THE
Artist’s Adventure My trip to Washington DC Illustrations & Photographs by Andrea Dunn
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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THE CHANCE THE REVEAL THE MEMORIALS THE RECEPTION THE MUSEUMS
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INTRODUCTION I
t was the end of my senior year of high school which meant ACT exams, college searching, and anxiously waiting for summer. As an art student I was dealing with creating my AP Studio Art portfolio as well. The class required each student to create twelve works of art that showed a range of mediums and subjects, and twelve that revolved around one specific theme, called your concentration. Thankfully I had decided my concentration at the beginning of the school year and had completed two drawings for it so far.
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“Games Still Life� in Prismacolor markers
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THE CHANCE T
he first class assignment eventually became my first concentration piece, and sparked the idea for my concentration, “Childhood Imagination”. We were instructed to create a still life using objects of our choice that we felt reflected something about ourselves. Usually, I don’t enjoy when teachers assign “get to know me” assignments, but this one allowed me to look into my past and reminisce on old memories. Later that day when I got home, I burst into our game closet and collected game pieces that I remembered playing with when I was a child: A magic wand, cards, Pretty Pretty Princess game pieces. With a little bit of hot glue and pure excitement, I had created the perfect still life.
After many attempts of sketching out the proportions, I was ready to lay down some ink. I decided to use my brand new Prismacolor markers that “Santa” got me for Christmas. Nervously, I drew the first few lines, there was no turning back now. I had never used markers before, especially not on something of this scale and importance. I eventually got the hang of it and gained confidence and a love for the medium. I was extremely proud of the outcome, which usually doesn’t happen often. “I had created my first masterpiece,” I thought to myself. Little did I know that my games still life “masterpiece” was just a warm up for what came next. The idea for my second concentration piece was inspired by my games still life drawing. As I was tearing through my family’s game
closet, I came across a clear container in a velvety blue bag. I unscrewed the red cap and found about twenty marbles. The marbles intrigued me and flooded my mind with memories of playing with them when I was little. The milky swirls inside each marble were unique and mesmerizing. I knew I needed to include them in my concentration. I had never been so confident when creating a new drawing. Since I enjoyed the concept and was comfortable using Prismacolor markers, time flew by as I spent hours meticulously working on it each day. I didn’t care that this idea was not on my original list of concentration piece ideas, but I knew this piece needed to be done. I wish I could have jumped ahead to the spring to see how all my hard work paid off.
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8 The winning drawing, Marble Universe drawn with Prismacolor markers
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One day when I came back from school, my mom had gone through her regular routine of asking questions such as “how was your day?”, “Learn anything new?”, and so on. She held up a newspaper clipping and waved it around as she was rambling on. I assumed it was an article about the badminton season, or the score of a tennis match from the previous season, but then I heard her say “art” a few times, and I began to listen. It was an advertisement for the Congressional Art Competition. I hadn’t heard of it before and neither
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did she. This was the first year that our district in Illinios participated in it. She told me I should give it a shot and submit a piece of my work. I had flashbacks of my first art contest. At the time, I was just a kindergartener doing what I do best: coloring. I remembered submitting my fire safety coloring page to the village for the annual Orland Park fire department coloring contest and surprisingly winning first place. I suppose that was the moment that encouraged me to keep coloring inside
the lines, and out. My mom insisted I look into it more, and I eventually did (after the newspaper clipping sat neglected on the corner of my desk). The first place winner would receive two plane tickets to Washington DC for the reception and have their work hung up in the Capitol building for a year! That surely caught my attention! It was the last day for submissions and I thought I’d give it a shot. For this contest I chose my two favorites, Games Still Life, and Marble Universe. I uploaded them onto a CD, grabbed my car keys, and headed to the garage.
The garage door opened and revealed the storm that was brewing outside. I thought to myself, “This is a bad sign. I don’t need to submit anything in this contest, anyways.” I turned my head, glanced back inside, then figured I’ve got nothing to lose. I mustered up the strength to sprint to the car and drove away. The rain came down harder and harder as I drove on. I couldn’t turn back. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the village hall. All I could see was the never-ending river of water rushing down the windows. With my CD clutched in my hand, I burst though the car door and ran straight for the entrance. Once I was inside, I looked around. It looked familiar to me. This was where the coloring contest reception was held. I remembered the picture my mom had in her scrapbook: I was in a hideous jean dress, posing next to my artwork, and holding up my trophy. Now, 13 years later, here I was: soaking wet, submitting artwork for a contest that I had no chance of winning. What was I thinking? Submitting my silly drawing of marbles to a national art competition! Me holding my trophy at the coloring contest reception
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THE REVEAL
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he last day of my senior year of high school approached quickly. Sad goodbyes were shared in the halls until students realized the freedom of summer was just a few hours away. I was in second period, black and white photography, when Mr. Donovan, the head of the art department, entered our room. Sometimes he will pop his head in and say hello to our teacher or see what new projects we are working on, but that day he headed straight to me. After checking out some of the negatives I was about to develop in the dark room, he asked me if I was planning on visiting during the next few weeks, since the underclassmen still had school. I thought about the
offer my photography teacher made: we could come back anytime over the summer to use the dark room. I told him I would definitely be back soon and he seemed relieved. All the staff in the art department have watched me grow as a student and as an artist over the past four years, so I didn’t think anything of it when Mr. Donovan hoped I would come visit. The following week, my family had a garage sale. A huge, family garage sale. My family and I were sitting on folding chairs scattered throughout my aunt’s garage, when my mom received a phone call. I wondered who could have called her since our entire family was at the garage sale. She got choked up and her eyes started tearing as she
listened. She told me to hop in the car. Soon enough, my mom, my sister, my dad and I were in the car on our way to school. Was I in trouble? Did it have to do with my AP Portfolio? I remembered that the winners of the Congressional Art Competition wouldn’t be announced for another week. What could have been good news? As we walked in, Mr. Donovan greeted us in a nice suit and led us to the principal’s office. Two of my art teachers were there, along with my principal, and a very tall man in a nice suit as well. They all had big smiles on their faces when they saw me. The tall man introduced himself to me as Congressman Lipinski. I won the competition!
Pictured above left to right: My principal, Mrs. Boniface, my art teacher, Mrs. Michaelson, Congressman Dan Lipinski, my art teacher, Mr. Engelhard Pictured below: Me and Congressman Dan Lipinski
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Congressman Lipinski congratulated me and explained why my marble drawing caught his eye; he is a huge science lover and appreciated the relationship of the marbles and the galaxy. After a few awkward pictures were taken for various newspapers, he handed me over two plane tickets to Washington D.C. My parents decided to make it a family vacation and bought a few more tickets. Now it was time to pack! My dad, my mom, my oldest sister, Erin, and her boyfriend, Kyle, went on the trip with me. Unfortunately my other sister had to work all summer and wasn’t able to come with. We packed our luggage in the car and headed to the airport. I had only flown in an airplane twice before when I was very little, so the plane ride was an adventure of its own. It was finally time to board. The plane took off. Once we were in the air, I was mesmerized by the fluffy clouds that surrounded me and was amazed at the weightlessness I felt. I was taking cloud watching to the extremes up in the air. My crazy imagination was what got me there after all. All I could think of was the excitement I had for the next few days that lie ahead of me. The surreal view out my window
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THE MEMORIALS
Dulles International Airport
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e landed in Dulles International Airport in Virginia and were welcomed by a collection of colorful lights and reflections on the floors and ceilings on the building. After a long and tiring taxi ride, we arrived at our hotel in Arlington, Virginia, dropped off our luggage, then went to Union Station for a DC by Dark Trolley Tour. Just as the sun was setting, the trolley arrived and took us on a historic and memorable trip.
Our first stop on the tour was the Washington Monument. Unfortunately it was undergoing construction at the time, but our pictures were just as special. The monument opened in 1888, and it became the world’s tallest structure until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France.
Pictured left and above: Union Station
Erin, my dad, and I in front of the Washington Monument
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The FDR Memorial’s designer and landscape architect, Lawrence Halprin used stone, statues, and moving water as key elements for the memorial. The memorial is made of four “rooms”. Small, manmade waterfalls are seen in each of the four sections of the memorial and represent a time period of Roosevelt’s presidency. The first waterfall is a single large drop. This represents the crash of the economy which led to the Great Depression. The next section has a waterfall that flows down stair-like rocks to represent the Tennessee Authority dam-building project. World War II is represented in the third room through chaotic waterfalls. The final room contains a still pool of water to symbolize Roosevelt’s death. There is a fifth water installation that combines the water flow patterns of all four previous waterfalls as a retrospective of Roosevelt’s memorable presidency.
“Breadline” sculpture by George Segal
A wall of the FDR Memorial
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Next, was the FDR Memorial Park where we saw bronze sculptures of figures and memorable quotes carved in stone. Many figures represented Americans during the Great Depression. Some were waiting in bread lines, or listening to the radio by the fireplace. The sun was almost fully set by the time we got to the Marine Corps War Memorial (also called the Iwo Jima Memorial). The memorial features statues of six servicemen who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. I learned about the famous photograph in my past history classes and it was amazing to see the three dimensional statue up close. The wind blew the flag and gave the statue life. I couldn’t resist the urge to photograph it from every angle! Up next was my favorite memorial: the Lincoln Memorial. It was across from the Washington Monument, overlooking the other side of the Reflecting Pool. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. A marble statue of President Lincoln sitting confidently in his chair stands 19 feet tall, from head to toe. Standing directly in front of him, a powerful rush of feelings overcame me and I began to realize the enormous scale of the memorial. After we snapped a few pictures, we were on our way to the last memorial. Top right: The Marine Corps War Memorial Bottom left: The Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument in the distance Bottom right: The Lincoln Memorial
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21 The Lincoln Memorial
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Bronze statues in the Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial really stood out to me. As I wandered through the memorial, I found myself surrounded by 19 stainless steel statues of men dressed in full combat gear. Each statue was larger than life, standing over 7 feet tall. Lights shined up onto their faces and gave the memorial a very eerie vibe, not to mention there was complete silence throughout the entire memorial. I made my way to one side of the memorial where a long granite wall stood. I snapped a photo of it, then looked at my camera to view it. The photograph revealed sandblasted images of soldiers that I wasn’t able to see in the dark! The memorial felt very ghostly and sad, which frightened me.
I couldn’t even imagine the fear the soldiers had while trudging through the rugged terrain in Korea. On the trolley ride back to the train station, we passed the Ford’s Theater where Abraham Lincoln got shot, and the house across the street where he passed away. As the trolley drove on, I had my first glimpse of the Capitol Building. Seeing the memorials at night was such a great experience that I had forgotten that the very next morning I will be attending the Congressional Art Competition reception. Seeing the Capitol Building glowing over the city got me even more excited for the morning to come.
Pictured left: A wall in the Korean War Veterans Memorial
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THE REception T
he day I had been eagerly awaiting had snuck up on us quickly. I slipped into my new blue and black dress, curled up my hair, and placed the freshly charged battery into my camera. My mom and I were off, venturing out into a foreign city. The energy of the business men and women was astonishing. It seemed as though everyone had an important meeting to be to. They all carried themselves with confidence, but were also extremely friendly. As my mom and I were trying to navigate the metro system, a man offered his help. This man helped us purchase our fare cards and then missed his stop on the train just to make sure we knew exactly where we were going. We arrived at Congressman Lipinski’s office in the Longworth House Office Building. Due to the
limited space in the capitol building, the congressmen have offices in three different buildings. They are all connected to the capitol building through underground tunnels. Once we were past security, we found our way to room 1717 and I knocked on the door. To my surprise, a very familiar face opened the door. It was my friend Larry, who went to my high school. He graduated that past spring and had been working as a student intern in Congressman Lipinski’s office. Our tour guide, Niv, guided us through the underground tunnels and into the capitol building. There was a hall with huge statues of historical figures towering above us. They had a table set up with breakfast foods and a few tables with chairs to sit at. My mom and I took some food and juice and sat on some open steps we found. The hall we were in had huge windows
with sunlight pouring in. The breakfast went smoothly. Now, it was time to make our way into the auditorium for the ceremony. They had an artist give a speech and paint on stage while we watched. They put on a slideshow that showed of each winning piece of art, but unfortunately, my image was displayed on its side. Once the ceremony was over, my mom and I went to the visitors entrance hall to see the exhibition. The wall on one side of the tunnel was filled floor to ceiling with beautiful artwork. We walked past each state’s section until we came across Illinois’ district’s. My framed artwork had made it all the way to Washington DC in one piece and was hanging proudly at the top of the wall.
Pictured left: The hall where the reception was held Pictured center: Larry and I Pictured right: Me during the ceremony
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The Visitor’s Hall with the winning artwork displayed
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We made our way back to Lipinski’s office to meet up with my dad, Erin, and Kyle. We took a few pictures of me with Congressman Lipinski outside of his office. He congratulated me again and then we parted ways. We all headed back to the exhibition so they could see the artwork. I was able to get a chance to see all the other winning pieces and take lots of pictures next to mine. My friend Larry met us down in the tunnel along with our tour guide, Niv. We were now free to explore the Capitol building!
Me outside Congressman Dan Lipinski’s Office
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Pictured left: me pointing to my artwork Pictured right: posing in front of the welcome sign in the Visitor’s Hall Pictured below: posing in front of a sign for the art competition
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There was so much to see in the building. The highlight of the tour was seeing the beautiful rotunda on the second floor. The massive dome was incredible! There was so much detail put into the architecture and also in the huge murals on the walls. The murals depicted important American events in history. It was amazing to see these scenes illustrated on a larger than life size scale and up close. Niv was sure to point out all the hidden secrets within the fresco paintings that lined the walls on the rotunda room. We were able to walk past Jackie Kennedy’s favorite chandelier that she refused to let anyone move or take down. Later in the tour, we stood directly in the center of city. There is a granite stone carved like a compass placed in the exact center of the city. When they built the city around the building, all the streets were measured to radiate out from that point. Niv explained that it is good luck to brush your shoe over it when you walk through the room, but it is bad luck for the president to touch it. He said that when Barack Obama walks through the room he makes it a point to avoid the stone and walks on the opposite side of the room. We saw so many sculptures and works of art as we toured the capitol building. It was a great preparation for the museums that we were going to see the next day.
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Pictured top left: A detailed image of the paintings on the rotunda Pictured top right: The center of the city Pictured bottom: Jackie Kennedy’s favorite chandelier
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The rotunda
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The Apollo Lunar Module
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THE Museums O
ur final day in DC came fast. It was our day to explore the many Smithsonian museums the city had to offer. The first stop on our adventure was the National Air and Space Museum. One exhibition displayed the actual plane the Wright brothers used in 1903. I would have been very nervous trying to fly in that alone! The museum had a large collection of vintage aviation posters. I really enjoyed looking at how the typography has changed over the years for advertisements. All the history came to life each time I saw personal items from that time period. I saw real photographs of the pilots who flew the old fighter jets, and their wives who would write them love letters. The National Air and Space Museum is the Smithsonian’s largest museum and about 8 million people visit the museum each year, making it the most visited museum in the United States. I noticed a donation box full of foreign currencies from around the world. It really put in perspective the amount of people who come from all over the world to see these incredible historic artifacts that everyone can recognize.
The original Wright Flyer
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Sculptures in The National Gallery Of Art
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Our next stop was one I was the most excited to see: the National Gallery of Art. If I could describe the National Gallery of Art in one word, it would be “peaceful�. The architecture of the museum included large domed ceilings and marble columns that stretched the length of the halls. There were beautiful flowers down every hall. They grew huge hydrangeas in the sculpture garden along with many other exotic plants. It was such a serene place to visit. I could have spent hours in that museum exploring its every wing. I was able to see an original Leonardo da Vinci painting, which was a dream for an artist like myself. After, we visited the National Archives Museum. Unfortunately, we were not able to take any photos inside the building. We were able to see the Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. They were all kept in a very dimly lighted room for preservation reasons and had very thick bulletproof glass protecting them. I was barely able to make out any of the signatures on the documents, but it was still a great experience to see them up close and not in a textbook like in my history classes.
Flowers and a fountain in The National Gallery Of Art
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I never thought I would have been able to say that I hung out with Kermit the Frog, but I got the opportunity to at the National Museum of American History. I was able to see Kermit, along with many other famous film memorabilia such as Dorothy’s ruby red slippers she wore in the movie, and the Gryffindor robe Harry Potter wore in the movies. I also saw Apolo Anton Ohno’s speed skates he wore when he won the winter olympics. We also saw a Julia Child exhibit where they replicated her kitchen, and a First Lady exhibit, where they had all the first ladies’ dresses on display and other items such as the china they all selected to use in the white house during their husband’s presidency. It was cool to see their personal selections and how the patterns have changed during the time periods. Finally, we visited the National Museum of Natural History. There, we saw the Hope Diamond, along with other vibrant colored rocks and fossils. There was a special photography exhibit that I spent most of my time in with my dad. They had large photographs of astonishing nature pictures. I couldn’t imagine the places the photographers had to travel to get such an amazing shot.
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Pictured top left: Kermit the Frog and I Bottom left: Dorothy’s Ruby Red slippers that were used in the movie
Top right: The photography exhibit in the Museum of Natural History Bottom right: Erin, Kyle, and I getting attacked by some big jaws
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Our delicious cupcakes
Georgetown
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Inside Georgetown Cupcakes
Boxes of cupcakes on display inside Georgetown Cupcakes
The day was coming to an end and we decided to stop by the white house and take a few pictures in front of it. Then we went to Georgetown and visited Georgetown Cupcake, a cupcake shop famous from their reality TV show, “DC Cupcakes” on TLC. We enjoyed our delicious cupcakes as we relaxed from our busy day. Our brains were on constant overload from all the information at each museum. There was so much knowledge and history in one area. It really helped make this vacation a very educational and enjoyable one. I went to my village hall having no expectations of what was going to happen next. My “why not?” moment on that rainy day led me to an unforgettable experience in Washington DC with people I loved. I was so fortunate to be able to be honored for my artistic talent at a national level and be recognized for my work. Now, a year later I received a package in the mail from the capitol building. It was my marble drawing. After a year hanging up in the hall, it is finally returned to my hands, where it all began.
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43 On our way back to Chicago
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