In case you, like me, were of a mind that trees are planted in museum atriums from seeds or tiny saplings and then allowed to grow and flourish over the course of decades, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s official blog Eye Level would like to disabuse us of that notion with this entry, “Picture This: Trees!!” showing a whole black olive tree being lifted by crane and lowered into the new courtyard.

The Reynolds Center courtyard (officially the “Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard” for its philanthropist funders) is shaping up to be an interesting architectural highlight, what with the wavy glass roof they’ve put up over it. I’m sure Whitman would approve.

More photos here.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Paulo Ordoveza

Roving Asian mendicant, can occasionally be seen wandering the streets of downtown Washington, muttering unintelligible gibberish to passers-by while pushing a “bag lady” shopping cart full of old blankets, American flags, soda cans, and healthy secondhand snacks from organic food shop dumpsters. Used to live in a cardboard box at 16th and K but the rent was too expensive.