Animal-focused exhibit at National Building Museum promises ‘cabinet of curiosities’

Sounds like a hoot: More than 125 architectural objects portraying animals are the focus of a new National Building Museum exhibit scheduled to run from April 20 through spring 2020. “Animals, Collected” draws from the museum’s permanent collection and includes objects from the Washington National Cathedral, the American Brick Collection, and other sources.

Many of the objects have never before been publicly displayed, the museum said in a recent release. “Imagined as a cabinet of curiosities, Animals, Collected presents two- and three-dimensional materials that encourage closer inspection of the buildings we see every day,” it explained. “As ornament on municipal buildings and monuments, churches and warehouses, animals have appeared on structures and statues across time, geography, and function.” The exhibit is organized by animal habitat, and objects will show design and construction efforts.

The exhibit features more than 50 animal species in various media: drawings, photographs, models, building materials, and tools. “Depictions of animals have been used as shorthand for ideas, individuals, and character traits for thousands of years, all over the globe,” notes the museum. Some of the objects depict familiar animals like dogs and fish; others, mythical creatures like dragons and gargoyles. The permanent collection boasts over 250,000 objects.

National Building Museum

National Building Museum

National Building Museum

National Building Museum