O Street Museum Foundation

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Founded April 24, 1998, O Street Museum Foundation is a museum which focuses on exploring the creative process. Located in the nation’s capitol, O Street Museum Foundation is housed in five interconnected town houses that includes over 100 rooms and 32 secret doors.

Collection

The collection contains 15,000 pieces of art, 20,000 books,^[1] architecture, manuscripts, music, and memorabilia. Visitors can listen to unique music, leaf through manuscripts and rare books, touch and explore art and sculpture, and tour through different architectural styles.^[2]

Among the pieces represented in the collection are works by sculptor Frederic Hart, and Frederic Remington, paintings by Kurt Wenner, architecture by Edward Clark, signed scripts of the Academy Award winning trilogy Lord of the Rings, letters and drawings from John Lennon ^[3] and over 60 signed new and vintage Gibson guitars including guitars signed by Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar, The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Paul Williams, The Rolling Stones, U2, Sean Lennon, and J.D. Souther.

The museum's newest exhibit Faces of Hope ^[4] features Chip Duncan's photography retrospective of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Darfur—which debuted at The 2011 World Peace Festival, and is additionally featured in the book, “Enough to Go Around—Searching for Hope in Afghanistan, Pakistan & Darfur.”

Building history

Designed in 1892 by Edward Clark, architect for the US Capitol at the turn of the century, the building served as a home for himself, his extended family, and Champ Clark, Speaker of the House from 1911-1919 (during Teddy Roosevelt’s Presidency), a brother, known only as "the artist" and a sister.

Originally spanning three row houses, the residence was connected through the basement and main floor and contained separate sleeping quarters for each brother upstairs. As one of the last architects working on the U.S. Capitol between the 19th and 20th centuries, Clark incorporated left over tiles and wood from the Capitol into his new home — rich in detail, these items can still be found there today. A testament to the fine craftsmanship, it is believed to be the last, virtually intact, private residence of that period in Washington, D.C.

In the 1930s the home was converted into three separate rooming houses for FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's G-men.

On February 14, 1980 the property was purchased by H.H. Leonards, with the intent to restore its original character by reconnecting the row houses.

In 1990, nearly a century after its original construction, she transformed the garden site into a five-story companion annex - completing the Clarks' dream.

Today, the property consists of more than 100 rooms of varying architectural, artistic and design periods, from the Victorian Age to the Art Deco/Avant Garde. Highlights include hand painted ceilings original Tiffany stained glass windows, a two-story Log Cabin and an Art Deco penthouse.^[5]

Public programs

O Street Museum hosts educational programs for all age groups to learn about and participate in the creative process. Programs include artist-in-residence programs,^[6] jammin’^[7] (live music collaboration), songwriters’ workshops, book signings, film screenings^[8] and live performances.

Current Artists-in-Residence

Ying Ming Tu is a visual artist who focuses on painting, documentary film making, and photography.

After serving in the Taiwan military as a bodyguard to Chiang Kai-Shek, Tu entered National Taiwan University and earned a BA degree in history. In early 80's, he came to the US to study film and television at UCLA,where he earned his MFA degree. His Mickey Mao series has shown in Taipei, Los Angeles and Belgium, and was well received by the public and critics alike.

Linda Wolf is an internationally recognized photographer and author. She is the co-author of Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun, which won the Athena Award for Excellence in Mentoring; Global Uprising: Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century; and Speaking & Listening From the Heart. Wolf is the founder and executive director of Teen Talking Circles (originally the Daughters Sisters Project), and through TTC is a pioneer in the revival of the modern Talking Circle in the therapeutic movement. In 2006, through Teen Talking Circles, she became the recipient of a seven year AnJeL Fund Grant from the Rudolph Steiner Foundation.

Volunteers

As a non-profit corporation The O Street Museum operates without paid employees or paid board members. Everyone that works there is a volunteer.^[9]

Hours of operation

The Museum is located at 2020 O Street N.W. in the middle of 20th & 21st Streets. Less than a block from the Dupont Circle Metro Red Line — South Exit

Open daily 11:00 am to 4:00 pm by reservation only

References

External links

• O Street Museum Foundation Official Site
• O Street Museum Foundation facebook
• Chip Duncan radio interview with Stephanie Lecci WUWM’s Lake Effect – February 22, 2010 regarding his book "Enough To Go Around"
• A Tour of the Wonderfully Weird O Street Museum – Charles Luck Perspectives
• The Best Museum You Have Never Heard Of – City Stream
• Washington D.C. Museums – About.com

Coordinates: 38°54′29″N 77°02′45″W / 38.9081°N 77.0459°W / 38.9081; -77.0459