Shrimp 'n Grits + The Hirshhorn + Art Hopping

My dad came to visit for Christmas and we've been having a rather artful and delicious time together. Some of the highlights so far for me have been hitting up the Hirshhorn Museum, visiting the Portrait as well as the American Art gallery and of course, the home cooked meals I so often think about randomly throughout the year.

Closer to when he got in is when he made the shrimp 'n grits. Paired with buttered bread and white wine was absolutely scrumpdidliumptious! Then and there I made the mental note: In for me in '24: Shrimp n Grits. Out: Shrimp/Chicken Alfredo and all the extra creamy carbs I would otherwise ignore. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be a foodie, but at least for a while, amidst my mindful/clean girl era, less could be best.

The perfect cranberry pomegranate aroma was circulating - thanks Bex for this gift!

Followed by the perfect slice of chocolate cake.

That same week/end we made it over to the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Gallery in DC's Gallery-Place. I frequent there anyways, as I'm a huge museum/library girly and Gal Place has both, but it's always nostalgic when my parents are back and we explore it together. We get to hypothesize, story tell, and admire together which is where I learned to do all from them. This past Tuesday, my uncle joined as and we hit up the Hirshorn. So in no select order, here were my favorite finds of this go-round to all three museums!:

My fit was the first -- totally pulled it out of thin air from a thought and am so glad it turned out how I envisioned it! It's inspired by this fashion blogger I'm super super duper loving right now, Leandra Cohen. To beat the New York City cold, she's calling for sandwiching. The idea being to layer, tastefully. She was playing around with vests, jackets, denim, blazers, etc on Instagram, having a real blast. I love a sandwhich, being toasty, and am regularly on the search for recycling and reviving my fits, so this was a no brainer. It's no secret I love a print, so I went for a little confetti sandwich (cupcake?) moment for my first look: something soft, solid and secure for outerwear with sprinkles being accessories, a "party" layer of color(s), and the remaining "fillings" regarding additional layers. I only needed a long sleeve turtleneck for my day out, but I could've commit even more to the bit, with maybe a soft sweater over the turtleneck, amongst other ideas I have yet to consider. I'm excited though to venture out in this game of layering! Winter is so much more enjoyable when you're not thinking about how cold you are! Who knew?

I call this one - Kimono Dragon Wrap! I was pleasantly surprised at how thermal the kimono was as this satin seemed thinner than the cotton button up above. For funsies, I used the belt piece around the outerwear and it added a matchy-matchy element that I'll always sign up for, while still giving the jacket, kimono and even my necklace it's moment.

And the additional art:

The Hirshhorn itself:

With a cute and special view of the Capital:

My immediate first favorite: titled "White Teeth (For Ota Benga)"

I thought these were eggs at first, perhaps with some dragon-y, mythical meaning being attached to it. I of course had to read the blurb about it, and found the story attached was very much real, and had nothing majestic about it.

This exhibit was inspired by a man back in 1904-1906. He was kidnapped intended to be dispayed at a purchase exhibit. He ended up being displayed at a zoo alongside an orangutan. His sharpened teeth, considered a trend among his tribe, was considered what we would call today a high selling point in bringing crowds in. Obviously, it was dehumanizing and traumatizing, and unfortunately, in 1914, he ended up taking his own life. Of course, I didn't learn about him in school, but by coincidence at a museum, which was disappointing, yet not surprising.

This exhibit speaks to me because there's no doubt a plethora of black/ African American's are still facing the feelings of inequality and worth regarding our race. No slave trade is going on, but there's no ignoring obvious and researchable statistics on police brutality, racism, compensation, the list goes on. We've come a long way, but we definitely have more work to do.

The teeth, enlarged, polished and formulating like an inside of his mouth from either angle, was created by Sherry Brewer Bronfman. They're made of porcelain, glass, steel and wire.

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Some writing on the wall (more to be found in my Instsgram 2024 highlights)

Art that tickled my artistic antennas:

"Overburdened With Significance" by Simone Leigh.

Made with porcelain, graphite, and terracotta. Each rose is clay made and spiraled into its shape.I enjoyed this aesthetically, as the roses to me look like a coat of beautiful armor, and appreciate the fact that it was curated in a fashion used centuries ago by Black women.

After some oohing and aahing there, we went over to the American Art Museum

Locked eyes with my inner child

Saw a man with a plan

Rest. Yes.

We ended the lovely end of day with a lil treat- some crumble and coffee!

Matchbox in Pentagon City has been a family favorite of ours for years, but this was the first time we'd tried the apple crumble, and we were not disappointed!