Harlem photographs close Monday at the National Gallery of Art

James Van Der Zee, Portrait of a Young Woman, 1930, gelatin silver print with applied color, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

Portraits of Harlem residents in the refined elegance of the 1920s and 1930s and beyond are on view at the National Gallery of Art through Monday, May 30, 2022.

In a small gallery from the Gallery's collection of works by Black photographer, James Van Der Zee (1886-1983) hang about 40 of his pictures of landmark places and people dressed up for special occasions, many shot during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance.

James Van Der Zee, Blumstein’s Sales Girls, 1930, gelatin silver print, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund, 2021.33.3.  Above, the real ring the lady wears differs from the sparkly ring another lady wears which Mr. Van Der Zees added, according to a blog post by NGA's Laura Panadero.  Can you spot the differences?

Mr. Van Der Zee was born in Lenox, Massachusetts and received his first camera when he was 14, one of the first persons in Lenox to have the device which he used to take hundreds of photos of his family and others.

At age 20, he moved to New York City to join his father and brother in their work as elevator operators and waiters.

Mr. Van Der Zee's musical talents on the violin and piano led to his participation as one of five members of the Harlem Orchestra.  

James Van Der Zee, Portrait of a Couple, 1924, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Robert B. Menschel Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

He became a darkroom assistant which led to his stature at the most renowned photographer in Harlem, who "produced the most comprehensive documentation of the period" (Wikipedia) but his business declined in the 1930s due to economic conditions and increasing camera sales to the public.

It was not unusual for photographers to retouch their photos which Mr. Van Der Zee has done in several examples here, like adding a bracelet and ring to the woman pictured above in Portrait of a Young Woman. Writes the National Gallery's Laura Panadero in a blog post, Mr. Van Der Zee likely used graphite to enhance his pictures. 

James Van Der Zee, Marcus Garvey (right) with George O. Marke (left) and Prince Kojo Tovalou-Houénou, 1924, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Avalon Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

James Van Der Zee, “Beautiful Bride,” c. 1930, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

James Van Der Zee, Portrait of Sisters, 1926, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Robert B. Menschel Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

James Van Der Zee, Couple, Harlem, 1932, printed 1974, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund © 1969 Van Der Zee

In 1967 Mr. Van Der Zee was "rediscovered" and featured in a controversial exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He often photographed funerals (including his daughter's), resulting in the book, The Harlem Book of the Dead.

He died in Washington, D.C. in 1983.

What: James Van Der Zee's Photographs: A Portrait of Harlem

When: Now through May 30, 2022, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Ground floor of the West Building, National Gallery of Art, Washington

How much: Admission is always free at the National Gallery of Art.

Covid policy: Masks are not required but encouraged. Proof of vaccination is not required.

Metro stations for the National Gallery of Art:
Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: (202) 737-4215

Accessibility information: (202) 842-6905

patricialesli@gmail.com

Another must for journalists: Carl Bernstein's book

 

You know it's a "must." He's a "must" for anyone who's a news-aholic, and/or in the writing business (which in Washington, D.C. is everyone!). 

Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom details Carl Bernstein's five years working for The Washington Evening Star, beginning when he was in high school and ending with his start at the Washington Post, mostly covering the years, 1960-1965.

He describes the ins and outs of what it’s like to be on staff of a major newspaper, how to get there (call and call and call the editors again!), the background and coverage of the major events of the times (JFK's inauguration, JFK's assassination, Sputnik, the 1963 March on Washington) and even, a fake obituary which he and others planted in the Post. (He admits he was chiefly responsible.)

He recounts working with editors (with few negative stories about anyone, save Bill Hill), flying to scenes, and abandoning school for his passion.  All information helpful for any fledgling or would-be writer, to learn what it takes or took back then to get hired by a paper, although challenges now do not mirror challenges then.

At the end, Bernstein includes welcome updates in brief biographical sketches of his tale's main characters, most whose names I couldn’t keep straight anyway, except for Joanne's. 

When I became aware of the section, the first name I hunted was Bill Hill's, a main character Bernstein omits since he did not like Hill for various reasons and whose absence at the end is rather childish. But, maybe Hill would not cooperate and update Bernstein because, like many of the characters, he is dead. 

In addition to the rear listings, adding a one- or two-sentence description of the majority of the cast would have been helpful  to keep names straight.

Other book weaknesses (which, no doubt, his many friends have failed to mention in their glorification) are the title and the cover, great examples of mediocrity.

Blue on blue is dull on dull and Chasing History?  

Huh?  

What does this mean?  How about Carl Bernstein's Start-Up for starters?  

I know Carl Bernstein did not choose the jacket design or the title and he probably argued with the publisher who, of course, knows more about publishing than the author.  Hahahahaha.  

And Carl, I was stunned, stunned (!) that you accepted the assignment of the weather page redesign when Bill Hill pulled out all the plugs to try and resuscitate the Star, which, of course, now lies buried in the cemetery of newspapers with so many others.

At age 78, Carl, it's time to hurry up and finish your second and final volume, thank you very much.

Whoops!  I mentioned Hill's name only four times!

patricialesli@gmail.com

Take a walk thru a Salvador Dali park at Jekyll Island, GA

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA, April 12, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), The Persistence of Memory, 1931, Museum of Modern Art

"Driftwood Beach" at Jekyll Island, Georgia is “consistently voted one of America’s ‘Ten Most Romantic Beaches.'”

Huh?  

Were the voters wearing blinders?  This is a "romantic beach"?  

I guess if you'd like a walk in a park by Salvador Dali like, maybe, in his The Persistence of Memory, it's fun!

Rather than “Driftwood Beach,” this is “Deadwood Beach,” since it’s piled up with…you guessed it, DEAD WOOD.

For fans of surrealism, this is a beach walk on a beautiful island through big dead hunks of gnarled wood which lay on the shore with their limbs splayed and tall dead  branches which extend towards the sky and cry "help me!" 

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's another example of what climate change has done.

The way it was explained to me (twice):  The encroaching ocean spray kills the trees which eventually topple over and lay in the sand, more wreckage from human practice and ignorance. 

That it's a lesson in the mistakes humans make is a good reason to recognize these tree skeletons, a sad example of human mistreatment of our home, our vessel, our Earth, leaving behind a venue of ghosts, nature's cemetery of tombstones which originated in the ground below.

This is romantic?  And celebrated? 

Why Mother Nature enabled these trees to grow nearer to the shore, susceptible to ocean waters, is a mystery, but the creation happened long before humans took hold and drove waters closer inland.

Today's reality does not conform with the colorful image marketed to visitors who come in droves to see nature’s "art" on the beach.  

Tiptoe through a Salvador Dali painting if you like, and have a Halloween wedding while you're at it.  Plenty of props abound in this land where monsters roam.

patricialesli@gmail.com

'On Your Feet!' at Gala

Front, from left, Amy Romero, Gaby Albo (center), Miranda Pepin. Back, from left, Hugo Bruments, Steven Orrego Upegui, and Graciela Rey in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

Broadway is at Gala!

That's right: Gloria and Emilio Estefan's story comes alive at the Hispanic Theatre in a high-kickin', dynamic glossy show in the world premiere in Spanish of On Your Feet! (with English surtitles).

Fabulous dancing and outstanding, glittering costumes (by Jeannette Christensen, assisted by Cidney Forkpah which make you wonder how did they change so fast?) trace the Cuban-American couple's rise to stardom and 26 Grammy wins in this fast-paced production. 

Gaby Albo (center). From left, on the sides facing front: Brayan Llamoza and Steven Orrego Upegui and members of the cast in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

At the end the crowd was on its feet, stompin' and clappin' to join the cast in a fun and energetic display of the real show on Broadway where it ran two years before starting a world tour. 

Get up and make it happen
Stand up, stand up, stand up and take some action

It's a "jukebox musical" with popular Estefan titles including four which Gloria has enriched with new lyrics.

Gaby Albo is Gloria in a convincing performance to make her namesake proud. Samuel Garnica is her husband in a strong, subordinate role whose ego never wilts under his wife's glow.

From left, Fran Tapia, Gaby Albo, and Samuel Garnica in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

Some other best performances are those by women in Gloria's "family": Fran Tapia as Gloria's mother, Madelin Marchant is Gloria's grandmother, and 

Gina Maria Fernandez is Gloria's sister.

The mother is a mean woman encumbered by her own background and failure to pursue her dreams.  She resists and resents her daughter's climb to fame.  In flashbacks, Ms. Tapia shows age matters not when it comes to her incredible dance. 

Gloria's supportive Grandmother Consuelo counterbalances the mother with Consuelo's perfectly timed appearances to assure her granddaughter that her dreams can become real. 

The grandmother was an audience favorite but nothing exceeded the roar of the crowd at the end when the house almost came down at the sight of  youngsters "Little Gloria" (Kamila Rodriguez) and "Little Emilio" (Winsley Dejesus) dancing expertly in a duet to belie their young years. 

The wreck scene which left Gloria's life and career initially in doubt, is a jarring shock, smashing in your face and expertly crafted by Patrick Lord, assisted by Clara Ashe-Moore.

A huge international cast of happy actors included Jose Capellan starring as Jose Fajardo, Gloria's father, and ensemble members: Rodolfo Santamarina, Camila Cardona, Camila Taleisnik, Brayan Llamoza, Jonathan Mouset, Amy Romero, Miranda Pepin, Grant Latus, Carlos Adol, Hugo Brument, Steve Orrego Upegui, Luis Armando Benitez, Laura Castrillon, and Graciela Rey.

Dance captains Myriam Gadri and Bryan Menjivar assisted in choreography.

The production team included Alexander Dinelaries, book; Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, music producers; Esmeralda Azkarate-Gaztelu, book translation; Luis Salgado, director and choreographer.

Also,  Clifton Chadick, scenic design; Matthew Rowe, sound; George-Edward A. Burgtorf, properties; Lashawn Melton, wigs/makeup; Valeria Cossu, associate director. 

Lighting designer Christopher Annas-Lee and assistant Zachary Heffner deftly met the demands of the show.

Other crew members: Maria Jose ”Majo” Ferrucho, stage manager; P. Vanessa Losada, production manager; Heather Hogan, creative consultant;
Hugo Medrano, producer; and Rebecca Medrano, executive producer.

The 10-member band was led by pianist Walter “Bobby” McCoy and assisted by Daniel Gutierrez on keyboards. The musicians were partially hidden up high on either side of the theatre and at stage rear, producing surround sound indeed! 

Extra applause to trumpeter, Brad Clements, for his solos.   

This is a storybook tale that provides inspiration to all dreamers who may sometimes doubt their drive in struggles to reach the top, but hard work and persistence pay off.  Nothing is totally due to chance. 

Seize the opportunity and get on your feet and get to the theatre where a good time of outstanding fun and entertainment are guaranteed at Gala which makes a memorial mark in the history of theatre in Washington, D.C.

What: On Your Feet!


Covid vaccine card and picture ID required for admission or a negative covid test taken within 72 hours of the show.

When: Thursday - Sunday nights through June 5, 2022

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $65, or seniors (ages 65+), students, teachers, military, and groups (10+), $45.  Ages 25 and under, $35. To purchase, visit galatheatre.org or call 202-234-7174.

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two and a half hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block from GALA. Or, get off Metro at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, walk the two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking:  Discounted parking at Giant's garage around the corner on Park Road. Validate your ticket in GALA's lobby. 

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

National Portrait Gallery director charms the Arts Club

Kim Sajet at the Arts Club, May 4, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The crowd may not have been as big as it was last month when the National Gallery of Art director came, but remarks by the director of the National Portrait Gallery Wednesday night at the Arts Club seemed deeper, more personal, and drew louder laughter. 

Kim Sajet with Dana Tai Soon Burgess at the Arts Club, May 4, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

"I'm fine with people coming in the museum and walking out more confused" than when they came in, said Kim Sajet, NPG director and the first woman to hold the position.

"We are a history museum as well as an art museum," she said, and "I'm just dangerous enough to know a little bit about a lot of things."

She continued: "I believe what museums do is important."

Many new museum directors discover they are "floating down the river" without staff support which takes some time to win over, but Dr. Sajet is proud of her staff.

The National Portrait Gallery is the only portrait gallery in the U.S. she reminded the audience, and it has tried "some crazy things," but the crazies seem to draw the biggest crowds.  

For three days the NPG hosted, more or less on a lark, an exhibition during the heyday of "Google glasses."  

"People lined up for hours to see it," Dr. Sajet said. 

"We've made mistakes; we've learned a lot." 

The Portrait Gallery "used to be non-threatening" with lots of "dead white guys.  What was not to love?" she asked.

NPG's mantra is to collect portraits of persons (until 2001, "really dead" persons, like for more than 10 years) who have made a great impact on American history and culture. 

Right now an artist is working on the Trump portraits, and the Gallery has 15 works under commission. 

The museum might approach a major contemporary artist, she said, and ask:  "Who would you want to do?" 

"I don't know why museums have to be so boring; you know, 'don't touch.'"

"I always tell the curators, you'll get brownie points if you can make someone cry."

"If you live here, you try to stay away from all these tourists, face it."

Competition on the National Mall for space is stiff with two new museums vying for land:  the  women's history museum and the U.S. Latino museum, and hold it!  There's a new kid coming to the block,  an Asian-American museum, Dr. Sajet said.

Answering a question from a member of the audience, she is "so grateful we are not on the Mall.  We are surrounded by fantastic restaurants" but on the Mall, it's nothing but a "food wasteland."

When she arrived in 2013, NPG attendance was one million; now attendance is 2.3 million.

"We may not have the largest attendance" among museums, "but we're the most revisited museum," she said. (Unclear if she meant museums in D.C. or the U.S., probably the former.) 

This year's Outwin Boochever competition which NPG holds once every three years, chose 42 finalists from  2,774 entries, Dr. Sajet said. The winner, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, received $25,000.

It's not easy determining who belongs in the collection.

Take Katy Perry, "a good example," Dr. Sajet said.

At the time Ms. Perry was selected for NPG inclusion, "she was the second highest performing artist after Michael Jackson. If Rosemary Clooney got in, why not Katy Perry?"

(Katy Perry has her own solo shot at NPG; Rosemary Clooney is pictured with 17 others.)

        Will Cotton (b. 1965) , Cupcake Katy, 2010, National Portrait Gallery

Philippe Halsman (1906-1979), Rodgers and Hammerstein, 1954, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Jane Halsman Bello, © Philippe Halsman Archive. Rosemary Clooney is pictured the second from left, back row.

When someone dies, "we put out their portrait"  like Aretha Franklin's (died August 16, 2018), when "the line was out the door the next day."

Visitors left purple flowers at Prince's portrait, ashes for Kobe Bryant on the museum's steps, and filled "two books" (of remembrances?) for John McCain.

"People want to be with other people" at these sad times. 

Answering an audience question, Dr. Sajet said NPG has about 40 digital portraits in its collection.

She was born in Nigeria to Dutch parents, holds citizenship in the Netherlands, and grew up in Australia. She loves reading and is probably one of those "readers for life." She's been in the U.S. 25 years.

"My mother is someone I've always admired." Dr. Sajet has a severely disabled brother.

As a youth, she "fell in love with the history of art." 

"A moment" she experienced at the Whitney Museum of American Art was when she saw a painting by Edward Hopper of an outdoor cafe with a sad clown which helped steer her life.

Edward Hopper, Soir Bleu, 1914, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Moderating her presentation was Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Arts Club member, choreographer-in-residence for the Smithsonian, and "poet laureate of national dance" (as identified by a club member).

From May 17 - 19, 2022, NPG will host his newest work, El Muro [The Wall], created by inspiration drawn from the Outwin-Boochever contest. It's 30 minutes of modern dance with 10 performers and live music by Martin Zarzar, formerly of Pink Martini. 

Free to see, but May 17 is "sold out."  Go here to reserve.

Patricialesli@gmail.com

Post-Putin Russia

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tverskaya Street, Moscow, Mar. 26, 2017/Wikipedia

Navalny, the film, was the subject of a program last week at the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute. 

Other topics came up.

The Kennan's Izabella Tabarovsky  moderated discussion of the "thriller," as she called it, with Leonid Volkov, Alexei Navalny's former chief of staff, and  Maria Pevchikh, head of investigations for the Anti-Corruption Foundation. 

Navalny established the Foundation in 2011 which the Moscow City Court extinguished last June.

Ms. Pevchikh urged that sanctions on Russia remain: "Putin should not be able to get away with what he did."

"Keep pushing until the outcome is there."

Putin should be subjected to [a special] tribunal. 

A former ambassador to/from (?) Moldova asked the panel how to avoid now the "illusion" experienced in the 1990s that the Soviet Union would become more democratic after the nation's 1989 upheaval.

Mr. Volkov said, "we do not know."  It makes no sense to speculate until Putin is gone.  When Stalin died, it took three years to figure out his successor.  All his lieutenants started killing each other.  Right now, none of Putin's lieutenants are strong enough to become a leader. They are all very weak, hating each other.  It  will take three years at least to sort things out. No one knows the lieutenants.

Ms. Pevchikh: No one knows either, the exact number of Russians who have died in the war.  If you trust the government, the number is one to two thousand.  Russia's evening news about Ukraine lasts about 58 minutes. As far as the Russian ship sinking in mid-April, "they" just said "it went down and there was a fire." 

"A Russian soldier's life is worth nothing to Putin," Ms. Pevchikh said.  He has made the Russians think their sons' lives are nothing since "a life is worth sacrificing."

Only the poorest get conscripted, and so far, Putin is quite successful...at home.

patricialesli@gmail.com

National Gallery of Art director woos the Arts Club

Kaywin Feldman at the Arts Club, April 6, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Kaywin Feldman sat on stage at the Arts Club this month with moderator and Club member, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, and talked about her background and vision for the National Gallery of Art. Later, she answered questions from the 50 or so who paid to come and hear the "new" (three years) Gallery director.  

Ms. Feldman started her career as a director at a museum when she was only 28, after being on staff of a Fresno, California museum for just a year. 

Although 52 percent of museum directors today are women, she said there are still none "at the top except for me." 

Kaywin Feldman with Dana Tai Soon Burgess at the Arts Club, April 6, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Her dad was in the U.S. Coast Guard and they moved around a bit.  When Ms. Feldman was born in Boston, he was working on his Ph.D.  Although she mentioned him several times in her talk, she scarcely made reference to  her mother, a homemaker. 

Ms. Feldman's "role model," was Mary Tyler Moore for, after all, who else was there to admire professionally in her growing up years?

She was unsure about a college major and it took several international trips before she found her "calling" on Crete and Knossos which led to her major in Greek and Roman architecture.

Kaywin Feldman at the Arts Club, April 6, 2022/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In her younger years, the Scrovegni Chapel by Giotto in Padua, Italy brought her to tears:  "I cried, I was so moved" when she saw it, she said. "I was walking on air" to "experience the feeling of wonder.  It's bigger than we are as human beings. We are part of the shared humanity." 

She praised Andrew Mellon who started NGA with his fortune but who died before the Gallery opened in 1941. His son, Paul, took up his father's leadership role and worked towards making NGA "a living institution." 

Now, NGA is diligently working to reassert "national" in its name and image and more closely match U.S.  demographics. NGA's collection is made up overwhelmingly of male artists: 92 percent and of that percentage, 98 percent are white.

The new exhibition of historic and contemporary pieces by black artists (Afro-Atlantic Histories) is  "joyful, celebratory, challenging, and difficult;" a history "of so many different people."

The audience interrupted her talk several times with applause.  

The show does not focus explicitly on slavery, Ms. Feldman noted, but it's part of the story told on the walls. (Writer's note:  The depth and scope of Histories is surprising; much more than I ever expected with 130 works from several continents spanning the 17th century to the present.)

Answering a question from an audience member (none of the questions which appeared pre-screened), Ms. Feldman said the East Building (which has been undergoing renovations since 2019) is set to open in July and then the West Building will close for renovations.

All the skylights in the East are being replaced, the first time since 1978, she said. 

It's not been easy working as part of the federal government and having to wait for years for budgets to be approved. 

As a director in her 20s, she relied a lot on instincts which with her experience, still help her today.

Museums are "moral institutions" which should strive "to do good things and do no harm." 

Climate change was acknowledged:  When it comes to heating and cooling buildings, art museums are "wasteful....I need to do more to reduce [our] carbon footprint." Staff travel contributes to climate change. 

Because of Russia's attack on Ukraine, Ms. Feldman resigned her position at the Hermitage to some criticisms, she said. [She had been a member of the State Hermitage Museum International Advisory Board.] 

She has European colleagues who are "very afraid we may no longer be able to work with Russian colleagues." 

Like the Baltimore Museum of Art with an exhibit now up which was curated by museum guards, Ms. Feldman has been communicating with NGA's security guards, too, some of whom have worked at the Gallery for 30 to 40 years. She finds the conversations "challenging, joyful, exciting." 

The NGA guards are "so proud that their story is being told now" as part of the African Dispora. 

She talked about the Benin Bronzes and deaccessioning the only Benin piece at NGA. The process has taken 2.5 years and is "still in our basement." She feels "very strongly [these] works should be returned." 

A British military officer involved in the Benin's "looting" only died in 1970,  bringing the acts closer to  home. 

She said art can change lives with its transformative powers.  It changed hers.

Dana Tai Soon Burgess is the Smithsonian's choreographer-in-residence. 

patricialesli@gmail.com