Everyone is talking about "The Burning Man" exhibit at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery. Not all of the exhibit is inside the museum, however. Six outdoor pieces can be found within a 5-block radius of the museum. I saw 4 of the 6 this afternoon. (The explanations of the various works come from the brochure available at each one of the sites.)
(1) Future's Past (southeast corner of Penn and I Street NW)
This one is entitled "Future's Past" and the artist is Kate Raudenbush. It is a 23-foot-tall-laser-cut steel sculpture, a monument to technological progress, according to the artist. It shows an ancient Bodhi tree growing out of a black pyramid. Inside the temple, an hourglass symbolizes the collapse our reliance on technology might ultimately cause.
(2) Ursa Major (19th Street NW between I and K Streets)
The artists are Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson. It is a 14-foot grizzly bear whose sparkling fur is made out of 170,000 pennies.
In the photos below you can see the pennies more clearly. It is really remarkable when you get close and see how the pennies are arranged to create this magnificent bear.
(3) XOXO (NW corner of 18th and I Streets NW)
Artist Laura Kimpton with Jeff Schomberg. The steel sculpture, a love letter to Black Rock Desert, twinkles with LED lights. The artist uses simple words in her work that have multiple connotations and meanings you can draw from them. Visually stunning but they also make us stop and think. (Atkinson)
You must go up close to see the tiny bird-shaped cutouts that line each X and O.
4. "Untitled" (Edward R. Murrow Park at Penn and 18th Street NW)
Two bronze crows that were part of a larger flock called "Murder" that appeared at Burning Man in 2016.
I am looking forward to visiting the museum with friends next week and seeing the art that is indoors and also seeing the two remaining outdoor sculptures, "Golden Spike" (Conn Av median at Conn Av and K Street W) and "Maya's Mind" (17th Street NW between H and I Streets).
