“The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry, and the Architecture of Washington, DC.”
— Now open at the Octagon Museum
What do the international best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, the hit movie National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage, and the Octagon exhibition The Initiated Eye have in common? All three reveal the little known contribution of Freemasonry to American culture and history. In an unprecedented collaboration with the Freemasons of Washington, DC, and artist Peter Waddell, The Octagon, the Museum of The American Architectural Foundation has organized an original exhibition focusing specifically on the interesting and significant contributions of Freemasons to the design and architecture of Washington, DC.
Featuring 20 original paintings by history painter Peter Waddell complemented by original Masonic artifacts, the exhibition tells the story of the city's design from a new perspective and sheds light on the Masonic connections of many historic buildings in the nation's capital. These paintings and objects explain some of the secret symbols of Freemasonry and provide an understanding of how Masonic symbols were and are used as powerful symbols of this nation.
Original artifacts from the rich collections of the metropolitan area's many lodges, many never seen before by the public, accompany the paintings. George Washington's leather coffin strap decorated with Masonic symbols is paired with a painting of a 19th-century funeral cortege depicted outside one of DC's oldest lodges. An exquisite Klismos-inspired chair designed by architect John Russell Pope for his architectural masterpiece, the House of the Temple on 16th street is shown with a painting depicting the interior of this magnificent structure. The intention of the exhibition is to demystify the role that Freemasons have played in this nation's architectural history and to provide a new perspective on various historic events.
The exhibition opened to the public on May 18, 2005 and remains on view through December 31, 2005. Extensive educational programming accompanies the exhibition, including walking tours of area Lodges and Temples, musical performances, lectures, and workshops.
For additional information on the exhibit, visit www.initiatedeye.com