When it comes to the National Building Museum, I could have called this post, neglected treasure! It's one of the most historically interesting and visually magnificent buildings in the nation's capital, and it's probably not even on most tourist's radar let alone itineraries, and that's a shame. Today's visit was a quick one, and I had time to take three of the exhibits. Perhaps the most interesting and largest was this ode to Baltimore's grand old theaters called "Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore's Forgotten Movie Theaters". Through gorgeous photographs of now versus then and a host of artifacts two ideas emerge. One is how amazing it must have been in the 1930's, 40's and 50's when these palaces to glamour and Hollywood's cinemagraphic arts were in their hayday. The other is melancholy over what has been forever lost. So many of the "now" images are of vacant lots and newer construction. There are also some notable exceptions: Everyman and the Hippodrome being the two foremost examples. The exhibit also is not simply an homage to some fantasy past. Darker angels also fly among the ghosts. Racism and the seedier side of some theater's demise through adult entertainments is also part of the comprehensive picture shown here. A delightful exhibition start to finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment