The National Gallery‘s film about the ‘Star Axis’ of New Mexico

Good morning, DMV! It’s Thursday, July 23.

I love the night skies and often plan my summer around the Perseid meteor shower.

I love the arts and am always on the lookout for immersive experiences.

Then yesterday morning, it felt as if the stars aligned as I read a New York Times article about an enormous sculpture in New Mexico that is “part observatory and part pyramid.”

Land artist Charles Ross conceived of “Star Axis” — an artwork that involves light, time and planetary motion — in 1971. He broke ground 50 years ago. It is built with earth, earth, granite, sandstone, stainless steel and bronze; stands 11 stories high; and measures one-tenth of a mile across. Ross told the Times that “Star Axis” will be done by winter.

The reason I’m writing about this is because of this line in the Times article: “A short film on ‘Star Axis’ is included in a series on artists that the National Gallery produced for America250.”

What does that mean? What kind of film? Is it showing in the museum?

I reached out to the National Gallery to learn more, all the while envisioning myself experiencing the artwork virtually, on a big screen with audio resonating in a dark room.

The museum plans to screen it sometime in the fall, said Chris Abanavas, a public affairs specialist for the National Gallery. Then he shared with me a link of the “Star Axis” video museum staff published on YouTube yesterday, hours after the Times article went live.

It is part of West to East, the National Gallery’s series of short documentaries and articles to celebrate American artists living and working across the country, outside major art hubs. Chris said the museum will publish the rest of the films from the series in the fall.

I watched the documentary last night on my modest computer monitor. It gave the history and context of Ross’s vision, with decades-old interviews with him and footage of the early phase of construction.

It also includes brief glimpses — too brief — of the night sky as seen from “Star Axis,” with the sound of chirping crickets. I wanted more of this, in hope of feeling and experiencing the artwork through the film, but will likely have to travel to get it.

This newsletter is free. I work on it solo, spending hours each day looking for things to do, going out and doing them, writing about them — because I seek joy and want to share it with you. I treat my Daily Dose as a community gratitude journal and love doing it. If this newsletter brings you joy, please consider supporting my work with a one-time, monthly or yearly donation to help keep me going. Do you know anyone who would enjoy reading me? Forward this to them to help me grow. For newcomers: To subscribe, click here.

For National Moth Week, NOVA Parks and Capital Nature will host “Moonlight Moth Mania!” Sunday night 9 to 11 p.m. at Potomac Overlook park in Arlington. Join NOVA Parks roving naturalist Matt Felperin and Ana Ka’ahanui of Capital Nature as they attract and identify the nocturnal insects using bedsheets and black lights. The event costs $7. Register here.

After I wrote about how I knit 1.3 km of old yarn my mom had gifted me into five tank tops, reader Dina Yagodich — a 58-year-old who lived in Damascus, Maryland, for 30 years then moved two years ago to Washington, Pennsylvania — sent me the pic above of the beginning of a sock. It’s the second pair of socks she has worked on.

Share photos please of your summer life in the DMV.

⭐