'Gordon Parks' exhibition closes Monday

Gordon Parks, Two Negro boys shooting marbles in front of their home. November, 1942, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  Southwest of the U.S. Capitol, the area's homes were soon torn down in an urban renewal project and replaced by temporary government buildings and new housing, The destruction of housing for impoverished people still leaves a bad taste among many in the nation's capital and often comes up for discussion in local news, even today.

In conjunction with Black History Month, the National Gallery of Art  has hosted the first exhibition of early works by one of the nation's finest social photographers, Gordon Parks (1912-2006), who overcame poverty and discrimination to excel at photography, music, writing, and film making. 

Gordon Parks, Self-Portrait, 1941, gelatin silver print, private collection, courtesy of and copyright, the Gordon Parks Foundation

 Gordon Parks, Dinner Time at Mr. Hercules Brown's Home, Somerville, Maine, February, 1944, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Collection

The exhibition, Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940–1950, closes Monday with more than 150 pictures Mr. Parks made of glamour queens, coal miners, Langston Hughes, and black life.  Documents from his own life are included.

Before Mr. Parks became the first black photographer at Life magazine, he worked for the U.S. government in Washington in the 1940s where he made life of black poverty visible to many through his pictures.

Gordon Parks, Washington, D.C. Young boy standing in the doorway of his home on Seaton Road in the northwest section. His leg was cut off by a streetcar while he was playing in the street, June, 1942, the Gordon Parks Foundation.  Mr. Parks was shocked by the discrimination he found in Washington:  young children forced to play in streets and excluded from "whites only" parks, playgrounds, and recreational centers.

Gordon Parks, a portion of Death Room, Fort Scott, Kansas, 1950, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Collection

Gordon Parks, a portion of Tenement House, Arsonia, Connecticut, 1949,
National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Collection

Gordon Parks, a portion of Death of Babe Ruth, Inside Yankee Stadium, New York City, August, 1948, the Gordon Parks Foundation. Photographing the funeral of Bath Ruth was one of Mr. Parks's first assignments for Life magazine which published three of his pictures but not this one.  Why do you guess it was omitted?

Mr. Parks was a self-taught professional out of Kansas who was influenced by Charles White, Roy Stryker, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Ralph Ellison. After his mother died, he moved to St. Paul to live with his sister, but her abusive husband drove Mr. Parks to the streets where he lived homeless and sought warmth in streetcars where he slept.

He was one of the first to join the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked as a waiter on a railroad where a fellow waiter gave him a magazine that changed Mr. Parks's life.  In the magazine he saw photographs which awakened him to another life and a way up and out.  He began reading everything he could find about photography and took classes.

On Sunday, February 17 at 2 p.m. in the National Gallery's East Building Auditorium, Harry Allen, Nelson George, Adrian Loving, Miles Marshall Lewis, and Vikki Tobak will discuss Hip-Hop’s Great Day: Gordon Parks and a Legacy of Photographic Inspiration.

Films made by Gordon Parks will be screened at 12:30 p.m. February 22, February 27, and March 8, 2019, also in the East Building Auditorium. 

A signature catalogue ($48) of more 300+ pages and 168 of his photographs, which was produced and published by the Gordon Parks Foundation and Steidl working with the National Gallery, is available. Included are an extensive chronology of Mr. Parks's life, copies of pages of his photographs which ran in the St. Paul Recorder in Minnesota, and papers of his application for a fellowship to the Julius Rosenwald Fund which made Mr. Parks the first photographer to receive an award.

Nearby in other rooms at the National Gallery are pictures by another black photographer, Dawoud Bey, who has his own show,  The Birmingham Project, ending April 21, 2019:

Working in collaboration with the Gordon Parks Foundation in Pleasantville, N.Y., the National Gallery of Art organized both exhibitions.  Philip Brookman was the Parks's curator.

After Washington, the exhibition travels to the Cleveland Museum of Art, March 23–June 9, 2019; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, August 31–December 29, 2019; and Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, February 1–April 26, 2020.


What: Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940–1950

When:  Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Open on Presidents Day.

Where: The ground floor of the West Building between Third and Ninth streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall.

Admission charge:  No charge 

Metro stations closest to the National Gallery of Art are the Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives and L'Enfant Plaza.

For more information: 202-737-4215 

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Teenage wow 'Wolves' star in Herndon

The cast from The Wolves get in their exercises at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock and Company


NextStop Theatre in Herndon has done what no other theatre has done, at least as far as the director Kathryn Chase Bryer knows.  It's put on a show with teenage talent only (and one brief mom).

A magnificent glimpse into the world of teenage girl talk and it's not all about boys.  Very little of it, which surprised me since that's all we talked about in another era, another time when girls were not quite on par with boys, but now... 

Who needs crutches when we can stand on our own legs?  We are The Wolves!

That's the name of the indoor soccer team of nine teen players who exercise, practice and banter about world events (!), Khmer Rouge (!), Cambodia (!), Harry Potter, each other (when the subject is out of earshot, natch), their drunken coach, abortion, society, the future, and what else? 

One has foot-in-mouth disease and makes laughter, but they all work seriously on their simultaneous floor exercises, and they practice kicking the ball (ensuring no member of the audience is tapped). 

Teammates look up in the stands for their coach and in the distance, #46 (Vivian Lemons, Oakton High School) spies a turfed titmouse.  She's the optimist in the pack, who's been isolated from the rest of 'em, home-schooled that she was, and unschooled in the negative, suspicious ways of some of her teammates.

The language is real which means adult, with F bombs and other bad words dropping every few seconds, but that's a warning ticket holders receive at the entrance to the theatre with the notice, too, that some of the content is loud, very loud.

Jordan Hundley, left, and Caroline Coleman go at it in The Wolves at NextStop Theatre/Photo by Lock and Company

The frequent ear-splitting screams by team captain, #25 (Caroline Coleman from Urbana HS) gives one pause to wonder how she has any voice left for the next show.

The acting is light years beyond expectations of high school students, many making their professional debuts, and Ms. Bryer is to be congratulated for exacting exceptional executions from the den. 

Each player is essential with commentary for the mix, including the quiet one, the goalie, #00 (Dominique Kalunga, South Lakes HS) who, after a dream, finds confidence and her voice in the second act.
  
At the beginning of the show, the girls do talk at the same time, and following one of those conversations is impossible until reality brightens understanding that this first burst is short-term and just an introduction to the fast-paced drama which lies ahead.

Costumers Kristina Martin and Marilyn Lopes dress the girls in matching royal blue uniforms with socks to match, and sound man Reid May plays the perfect hip tunes between scenes. 

Men don't play much of a role here.  Nor do mothers.  Girls just want to have fun and meaning.  They have their whole lives in front of them and can howl from any hilltop they choose.

YOLO!

The remaining team members (and schools they attend) are Jordan Hundley (Chantilly), Teryn Cuozzo (Tuscarora), Jordan James (Robinson), Makayla Collins (Annandale), Maya Tischler (Oakton), Rachel Lipetz (Marshall) and understudies:  Ella Stamerra (Woodson), Naomi Bertha (J.E.B. Stuart), and  Kylie Miller (Metropolitan School of the Arts).  One adult, a mom: Vanessa Lock Gelinas.

Other creative crew members are Jonathan Dahm Robertson, scenic designer and Madeline McGrath, painter;  Sarah Tundermann, lighting; Alex Wade, properties; Sarah Usary, stage manager; Laura Moody, assistant stage manager; Jonathan Abolins, electrician, Lisa Hamilton, soccer consultant, and Hilary Joel, movement coach. Evan Hoffman is NextStop's producing artistic director.

What: The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (her first play which was a 2017 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)

When: Through February 24, 2019 on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and one Thursday show on February 21 at 8 p.m. 

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes. The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning. Lots of great restaurants nearby.

Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: General admission tickets start at $35 with "flexible pricing." (Demand increases prices.) Buy online or through the box office at 866-811-4111.

Duration: About 90 minutes without intermission

Rating: Adult language

For more information: 703-481-5930 or info@nextstoptheatre.org

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Rodarte fashion show ends Sunday at NMWA

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

The eye-popping, incredible Rodarte exhibition of gowns and apparel, designed by the hot costumers of stage and screen, the Mulleavy sisters, will enjoy its last day at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Sunday.

For anyone remotely interested in design, the combination of nature and costuming, fashion, creativity, and women's gowns, this is must-see. To miss it is to deprive yourself of one of the most spectacular shows in the history of the Women's Museum.

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte is the first fashion exhibition at NMWA where the Mulleavys say they "are honored to be the first designers" featured.

The name of the house built by Kate (b. 1979) and Laura (b. 1980) comes from their mother's maiden name, Rodarte.
 
Sounds rather Italian, doesn't it?

These are dresses and slips worn by Kirsten Dunst in the Mulleavys' 2017 film, Woodshock. Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

A slip worn by Kirsten Dunst in the Mulleavys' 2017 film, Woodshock. Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

The museum's Fall 2018 issue of Women in the Arts  quotes Kate Mulleavy: "There is probably a little bit of California's natural beauty in every one of our collections," and Laura Mulleavy: "Nature inspires our choice of colors and the way we build garments" incorporating flowers and other natural plants and pieces found outdoors. 

Like Sean Scully whose Landline series stemmed from memories of his childhood in Dublin, Ireland and the natural lines of sea and horizon, the sisters credit nature and the outdoors where they played as children for the source of many of their creations.

The label copy reads:  "Horror films, a favorite cinematic genre of the Mulleavys, inspired this collection. For these looks, they undertook a laborious process of bound-resist dyeing in order to achieve the precise blood-red hue." Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Natalie Portman wore this tutu in Black Swan, 2010. Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Growing up, the sisters' stomping grounds lay between San Francisco and Monterey, and the two also had access to film production lots, another source of inspiration. Their college educations in art history (Kate) and literature (Laura) served as springboards to possibilities and adaptations, strengthening their inclinations to use natural elements and what lay around them.

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Jill D'Alessandro, the guest curator from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, wrote that when "Rodarte burst onto the scene in 2005," the house took "the fashion and art world by surprise with their deeply personal and conceptual approach to fashion design." 

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Almost 100 creations spanning the life of Rodarte define the show with the most enthralling gallery, the last, the garden room, filled with florals and outrageous combinations and flaming colors.  It's rather like a giant dollhouse of science fiction, life size mannequins in a fairy land at the height of femininity.  Another world, adopting the station of womanhood and submission from centuries ago, to women dressed today romantically and idealistically to fit conceptions of what could be.

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Garden Gallery at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Shades of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night and sunflowers at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Star Wars gowns at the Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

 

Rodarte Collection, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Please, come and compare your impressions to mine and write soon.

Virginia Treanor, associate curator at the NMWA, assisted with production of the exhibition.

What: Rodarte
 
When: Through Sunday, February 10, 2019. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is open Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m.
 
Where: The National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005
 
Admission:  $10, adults; $8, seniors and students; and free for members and children, 18 and under.
On the first Sunday of each month, "Community Day," there is no charge for admission.
 
For more information: 202-783-5000 or visit nmwa.org.
 
Metro stations: Metro Center (exit at 13th Street and walk two blocks north) or walk a short distance from McPherson Square.

patricialesli@gmail.com