Orchid Daze 2014

Since moving back to Atlanta, there's no way I would miss Orchid Daze at the Atlanta Botanical Garden...there's just no way! And as usual, this year's Orchid Daze is spectacular.

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Orchid Daze: Lasting Impressions has been extremely well executed. You know immediately what the theme is and who inspired this show. The Atlanta Botanical Garden says of this year's Orchid Daze that it:

"...celebrates the work of three artists who found creative energy in the beauty of landscapes: Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin. The exhibition showcases the artists eye-opening ways of seeing and perceiving the world."

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

One of the highlights of Orchid Daze is the Atlanta Orchid Society's annual Orchid Society Show, hosted at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. And it's this weekend! There's the Show, there are classes, and there's so much incredibly enticing beauty...prepare yourself!

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Each of the three featured artists are quoted in the exhibition, with a quote that's specific to the experience of Orchid Daze.

"Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more." - Vincent Van Gogh

So true!

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

To give us the greatest orchid experience possible, the Garden starts the Orchid Daze exhibition in the lobby of the Fuqua Conservatory...what a treat! One of my favorite artists, Van Gogh is featured in the Conservatory lobby.

By starting Orchid Daze in the Conservatory lobby, visitors get to explore the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory on their way to the Orchid Center. If you've given yourself plenty of time, do explore all five display areas in the Conservatory. There's the lobby, the Tropical Rotunda, the Desert House, a special exhibits space and an Orangerie!

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Aside from Orchid Daze, the Atlanta Botanical Garden boasts one of the largest collections of orchids in the United States. Of the 25,000 species of orchids on planet Earth, they have approximately 2,000 species in their collection. Now that's impressive!

In addition to the permanent collection, the Garden  brings in thousands of additional blooms for Orchid Daze...making for a truly wonderful exploration of one of the world's most fascinating and beautiful flowers!

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

In the Fuqua Orchid Center lobby you'll see Claude Monet featured (first photo in this post). Over in the Orchid Center Display Room you'll see Paul Gaugin featured, and keep an eye out for some of his trademark Tahitian female figures among the foliage.

While you're in the Display Room, keep an eye out for the world's second most expensive spice...you might be surprised! And also seek out one of my personal favorites, the Darwin Orchid, at the back of the Display Room—and it's in bloom now!

The Display Room is also where you're most likely to find one of the Garden's very helpful and knowledgeable Orchid Specialists. I've never asked a question that they couldn't answer!

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Becky Brinkman.

Yes, Becky's name alone gets its own paragraph. Becky is the Fuqua Orchid Center Manager and has managed the Garden's orchid collection since 1995, seven years before the Fuqua Orchid Center opened in 2002.

One of the reasons that I have such great respect and admiration for Becky is her authorship of The Orchid Column, her blog about orchids and the Fuqua Orchid Center. She's a brilliant writer, and spectacular photographer, an engaging teacher...I would LOVE to see The Orchid Column win a "Blog of the Year" award. Becky totally deserves it!

"While you were pounding the ice from your doorstep, we were putting the final touches on our orchid display. ABG's impressionism-inspired orchid display, Lasting Impressions, open this weekend!, is exactly what you need to put all that behind you." - Becky Brinkman, The Orchid Column

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

There's no short supply of Orchid Daze add-ons. One of the bonuses is the now annual Orchid Market Weekends. There was one going on when I last visited and the orchids for sale were gorgeous! There are also crafts, other products, and Chef Phil was selling the most delicious cookies...I enjoyed the lemon cookies, and I mean really enjoyed! (Chef Phil also works in the Garden's Gift Shop)

The next, and final, Orchid Market Weekend is April 4-5. 

There's also Orchid Care Clinics, an art show in the Orchid Center, and although Vanilla Sunday has already passed, there are some vanilla recipes on the Garden's website that you can enjoy anytime.

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Keep your eyes open for some rather odd looking kinds of orchids, too. Truthfully, some of those are my favorites, the Dracula Orchid, in particular. 

If you find yourself in the Orchid Center and you spy an orchid or plant that doesn't have an identification plate and there's not an Orchid Specialist on duty, there's always the Plant Hotline. I recommend making a photo of the plant/flower in question and emailing it to the Plant Hotline. But you can always call and give them a location and description of the plant/flower in question.

I've used the Plant Hotline on numerous occasions and have ALWAYS met with success in having my questions answered. (Thank you, Luanne!)

Orchid Daze 2014, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Orchid Daze: Lasting Impressions is on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden through Sunday, April 13. And while you're there, you'll get to enjoy Atlanta Blooms! When I was there last weekend, there were already hundreds of daffodils up and a few tulips, too! Just make sure you see the orchids!

Freedom Farmers Market

"Thank you! Our first market was an astounding success! Over 3000 people visited the market its first day. It was incredible. You were incredible. Thank you so much for showing up. The market wouldn't exist without you." - Freedom Farmers Market

Freedom Farmers Market

Wow! I was expecting great things from the brand new Freedom Farmers Market...and they delivered! I'd been reading about it for about a month and was already excited about some of the vendors—Riverview Farms, Garnish & Gather, Doux South, and so many more. And there was live music, too!

Freedom Farmers Market

Vendors like the friendly folks at Doux South—makers of some pretty awesome organic pickles!—make a farmers market. You can have the freshest of produce and products, but if the farmers and vendors aren't friendly, you can just forget it. The vendors at Freedom Farmers Market I'm predicting are what's going to keep the market "an astounding success"!

Doux South was recently featured in Garden & Gun Magazine, a wonderfully unique publication and one that I've enjoyed immensely since first discovering it. The article on Doux South begins, "Sometimes, a pickle is more than just a pickle." Truth!

Freedom Farmers Market

Today, successful farmers markets are so much more than vegetables. BUT...you have to have vegetables and they have to be superb! Farmers market shoppers aren't the granola hippies of yesteryear...to the contrary, we're discerning shoppers. Yes, I visited for insight for my tourist readers, but I personally really enjoy a good farmers market...and I'm thrilled to have found a new one that I really like.

The veggies at Freedom Farmers Market are indeed superb. Color me impressed. They were fresh, colorful, beautifully presented...the beautiful bok choy above was from Rise 'N Shine Organic Farm. 

I was so hungry by time I left the market!

Freedom Farmers Market

And I discovered some new farms, too, including 3 Porch Farm. The customers who sampled their spice blends were all smiles! And they were featuring their rose petal sugar, rosemary syrup, and lavender syrup, and lots more! Again, super nice people.

Freedom Farmers Market

I also ran into a few people I know...that's always fun. Helping out in the Moore Farms and Friends booth was my friend Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC (that's her in the photo above). Tracy is a food allergy expert—incredibly active in that arena—and she was recently appointed to the 2014 Atlanta Foodservice Expo Advisory Council, and an impressive council it is! Tracy's a busy woman!

I also got to chat with Anne Quatrano, Executive Chef and Owner of Bacchanalia, as well as several other restaurants. It's always a pleasure to connect with Atlanta's celebrity chefs, especially for a celebrity-spotter like me.

Freedom Farmers Market

It was great to get to chat with the folks at Garnish & Gather, which I've been following for a couple of months on Social Media after a colleague told me about them. They're partners with a number of local farmers from whom they source. Garnish & Gather delivers full meals—all the fresh ingredients, ready-to-cook, for making a fresh, local, seasonal meal a breeze!

Check out their website for details on how to order, the week's meal selections, and check out their blog, too. Earlier this week they posted "5 Tips for Shopping at a Farmers Market"...good stuff!

Freedom Farmers Market

If I sound like I'm head over heels for Freedom Farmers Market, it's because I am. What a wonderful experience! 

Now, I should share that the success of the first week caught a few off guard. If you weren't at the market early, or within the first couple of hours, you may have missed the wares of some of the vendors. I don't think anyone expected more than 3,000 visitors and a few booths ran out of product. But, all of them that I spoke with assured me that they'll be ready next week! I can hardly wait!

Freedom Farmers Market

Freedom Farmers Market is centrally located between five major Atlanta neighborhoods and it's on the grounds of The Carter Center. After you've done your shopping, check out the Carter Center Museum—one of Atlanta's best kept secrets! 

I don't think we have to be concerned with Freedom Farmers Market being a secret, though. Remember your recycled shopping bags, cash is king, and plan to have a great experience!

GIVEAWAY: 3D Printing Class at MODA

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is offering a host of 3D Printing classes and registration is going fantastic! To promote the classes, and excitement for 3D Printing, MODA is offering a giveaway through wanderlust ATLANTA. 

Here are the details:

GIVEAWAY!

What: Two pairs of tickets (one pair per winner) to a 3D Printing class (value: $25/ticket)
Class: "Make Your Own Retro Word Pen"
When: Thursday, March 6 | 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Where: Museum of Design Atlanta, 1315 Peachtree Street
To Enter: Comment on this post* -or- Comment on the Giveaway post on Facebook*
Deadline: Enter by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, March 6

*First to comment, first to win!

If you have any questions, leave a comment here or message me on the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook page.

"Make Your Own Retro Word Pen"

Good luck!

3D Printing...at MODA!

Have you done any 3D printing yet? Your chance is coming up...very soon.

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) entered into a partnership with MakerBot to bring in three 3D printers—in conjunction with the Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things exhibition—on display, and available for use, in MODA's Design Bar.

Why couple 3D printers with an exhibition that features everyday objects, many of which are hundreds of years old? It's all about industrial revolution...and 3D printing is just that. In fact, Forbes has predicted that 3D printing will be a $5 billion industry by 2020.

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

I'd arrived to the Museum a little early for last week's Hidden Heroes tour. Before it started, Sam Cone, one of the Visitor Services staff, gave a small group of us visitors a highly enthusiastic explanation of 3D printing. Sam is brilliant...I learned more about 3D printing from him in a few minutes than I have in casually following the technology for years.

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

Speaking of years, I had no idea that 3D printing—also known as stereolithography—has been around since 1986, when it was invented by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems. And I was shocked to learn that the printers on display at MODA cost a mere $2,000 each. You can imagine that 3D printers will be a household appliance in the not too distant future.

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

So, when you're at MODA watching these printers in action, you see how they lay down layer after layer to create what they're printing. One of the things that I noticed first was that the "inside" of the items being printed had a honeycomb structure. Sam explained that there are various options for the interior, and that by it not being solid, you save money on materials and the object is lighter. Sounds good to me!

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

How easy is 3D printing? You'd be surprised! It's basically a three step process:

1. First, you create a 3D image using CAD (computer-aided design);
2. Then, you send that CAD file to the printer;
3. And the printer builds the object by laying down successive layers of material.

How easy is that?! You can see very quickly how 3D printing is changing the way we think and approach "innovation, design, and distribution of everyday objects."

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

If you're not totally fascinated by the potential of 3D printing just yet, consider this. There are people already using 3D printing to create prosthetics for their children who are born without fingers or hands. 3D printing is allowing individuals to make replacement parts for gadgets, mitigating high cost and shipping time. 3D printing is allowing inventors to print prototypes, saving them a great deal of time. The possibilities are truly endless!

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

MODA has the three MakerBot printers on display, as well as a wall of objects that have been printed at the Museum—the photos in this post show some of those objects. I tried to identify a favorite, but I just couldn't...I'm so blown away by the whole process and each object carries with it  a unique fascination.

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

The 3D printers on display at MODA are the MakerBot Replicator 2. It turns out that MakerBot has quite a few 3D printer products and I can only imagine that their and others' product lines will grow exponentially over the coming years. 

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

So, allow me to repeat a question that MODA asked on their Facebook page today..."If you could 3D print anything, what would it be?"

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

I mentioned that you have opportunities to dabble in 3D printing...and it sounds like so much fun! MODA is offering, in addition to the Design Bar opportunities, various make-you-own classes through their "Hands on Design" program. The tuition is very reasonable, especially for Museum members. And the range of objects to be made is impressive...I have so many ideas!

3D Printing at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)

This unique opportunity, bought to you only by MODA, invites visitors to check out the upcoming 3D printing classes and to also stop by the Design Bar for a session in creativity and design...you can customize and create your own 3D printed object! Totally cool, right?

"Hidden Heroes" Fascinates!

Seldom does an exhibition fascinate me the way Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things has. What's so fascinating about it that it lured me to Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) twice in four days? 

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

These everyday objects have some pretty amazing and often surprising histories. Are those histories fascinating enough to serve as topics of conversation at your next party. Absolutely...why not? I mean, who wouldn't be fascinated to learn that ear plugs were the result of the rise of the Industrial Age, and designed from the first mention of ear plugs in literature—in The Odyssey. It'll of course depend on where the conversation is going, but with so many objects, you're very likely to garner some party conversation fodder.

Hidden Heroes are everyday objects that we totally take for granted, but really couldn't live without or at the very least wouldn't want to live without. What constitutes a "Hidden Hero" for the sake of this exhibition? 

"A 'hidden hero' could be anything—a light bulb, an adhesive bandage or a zipper. It is an ordinary object, used by people all over the world based on an ingenious, yet easily comprehensible idea. It is produced a billion times over and constitutes an indispensable fixture of daily life. Due to its functional aesthetics, durability and utility, it has proven itself time and time again and has remained  essentially unaltered for decades. In other words, it's a classic."

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

So, one of the wonderful things MODA does is early on during an exhibition they host a guided tour, usually led by the curator or the Director. My first time seeing Hidden Heroes was a tour led by Executive Director Laura Flusche...who happens to be a brilliant tour guide!

Laura's well-attended tour was last Thursday and I'd like to tell you a little bit of what she shared with the group, and then share a little bit about some of my favorite objects in the exhibition, without giving away too much, of course. But first, a little more about the exhibition...

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things was developed by the Vitra Design Museum in cooperation with Hi-Cone, who requested 'no photography'. The photos in this post were graciously provided by MODA (Thank you, MODA!). 

There are 36 objects—everyday objects—in the exhibition. I did a quick inventory of those 36 objects, each displayed in its own large-scale shadow box, after Laura's tour and it turns out that I have 31 of the objects in my home and/or office...how's that for "everyday objects"? 

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

When I went back to the Museum a few days later, it was with the specific purpose to read all the placards and watch all the videos in the exhibition. Confession time: I don't always read all the placards at every exhibition I visit, even as enthusiastic as a tourist as I am. 

That I made the time to read all the placards and watch all the videos in Hidden Heroes speaks to the fascination of the exhibit. I mean, how can you not be fascinated to learn that tea bags were "invented" totally by accident when clients who received some tea samples, packed in mesh bags, thought the bags were ingenious and steeped the samples...in the bags! Or to learn that marketing on safety match boxes was launched by a German brewery in 1896 that ordered 50,000 branded boxes! This is cool stuff!

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

So, let me get to the 'everyday objects'...starting with a couple of the ones Laura discussed. First, before we toured the exhibit, Laura explained why MODA is hosting Hidden Heroes:

"MODA chose to bring Hidden Heroes to Atlanta because the exhibition is a wonderful expression of design as the intersection of creativity and functionality. In one way or another, each of the functional objects in Hidden Heroes makes our lives better, easier, or more efficient, yet these objects often disappear into the fabric of day-to-day existence, so that we rarely think about the creativity that informs their design. As the industrial designer Dieter Rams said, 'great design doesn't draw attention to itself; it merely allows users to accomplish their tasks with the maximal amount of efficiency and pleasure. At its best, it is invisible,'" Laura Flusche, Ph.D., Executive Director, Museum of Design Atlanta.

Now...to the objects! A couple of the ones Laura discussed...

Corkscrew: Laura shared considerably more about certain objects than what is on any of the placards. For example...wine has been around since ancient times. That's common knowledge, of course. And we know that clay vessels were used to store wine in ancient times. Over time we've seen wine stored in wooden barrels, and later glass...that was around 12th Century Venice, when Venice was establishing itself as the glass blowing capitol of the world. Long about the 18th Century, we started seeing glass bottles with a skinny neck. Later, the English developed the cork stopper, using cork mostly from Spain and Portugal. It wasn't until 1795 that a British clergyman was given a patent for the corkscrew...an everyday object that we take for granted, and many would find challenging to live without.

Tin Can: The precursor to the tin can was the canning jar (also on display). In 1795, Napoleon launched a design competition. True...Napoleon hosted a design competition! He was looking for a way, a method, to preserve food, which he needed to engage in longer campaigns. Many years later, in 1809, a Frenchman devised a way to seal food in glass jars...today experiencing a resurgence as a "symbol for the quality of homemade products." Only a year later, British merchant Peter Durand received a patent for the tin can from King George III, which accomplished the same goal of food preservation. The funny thing is...it wasn't until 30 years later that the can opener was invented! Laura offered some fantastic insights!

And a few that I personally found extra fascinating...

Light Bulb: Imagine life without the light bulb. Can't do it can you? Neither can I. So, we all know that Thomas Alvin Edison invented the light bulb, right? Well, not so fast. Actually, the light bulb was invented decades before Edison purchased a patent in 1879. Now then, Edison made great strides in developing the incandescent light bulb, which is still popular today, even with all the new kinds of lights that are flooding the market today.

Bubble Wrap: Now, imagine holding a sheet of bubble wrap and not popping any of the bubbles. An impossibility, right? Turns out that bubble wrap was an eventual idea that came from a search to create a new wall paper. It was about the late 1950s that bubble wrap became a popular wrapping material for shipping.

Overseas Transport Container: Global commerce would arguably be impossible, not at all economically feasible at least, without the introduction of the overseas transport container. In constant use since 1961, for such transport to be possible required global standardization in how the containers are removed and reattached to transport trucks...and such global standardization isn't always an easy task. Lucky for us that they figured it out!

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things

Well, there's a brief insight into a few Hidden Heroes. Can I say "brief" here? I feel like I went on and on! 

Now, head on over to the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) to explore the everyday objects that we often take for granted. This is your opportunity to no longer take them for granted, but understand and appreciate them in a whole new light.

You'll be fascinated!

Sky Light & Landscapes

The Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary exhibition currently on display at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art is particularly special to me. I had the grand opportunity to do the photography for the marketing materials for the exhibition...my name is everywhere! How fun is that?!

Now then, for this post, I'll share some images from the Sky Light gallery (photographed during a visit to the Museum yesterday, not for marketing purposes), however photography is not permitted in the other galleries, but I'll discuss a few of my favorites from that showing.

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary features 19th and 20th Century paintings, drawings, and prints from the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) permanent collection and local private collections, as well as late 20th and 21st Century paintings by emerging artists.

In the Skylight Gallery, to your immediate left when entering the Museum, there are large scale oils by Courtney J. Garrett, Lary Gray, and Charlotte Terrell.

The above painting, Flag Down (2007), by Larry Gray, is one of the large scale pieces in the Skylight Gallery, and this one is one of my favorites in that gallery...the colors and drama are striking and beg the imagination to not reconcile if this is a true phenomena, but to just enjoy the beauty presented.

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

This one (above) is another personal favorite of the pieces on display in the Skylight Gallery. Dissipation of Composition No. 9 (2012), by Courtney J. Garrett, shows some of the most remarkable, high-contrast lighting I've had the pleasure to see up close. 

From the entire exhibition, my absolute favorite piece is The Fallen Tree: Cottage by a River Through a Woodland Gorge with a Castle on the Promontory Above (c. 1810), by William Havell (British, 1782-1857). Albeit a mouthful of a title, the content of the piece is just as complex...that's one of the things I like about it so much. 

You know how you can spend hours exploring a Salvador Dali work? Fallen Tree is much the same. Even during yesterday's Museum visit I was discovering new aspects of the painting that I'd not yet seen...discovery of this kind is sublime.

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

Back to the Skylight Gallery...the above piece, Late Day Games (2007) by Larry Gray, is a spectacular contrast of sky colors. The closest I've come to seeing this in real life was when I lived in Wyoming, where there are some of the most beautiful sunsets...exquisite sunsets!

There are two pieces by Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 1876-1918) in The Shelley and Donald Rubin Gallery. Le Route is spectacular, but the one I like even more is a 1923 lithograph, Eviron de Trivel. Seek it out when you visit...you'll be glad you did.

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

Winter's Closing (2007), by Larry Gray

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

Listless Summer (2013), by Charlotte Terrell

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional & Contemporary, OUMA

I'm loving this one too, also on display in the Skylight Gallery. Dissipation of Composition No. 5 (2012), is another one by Courtney J. Garrett.

The signature piece of the exhibition, Paturage aux moutons, cote normande (ca. 1882-1886) is by the famed Eugene Boudin (1824-1898). Claude Monet studied with Boudin and said of his time studying with him, "It was if at last my eyes were opened. If I have become a painter it is entirely due to Eugene Boudin."

Sky Light: Landscapes, Traditional and Contemporary is on display at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (closed Mondays) through March 9. This exhibition was organized by OUMA Director Elizabeth Peterson and Collections Manager John Daniel Tilford.

Diplomatic Patterns...A Rare Look at White House China

You know, if you're anything approaching a "tourist" like me, it really pays to stay up on what's going on in town. Otherwise you're very likely to miss a temporary exhibit that you'd really have loved to have seen. 

That was quite nearly the case yesterday. I'd been to visit the new Freedom Farmers Market (I'll post about that later this week), which is at the Carter Center off of Freedom Parkway, when I decided to pop into the Carter Center Museum. I'm so glad I did! Their current special exhibit finishes today.

Diplomatic Patterns: A Sampling of White House China is an extremely rare glance at some of the plates and presentation pieces used when entertaining at the White House, including artifacts that date back to President Lincoln's time, and earlier.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

I'll share here a few of my favorite pieces from the exhibition, finishing up with my two personal favorites. But let me say that I absolutely love the piece shown above! I just don't recall which administration it's from, but it was later one.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

About Diplomatic Patterns, the Carter Center Museum website says, "Very rarely do guests to The White House even get to see the china collection, but visitors to the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum will be able to take a close look at plates used for State Dinners and presentation pieces given to U.S. Presidents. Presidents and first ladies have used White House social events as a means of conveying national honor and extending diplomatic relationships with other countries."

So, a rare treat indeed is seeing this collection in person. Even though I lived in Washington, D.C. for nine years, I never had the opportunity to visit The White House, although I walked and biked by it hundreds of times. I suppose I'll have to make an inside visit as a tourist on a future visit.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

This service, which includes stemware, is decorated with the presidential coat of arms in gold, a dark green border and an etched gold band. This was part of the Carter service, although Mrs. Carter often used the Truman White House service for state dinners.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

While there are lots of plates in the exhibition, there are quite a few more unique pieces as well, including this beauty. The inscription on the face of the bowl reads, "Our mission is...to lift the world's dreams beyond the short limits of our sights and to the far edges of our best hopes."

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

The Bald Eagle is prevalent throughout the collection, but that's of course no surprise. What was surprising was just how incredibly diverse the china patterns are from administration to administration. Typically purchased by the First Lady, it's safe to say that each expressed her own personality and patriotism in the selection of her White House china.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

See, I told you there were some rather unique pieces! I don't recall which administration this piece is from, but it's from a relatively earlier one. I love the shape, but I have to wonder how this particular piece was used.

Upon entering the exhibit, you'll see one of the Carter administration china plates, decorated with images of fly fishing hooks. As it turns out, President Carter learned how to fly fish while visiting Camp David, and evidently he learned quite well how to make his own fly fishing lures...thus the design of the the plate.

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

Okay, now to my two favorite pieces in the collection. Although I love the pieces with gold bands with the golden Bald Eagle in the center, the others are remarkable for a number of reasons.

This soup tureen (above) belonged to the Lincoln White House. The service was ordered in 1865 by First Lady Mary Lincoln shortly before President Lincoln was assassinated. 

Diplomatic Patterns, Carter Center Museum

This particular pattern, was purchased in 1846 by the Polk administration. The 120 dessert plates in the collection—one shown above—were decorated with the shield of the United States and only the dessert plates were decorated with a wide range of flowers, painted in the middle of the plates.

It's said that many think this is the most beautiful of all the White House china.

Again, sadly, today is the last chance to see Diplomatic Patterns—and such a rare opportunity it is. If you are able to make time to get over there to see it, it'll be well worth it. The exhibition is about halfway through the Carter Center Museum, so plan plenty of time to take that in as well.