Glenstone — Attraction in Travilah

The drop had been planned for months.

It had to be with Glenstone’s notorious 30 day advance reservation window. But now we were ready. Thursday, 2:00 pm, between the Jasper Johns and the Basquiat, the briefcase of uranium was to be left on the floor.

In the adjoining art space, beneath the untitled artwork featuring a used tampon stapled to a dartboard, the case of money was to be left.

It was perfect really. Located in the heart of Potomac, miles from any Geiger counters, private guards, no pictures allowed and an escape route to the river should the situation turn deadly.

I spot my counterpart standing in front of the large Rothko. She is clad entirely in grey. Grey poncho, leggings, and boots. A mistake. All the docents here wear grey head to toe. She will undoubtedly be pestered by the hoi polloi trying to improve themselves by propinquiting themselves with the modern masters.

I walk over to the Basquiat and wait. I hear the unmistakable noise of a heavy case being set down. I follow suit and walk around the corner to receive my lucre. As I reach down to pick up the case, a docent comes up to me and holds my arm. “No touching the art work, sir.”

“But ..this is my case...”

“No touching the art please sir.”

I look up to see multiple docents descending on our location.

In between them, walking away undeterred, I see my counterpart, completely camouflaged by her ersatz docent wear. She is listing to her left due the weight of her cache. She strides confidently past the Mario Metz neon signs, her boots heavy on the wooden floor. She is gone.

I reach for my case once more.

“Sir we are going to have to ask you to leave.” There are many of them now. One has bulge under his grey fringed serape that is distinctly gun like.

I shall have to return tonight.

Ample parking. Free soup til 2:00pm....

Really beautiful grounds and I enjoyed walking around the different paths. However, a lot of the staff here is completely rude for no reason. I was there with my little sisters and the staff constantly following us around so closely I guess because they are children. They are well behaved and did nothing disruptive, yet we were being watched like a hawk. Very uncomfortable and the staff can’t even be bothered to say excuse me to you. We went to the second building and I moved slightly to the left so I could read the text on the wall that’s there before you enter the gallery and the lady that works there got upset and yelled at me saying “the exhibit starts over here not there.” Ma’am….I’m literally reading the introduction text to the exhibit….like…..?

Then we went to the patio to just get a little drink and snack. Do not waste your time here. $5 for store bought lemonade poured in a glass full of ice. And it wasn’t even good store bought lemonade. I ordered a cookie for my sister. The cashier goes “is this cookie you want?” I said “do you have other cookies?” The cashier replied “no.” Okay so then why would you ask me that in the first place obviously that’s the one I want. 🙃

I love art and honestly it’s a few pieces here that are well worth the visit, but most of the collection is nothing to write home about. The vibes here are just completely strange and you get a weird energy. Probably because the lady that owns this place hates that she has to let the public in so she can get her...

As other reviews say, the only downside of Glenstone museum is the difficulty in securing entrance passes because they're often sold out (and free!). After trying to secure passes on a weekend all summer long we finally succeeded and we made the most out of our visit spending 6 hours on the ground of the museum, and reaching 12+K steps. The art is great, both serene and thought-provoking. Everything invites to make the most out of the art experience and to make the experience intimate and personal. The minimalist architecture and the large spaces allow you to wonder and connect to the art. I appreciate the no-photo policy indoors and the idea to interact with the very knowledgeable guides to receive info about the installations. What made the experience one of its kind was the incredible attention to detail: the outdoors paths are very well maintained, the white umbrellas to protect visitors from the sun were very appreciated and didn't interfere with the view of the surroundings, the food (and the view!) at the café was the best, even the restrooms were better than anywhere else! Because there are no guides giving information about the outdoor sculptures, perhaps it would be useful to find information either next to them or somewhere inside (if there are already info somewhere and I missed it, apologies for the silly comment). I'm so grateful I found this gem where I feel like I belong, and I can't wait for...