Not all is perfect. While looking at Kainen's two rather forgettable etchings in the collection (Blue Cocoon and Dr. Mabuse), I made the comment that I wasn't a big Jacob Kainen fan. This brought out an alarmed look and immediate response from Jonathan Binstock. We discussed the issue, and while I certainly admire Kainen's amazing work ethic and his persistence in making an art footprint in the District (which he did), I have never been particularly attracted to his work. I will allow that a DC collection without a Kainen is missing a key component, so I am glad that he's represented here.

Talking about "missing": there are some notable missing names from this collection, such as Maggie Michael's talented husband (Dan Steinhilber), some Color School guys like Morris Louis (completely unaffordable at this point, so a donation would be nice), Margarida Kendall and Annie Truitt (same problem), Manon Cleary, Erik Sandberg, Molly Springfield, Kelly Towles, Mark Jenkins, Colby Caldwell, Kathryn Cornelius, etc.

Finally, I've been getting some emails complaining about the scarcity of sculpture in the collection. This is always an issue in "indoor" public art, as a large range of sculpture does not adapt well to being exposed inside public buildings. But I think that Arkin did an excellent job acquiring a good set of three dimensional works, such as the previously mentioned works by Tim Tate and Michael Janis. There are also excellent pieces by Margaret Boozer, Marie Ringwald, Jae Ko, Andrea Haffner and F.L. Wall. Well-known sculptor Yuriko Yamaguchi is represented by an interesting litho.

I think that I know district area artists as well as anybody, and yet even I discovered some new artists who have excellent work in this collection. One such artist is printmaker Alexandra Huttinger, whose series of small linoleum prints not only capture a visual record of people, but also push the limits of that difficult medium. Brenda Hoffman's photographs also caught my attention (and that of a couple of the curators).

In spite of Sondra Arkin's spectacular effort, there are still plenty of empty walls left in this building. It is my hope that the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities will expand on this $400,000 investment and continue, on a regular basis, to grow the collection. They should add to it on a yearly basis so as to truly make it into an almost Washington Art Museum.