More Nordic Cool

I returned to the Kennedy Center today to enjoy more Nordic Cool! I first went to the lower level to see what the Nordic Boutique had to offer. I discovered many treasures including jams (lingonberry and gooseberry), Dala horses, a vast collection of CDs, jewelry and beautiful books. Then I went up to the Terrace Level to see the fashion exhibit. The mannequins were standing in a snowy birch woods. I love birches!

Then I moved on to the exhibit of four typical Nordic houses.

 Norway

Sweden

 Finland

Iceland

Then I moved into the Lego area. There were playstations for children and interesting murals made of Legos on the walls. 

Then it was time for me to meet my friends in the KC Cafe where Nordic cuisine was the order of the day. I chose Norwegian yellow-pea soup and Swedish pancakes with blueberry jam. Delicious!

And here is our table of happy people. The discussion centered on Ibsen's play "Hedda Gabler" that we were going to see in the Eisenhower Theater after dinner.

 We found the play most intriguing. It was a modern version of Ibsen's play. Much food for thought and discussion.

The Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum

Andrea and I went to the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum in Bethesda to see an exhibit by our artist friend Diane McClaugherty (visit her website at http://www.dianemcclaugherty.com). We saw her beautiful paintings and those of  the other artists in the temporary show.

We also visited the museum's permanent collection. We found the Biblical figures in bronze absolutely incredible. Take a look at them on the museum's website at http://www.ratnermuseum.com/page/genesis. Click on Genesis and Exodus.

No photography was allowed inside. Here are some snapshots taken outside. 

Nordic Cool: Exterior

The four facades of the Kennedy Center are bathed in the Northern Lights.

Elk statues are illuminated at night.

Nordic Cool: Icemusic

Cool Club is located on the Terrace Level of the Kennedy Center. On Friday evening Icemusic made its U.S. debut. It was fantastic! All of the instruments were made of ice. To learn more about how these instruments are created, go to

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/25/arts/photos-terje-isungset-music-carved-from-ice

The stage before the performance began.

                   The melting has already begun.

                                                                       Terje Isungset

From the Kennedy Center program:

Terje Isungset's Icemusic

One of Norway's most innovative and distinctive percussionists, Terje Isungset collects material from nature and creates new instruments. For Icemusic, he carves instruments out of pure ice, including from the 600-year-old Jostedal glacier.

Nordic Cool: Exhibits

Many exhibits are found on the first floor of the Kennedy Center.

A Viking Ship made of men's shirts in the Hall of States

Nobel Prize Medals in the Grand Foyer

Plywood in the Hall of Nations

Anna Ancher, Danish Artist

 

George is a member of the National Museum for Women in the Arts and invited me to a gallery talk on Anna Ancher. I had gone with Mary the week before but I was happy to go again. The tour guide this time was the Curator of the museum in Skagen. Excellent! The postcard above shows one of Ancher's best-known paintings.

Before going to the Ancher exhibit, we looked at the exhibit of Freya Grand's art. We liked her a lot. She is a native of Wisconsin but she paints scenes in other locales including the Pacific Northwest.

We then went to Dawson's Cafe for lunch.

I had a Greek pizza on pita bread. (It was not as good as those at Aladdin's in Shirlington.)

Family History: Jakob and Ronnaug

Yes! It is finished!! The Saga of a Norwegian Family: Jakob and Ronnaug! After years of research and writing and rewriting, it is finally in "final" form.

The book is composed of the following four volumes:

Valentine's Day 2013

We celebrated Valentine's Day by going to see the movie "Quartet" and having dinner at new restaurant, Lotus Vietnamese Grill and Noodles. We had rolls - I had spring rolls and Andrea summer rolls.  We both had vermicelli but I had mine with tofu and Andrea with porkchop slices. He had ice cream for dessert.

 

A Danish Artist

My friend Mary is a member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and invited me to a members-only preview of "The Anne Archer and the Skagen Art Colony" exhibit. We opted for one of the tours and it was excellent!

Anne Ancher lived from 1859-1935 and was "one of the few female painters to have achieved a successful professional career in the second half of the nineteenth century" (from the exhibit catalogue). Google her and read her fascinating life history and look at some of her wonderful paintings. I became an instant fan!

When this museum opened 25 years ago, there was a lot of controversy. Did we or did we not need a museum dedicated only to the art of  women? I think the answer is yes. Without this museum I may never have been introduced to Anne Ancher and I would have been the poorer for it.

And this museum is absolutely beautiful as you can see from the photos below. It is breathtakingly beautiful! It is interesting to note that this structure used to be a fancy movie theater.

We decided to stay at the museum for lunch. I had an absolutely delicious vegetable quiche!

                                 Mary at our table in the restaurant on the mezzanine of the museum.

 A view from our table

 Other tables

 A view of the ground floor of the museum, a popular venue for balls

Pancake Supper

We attended the pancake supper at our church with our favorite neighborhood boys.

After the pancakes the kids made Mardi Gras masks.

Pizza Party for Colin

We enjoyed ourselves, chatting and eating, at Bertucci's.We celebrated Colin's 8th birthday!

In the photo you can see Christian, Mima, Colin the Birthday Boy, and Marcello.

 The Meloni Family Patriarch in good spirits

After our pizzas, we shared three delicious Italian desserts. (We had two plates of these desserts.)