular Brutalist landmark and the National Building Museum’s historic Great Hall, will host a range of architecture and art-themed activities in honor of their architectural histories and expertise.
Lovingly called the “Brutalist donut,” the Hirshhorn’s sculptural Gordon Bunshaft-designed building is a popular local example of the Brutalist architectural style, which reached its height in the 1970s and is now experiencing a resurgence. A 15-minute walk away, the National Building Museum is not only dedicated to the understanding of architecture and design but is housed in a historic space built in the 1880s as the headquarters of the United States Pension Bureau.
Programs below are marked by their starting location in parentheses: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG) and the National Building Museum (NBM).
Sunday, September 30
10 a.m.–5 p.m.: The Hirshhorn’s social, humanoid robot, Pepper, will be available in the lobby to discuss the building’s architectural history (HMSG).
10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.: Visitors can take a self-guided architecture tour using Hirshhorn Eye, the museum’s new instant mobile art guide, to learn more about the Hirshhorn building, the newly redesigned Hiroshi Sugimoto lobby, and select works on view directly from artists who made them – all from the comfort of their own mobile device (HMSG).
11 a.m.–5 p.m.: Free cakepops by Baked by Yael will be available while supplies last (NBM).
11 a.m.: For a special edition of CUENTA-CUENTOS: STORYTIME in Spanish, the museum’s youngest visitors are invited to explore architecture through a read-aloud of Pedro Perfecto, Arquitecto and a hands-on building activity (HMSG).
11:30 a.m.–12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.–1 p.m.: Take a behind the scenes tour of the National Building Museum’s collection, which includes 100,000 photographic images and negatives, 130,000 architectural prints and drawings, 100 linear feet of documents, and over 20,000 objects, including material samples, building fragments, and architectural toys. Limited to 10 (NBM).
12:30 p.m.: A Gallery Guide-led tour will take a deeper look at the Hirshhorn’s Brutalist architecture and the museum’s newly redesigned Lobby. ASL Interpretation will be available for this tour (HMSG).
1:30 p.m.: Take an informative, fascinating tour of the National Building Museum’s historic home, offered by trained docents. Come face-to-face with the colossal capitals of the Corinthian columns as you tour the Museum’s fourth floor, and more (NBM).
2 p.m.: Join National Building Museum curator Susan Piedmont-Palladino within the iconic ringed courtyard at the Hirshhorn and hear why that building’s brutalist architectural aesthetic, once reviled, is now enjoying a growing appreciation (HMSG).
3 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Join docent Jim Carr on a lively walking tour of “buildings with holes in them,” and learn why courtyards and atrium spaces serve an important role in the quality of architectural space.The tour begins at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s iconic courtyard and concludes in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall (HMSG to NBM).
3:30 p.m.: A Gallery Guide will lead a tour of works on view to discover the surprising and innovative ways that art and architecture can be linked (HMSG).
Monday, October 1
10 a.m.–5 p.m.: The Hirshhorn’s social, humanoid robot, Pepper, will be available in the lobby to discuss the Hirshhorn building’s architectural history (HMSG).
10 a.m.–5 p.m.: Free cakepops by Baked by Yael will be available while supplies last (NBM).
10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.: Visitors can take a self-guided architecture tour using Hirshhorn Eye, the museum’s new instant mobile art guide, to learn more about the Hirshhorn building, the newly redesigned Hiroshi Sugimoto lobby, and select works on view directly from artists who made them – all from the comfort of their own mobile device (HMSG).
10 a.m.: For a special edition of STORYTIME, the museum’s youngest visitors are invited to explore architecture through a read-aloud of Iggy Peck Architect and a hands-on building activity (HMSG).
11 a.m.–11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.–1 p.m.: Take a behind the scenes tour of the National Building Museum’s collection. Limited to 10 (NBM).
11:30 a.m.: Take an informative, fascinating tour of the National Building Museum’s historic home, offered by trained docents. Come face-to-face with the colossal capitals of the Corinthian columns as you tour the Museum’s fourth floor, and more (NBM).
12:30 p.m.: Join Sharon Park, the Smithsonian’s associate director of architectural history and historic preservation, for a lunchtime talk on the plaza exploring the History of the Hirshhorn (HMSG).
2 p.m.: With Hirshhorn/DRAW, visitors are invited to explore the architecture of Huang Yong Ping’s “Abbottabad” through the lens of pencil on paper. Graphite pencils and paper welcome. No wet materials will be allowed in the galleries (HMSG).
3 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Join National Building Museum curator G. Martin Moeller on a walking tour between the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Building Museum, noting architectural icons along the way .The tour begins at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s courtyard and concludes in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall (HMSG to NBM).
3:30 p.m.: A Gallery Guide will lead a tour of works on view to discover the surprising and innovative ways that art and architecture can be linked (HMSG).
5 p.m.: Smithsonian Architect Andrew Scott and FAA Strategic Sustainment Manager Greg Rea come together to discuss “the Stewardship of Permanence,” a cross-discipline initiative focusing on the challenges and considerations that should be addressed when building facilities intended to last for many generations, like museums, monuments, and civic buildings (HMSG).
BONUS!
Friday, October 5
9 a.m.: Round out a week of celebrating architecture with a special morning talk featuring Deane Madsen, former design editor of Architect Magazine and founder of Brutalist DC. Grab a coffee and learn how Deane turned his love of Brutalism, a key Washington architectural style, into a web platform and map of the city’s most “raw” structures, including the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington Metro, and the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Dolcezza Coffee & Gelato will open at 8:45 a.m. (HMSG).
About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time––free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
About the National Building Museum
The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build. We believe that understanding the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, and design is important for all ages. Through exhibitions and educational programs, we show how the built world has power to shape our lives, communities, and futures. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.