If there’s one thing Washington, D.C., excels at, it is museums. The city has long been known to give art, culture, and creativity a new meaning, and luckily for fellow Patriot art enthusiasts, the city is just around the corner and has recently reintroduced The Hirshhorn Museum to its menu.  

Just a three-minute walk from D.C.’s National Mall lies The Hirshhorn Museum, a cylindrical building where modern and contemporary art meets culture with hints of surrealism. Its 12,000 pieces of abstract paintings, sculptures, works on paper, performances and digital media had for long been closed off to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It reopened in August  2021 and is offering free walk-in admission. Its plethora of visual exhibits – including its outdoor sculpture garden – is a must-see for Patriots this summer.

Just a three-minute walk from L’Enfant Plaza Metro station beholds the beautiful museum right across the street from Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, convenient for those looking to indulge in everything D.C. and its museums have to offer. Upon walking into the Hirshorn, guests are greeted by the staff, guiding guests and contributing to the open and bright atmosphere. As the Hirshhorn journey continues, guests are taken through a whirlwind of emotions with voyeuristic visuals with grotesque aspects. Junior Ellie Regnell, who frequents the museum said, “It made me feel things I’ve never felt before; it is pretty disturbing but it gave me a more profound sense of art and history.”

What makes Hirshorn so entrancing is its grotesque suddenness. As guests follow its path, they can count on seeing diverse forms of expression that are both spontaneous and inspiring. The Sound Scene exhibit, for example, is a new exhibit that has aimed to introduce new performances, installations, workshops, and more to celebrate jarring sounds with an emphasis on trust in the digital age. Sound Scene began as a partnership with the D.C. listening lounge and Smithsonian National Museums. It is a free, interactive celebration of sonic and sensory artists from Washington, D.C., and around the world, which is great for all ages. Emmy-nominated sound designer for film and founder of Sound Scenes “Soothing Sounds of Superfund Sites” performance Jeremy Bloom said, “This is a three volume collection of highly polluted places. A lot of these places you might make assumptions that they’re ugly and dirty, but there’s actually a lot of love and beauty.”

In true D.C. fashion, the Hirshorn journey doesn’t just stop there. After exploring everything the museum has to offer, guests can ]enjoy a beautiful sculpture garden overlooking the National Mall. With more than 30 works of art displayed year-round, the museum offers visitors of all ages an introspective safe haven in the center of our nation’s busy capital. The garden features vibrant, abstract, and miscellaneous German, Japanese and French clay artworks, which doesn’t even begin to describe the number of cultural expressions guests witness while taking a promenade throughout the garden.

After spending a day at the Hirshhorn, there’s no doubt the Hirshhorn is the place to be. Anyone looking forward to indulging themselves with the intrinsic messages and culture of Hirshhorn can only benefit by taking a quick swing down to D.C. this summer. Its curated uniqueness is guaranteed to foster conflicting feelings of excitement, fear, and wonder in the hearts of passionate Patriots.

Gallery • 2 Photos