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What's Happening MoCo?
An authentic, unscripted update from County Cable Montgomery highlighting items that help residents of Montgomery County. This program features interviews with elected officials, employees, public servants, and residents. It is produced by the Office of Community Engagement from the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Services. Interviews are recorded live and presented with very few edits to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the conversations.
What's Happening MoCo?
What's Happening at the Glenstone Museum - 20th Anniversary
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Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland celebrates its 20th anniversary. Over the year's it has redefined what a museum can be. With modern architecture, serene landscapes, and galleries shaped with input from living artists, it’s one of Montgomery County’s most distinctive places to slow down and explore.
We sat down with Valentina Nahon, Senior Director of Public Engagement, to talk about Glenstone’s origins, its expansion to the 180,000‑sq‑ft Pavilions, and how the museum creates deeply intentional experiences for visitors.
Admission and parking are free—just reserve timed tickets at glenstone.org to keep your visit relaxed and uncrowded.
Museums. Old, dusty, filled with things from the past. Glenn Stone Museum. Contemporary. Futuristic. Artists from now. Things to see that will take you well into your future. Up next.
Welcome To What’s Happening Moco
AnnouncerGood day and welcome to What's Happening Moco, an authentic, unscripted podcast from your Montgomery County government. Now, your host, Derek Kenny.
First Look At Glenstone
Derrick KennyGood day, and welcome to What's Happening Moco. We are here live in Potomac, Maryland, at the Glenstone Museum, and it is awesome. It's amazing. It is architecture. It's art. It is so many things to stimulate you and entertain your family. And I'm sitting here with a person that can tell you all about it. The senior director of public engagement, Valentina Nahan. How are you, Valentina? Can I call you Valentina?
SPEAKER_02You may. Thank you so much.
Derrick KennyAll right, all right. Well, thank you so much for being here, for inviting us here. And we're in one of the rooms inside of this large facility. How big is this facility?
SPEAKER_02So we are sitting in room seven of the pavilions, and the pavilions itself is roughly a little over 180,000 square feet. Okay.
Derrick KennyThat's huge.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and it's a significant increase from our original building, the gallery, which opened to the public in 2006. We're actually celebrating our 20th anniversary. Well, happy anniversary.
Derrick KennyHappy anniversary. That's a good thing to start on.
The Rails Vision And Expansion
Derrick KennyUm is your anniversary, 20th anniversary. How did the Glenstone Museum come about? And uh what was the idea behind it?
SPEAKER_02So Glenstone actually was born out of the vision of our founders, Mitch and Emily Rails, who had this idea of sharing their modern and contemporary art collection with the public right here in their home. And in 2006, they did so by opening the gallery building, uh, a 20,000 square foot building. We welcomed people uh by appointment to see this art collection. And pretty soon after opening that building, they had visions of expanding it to welcome more people, and they began what ended up being a 10-year journey of expanding the pavilions, which is the building we're sitting in today, including uh additional trails, outdoor sculptures, and that opened in 2018.
Derrick KennyWell, kudos to the Rails for their generosity and founding this magnificent work of art. The building itself is a work of art, but all that it contains provides opportunities for artists to showcase their wares. What is it about this building that people may find unique as they look at the characteristics of this
Artist Led Rooms And Architecture
Derrick Kennybuilding?
SPEAKER_02So I love to talk about that because the architecture here is really unique in how we present our work. We are working with living artists in many uh instances, which is a wonderful opportunity to give the artists uh the freedom to design the space, to design the proportion. So in the pavilions, we have some rooms that are dedicated to a single artwork or to the work by one artist.
Derrick KennyOh my gosh, okay.
SPEAKER_02So they are really driving that process because for us it's really important that their work is shown and realizing their vision is what's most important to us. And so as you go through the pavilions, there are about 11 rooms, and each one is either presenting the work by one artist and one work, or a group of works by that one artist. So they had a lot of input in what that space looks like.
Derrick KennyOh wow, so it's 11 pavilions, and that's all within the the these buildings, the buildings themselves. And there's things happening outside the buildings as well, that's part of the uh the the attractions.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
Trails, Outdoor Sculptures, And 300 Acres
SPEAKER_02So um today we're sitting on around 300 acres.
Derrick KennyA lot of acres in Montgomery County, Maryland. In Montgomery County. 300 acres. Oh my gosh, that's amazing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and a lot of that is actually outdoor walking trails. So uh we are the integration of art architecture and nature. So for uh gallery spaces, we have two buildings: the pavilions, which is the building we're in today, the gallery, which opened in 2006. Uh it's a Charles Wathme designed building. This is a Thomas Pfeiffer uh designed building, and then outdoor sculptures. We have about 16 outdoor sculptures uh through nature uh on the 300 acres.
Derrick KennySo that's amazing. So people can come here, um, be exposed to beautiful art and architecture, but also get some steps in.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
Derrick KennyOh, fantastic,
Top Reasons To Visit Free
Derrick Kennyfantastic. Now I'm gonna put you in a spot. I like to do top five lists. What are the top five attractions or reasons why people should come to the Glenstone Museum?
SPEAKER_02That's I love that question. Number one, I always like to remind people we are free. And so I'm sorry.
Derrick KennyYou're what?
SPEAKER_02We are free. You're free? Yes.
Derrick KennyNo cost?
SPEAKER_02No cost.
Derrick KennyNo cost, love free. Okay.
SPEAKER_02No cost to visiting Glenstone. And so we like everybody to know that we are a free resource here in Montgomery. Parking is also free.
Derrick KennyWhoa. Free parking, free admission.
SPEAKER_02Correct.
Derrick KennyAll right, that should be number one. Top five. There we go. All right, yes, let's go. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Uh number two, schedule in advance. Glenstone is all about this uncrowded, unique, unhurried experience. And so while we're free, we do ask people to let us know they're coming. So schedule that ticket on our website, www.glensstone.org. Schedule in advance. Number three, if you can't find a ticket, fret not. We have a guaranteed walk-up program for the following categories. So if you're a student over the age of 12, if you're an educator, if you're active duty military or veteran, or if you arrive on the ride-on bus, which is our public transportation here, uh, you have guaranteed walk-up. Oh, wow. And you get to bring a plus one. Uh so we really want everyone to know that even if you're trying to make last-minute uh arrangements to visit, those are all available to you.
Derrick KennySo if they catch the award-winning Montgomery County ride-on bus to Lindstone.
SPEAKER_02No ticket required.
Derrick KennyNo ticket required. He's walk-up high. Do they like a bus pass or something?
SPEAKER_02Or no, we register you upon entry. So the the visitors who uh uh arrive on the ride-on bus just notify us that they've come on the bus and they have guaranteed walk-up entry.
Derrick KennyThat's fantastic. That's fantastic.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, number three, wear comfortable shoes. We are, like I mentioned, 300 acres, um, lots of walking. You're gonna get your steps in. Um, there's a lot of moments of rest. So throughout your experience here, you really will have a moment to rest and relax before you pick up again. Um, I would also encourage people to um try not to do everything in one visit. That's really important because there's so much to see. Um, you know, if you can actually budget more time to visit, great. Um, but if you only have a couple hours, try not to rush through the experience. Really take your time in one or two things and then come back. We always uh want to remind people that's my fifth one is we are open year-round.
Derrick KennyAll right, I just want to ask that. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Glenstone looks different, different time of the year, exactly.
Derrick KennySo winter, spring, summer, fall.
SPEAKER_02That's right.
Derrick KennyOpen.
SPEAKER_02Open.
Derrick KennyOkay, that's amazing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
Derrick KennyAll
Staff, Security, And The Serene Arrival
Derrick Kennyright. And so you're the senior director of public engagement, but when we got here today, we were greeted by staff, um, we come through a secure environment. How many people does it take to run um uh uh a museum of this size? There's it's so much going on, there's so many exhibits, everything's so clean, the the balance between nature and the the museum is so uh I guess impressive, daunting. It's almost surreal. Like when I walked through here, uh when I first came in, I felt like I was walking into the future. And I was almost counterintuitive to is this a museum? How many people are here serving and keeping things going? And then let's talk about the green roof and some of the the describe some of the architecture inside and out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love it. It it takes a Glenstone Village, we say, for all of those things and all the magic to happen. Uh we're about 150 staff members today. Okay. And that includes anywhere from our curatorial team who's planning the exhibitions, working with the artists, our amazing grounds and landscaping crew who's making sure that nature looks its best. Uh, we have an engineering and maintenance facility team who's making sure the building is, you know, working properly and clean. Yeah. So you really touched on all of those special moments. And then, of course, our public engagement team, which is my team, who is here to serve the public. He we're making sure that you know uh the information you need to know before you visit, that once you arrive, you have a wonderful experience here. Uh, and if you're out in the community, you know about us through our community engagement programs.
Derrick KennyWonderful. Community engagement is terribly important, so I hear. Um, let's talk a little bit about experience. You mentioned visitor experiences. What's the visitor experience like? How do people, when they come here, what's their their impression of things? What are what are they leaving here thinking?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we hope that visitors, when they come to Glenstone, they feel like it's unlike anything else they've experienced before. That this combination of art architecture and nature lends itself to have a very contemplative experience. It's very intentional that when visitors arrive, they park far away or from a distance from the museum. And there's this very special moment when you cross this bridge after you arrive to Glenstone, where I say take a deep breath after you take that walk and prepare yourself for that experience because it should feel serene. Um, hopefully, you're pulled by the curiosity of, you know, I've never been here before and I'm curious to see what's next. But ultimately, that they walk away feeling like they just experienced something unique, um, whether it's because they encountered an artwork that opened their perspective or they had a really meaningful walk uh in nature that had a moment of revelation, but that they feel like they they encountered something different, and of course that they want to come back.
Derrick KennyOf course they want to come back. And so we have 20 years and you're celebrating your anniversary. What things or events did you have coming up that you would like people to be aware of that they can kind of gather around and make time to come and share in?
Programs, Nature Walks, And Summer Evenings
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. We are in the middle of our summer evenings program, which every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day on Saturday evenings were open until 8 p.m. All right. We also have a series of programs, and I should mention they're all free. Free! Um the programs are Thursday through Sunday, so anyone that has a ticket to Glenstone has access to these programs. We have staff talks uh where a curator will talk about a particular uh work of art. We have the daily nature walk, which is a wonderful guided opportunity. Daily nature walk? Yes.
Derrick KennyWow. But you need to get a ticket for that as well and kind of schedule it?
SPEAKER_02You do not need to schedule in advance. That is actually included in your ticket to Glenstone. And so the the nature walk meets in the uh pavilion's overlook at one o'clock when we're open. And you basically take a walk with our staff. Uh, it's a horticulturist and a guide, take you on a one-hour walk where they talk about the landscape, they talk about art. Uh it's really, really popular.
Derrick KennyNow we talked about this in another another episode um um at the butterfly garden. What is a horti horticulturalist, just for people that may not know, that when they go out with a guide and the horticulturalist, what is that and why is that important for the um for the walk?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. We get so many questions about nature here at Glenstone and you know what are the types of plants that we have, what species are doing well, which ones are deer resistant, and so our team is trained uh and extremely knowledgeable in the caring of the landscape, so they can identify plants for our visitors, they can suggest opportunities for how to care for uh their own landscapes at home, organic and using native plants. Okay. And so, all the while learning a little bit about Glenstone and about art along this walk.
Derrick KennyThat's very thoughtful. I've never, when we think about the the surrounding nature around buildings, you don't always think about the thought put in there. You mentioned things like deer resistant and some of the other things, and I see certain plants are lower and there's a mixture. So there's a lot of thoughtfulness, not only in the exterior of the building, but I guess there's a green roof.
Green Roof Design And Teamwork Culture
Derrick KennyWhat is the green roof? What is that all about?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it was really important for Thomas Pfeiffer, our architect, that the um building be integrated into the land. And so one of the ways that we did that is we excavated, we put the pavilions building that we're in really, really into the ground, quite literally.
Derrick KennyOh gosh.
SPEAKER_02And backfill dirt over the building and creating green roof opportunity. So when you walk around the passage, we call this sort of circulation route around the water court in the pavilions, you're actually walking underneath a green roof.
Derrick KennyOh wow, that's amazing. That's amazing. And of course, in Montgomery County, where there's a priority on the environment and being a good citizen of the war of the world, this building, this museum is a good example of that. Um what what what what is the the balance? Like, what is the balance like? How hard is it to maintain that balance between artists, exhibits, staff, and building maintenance, and then all the gosh, the wonderful, um, gosh, just the even in the interior, you have like a little a pool there on the interior. What is what what goes into that? Is there a lot of planning involved in that? Is there a lot of work behind the scenes? You mentioned the large staff, but I could imagine just the planning and the management of all that could be intimidating.
SPEAKER_02It is not. I'll tell you why. Okay. Our secret is collaboration and teamwork. All right. We have an amazing team of really talented individuals who really come together behind one goal. And we're very passionate and very motivated by our mission. And so, whether it's working on an exhibition that we want to make sure we're realizing that artist's vision or creating an incredible visitor experience, or we're caring for the landscape and and and the water court feature that you just mentioned, but it's all around teamwork and collaboration and having each other's back because ultimately we're working together for this greater mission called Glenstone. And so it's built in our DNA, it's our core values. Uh, we we talk about them all the time, but we actually practice what we preach. We we really collaborate and come together and celebrate our staff. We we love opportunities to highlight the work of the water corps, for example. Uh, we have Thursday morning talks where John Sanders, our water uh horticulturist, will talk to visitors about his work and share his pride in what he does. Uh similarly, Split Rocker, we have a split rocker technician, Chris Ryan, on our team, who is now doing weekly talks, talking to visitors about what it takes to care for this living sculpture with 22,000 flowering plants.
Derrick Kenny22,000 flowering plants?
SPEAKER_02Yes.
Derrick KennyThere's a lot about this environment that's intimidating uh by the scope, just the the grandness of everything that's involved. Uh and you, your passion, I can feel your passion. Uh let's talk about you. I'm gonna be a little no nosy. What what is it um that you do? Of course, you already talked about what you do a little bit um as the senior director of public engagement. But what's what's your background like that gets you so excited about Glenstone?
Valentina’s Path From Architect To Host
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I joined Glenstone 14 years ago this summer as a recent architecture graduate. So I'm an architect by training.
Derrick KennyOkay. All right. So you when you see the building and you and you see the lines and you you you assess it um not only for its beauty, but just many other nuances that a professional like yourself could appreciate, it's it's a little different.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. It's very rewarding to have been part of the design and construction process. Typically, architects walk away once that's done. And I got to stay. I had the you were part of the design process?
Derrick KennyWow, let's give you your kudos.
SPEAKER_02Thank you.
Derrick KennyWhat was what was that like? That's that has to be there. What was here before you built this? Was there something here?
SPEAKER_02So this part of the property was actually a farm, a working farm. Wow. Before the pavilions was built. Okay. And the land literally got reshaped around this idea of building the pavilions where it is. We even moved a tree. There's a beautiful story about a tree, I'll tell you.
Derrick KennyYou moved it or you removed it?
SPEAKER_02We relocated a tree. Wow, you relocated.
Derrick KennyThat's that's that's love. Okay.
SPEAKER_02And in order to put the building where it is. And so uh the site looked very different back then. But we worked in concert with the most talented design team of architects, landscape designers, um, contractors to come together to build this. So having been part of that design journey, it's extremely rewarding to still be here today.
Derrick KennyIt's incredible.
SPEAKER_02Delivering this experience that that I was lucky to be a part of designing.
Derrick KennyNow, what is it that you want you want um people to feel or to experience when they come to visit?
SPEAKER_02I would say um the word that comes to mind is serene and calm. Okay. That that when they're walking around nature, that they feel this sense of calm, that their worries have sort of washed away as they're entering the property. And that through an interaction with our staff or through our interaction with um an artwork, that they have a different perspective on any given subject.
Derrick KennyOh wow. Okay.
SPEAKER_02And they walk away feeling inspired.
What You’ll See Inside The Pavilions
Derrick KennyAll right. Now, let's talk a little bit just very quickly about the artists that are being featured. Um, what are some of the types of exhibits people can expect to see here? I've walked into a room that's totally different. Like the walls are art, the there's a there's a there's an exhibit in the middle, there's all these things happening. It's some of the art's physical. How would what what types of art can people look forward to seeing here?
SPEAKER_02So I love to start by saying there's a little bit for everyone. And so we have a combination. I said earlier we are a modern and contemporary art museum. Contemporary means we're working with living artists, which is really wonderful because we're hearing firsthand how they want to see their work presented. So here in the pavilions, we have the room that you're mentioning is Alex de Corte's uh exhibition, and he really spent multiple months with our team designing that space for his work. Uh, and that's a rotating exhibition space.
AnnouncerOkay.
SPEAKER_02In contrast, we have the room preceding it, room five, which is a work by Michael Heiser, which we like to say it's on long-term view. So that's a room that was designed for that one artwork. And it was the room was built around the artwork itself. So that one's not going away anytime soon.
Derrick KennyNo, how would you describe that room? Some people are only listening to this podcast, so they're not able to see everything. So that's why I asked a lot of questions about the environment, the building, and all those things. Those two rooms, let's describe those rooms for people that aren't able to see them.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So, room six, the Alex DeCorto room I just mentioned, is one of these spaces that really draws you in because before you even enter the room, you see bright colors on the walls, which are also part of the artwork, as you mentioned.
Derrick KennyYeah, it really is.
SPEAKER_02And as you are drawn into this room that is rich in color, it's very immersive. You walk in and you see artwork with neon lights and bright colors. Um, and it's one of my favorite rooms, uh, I have to say, right now, because you almost get lost in it as you're going through the experience. Um there's uh Alex DeCorte is known for using a lot of uh pop icons in his uh practice, so you'll see some familiar faces as you're going through. Um, you know, there's the Mr. Rogers uh note in the video. Um, there's also cartoon characters. So there's a sense of nostalgia as well as you're going through the space.
Derrick KennyEven down to the trolley. Even down to the trolley in Mr.
SPEAKER_02Rogers neighborhood. So that's one of my favorite rooms. I can't walk into that room and not walk out with a smile on my face. Wow. Uh and then room five, you were mentioning earlier, is a space that's very different in contrast. Uh, Michael Heiser is uh known for land art and doing these very large-scale interventions into the land. In this case, it's an intervention into the building. And the uh room or the gallery is actually open to the sky. So the visitor, while they're still inside of the pavilion's building, has a moment to sort of step outside and see his artwork in the elements, in the daylight, uh year-round. Oh wow. Uh and it's a very different experience. So the other thing I will mention is every room in the pavilions is a different experience. By the way that the artwork is displayed, or maybe the natural light or lack thereof uh is a very different experience.
Derrick KennyAll right.
Tickets, Walk Up Entry, And Farewell
Derrick KennyNow, before we go, let's remind people of how to get in touch with the museum, um, where to go to find more information, and more most importantly, how do they get those tickets?
SPEAKER_02Yes, so on our website, www.glenstone.org, you can schedule tickets. You can also find information to prepare for your visit if you've never visited before. And we just ask that you let us know you're coming. Schedule that ticket in advance. If you can't find a ticket, our website is updated in real time, so fret not, check again. And then don't forget the guaranteed entry program, uh, which allows for walk-ups without a reservation for educators, students over the age of 12, active duty military and veterans, and museum professionals, and of course, our favorite, the ride on bus. Anyone coming on their ride on bus.
Derrick KennyAll right.
SPEAKER_02Uh, and all that information is on our website.
Derrick KennyWell, thank you so much, Valentina, and thank you to the entire Glenstone Museum, 150 strong staff for having us here today. And thank you out there for listening and watching what's happening, Moco. Um gosh, so impressed. And sh it's so true that after seeing the exhibits and the building and all the environment, you are at a point where you are totally stunned and need to reflect. So like, share, and by all means, by all means, get your tickets and come to this free wonderful, amazing museum.
SPEAKER_02Thank you, Derek.
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