Glenstone, America's Sustainable Museum

The Washington area's new museum, or more precisely extension of an existing museum, has attracted enough attention to have all its reservations filled till the end of the year, within days of making them available. This is no small feat for a lesser known art institution, located far form the city and public transportation, even if the entrance is free. But Glenstone, a private museum in Potomac, Maryland, has achieved it.  How?

By creating a buzz and keeping away the crowds. A key word is essential in attracting interest. Museums are not what they used to be - large halls filled with artifacts encased in glass cabinets or paintings hung on the walls. These days art institutions have to be interactive, educational, organic, good for body and soul, meaningful and anything else that will make them stand out. Glenstone's buzz word is "sustainable", which is more frequently associated with farming or fishing. So what does it mean in the context of an art institution?

The museum is part of a large family estate whose uneven landscape contains wild grass meadows, woodlands, hidden glens, winding creeks, meandering paths, meadows and ponds. Scattered among these are several austere grey museum buildings, monumental outdoor sculptures and the owners' home, whose privacy is guaranteed by an elongated artificial pond, serving as a moat. The estate includes cisterns that can collect and reuse nearly 1 million gallons of water, a composting and a material recycling facility, and an environmental center to show visitors how they can adopt sustainability practices in their own homes.

Glenstone accepts a relatively small number of visitors a day and does not admit children under 12, which excludes many families. But it is hard to get even a single pass when so few are offered in the first place. I tried to get reservations for 1:00 PM and was told only 12:30 PM slots were available. Instructions also said to come no more than 15 minutes prior to our allotted time.

Glenstone Museum, Arrival Hall

Judging by the difficulty of gaining admission (I had press passes), we expected long lines and huge crowds outside the museum. But on that sunny Friday, the road to Glenstone was not jammed, nor was the museum's parking lot filled. Afraid of missing our slot, we arrived earlier than the permitted 15 minutes and then fretted that we'd be thrown out to wait with nowhere to sit on. But the ushers at the Arrival Hall, which has its own building, were very kind, assuring us there was no pressure that day and sending us forthwith without delay.

It takes about five minutes on foot to get from the Arrival Hall to the Pavilions, the latest addition to the Glenstone Museum, which has created the most recent stir in the art world. The choreographed walk starts along the path lined with wild grass and cosmos. On a glorious sunny day, the white, pink and magenta flowers wave the visitor on with a promise of wonderful things to come.

From the meadow, the path winds into the woods and then, around another bend you catch your first glimpse of the Pavillions, 13 somber cubic and rectangular structures arranged around a water court.

Designed by Thomas Phifer, the Pavilions are made of huge grey cement-and-sand blocks whose exterior and interior austerity is mitigated by an occasional wooden surface and large glass windows overlooking the former hunting ground.

Pavilions at Glenstone

The emphasis on flat, even, uncluttered, and geometrical is so strict that if you look for a restroom, you may find it hard to tell a toilet door from the surrounding walls.

Ushers, all dressed in grey like the Mao-era Chinese, made us pack our possessions into lockers "to protect the art" and bid us to enjoy the views free of digital gadgetry. The collection, owned by Emily and Mitchell Rales, is said to comprise the best and most works of post-World War Two art. Some names are immediately recognizable such as Giacometti, Duchamp, Rothko, Pollock and Warhal, others are known only to connoisseurs - Michael Heizer, Charles Ray, Lygia Pape, On Kawara, Roni Horn, and Cy Twombly, to name a few.

Can you find the toilet door?

Another five-minute walk takes you to the Gallery, the older part of the museum complex, currently exhibiting works by Louise Bourgeois.

Richard Serra

To reach the monumental outdoor sculptures by Richard Serra, Tony Smith and Jeff Koons, you need to take a longer walk, rather a hike, up and down the undulating terrain, along the restored stream beds and natural meadowlands, over a boardwalk and by a lily pond. Visitors are advised not to wander off the path.

Tony Smith, Smug, 1973

Apart from a group of students (or tourists ?) there were few visitors in the spacious new halls of the Pavilions and even fewer on the hike through the woodlands. The cafeteria was small by American standards and not overcrowded either. Even before learning about its policies, it was clear that Glenstone does not offer art for the masses. Is it elitist?

The collection was first opened to the public in 2006, but few people have heard about it until recently. Potomac is a Maryland suburb, known for its large private estates with their enormous and rather gaudy mansions, intended to impress rather than attract. By contrast, Glenstone buildings are maximally minimalist, but they are tucked away from the road and hidden behind trees so they don't stick out. Potomac is a community where the rich visit the rich and ordinary people do not come for a Sunday drive. The owners may not want to rock their neighborhood's boat, or perhaps do not want large groups wondering right outside their home. A few visitors scattered here and there add life to the landscape, a large crowd disturbs tranquility.

The Raleses and their architects and designers say they wanted to create a space that seamlessly integrates art, architecture and landscape into a "serene and contemplative environment." They have a point. Nothing serene about elbowing your way through the Louvre to see Mona Lisa. And who can remember hundreds of masterpieces seen in a rushed tour through a world-class gallery. The Glenstone concept is neither new nor original. Denmark's renowned Louisiana Museum of Modern Art has promoted it for decades. But instead of making it exclusive and hard to get in, the Danish venue welcomes large groups as well as families with small children, with no restrictions. In fact, the Louisiana offers a variety of programs for children to attract more of them. 

Regardless of the Glenstone owners' intention, it was great to get out of the exhibition halls and digest the art, or forget it for a while, during a walk through the woodlands, painstakingly re-populated by indigenous trees and plants. I wouldn't mind doing it again, but not if I have to reserve a time to visit three or four months ahead of the time.

Indigenous trees and restored streambed at Glenstone

Still, one must give the wealthy couple credit for the willingness to allow a glimpse into their world of art, beauty and ideas, albeit in small portions. One guide told us Glenstone exhibits only one-twelfth of the Raleses' entire art collection. Is it worth a trip to Potomac? Yes. Is it phenomenal? No. In fact, it's a good reminder to all of us to appreciate the treasure we have in our good old National Gallery of Art, accessible to everyone, including children, free of charge, no reservation, and open throughout the year, except for a few holidays.  The NGA's south side also looks onto a spacious grassy land, known as the National Mall, with no restrictions for walkers, except an occasional reminder not to trash the lawn.