The Hours April 10, 2006

Man Ray, Indestructible Object, 1965, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1993.43

Recently my roommate and I found ourselves tossed out of the Dada exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. No, not for any Dada-inspired improvised performances—merely because the museum closed. We showed up at the museum at 2:30 p.m. or so on a Saturday and hadn't finished looking through the final room when the museum announced last call.

We walked out talking about the services that museums offer specifically for people who live and work in the District (as opposed to those created with tourists in mind). The Corcoran stays open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays; that's invariably when I see shows there. And the Hirshhorn's "After Hours" events are like big, sloppy kisses to D.C. residents, complete with extended hours, interesting lectures and performances, and a cash bar.

So it came as timely news to learn that, beginning July 1, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.—that's the closing hour my roommate and I had in mind in our plots for District museums. Those hours accommodate the schedules of people who might want to skip a happy hour now and then and see a show after work. And I understand that the late morning start time leaves a window for pre-opening school tours. Much as I'm pleased to see li'l tots experiencing art, a museum trip free of hordes of children might make for fewer headaches for the rest of us. (I kid, I kid.)

• Dada, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery, American Art,
  Smithsonian American Art Museum