Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 5

These Washington Mystics fans threw their hands in the air when they learned the Mystics had scored in the Washington Post/Photo by Patricia Leslie

It is almost a miracle.

Found in the sports section of Thursday's Washington Post on page D3 was an article which spanned three columns with a picture about the Washington Mystics beating the Chicago Sky, 72-65, in Illinois Tuesday night ("Washington holds on to end its slide").

That the Post even carried an article (Associated Press), let alone a photo of a Mystic (!) (Bria Hartley) and not a picture of the competition as in pages past, are reasons to celebrate and bring out the cake and champagne with the hope that from now on, the Post will give the Mystics the coverage they need, warrant, and their fans demand. 

After all, Washington Post, this town is made up of more than strictly men.

For more on the matter:

Read: Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 1

Read: Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 2

Read: Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 3 

Read: Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 4

 

Next up for the Mystics:

July 12 at Tulsa Shock, 7 p.m.

July 15 at Phoenix Mercury, 7 p.m.

July 23 v. Connecticut Sun at Verizon Center, 11:30 a.m.

July 25 v. Tulsa Shock at Verizon Center, 7 p.m.

July 27 v. Atlanta Dream at Verizon Center, 4 p.m.

July 29 at New York Liberty, 7 p.m.

 patricialesli@gmail.com

Cruisin' July 4 on the Potomac

Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming  

 

The view of the fireworks on the National Mall July 4, 2014, from onboard Virginia's Jewel on the Potomac River.  To the far right and barely visible is a tall, white lighted structure, the Washington Monument/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Sometimes, "late" is a good thing.

"Late" as in a fire which transformed a cash bar into an open bar, yes!

It was a July 4th miracle.

No matter where you go in this town, there is no escaping Bryce Harper.  This was the upstairs bar on Virginia's Jewel where alcohol flowed freely.  Happy July 4th, Everybody!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The fire occurred at the Washington Marina and delayed the scheduled departure of the yacht, Virginia's Jewel, chartered by the International Club for a three-hour July 4 cruise.

My spirits doth overfloweth.

In Alexandria, Virginia's Jewel anchors behind two smaller boats/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Champagne greeted us who finally boarded the boat after a riding shuttle buses which the International Club had to procure at the last minute to take us from the marina at 1300 Maine over to Alexandria where the ship and delights awaited. 

Rather than leaving the Maine dock at the scheduled 6:30 p.m. time, the frustrated captain set sail from Alexandria at 8:15 p.m. but we guests were not unhappy, anticipating the three-hour boat ride, bounteous food and beverage, a beautiful night on the water with perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, a well-stocked bar, great times with new and old friends, and, ahoy matey!  Fireworks, ahead!

Rosslyn even looks kinda purty from the Potomac at night.  The captain of Virginia's Jewel said July 4 was the worst time to navigate a vessel on the river because of the jammed sea and so many inept ("drinking" and unlicensed) boat drivers.  "If something happens, I could lose my license," he wailed, "and they would lose nothing."  Maybe, a life?/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The time is always right for love. To the right in the distance and what looks like a straight pin rising from the ground is the Washington Monument/Photo by Patricia Leslie

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming...Our view of the National' Mall's fireworks July 4, 2014 was obscured somewhat by the ensuing black smoke, but it could not compare to the view from a hill at the Pentagon several years ago during a grey day when all we saw was black smoke and n'er a purty color or fireworks/Photo by Patricia Leslie 

For once, since it was July 4, the Secret Service ignored the red flying saucers above the Potomac River.  Far in the distance and what looks like the Batman building is the Washington National Cathedral/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Lucy in the sky with diamonds/Photo by Patricia Leslie

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air...Red birds flew in every direction frightened by the noise, I suppose/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Jefferson Memorial peeks out on the far right/Photo by Patricia Leslie

From inside Virginia's Jewel/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Adjacent to Virginia's Jewel was the Delta Queen getting ready to sail down the Mississippi River.  The white line of lights at the top of the picture is a reflection of lights inside the yacht, Virginia's Jewel.  Our boat was bigger than their boat/Photo by Patricia Leslie

After the really big fireworks ended on the Mall, we yachters were treated to more fireworks set off by partygoers who lit up the shores of Hains Point and other locations in Maryland. Did we see any fireworks going up on the Virginia side of the Potomac?  You've got to be kidding. Yes,Virginia, there really are fireworks in Maryland.

Towards evening's end, the yacht's restrooms got a little raunchy, and to quote my favorite politician:  Go early and go often.

The ship's wait staff was ample and attentive, frequently inquiring if we were "okay," especially as I briefly dozed on a table while lying on soiled napkins, overturned plastic cups, chicken remains, and slurring "life jacket" in my stupor. (Just kidding.  It's hard to beat non-stop, unsalted Margaritas. I only drank four. Really though, folks, the staff was wonderfully pleasant during the whole affair, especially, the besieged bartenders who never lost their smiles,  composures, or upbeat attitudes.)

Early tickets for the cruise cost $100 (later price, $145) for unreserved seating while $120 ($165) got you a reserved seat on the upper deck, both which included a loaded BBQ buffet.

On the menu were pork and chicken bar-b-cue, corn on the cob, cole slaw, potato and macaroni salad, petite chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, chocolate brownies, and plenty to drink/Photo by Patricia Leslie

We didn't dock until 11:15 p.m., affording the ones  onboard who rode the Metro, opportunities to ride uncrowded trains on July 4 from the Mall all the way home (Little Piggy) which set a new world's record for Metro efficiency. (Another benefit of "lateness.")  You see, the increased Metro fare is working, after all.

A band of revelers onboard Virginia's Jewel/Photo by another reveler 

 

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

Francis Scott Key, 1814

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 4

This fellow was jumping for joy when he heard the Washington Mystics got a story in the Washington Post/Photo by Patricia Leslie

All right, already. 

So the Washington Post ran a story June 30, 2014 with the headline at the top of the page (D3), "Misfiring Mystics lose eighth in past 11."  

You think the Mystics would get that much coverage if they won a game?

No, sista.  You've got to be kidding.  They lost to the San Antonio Stars, 73-65.

But it was a story.

A story. 

A miracle on page D3.

Hold on.

Whatsis?

You think the editors used a picture of the Washington Mystics in a story about the Washington Mystics? 

This bears repeating:  
You think the editors used a picture of the Washington Mystics in a story about the Washington Mystics?

That makes sense, no?

Yes.

You think? 

You think.

 God forbid, WAPO would send a photographer to a Mystics' game. I don't suppose the wire services shot any photos of the Mystics' game and that is why WAPO used a picture of, instead and hold on, the "Liberty." Who's that?  Dunno.  Never identified.  New York or Connecticut?

Oh, come on.  Not really.

Really.
Now, just imagine this: 

A newspaper story of the Whatevertheskins' game and no picture of the Skins!  But juxtaposed (rhymes with "panty hose") with the story is a picture of the Dallas Cowboys playing another team! 

No Whatsisskins! 

No hometown team pictured anywhere!

You've got to be kidding.

Or, a story (one of four on the same day) about the Nationals and all you see are tomahawks and Atlanta Braves! 

Or, how about 16 stories (the same day) about Bryce Harper and nothing but pictures of Justin Upton?

Come on! No way!

I tell you, it's the truth.

You think?

I am going to write my favorite legislator and propose Title IX for the newspaper once the newspaper almost goes defunct and has to accept a federal bail-out. 

Hey!  GM got one.  Why not WAPO?  A newspaper run by the government.  Richard Nixon was right, all along.

Next up for the Mystics:

July 2, 7 p.m. v. Indiana Fever at Verizon

Read:  Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 1

Read:  Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 2

 

Read:  Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 3

 

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 3

Washington Mystics coach Mike Thibault seems to cry "Help!" for media coverage/Photo by Patricia Leslie

If you thought you might get some pre-game coverage in the Washington Post about today's Mystics game v. the San Antonio Stars at Verizon, you found out you were wrong.

Nothing.

Well, excuuuuusssse me, a single line of 8 point type in the right corner on page D10 is not coverage? 

"San Antonio at Washington, 4"

"4" as in 4 p.m. 

As on the bottom of the last sports page.

The only female in today's sports section was Serena Williams and her defeat at Wimbledon.

Why bother subscribing to WAPO? 

News about local women in sports? 

Local female teams?  

Getoutahere.

If the Washington Mystics had any friends at the Washington Post, the stands might be a little fuller/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 

Help, I need somebody
Help, not just anybody
Help, you know, I need someone
Help

When I was coachin', so much younger than today
I never needed anybody's help in any way
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured
Now I find, I've changed my mind, we don't want to be ignored

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate your comin' round
Help me get our team back on the ground
Won't you, please, please help me?

And now our lives have changed in, oh, so many ways
Our winning team never makes it to the page
But every day and some we feel so ignored

I know that you can help us like you've never done before

 

Help us if you can, we're feeling down

And we do appreciate your bein' round

Help us bring the fans back on down town

Won't you please, please help us

Help us

Help us

Whoooooooo.....

 

 

Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 1

 

Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 2

 

Next up for the Mystics:

 

Wednesday, July 2, 7 p.m. v. Indiana Fever at Verizon

Patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Modern German art show ends today at National Gallery of Art

Ernest Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), Self-Portrait, 1928, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

 

Anyone with a slightest interest in modern art will not want to miss the exhibition of German prints and drawings from the collection of Ruth Cole Kainen which closes June 29 at the National Gallery of Art. 

Ernest Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), Head of Dr. Bauer, 1933, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Spanning the years from the 18th and 19th centuries to the 1960s and 70s, the prints reveal the traumatic changes and turbulence in Germany and the effects upon its artists. In her bequest of 2012, Mrs. Kainen (1922-2009) gave the National Gallery almost 800 works of art.

In the 1960s she started her German collection which begins with the 15th century, and it was conversation about one of the artists, Ernest Ludwig Kirchner, according to her obituary in the Washington Post on September 26, 2009, which introduced her to her future husband, Jacob Kainen(1909-2001).  Mr. Kainen was also an artist and internationally known curator who helped build and manage the print collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

Mrs. Kainen, a native of Rosboro, Arkansas, served in the Navy WAVES during World War II.  In 1958 she arrived in Washington to work as a fundraiser for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Lea Grundig (1906-1977), Unterm Hakenkreuz: Gestapo im Haus, 1934 (Under the Swastika:  Gestapo in the House),  Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The current presentation, one of three devoted to the Kainens' gifts of almost 1,300 art works to the National Gallery, links the past with the present, Germany Romanticism with impressionism with German expressionism, said Earl A. Powell, III, the Gallery's director. 

Emil Nolde (1867-1907), Alice, 1907, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Prominence is given to prints and drawings by Ernest Ludwig Kirchner(1880-1938), Egan Schiele (1890-1918), Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948),Walter Gramatte (1897-1929), Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966) and Wilhem Morgner (1891-1917).

Johann August Nahl (1710-1785), The Tomb of Madame Langhans, 1750s,  Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen, 2012, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Andrew Robison, the National Gallery's Andrew W. Mellon senior curator of prints and drawings who curated the show, said he traveled the world to find the best Kirchners which were only a few miles away, at the Kainens'. 

What: Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection

When: Ends Sunday, June 29, 2014 when the National Gallery is open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Where: Ground Floor, West Building, National Gallery of Art, between Third and Ninth streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall.

Admission: No charge

Metro stations: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: 202-737-4215

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Where are the Washington Mystics? Part 2

With a little help from their friends at the Washington Post, the Mystics might be able to fill more seats at home games at Verizon Center/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Mystics are not to be found in a prominent position among the sports pages of the Washington Post,* that's for sure. 

The day after the team won its first game in five starts, when players beat the Stars 81-70 in San Antonio, all the team could muster in WAPO's sports pages was a lowly left corner of 179 words (including the title) alongside a hockey capsule (June 25, 2014, p. D2).

On the front sports page were color photos of Tiger Woods and Lebron James, the latter which took up almost half the page.  I thought the NBA season had ended.  Does James play for the Wizards?  Is he joining the team?  On page D3 was another picture of Woods. I guess when it comes to sports, all that counts are men.

Those editors think only men read sports? 

What kind of message does this send to budding female athletes?

The only photo of a female in the section was a young girl holding a sign, "Welcome back, Tiger."  Whew.  Looks like the sports sex discrimination at WAPO will continue long past my lifetime, alas.

* This version is not what appeared in the print edition.

Next up for the Mystics:

June 27, 7 p.m. v. Connecticut Sun, Verizon Center

June 29, 4 p.m. v. San Antonio Stars, Verizon Center

Part 1 of "Where are the Washington Mystics?" is right here.

Last September at Verizon when the Mystics played the Connecticut Sun/Photo by Patricia Leslie

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Phillips' masterworks all 'Made in the USA'

Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Sunday, 1926, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

One of the biggest and best of any show I can recall at the Phillips is on display through August 31 which presents 125 artists, 120 years (1850-1970) and 200+ paintings that have just returned "home" from a four year "world tour" seen by 300,000 people.

Childe Hassam (1859-1935), Washington Arch, Spring, 1890, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  In 1966 Duncan Phillips donated one of his Childe Hassam's to an auction benefitting the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Duncan Phillips (1886-1966), the founder of the Phillips Collection, personally knew many of the artists whose pieces he selected for inclusion in his museum, many "on the verge" before their creations were recognized as the masterpieces they have become and which now hang on three floors in Made in the U.S.A.

Isabel Bishop (1902-1988), Lunch Counter, 1940, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Phillips insisted that his showcase, "America's first museum of modern art," become "a champion for America's own artists," and from its opening in 1921, its reputation and collection have grown to fulfill his dream, demonstrated by this stunning display. 

Guy Pene de Bois (1884-1958), The Arrivals, 1918 or early 1919, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Mixed in with the names of familiar artists in the array are lesser knowns, too: Doris Lee, Marjorie Acker Phillips, David Hare, and Morris Louis join Rockwell Kent, Winslow Homer, Maurice Prendergast, Georgia O'Keeffe, Max Weber, George Inness, Robert Henri,  Grandma Moses, Anne Goldthwaite, Robert Motherwell, and Sam Gilliam, to name some whose works hang in the show in chronological order according to 12 themes.

Thomas Eakins (1844-1916), Miss Amelia Van Buren, c. 1891, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  Because of his insistence on working with nude models, Mr. Eakins was forced to resign from the Pennsylvania Academy.  The Art Institute of Chicago rejected Miss Amelia Van Buren because it was considered "too realistic" for the public.  When hearing this, Duncan Phillips rushed to acquire it from the owner, Amelia Van Buren.

It's the biggest presentation the Phillips has mounted in almost 40 years, well worth a visit(s) long before it closes.  You know how treacherous these big shows can be at the end, with everyone elbowing, pushing and blocking views.  (And please call for rescue should you want to stand back and have a look.)

Ben Shahn (1898-1969), Still Music, 1948, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

You may want to go on a day or evening of a related event.  (Please read below.*)

The exhibition has so much to see and think about, from jazz, to portraits, oblique, abstract, modern, realism, and maybe you are a romantic?

George Bellows (1882-1925), Emma at the Window, 1920, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  Between 1911 and 1924, Mr. Bellows painted 11 portraits of his wife, Emma.

Seeing the art may make you smarter, too. 

An article in last week's Wall Street Journal proves what many of us already know: "Our Brains Are Made for Enjoying Art."  The story describes research conducted by the University of Toronto which documents brain activity and the benefits humans obtain from viewing art.  So, in addition to practical enjoyment from viewing the paintings, you may be able to stave off Alzheimer's disease.  Which might be considered a brain stretch, but, why not?  Just another reason to go and take pleasure.

Seymour Lipton (1903-1986), Ancestor, 1958, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  Mr. Lipton originally trained as a dentist.  On the wall to the left of Ancestor is a portion of The Seer, 1950, by Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974), The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

An interactive program, "uCurate," is included in the show (and can be activated from your home by accessing the Phillips' website) which permits guests to design their own art galleries using three touch screens and pieces from the presentation.

Ilya Bolotowsky (1907-1981), Abstraction, 1940, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  This and another one by Mr. Bolotowsky, who was a native of St. Petersburg, Russia and a founding member of American Abstract Artists, were the first to enter a museum. 

I can't wait to get back to set my brain aglow all over again.  There, I think I have well said enough.  It is, indeed, difficult to contain my enthusiasm.  

Stuart Davis (1892-1964), Blue Cafe, 1928, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

A catalogue of almost 300 pages is available for purchase in the shop and online. Major sponsors are Altria and the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts.

Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), Plumes, 1931, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.  The first Kuhn solo show in Washington was at the Phillips.  Mr. Kuhn was a co-organizer of the 1913 Armory Show.

 

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), Burial of a Young Man, c. 1908-11, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Duncan Phillips purchased this in 1918 amidst the tragedies of World War I and the death of his brother from influenza in the same year.

John Sloan (1871-1951), Clown Making Up, 1910, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. This is the first Sloan painting to enter a museum.

 

*Related tours, talks, performances, and musical events include: 

Sold out: June 26, 5:30 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. performance of the New York Idea by the Picnic Theatre Company (Fee.  Reservations required.)

June 26, 6 and 7 p.m. "Spotlight Tours" of the exhibition.  Included in exhibition admission price.

June 29, 11 a.m. Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, Wikimedia, D.C. Bring your laptop and become a writer about the show's artists for Wikipedia!  Free but registration is required.

Every Sunday at noon a tour of the exhibition with a docent (Included in the exhibition admission price.)

July 3, 5 - 8:30 p.m. Phillips After 5, "Happy Birthday America" with music by Charlie Sayles, Tony Fazio, and the Blues Disciples, gallery talks and make your own postcard art activities. Reservations highly recommended except for members who are always admitted without charge. (Fee for others.)

July 10, 6:30 p.m. Isadora Duncan Dance by the Word Dance Theatre (Fee. Reservations required.)

July 24, 6:30 p.m. Lecture by Elizabeth Hutton Turner, professor of modern art at the University of Virginia, "Reinventing Space:  Calder, Davis, and Graham." (Included in the exhibition admission price.  Free for members.)

July 31, 6:30 p.m. Vocal Colors:  A Musical Exploration of Visual Art with soprano Melinda Whittington and mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule of the Wolf Trap Opera Company  presented in collaboration with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts (Fee. Reservations required.)

August 7, 5 - 8:30 p.m. Phillips After 5.  American Bounty.  Gallery talks and sample classic American cuisine "through a moveable feast of food trucks." (?  Call for more information and to make highly recommended reservations, 202-387-2151. Fee except for members, no charge.)

August 14, 6:30 p.m. Lecture by Sally Pemberton about her grandfather, Murdock Pemberton (1888 - 1982), the first art critic for the New Yorker who said Mr. Murdock "may be the most interesting person you've never heard of."  He wrote often about the development of American modernism, and Ms. Pemberton has written a book about him, Portrait of Murdock Pemberton.

August 14, 21, and 28, 6 and 7 p.m. "Spotlight Tours" of the exhibition.  Included in exhibition admission price.

What: Made in the U.S.A.: American Masters from the Phillips Collection, 1850 - 1970

When: Now through August 31, 2014. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays until 8:30 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Closed on July 4.

Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., N.W. at Q St., Washington, D.C. 20009

Tickets: $12, $10 for students and those over 62, free for members and for children 18 and under.

The Phillips is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission for all active duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

Metro Station: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit. Turn left and walk one block.)

For more information: 202-387-2151

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