The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden just announced an incredible plan to share its treasures with every single state in America as part of celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday this year. Director Melissa Chiu explained that they asked themselves how they could do more to make the Hirshhorn the true national museum of modern and contemporary art, and the answer was simple which is to help museums across the country have more access to world class pieces that are currently sitting in storage. The museum is loaning scores of masterworks from its collection of 13,000 artworks to smaller museums in all 50 states both red and blue, proving that modern and contemporary art does not have to be exclusive to liberal metropolitan coastal elites but belongs to everyone everywhere.
The incredible roster of artists being shared includes Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Eakins, Joan Mitchell, Yoko Ono and more, all currently tucked away in the museum’s storage waiting to inspire art lovers across America. This generous loan program is the Hirshhorn’s major contribution to the celebrations marking the birthday of the Declaration of Independence, and it is part of broader Smithsonian plans that also include the Asian Pacific American Center staging How Can You Forget Me Filipino American Stories and Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G Bunch the Third co curating American Aspirations at the Castle. The exhibition at the historic headquarters building is considering featuring Thomas Jefferson’s desk and the actual gold nugget that triggered the California gold rush, while the Hirshhorn will also partially open its sculpture garden which is currently being renovated for visitors before its official grand reopening celebration scheduled for fall.
