If you didn’t make it to the WONDER Exhibit at Washington’s Renwick Gallery, you seriously missed out. Debuting in November 2015, the WONDER Exhibit displayed a variety of immersive artwork from nine contemporary artists. While each installation was strikingly different, the artists share the commonality of creating large-scale pieces from unexpected materials, such as thread, marbles, index cards, and sticks. My favorite, and certainly the most popular installation, was Gabriel Dawe’s “Plexus A1”: A stunning weaving of rainbow thread that can be mistaken for fleeting rays of light. He was inspired by his upbringing in Mexico City, the colorful thread reminiscent of the sky that he spent observing during his childhood.
Another stunning installation was the aerial woven sculpture, “1.8” by Janet Echelman, which was suspended over the 40-foot ceiling on the 2nd floor of the gallery. This masterpiece was inspired by the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Tohoku, that hit Japan in 2011. The weaving corresponds to a map of the energy released across the Pacific Ocean during the natural disaster. 
I’m so glad I was able to experience this exhibit. Thank you #RenwickGallery – can’t wait to see what wondrous installation you will display next!
“The only reason for bringing together works of art in a public space is that… they produce in us a kind of exalted happiness. For a moment there is a clearing in the jungle: we pass on refreshed, with our capacity for life increased and with some memory of the sky.” – Kenneth Clark, 1954.
