50 selected venues–museum, monuments, memorials, more, for JEHN students to visit and analyze during the Summer Gathering.
Always check the links to websites for Covid protocols and other information, and follow the maps (with your MetroCard) to find these. All are free of charge, unless noted otherwise, but some require timed tickets, so make sure you reserve those (those are also noted in the descriptions).
Nobody can see all 50…but we can try!
Venue (click for website) | Description (why would JEHN students want to visit?) | Map it! | Museum/ Memorial/ Other |
A memorial designed to correct a great wrong--the neglect of the many Black soldiers who fought to preserve the union in the Civil War. The question of who gets memorialized and who gets ignored continues to be a critical question. There's a museum, too, currently closed for renovations, but the memorial is open. Quite close to Ben's Chili Bowl if you get hungry. | Memorial | ||
Compare how Dr. Einstein is represented with some of the other memorials you've seen. Look at the paper in his lap, the quotations on his bench, and the star map at his feet. An unusual memorial for an unusual man. (Quite near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial). | Memorial | ||
With exhibitions on Food for the People, Urban Waterways, and more, the Anacostia Museum aims to tell the stories of those people and communities who have been traditionally decentered from the Washington DC region. You'll take the Metro and then a bus to get there, but the bus stops right in front and it's worth the trip! | Museum | ||
Arlington National Cemetery is a large, historic military cemetery and final resting place of many who have served in the US Armed Forces as well as US presidents and other dignitaries. Arlington House, the home of the Custis family, is still located within the cemetery and has recently been renovated and with a historical focus on the lives of those once enslaved there. You can search for notable graves or find information about family members' gravesites. | Memorial/ Other | ||
Modern and contemporary art of Latin America and the Caribbean, sponsored by the Organization of American States and including international arists and some responses to living under quarantine. | Museum | ||
Opened in 1958, Ben's Chili Bowl is a longstanding Black-owned restaurant. Through their history, they have donated food to those in need, and those fighting for justice, and stayed open late as a site of refuge and sustenance when the city imposed a curfew. | Other | ||
A restaurant, bar, bookstore and community gathering place, with several locations. Busboys and Poets is a cultural hub for artists, activists, writers, thinkers, and dreamers. Why the name? The name Busboys and Poets refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1920s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet. Browse books and have a coffee or a snack. | Other | ||
A chance to see a museum that is just beginning to be open. How should a museum develop? What will it be? The museum is integrating the ideas of visitors and the community. Open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 10-4 | Museum | ||
Dumbarton Oaks is a Harvard University research center with a library, museum, and garden. It has a large collection of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art, as well as 16 acres of terraced gardens with contemporary art installations throughout. Timed tickets are required, and are $7 for the garden, and free for the museum. | Museum/ Other | ||
Dupont Underground is an art space occupying re-purposed, abandoned underground space in Dupont Circle. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can see "The Gender Within: The Art of Identity" featuring about 30 artists. Tickets are $7-$10. | Museum/ Other | ||
An indoor/outdoor food and farmer's market, as well as a site of community connection and organizing in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. In operation since 1873, it features fresh food from local merchants as well as events. Outdoor portion may only be open on the weekend. | Other | ||
A large and comprehensive memorial for a long and eventful presidency, this memorial includes several water features and FDR's own words. Near the MLK Memorial. | Memorial | ||
The site of Lincoln's assassination, still operating as a theater, but also as a museum and historical site. Artifacts from Lincoln's time and tours. Advance tickets are recommended ($3 charge) although some walk-up admissions for free may be possible. | Museum | ||
A rich variety of contemporary art and sculpture. Mind-bending new interpretations. The Yayoi Kusama exhibition will be great to see, but timed entry passes are distributed each day, and it may be difficult to score them. Don't worry--there's plenty of other great work! | Museum | ||
One of the nation's premier Historically Black Universities, Howard has a rich history and a beautiful campus. It's an open campus, so you can take a self-guided tour or just explore. How does it compare to your own campus? | Other | ||
A memorial to a crime as well as to heroism, this site commemorates the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans in concentration camps, as well as those who fought in the US military. A crane wrapped in barbed wire is the centerpiece. | Memorial | ||
Jefferson was a complex man, with a complex legacy. Decide whether (or how) the Memorial communicates that complexity. | Memorial | ||
Ghostly soldier sculptures. Near the Lincoln Memorial and FDR Memorial. Compare the power of the memorial to letters written by schoolchildren. | Memorial | ||
Documents, maps, photographs and more. Especially catch "Exploring the Early Americas." Timed entry tickets are required. | Other | ||
Described in one of our readings, and to be discussed at a morning meeting, this is a memorial with a long and vibrant life. Protests, tourists, and 100 years of history. | Memorial | ||
In 1969, Angela Davis proposed changing the name to Malcolm X park at a rally. The name has never been officially changed, but the park is widely known as Malcolm X Park. Well-known for Sunday afternoon drum circles and dancing, and an iconic cascading waterfall fountain (close to the W St NW side). | Other | ||
Dr. King said "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” The memorial envisions this mountain and this hope. Close to the Lincoln Memorial and FDR Memorial. | Memorial | ||
A working community library, with an exhibit, "World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration" connected to the performance we will see Wednesday night. | Other | ||
First headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and Mary McLeod Bethune's last house in DC. Open for guided tours every half-hour on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. | Museum | ||
See original historical documents as well the "Records of Rights" and "Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote" exhibits of documents related to civils rights issues in the USA. May be long lines, especially on the weekend. | Museum | ||
This is a religious and spiritual center, with worship going on, but also a historic place. Sightseeing will only be available on Wednesday, Saturday and Monday (10-5) and admission for students with ID is $10 (the grounds and gardens are open and free). Check the self-guided Racial Justice tour, Light in the Darkness. | Other | ||
Founded in 1864, Gallaudet is a university that centers the experiences of Deaf students and is "the only university in the world where students live and learn using American Sign Language (ASL) and English." The museum covers the history of the university, as well as Deaf history and culture in the US. Appointments are required for visits. | Other | ||
This is the big one--the encyclopedic approach to the art museum (but not ancient). You could spend so much time here and still have more to see. Lots of classics, lots of new approaches. Don't miss Afro-Atlantic Histories and take some time to wander and be surprised. | Museum | ||
A memorial to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Find the sculptures of lions protecting their cubs. Think about the messaging. There is also a museum, but admission for students is $19.95. (Bonus--right on the corner is the National Fire Dog Monument) | Memorial | ||
The range of the African American experience in this new museum. Sports, hip hop, the military, and much more. Timed entry tickets are required, but we will also be visiting as a group. | Museum | ||
The mission statement is "To inspire conversations about the beauty, power, and diversity of African arts and cultures worldwide." Have some of those conversations. If you go on Thursday between 11 and 1, they will provide art supplies for you to sketch in the galleries. | Museum | ||
Cars, trains, dolls, gowns, girlhood and Julia Child's Kitchen. A new and important exhibition on Title IX, "We Belong Here," opens on 6/23. And a Latino History of the United States (we'll be visiting this as a group). | Museum | ||
Strong collection of art from all over Asia (including Asian American art, and including the Islamic world). Think about the balance between contemporary and historical art here. | Museum | ||
Dinosaurs, stuffed animals, gems and minerals, live butterflies, the human genome and more. How does our commitment to justice and equity play out in the natural world? Expect lots of children here. | Museum | ||
A fantastic collection in a fantastic building, the NMAI presents the arts and culture of Indigenous Americans, with Native voices at the forefront. The Museum's Mitsitam Cafe is also the best lunch of any museum in DC! | Museum | ||
Much more than the name implies, this museum presents the wide range of Americans and their images. Although the Obama portraits are on tour this summer, there's still plenty to see. Don't miss "The Struggle for Justice" on the second floor and the Outwin competition for contemporary portraiture. | Museum | ||
On the grounds of the US Capitol, this monument commemorates naval deaths at sea in the Civil War. See how the style fits (or doesn't) the message, and think about its place on the Capitol grounds (while you're at it, have a look at the Capitol itself. Especially in terms of recent events--January 6--read the symbolism). The US Grant Monument is right nearby. | Memorial | ||
The world's first (only?) voice-activated museum. Dedicated to a love of language. Of all languages. Highly interactive and housed in a school. Be sure to reserve a pass. | Museum | ||
What happens when you mail a letter? (do you still mail letters?). How do postal inspectors protect all of us? And there's baseball, too. | Museum | ||
American art. And crafts (and think about the difference). Don't miss the Drawn to Art exhibit, exploring the work of 10 women artists, inspired by graphic novels. | Museum | ||
How will you create the future? The Smithsonian presents, in this historic building, an interactive way of exploring and thinking about the future. | Museum | ||
Hats: a 10th-century Yemeni turban for a Muslim man, a Hmong baby hat embellished with brightly colored embroidery and pom-poms, and a feather headdress made by the Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grasslands. And maps. And more. | Museum | ||
A sculpture commemorates an iconic photo, and the veterans of the USMC. Compare to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. | Memorial | ||
The memorial plaza contains the largest map in the world and the Lone Sailor, and the visitor center/museum places the sea services in a historical context. | Memorial/ Museum | ||
A classic example of an equestrian monument (the largest in the US). The Peace Monument is right nearby. | Memorial | ||
Exhibitions on the Holocaust as well as other genocides. Makes connections and explores roots. Timed entry tickets required. | Museum | ||
You can't go in, but it's worth taking a look at the building. What message is the architecture presenting? Who is outside, and what are they doing there? (There is a good chance of active protests) | Other | ||
We'll talk about this in a morning meeting. Very controversial when first opened, it's now very popular. It balances the power of words/names with the power of sculpture. Compare to other war veterans memorials, and be sure to see the Women in Vietnam Memorial right nearby. | Memorial | ||
This lavish hotel is where Martin Luther King Jr wrote his "I Have A Dream" Speech. You can walk through the lobby (where the term "lobbying" may have been invented) and look around. | Other | ||
With water features and an open plan, this memorial honors those who served at home and abroad, and celebrates victory. | Memorial |
