There are some magnificent works here at the Smithsonian; works in oil on canvas, works in stone and bronze and gold and silver and diamonds. Works by great masters, trained by great masters, working at the heighth of their powers in a medium refined throughout centuries. So why is it that the one work that’s entranced me the most so far on my tour is made out of hand-me-down furniture, garbage, tinfoil, and cigarette packs?

The Throne

James Hampton’s The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millenium General Assembly was built in a garage in northern DC. Hampton was a janitor, who worked on the piece in obscurity, by himself, for over a decade. He considered himself a prophet, referred to himself as a saint, wrote in a code that has not yet been broken, and created ineffable beauty from garbage.

There are worlds within us all, it turns out, and astonishing things come to pass when we let them out, in whatever form they take. Fear not.