The Air and Space Museum’s Ask and Expert Lecture series is at it again this Wednesday with a look into the life of Russian cosmonaut Gherman Titov. Photo courtesy of Eric Long, Air and Space Museum

Monday August 1 Artistic Monday

Don’t let the Monday blues creep in today. Join the Freer and the Sackler Galleries for ExplorAsia instead. Come to galleries 6 and 7 of the Freer at 1:30 to delve into the arts of Japan in Seasons: Arts of Japan. Explore paintings of cranes and owls. Marvel at the beauty of cherry blossoms or the paintings of the Japanese samurai as you discover the sights, sounds and activities of the seasons in Japan. Listen to beautiful poetry or create your own whimsical verse. Children are invited to act out what they see in the paintings and are encouraged to explore how a Japanese screen is made and used. This two-hour event is free and family-friendly so come for an hour or two.

Tuesday August 2 Make a Doll

Head down to the Anacostia Community Museum for a fun activity. Come to the program room of the museum at 10:30 where artist Camilla Younger is facilitating a workshop that invites visitors to create doll pins from a variety of crafts materials. After the dolls are complete, explore the exhibitions Anacostia has to offer. This event is free and visitors are invited to swing by the program room anytime between 10:30 and 12. For reservations call 202-633-4844.

Wednesday August 3 Russian Cosmonauts

This Wednesday at noon head to the Air and Space Museum for a special event. Meet at the museum seal in Milestones of Flight, Gallery 100 on the 1st floor of the museum take part in Ask an Expert Lecture Series. This Wednesday, join presenter Cathleen Lewis from the museum’s Space History Division as she explains the history, collections and the personality of Gherman Titov. Born in Verkhneye Zhilino, Titov was chosen as Russia’s second cosmonaut. He flew the Vostok 2 mission that launched in August of 1961, completing his mission in less than 26 hours after orbiting the earth 17 times. The 25-year-old cosmonaut was the youngest person to ever fly in space. After learning about Gherman Titov, explore the rest of Fifty Years of Human Flight.

Thursday August 4 Explore Ancient Central America

During the late 19th-century, travelers, scientists, politicians and archaeologists returned from Central America with never-before-seen artifacts. Numerous pieces ended up in museums or private collections, but regardless of their final resting places, the collections have helped define a unique history of Central America. This Thursday, join the Smithsonian Latino Center for the symposium, “Collecting Ancient Central America: Museums, Explorers, and Archaeologists in the Pursuit of the Past.” Come to the Rasmuson Theater on the first level of the American Indian Museum at 7 to take part. Keynote speaker Dr. John Hoopes of the University of Kansas will explain how individuals and institutions, as well as social and political factors have impacted the collecting of objects from Belize, Guatemala and Panama. This event is free, ending at 8:30.

Friday August 5 Dinner and a Movie

Friday is date night, so come to the American Indian Museum for dinner and a movie. Grab some dinner at the Zagat-rated Mitsitam Cafe  between 5 and 6:30 then head into the Rasmuson Theater at 7 for the world premiere of “Always Becoming,”  a new film by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Nora Naranjo-Morse. The film explores issues of Native identity, place and memory through the creation of modern sculpture. After the screening stick around for a question and answer session with director Nora Naranjo-Morse. Dinner is à la carte from the cafe, but the screening is a free event, seats are limited so be sure to register.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

No. 5, by Takiguchi Kazua, image courtesy of the Sackler Gallery

Basking in the glow of reflecting pool on the underground fourth level of the Sackler Gallery, is a collection of ceramic arts that represents significant trends in Japanese pottery from the 1930s onwards—a period in which traditional workshop masters took on new roles as studio potters, reviving ancient firing and glazing technology in attempts to create new expressive forms of art.

A mere dozen or so pieces show how ceramic artists of this era departed from conventional ideas of function to hand create more sculptural forms, essentially giving up the potters wheel that had been the staple of Japanese pottery.

The new exhibition “Reinventing the Wheel: Japanese Ceramics 1930-2000,” which opened July 23, is a celebration of the museum’s imminent 25th anniversary. (The gallery opened to the public in 1987, five years after Arthur M. Sackler, the museum’s founder, left his collection of 1,000 masterpieces of Asian art.)

“The purpose of the exhibition was to show some of the best pieces from the collection of modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics,” says curator Louise Cort. “I wanted to highlight these pieces. Most of the pieces have never been seen before so it’s a chance for people to see new things.”

The gallery glows with light that comes from multiple hidden sources. It is an underground space yet natural lighting seems somehow to pierce the three floors overhead and highlight the pieces in the cases. Deep blue and sky-colored pottery blended into the blue tiles of the reflecting pool. Earthy tones of dusty red and green glazes enriched the space as the architectural columns and sounds of running water elicited the feeling of being in a sunlit forest. It was a peculiar feeling, being so far below the surface but seeming to be perched atop the sunlit atrium.

“I chose absolutely what I thought were the most outstanding pieces in the collection. I had a limit on the number of pieces that could be used because of that very peculiar architecture in that space so I had to cut down the list until pieces would fit into that limited number of cases. I wanted pieces that looked good together, and I wanted to show, as much as possible, pieces that people had never seen before. So it was a combination of the goal of the exhibit and the practical matter of what pieces looked good together or next to each other,” says Cort.

Form is obviously ranking high over function, these pieces would not be found on a dinner table. Precise edges and symmetry are replaced by uneven curves, even just blobs. But their simple elegance and beauty can not be disputed.

A curious metallic-silver ceramic, entitled No. 5 by Takiguchi Kazua’s, seems to be sprouting a head and arms. The label says that the artist stretched a single sheet of clay to make the piece, in hopes of evoking a human or animal body.

“We sat and talked about the way in which the role of the potters wheel came into question among many potters in the mid 20th-century, and as people felt that they wanted to move beyond the cylindrical, symmetrical form that one gets from making a pot on the potters wheel and treat ceramics as sculpture or treat it, at the very least, as asymmetrical. And that title, Reinventing the Wheel, popped out,” says Cort.

The caldonian gecko, one of the zoo's many reptiles. Photo courtesy of Mehgan Murphy/National Zoo

Friday July 29 Can You Take the Heat?

This Friday break out of the usual and visit the Natural History Museum for a special treat. Come to the Ocean Hall on the first floor of the museum at 12 for the Discovery Theater’s “Real Cost Cafe.” Become a guest “chef” on a Food Channel-type television show with a TV chef “host” and assistant. Try on the chef hat for size and see if you can take the heat as viewers learn how everyday choices at restaurants and fish markets can affect our ocean resources. Afterwards, journey through the Ocean Hall to explore more about aquatic life. This event is free and is fun for the whole family. Can’t make it at 12 p.m. ? The event repeats at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. as well.

Saturday July 30 Reptile Discovery Day

Don’t spend one of the last precious summer weekends indoors. Come to the National Zoo for a chelonian celebration for Reptile Discovery Day. Come to the Reptile Discovery Center at 11 a.m. to meet the Zoo’s turtles, tortoises, lizards and the other fascinating reptiles that call the Zoo home. Talk to the Zoo scientists who are working to save reptiles and amphibians in the wild and learn about their current research and rescue projects. Stick around for animal demonstrations throughout the day. This three-hour event is free and family-friendly, offering educational activities and fun programs for children and parents alike.

Sunday July 31 Get Creative

This Sunday escape the heat at the Anacostia Community Museum. Come to the Program Room of the museum at 1 for a chance to get creative with the Paper Mosaic workshop. In this workshop, participants will be able to learn about the work that goes into creating beautiful mosaics. After the introduction, dig in and create your own unique picture with small bits of colored and patterned paper to replicate a mosaic image from the museum. This event is free and lasts two hours but reservations are required so call 202-633-4844 to save a spot. Can’t make it today? Swing back by Anacostia on August 20 for a repeat of this workshop.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

Owney on a mail bag, courtesy of the National Postal Museum

Monday July 25 Harry Potter Time

Make this Monday magical by coming to the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center‘s Airbus IMAX Theater for a trip into the wizarding world. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II has come to the Airbus Theater, presenting the Chosen One in all his wonder on a sky-high IMAX screen with six-channel digital surround sound. Join other Muggles as you watch Part 2 of the epic battle between the good and evil forces in the wizarding world. Will Harry defeat Lord Voldemort? Will the wizarding world be safe again? The stakes have never been higher as the Harry Potter saga comes to its close. This film plays daily at 4:30, 7:15 and 10. Tickets can be purchased at the box office prior to the show or online.

Tuesday July 26 Portraits Alive!

Try something new this Tuesday at National Portrait Gallery, head out for Portraits Alive. Meet in the F Street lobby at 2:15 to begin this new twist on portrait viewing. Watch as local teenagers lead a theatrical tour that brings the Portrait Gallery’s collections to life through an original, student-written play. Made possible by DC’s 2011 Summer Youth Employment Program, the teen guides take visitors on a memorable journey incorporating a variety of portraits throughout the gallery and perform biographical portrayals of the subjects represented in the photographs, paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints of the museum. This event is free and fun for the whole family so don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the subjects in the Portrait Gallery.

Wednesday July 27 Celebrate Owney the Postal Dog

At the Postal Museum this Wednesday, there is cause for celebration. Beginning at 11, check out the First Day of Issue Ceremony for Owney the Postal Dog. Owney became the unofficial mascot of the Railway Mail Service in the 19th-century when the scruffy pooch climbed aboard a rail train and traveled the nation for nine years, garnering fame and glory.  Now the U.S. Postal Service and Postal Museum are celebrating the issuance of a Forever Stamp in honor of Owney. Join museum staff and supporters at 11 for the First Day Issue Ceremony and remarks. Then at noon have some fun with the Owney Festival. Enjoy hands-on activities including making an Owney tag, sorting mail in the Rail Way Post Office, creating a stamp collection and more. At 2 join Dirk Wales, author of A Lucky Dog: Owney, U.S. Rail Mail Mascot, for a book talk. Afterwards be one of the first museum visitors to see Art of the Stamp: Owney the Postal Dog, featuring the original stamp art and Owney himself, newly conserved and ready for the spotlight. This is a free event that the whole family can enjoy. 

Thursday July 28 Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Get out of the heat this Thursday and come to the Anacostia Community Museum for Part 1 of “Stories from the Negro Leagues.” Come to the museum’s Program Room at 10:30 for a presentation by David Haberstich, curator of photography in the American History Museum’s Archives Center, and Dwayne Sims the founder and CEO of the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame. The first Negro League was formed in February of 1920 in Kansas City, Missouri. The appeal of the Negro League soon spread throughout the country as leagues were created in the Midwest and the South. Listen as Haberstich and Sims lead a discussion about Addison Scurlock‘s images of Negro Leagues figures and Howard University sports. After, explore the related exhibit Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia. This event is free and family-friendly.

Friday July 29 Meet an Astronaut

Come out to the Air and Space Museum this Friday for a chance to meet Al Worden, one of the astronauts of Apollo 15. Visit  the Moving Beyond the Earth Gallery, gallery 113 on the first floor of the east wing, at 11. Listen as Worden discusses and signs copies of his book Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut’s Journey to the Moon to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 15 space flight. Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the fourth mission to land successfully on the moon. It is considered by NASA as the most successful manned flight ever achieved. Join Worden at 11 for a book talk moderated by space history curator Allan Needell. A question-and-answer session will take place following the discussion as well as a live webcast. Beginning at 12:30 Worden will host a three hour book signing and festivities will end at 5. This is a free event and copies of Worden’s book are available for purchase in the museum store.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

Visitors participating in the "Forensic Friday" event at which a child's cast iron coffin and other skeletal remains from the Richards Family Crypt are analyzed by Dr. Doug Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide. This Friday’s guest is the FBI Explosives Unit. Photo courtesy of Chip Clark/NMNH.

Friday July 22 Meet the FBI Explosives Unit

Try something different this Friday with a trip to the Natural History Museum for Forensic Friday. Meet in the Forensic Anthropology Lab on the northwest end of the 2nd floor, inside the exhibition Written in Bone, at 10:30. There join forensic scientists from the FBI’s Explosives Unit as they study new cases and those from the past. Listen as they explain the art of the forensic science of improvised explosive devices, incendiary devices and their respective remains. Ask the investigators your own questions and observe the basic methods of their work as you watch them analyze new cases. After, explore the related exhibition, Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake. This event is free and fun for the whole family. Can’t make it at 10:30? Forensic Files is offered again today at 1.

Saturday July 23 Catch a Summer Concert

When the July heat cools in the evening hours, head over to the American Indian Museum this Saturday for a night of music. Meet in the Welcome Plaza outside the main entrance of the museum at 5 for the Living Earth Concert. The concert is in conjunction with the Living Earth Festival and features three performances that are emceed by guitarist Stevie Salas. Tonight’s concert presents the Pappy Johns Band from the Six Nations of The Grand River of Ontario, Canada. The groups music is an infusion of blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Also playing are the family band, Plateros from the eastern agency of the Navajo Nation in Tohajilee, New Mexico. Don’t miss Gregg Analla, Isleta and Laguna Pueblo, musicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico. This free summer concert lasts until 7.

Sunday July 24 An Afternoon of Poetry

This Sunday venture to the Anacostia Community Museum for Gullah Inspirations, an afternoon of interpretation, preservation and community connections. Go to the museum’s program room at 2 for the event, “Composition in Genre and Culture: The Teen Spoken Word.” Listen to some of the most prominent of young writers, participants in the “Composition in Genre and Culture: Summer Teen Writing Workshop,” as they share their poetry and their stories. Listen as they explain their works and give inspirational reflections on the Gullah Culture. After, explore the related exhibition, Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language or check out more of the Gullah related programs to explore the Gullah and Geechee culture. This event is free but come early to guarantee a seat.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

The Natural History Museum’s IMAX film Tornado Alley chronicles the life of a scientist initiative and a film crew on a journey to see the birth of a tornado. Photo courtesy of Sean Casey.

Any other day I would have been thrilled to take time off to go see a movie for work, but the Natural History Museum’s IMAX film Tornado Alley had me a little hesitant. I live in the area of northern Georgia that was hit hard by tornadoes in April. Seeing the destruction so close to my hometown was devastating. Driving through the ruins of Ringgold, GA, the town that once held my pre-school, nearly brought me to tears and I did not know how seeing more devastation would affect me.

Luckily for the other viewers in the theater I felt little anxiety, but Tornado Alley did give me goosebumps from start to finish.

Narrated by Bill Paxton, star of the 1996 film Twister, the new IMAX film Tornado Alley chronicles the lives of those who chase storms for either scientific data or cinematic gold. The destination for these storm chasers is Tornado Alley, a group of Midwestern states that stretches from South Dakota down to Texas, where 80 percent of the world’s most violent tornadoes are born.

The first of the storm chasers, Sean Casey, has had a mission for the past eight years: to get inside a tornado and film the perfect shot. This crazy idea banded together with an even crazier vehicle—the TIV-2—couples with the more studious antics of the scientific program called VORTEX 2, the mission for these scientific storm chasers is to make visible the unseen architecture of a tornado. Their goal: to determine which storms produce tornadoes and which do not, so that an earlier and more accurate warning can be provided to those in harm’s way.

I spoke with Casey shortly after watching the film and achieved a better understanding of his motivations for filming Tornado Alley. Casey says he discovered his interest in storm chasing oddly enough, while filming the mating season of migrating red crabs on Christmas Island. He told me in an attempt to avoid island fever, he checked out a book on storm chasing from the local public library and found his passion.

“The first chase I went on I fell instantly head over heels in love with the whole environment, the whole activity of chasing these storms and being very active and always trying to stay with these things, waiting for that magical moment when they would produce these tornadoes,” said Casey. “Every year I got more comfortable with chasing tornadoes and every year I had the desire to get closer so I came up with the idea of building a vehicle that we could actually drive into a tornado. With the TIV we could film action up close in the relative safety of an armored car.”

As the name TIV-2 implies there was once a TIV-1. Made on the frame of an Ford F-450 pickup truck, TIV-1 weighed 15,000 pounds, had a 60-gallon gas tank, bullet proof windows and a top speed of 80 miles-per-hour. But 80 mph was just not fast enough to outrun a tornado. TIV-2 first made its appearance in 2008 weighing in a tiny bit less at 14,000 pounds, with a 92-gallon gas tank, a roof mounted, bullet-proof-glass turret and this vehicle topped out at more than 100 miles-per-hour.  The only thing missing were cup holders and Casey says it was a deliberate act. As the storm chaser explains on the official Tornado Alley Website, less comforts mean that the team is more willing to brave the dangers of driving into a supercell storm to get the perfect shot of a tornado’s beauty and its destructive power.

With the addition of TIV-2 to the team, Casey and crew were ready to set out in search of the one-in-a-million shot of tornado genesis.

“This has been my life for the last eight years. I don’t want to spend time in the field and bring back an ordinary image,” said Casey during the film.

VORTEX 2, on the other hand, is not a one vehicle team. It is the largest tornado research project in history. Deploying more than 40 cars and trucks, V2 sends out mobile weather detecting vehicles, Dopplers on Wheels, storm pods, ariel crafts and more, into the path of oncoming tornadoes hoping to surround the supercell storms in order to document the formation of a tornado.

As a fully nomadic program, V2 has no home base but instead travels from state to state within Tornado Alley following severe weather outbreaks. With a staff of more than 100 researchers and scientists, V2 almost doubled the size of some small towns along their journey. During the filming period V2 witnessed 25 tornadoes and obtained 30 terabytes—or one trillion bytes—of data which is now being processed.

In the film, Don Burgess, chief scientist on one of V2’s mobile radars, is seen climbing into a weather detecting vehicle. “I relish the excitement,” he says with a boyish grin, “and the chance to do this one more time.”

The film has plenty of footage of people waiting. Casey and team wait for the perfect storm to emerge. V2 waits for a blown-out tire to be changed. When the drama finally unfolds as a tornado takes shape, both teams hit the ground sprinting as they venture into the heart of the supercell. The tornado touches down sending 55-gallon oil barrels flying like leaves on a windy day, only to be gone the next minute. The V2 researchers surround the massive supercell hoping to collect the severe weather data that will make this mission a success. Casey and TIV-2 drive into the tornado staring in awe as the massive supercell engulfs the TIV and viewers stare in wonderment into the heart of a tornado. It is amazing, breathtaking and horrific.

“It’s really scary; it’s terrifying you really never know whats going to happen,” Casey told me. “It’s those moments when you lose control and you have a tornado catching you, those are the most terrifying moments. When you decide that you can’t out run it anymore, and you stop and you see trees snapping behind you—those are really the only times in my life when I’ve felt that sensation of death perched on [my] back. That dark pressure just at the base of [my] spine.”

The screen goes dark as the audience is left wondering what happened? The film skips to the aftermath. Homes were ripped apart, trees down all around, families looking devastated at the wreckages that were once their neighborhoods. Children darting through a maze of tree branches. A heart-breaking sight.

“These families were saved because they had enough time to get to safety,” Paxton narrates.

I was shocked. The excitement of the hunt was so quickly destroyed by the severity of the aftermath. Then it all made sense and the entire film was put into perspective. I thought the storm-chasers were crazy, that no sane person would risk his life for the glory of capturing a tornado on film or to collect data instrumental to understanding the power of tornadoes. But these storm-chasers spend years trying to collect data that will take even more time to analyze. V2’s work is pushing meteorological boundaries in hopes of saving lives and Casey is bringing attention to one of the world’s deadliest natural disasters.

“It is a life changing experience,” said Casey. “It’s life in Tornado Alley and its got me.”

Tornado Alley plays at 2:20, 4:15 and 6:10 PM. Admission prices for Members is $6.00, $9.00 for Adults, $8.00 for Seniors and $7.50 for Children.

It is National Zookeeper week, to celebrate the National Zoo will be hosting a discussion panel with several of the zookeepers Wednesday night. Courtesy of Lisa Ware, Smithsonian National Zoo

Monday July 18 Star Light, Star Bright

Take a trip to the outer limits this Monday by visiting the Air and Space Museum‘s Albert Einstein Planetarium to see Journey to the Stars and learn about the history of our universe. Do you know how a star is made? Now find out as the film shows the birth of a star from hydrogen, helium gas and dark matter. Then learn about the formation of star clusters and how the planets were formed. Watch million-degree corona blasts and the fusion of atomic nuclei. The film plays Monday at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30. 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30. Tickets start at $7 and can be purchased before the show at the box office or online.

Tuesday July 19 Drawing Workshop African Art Style

Get the creative juices flowing this Tuesday.  Meet at the Information Desk in the Pavilion of the African Art Museum at 1 to participate in Come Draw With Us, a demonstration and drawing workshop. Visitors ages 12 and up are invited to engage in the senses by trading in keypads for pencils. A docent will give a brief introduction to the arts and culture of African peoples then visitors can set out into the galleries to sketch, draw, and create other works of art. Afterwards join other artists in a gentle critique of the works. This two-hour event is free but reservations are required so call 202-633-4632 or email africanartprograms@si.edu. All materials are provided and all levels of experience are welcome to participate.

Wednesday July 20 Celebration at the National Zoo

It’s National Zoo Keeper Week and the National Zoo is celebrating with a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of Zoo Keepers this Wednesday night from 6:30 to 7:30. Join a group of panelists as they discuss what Zoo Keepers really do and explain the ins and outs of the work behind-the-scenes that keeps the Zoo running smooth. Listen as the panelists describe research and data findings and hear about the stories of what it really takes to monitor the health and behavior of the animals. Then discover how Zoo Keepers create enriching opportunities for both animals and visitors. After, stick around to meet the Keepers in a special meet-and-greet. The panel will be headed by Brandie Smith—the National Zoo’s curator of the Asia Trail and giant pandas—and will feature the keepers for the primates, pandas, great cats and reptiles. This event is free and is open to all ages.

Thursday July 21 Funk Art!

Spice up Thursday night with a trip to the Kogod Courtyard of the American Art Museum for Take 5!, the museum’s summer concert series. Come to the courtyard at 5 and visit the cafe or borrow a board game to play as you wait for the band to begin. This week, D.C.’s own Funk Art will be performing their soulful music into the night. Led by keyboardist Will Rast, Funk Art’s music draws on the influences of African and Latin dance music scenes of the 1960s and 1970s, including horns and a dynamic rhythm section. Feeling the creative spirit? ArtJamz is setting up a studio during the concerts and registered participants are invited to paint during the show. The concert is a free event lasting until 8, ArtJamz has a registration fee of $40 payable online.

Friday July 22 Mars Day!

This Friday is Mars Day so celebrate the day in style by coming to the Air and Space Museum between 10 and 3. Celebrate the Red Planet with educational and fun family activities. Talk to museum scientists, NASA scientists and Natural History scientists as they speak about their work in Mars research and learn about current and future missions. See a meteorite that fell from Mars and learn what it really takes to plan a mission to the Red Planet. Explore images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter then view a 3D model of the surface of Mars. Afterwards learn about the geologic features of of the planet (Did you know there are volcanoes on Mars?). Head outside to the Public Observatory on the museum’s east courtyard to check out the skies through the telescope. This event is free and happening throughout the museum so visit the information desk or check out the detailed schedule of Mars Day activities.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Online Visitors Guide.

Scavengers play Pheon. Photo by Rebecca Reed, American Art Museum

Friday July 15 Discover the Inca Road

This Friday the American Indian Museum is offering an inside look into the Inca Road, the most extensive and advanced system of transportation in pre-Columbian South America. Extending from modern-day Ecuador to Argentina, the road covered an estimated 25,000 miles and now visitors can learn about the historical trail. Come to suite 4018 on the 4th level of the museum at 12:30 to take part in a series of realtime discussions with members of a multinational research team of engineers and archeologists located in the city of Cusco and the Ancash region of Peru, where they study the construction of the ancient South American highway. Listen as members of the team detail experiences and discoveries from their work. The two-hour event is free and is one of four broadcasts that make up the series.

Saturday July 16 Scavenger Hunt at American Art

Have a little fun this Saturday by going to the American Art Museum to play the scavenger hunt game, Pheon. Sign up at the Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor  west wing of the museum, between 2:30 and 4. Work as a team as you try to navigate your way through this multimedia scavenger hunt. Test your ingenuity as you explore the collections, create objects and use your cell phone to text answers to clues that lead you to the finish line. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and come prepared with a sense of adventure and a text messaging enabled cell phone. This event is free and is fun for the whole family so take part in Pheon between 2:30 and 6 Saturday afternoon.

Sunday July 17 Explore the New American History Exhibit

There is a new exhibit at the American History Museum, join staff this Sunday as they provide an introduction and overview of For All the World to See, Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights. Come to African American History and Culture gallery located on the East Wing of the second floor of the museum between 10:30 and 1:45. Discover the way visual images shaped and influenced the Civil Rights movement, transforming the fight for racial equality and justice. Listen as museum facilitators explain the framework of the exhibit and answer visitors’ questions. This is a free event and is appropriate for all ages.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibits see the GoSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

More on Race: Are We So Different is on view at the Natural History Museum

Race and racism are complex subjects, but the Natural History Museum takes them on with energy and zeal in a new exhibition, Race: Are We So Different? The show is the first national exhibition to spell out the construct of “race” and all that it encompasses from a biological, cultural and historical point of view.

Race acknowledges the fact that people are different and seeks to examine the historical consequences of the idea of “race.” Visitors can participate in a number of activities and view different materials that help show the impact of race and explain the history of race as a biological concept. The exhibit is staffed with volunteers trained to encourage dialog and reflection. One of the volunteers, Caitlyn Harkin, explained some of the more complex ideas behind the exhibit.

Harkin, who is completing an undergraduate degree in American Studies at George Washington University, underwent up to 30 hours of training to staff the exhibit, learning about the content of the show, strategies for engaging visitors and addressing various race-related issues.

Race: Are We So Different? tackles the issue of race and racism, which can be tricky subjects sometimes. What have been your experiences with race thus far in the exhibit?

There have been some guests that felt objection to certain parts of the exhibit, particularly in the science content, but overall I would say that the reception from the public has been enormously positive. I have talked to many families in the exhibit who have faced, in their lives, many of the issues the content covers, and who have been happy to see such issues addressed in such a prominent forum. And they too have added a great deal to the exhibition. Through their willingness to engage with facilitators and museums guests their own diverse and unique stories have greatly enhanced what Race is trying to do.

Race and racism are important issues in society but are often overlooked, why address them?

Problems never get solved by ignoring them; great social change is never the product of complacency. By bringing the issues that come along with race to the forefront, we are providing an opportunity for people to better understand not only the history and sociology of race, but each other. I truly believe that it is that understanding that is fundamental to human progress in terms of race relations.

The exhibit seeks to show that race is not rooted in biology. Why is this an important fact for people to know and understand?

By discussing the genetics—or lack thereof—of race, we eliminate the argument that there is something fundamentally, on a molecular level, different about people. We are then left to explore what those other social and historical factors are that lead to the development of race as we know it today.

There have been visitors of all ethnicities viewing the exhibition. Does that emphasize the point of the exhibit at all?

While the exhibition is designed to enrich even the most homogenous of audiences, the diversity within the exhibit was excellent, and in many ways it does highlight the undercurrent that runs under everything in the exhibit, which is that race is still a very present and very important thing in this country.

If there was one thing that every exhibit visitor should take away, what would that be?

That race is not inherent in our genetics, but rather a social construct developed over time, which continues to be a strong and ever present force in our country and in our lives.

Race: Are We So Different? will run until January 2, 2012. Volunteers are in the exhibit most days engaging visitors, answering questions and encouraging thoughtful conversation about the question of why people are different, as well as helping visitors explore the exhibit.

Winterton Conway Curtis (1875-1969) testified on behalf of John T. Scopes during the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Institution Archives is celebrating the 86th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial this month with the release of 25 newly digitized photographs from the trial. The images depict the scientists who served as evolution experts in defense of teacher John T. Scopes. The cache of images were discovered in the archives in 2005 by independent researcher Marcel C. LaFollette among papers and files donated to the Smithsonian in 1971. This marks the first time the photos have been assembled together on the web and have been added to the Smithsonian Flickr page.

The photographs were taken by Watson Davis, the managing editor of Science Service, an Associated Press-like news organization that produced and published science and technology stories from 1920 to 1963. “Watson Davis and Frank Thone, a writer for Science Service stayed in the “Defense Mansion”—an antebellum home on the outskirts of Dayton used as headquarters by Scopes’ defense team—with the prospective expert witnesses. They took photos of the group as well as individual portraits. This addition to our Scopes Trial set on Flickr represents a rare, complete, grouping of images of the witnesses in one place. We are always looking to add more of our great collections online and the anniversary of the trial offered an occasion to highlight more from the material in our collections documenting the events of July 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee,” says Tammy Peters, Supervisory Archivist with SIA, via e-mail.

July 21, 1925, marked the announcement of the verdict of “The Trial of the Century,” The State of Tennessee vs. Scopes, also referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial, and the subject of the famous play and film Inherit the Wind. Set in the small Tennessee town located a few miles outside of Chattanooga, high school teacher John T. Scopes was tried for breaking a law that banned the teaching of evolution in the state’s public schools. The arrest and prosecution of the teacher brought fame to Dayton, attracting the attention of lawyer Clarence Darrow and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

Darrow was chosen as lead defense attorney for Scopes with Bryan heading up the prosecution. The result was an eleven-day trial beginning on July 10, that saw the defense team call as witnesses a panel of scholars of the day, including geologist Wilbur Armistead Nelson, anthropologist Fay-Cooper Cole, zoologist Horatio Hackett Newman and zoologist Winterton Conway Curtis.

Curtis, (left) a professor from the University of Missouri and a trustee of the Marine Biological laboratory at Woods Hole, MA, testified on day seven.

On July 21, Scopes was convicted of violating the Tennessee law, a big win for pro-creationist Bryan, who died 5 days later, but the decision would not stand for long as the anti-evolution law was later repealed.

During the trial, Watson Davis, photographed the proceedings while serving as a reporter for the Science Service. Nearly 80 years later Davis’s nitrate negatives were found by LaFollette, who has meticulously worked to identify the subjects and date each of the images. Her 2008 book Reframing Scopes: Journalists, Scientists, and Lost Photographs from the Trial of the Century, highlights these and other images from the trial.

Additionally, the Smithsonian Archives needs your help. A number of the subjects in the photographs are as yet unidentified — can you help them figure out why they are and what their involvement in the trial was? Leave your comments on the “Unidentifed-Scopes Trial” Flickr set with your insight.

A 1941 Goddard Rocket on display in the Milestones of Flight gallery at the National Mall building. Credit: Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Monday July 11 ExplorAsia

Don’t let your Monday turn into a drag, join the Sackler Gallery for a special look at  The Orchids in Chinese Painting. Come to the exhibition gallery between 1:30 and 3:30 Monday afternoon and journey to China to discover the orchid. Examine ceramic flower containers and the orchid paintings in the gallery.  Then see if you’ve got what it takes as you try your hand at arranging flowers. Look closely at the works of art and then learn about the symbolism of the orchid in Chinese art. Design your own personal symbols or write a family poem as you listen to Chinese music. This event is free and family-friendly so come anytime during the 2-hour block.

Tuesday July 12 Discover Addy’s World

This Tuesday why not try something different? Come to the American History Museum and participate in Discover Addy’s World. Set out on this self-guided tour of the museum and explore life in the Civil War. Addy Walker is a nine-year old girl born into slavery who escapes to freedom with her mother in the Civil War. Follow the tour to learn how Addy lived and discover what life was like for other young African-American girls during the Civil War as you explore artifacts and stories throughout the museum. Bring your downloaded copy of the Self-Guide to the museum, and use it to collect the keep-sake stamps as you follow the tour. After, take the completed guide to one of the museum stores to qualify for a free gift.

Wednesday July 13 Missile Explanation

Come out Wednesday and join the Air and Space Museum staff as they offer the Ask an Expert Lecture Series. Meet at Milestones of Flight on the first floor, Gallery 100, at 12 to hear curator Michael Neufeld speak about the history of the Goddard 1940/41 Rocket. This was one of the most advanced rockets of its time. Equipped with turbo-pumps, it was powered by propellant which was forced into a high pressure combustion chamber. It was also the largest and last liquid-fuel flight rocket tested at Roswell, New Mexico, between 1938 and 1941. Ask Neufeld any questions you have about the rocket, then take your time exploring the rest of the world of rockets, satellites and space flight.

Thursday July 14 Check Out Al Najoom

Make your Thursday a memorable one and stop by the African Art Museum. Come to the pavilion at 2 to watch a performance by the Al Najoom Troupe. The troupe comes from Ja’alan Bani Bu Ali in Oman, Africa, a market town famous for its singers and dancers.  Oman’s traditional music combines aspects of the indigenous Arab Islamic culture with influences from East Africa and Asia and has a long history. Al Najoom, which means stars, is popular for the skill of their dancers, the precision of their musicians and the quality of their singers. The troupe is also known for its energetic and exuberant performances. This is a free event that the whole family can enjoy.

Friday July 15 3-D Adventure

Escape the heat this Friday with a trip to the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater of the Air and Space Museum for a 3D adventure. Hubble 3D takes viewers on a 3D ride accompanying the astronauts aboard the Hubble Space Telescope missions, one of the greatest achievements since Armstrong’s landing on the moon. Watch the astronauts as they attempt some of the most difficult tasks undertaken in NASA’s history. Sit back as you experience launches, project setbacks and daring rescues all as you learn about the infamous Hubble Telescope, one of the most important scientific instruments since Galileo’s telescope. This film has a run time of 45 minutes and plays daily at 12, 2:40, 4:40 and 6:40. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office prior to the show or online.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions go to the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

The Air and Space Museum will be broadcasting live the last launch of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program on Friday. Photo courtesy of Eric Long/ NASM

Friday July 8 Houston We Have Liftoff

Amp up your Friday with a free, live broadcast of the last space shuttle launch. Come to Moving Beyond Earth, Gallery 113, on the first floor of the Air and Space Museum at 11 to witness Atlantis (STS-135) take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis will carry upwards of 8,000 pounds of supplies to the space station. Upon homecoming, Atlantis and the space shuttle program will be shut down and America will have no launch vehicle for the first time in 30 years. Be sure not miss this historic moment, Atlantis takes off at 11:26  but come early to get a good seat.

Saturday July 9 Let’s Go Nats!

Take me out to the ball game! This Saturday join the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in offering you the fifth annual Nationals Baseball Family Day with the Washington Nationals Baseball Club. Come to the Kogod Courtyard of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, between 11:30 and 2. Take your picture with the ball players from 12 to 1. Then enjoy hands-on activities, make your own pennants or fan fingers at the arts and crafts table, or enjoy the musical performances. Afterwards, join a docent at 3:15 for a tour of Runs, Hits and Errors: the Boys of Summer at the National Portrait Gallery. This event is free and is family-friendly so come to the Reynolds Center and meet the Nationals!

Sunday July 10 Bodyguards and Assassins

Escape the July heat this Sunday and catch a free movie. Sunday swing by the Meyer Auditorium of the Freer Gallery to enjoy a film from the Sixteenth Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival. This Sunday the Freer and Sackler Galleries have chosen to present Bodyguards and Assassins for your viewing pleasure. Watch Donnie Yen — most known for his part in Blade II — in this thrilling martial-arts film set in early 20th-century Hong Kong. The Qing dynasty is holding firm to its power as the revolutionary movement spreads throughout China. As Sun Yat-Sen prepares for a meeting that will shape the future of China,  a crew of bodyguards is assigned to protect him from a set of deadly assassins. The 139-minute Cantonese film features English subtitles and an hour-long battle sequence unlike anything ever attempted.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

At the exhibition "On the Water," learn about pirates. Photo courtesy of the American History Museum

Tuesday July 5 Jury Duty

Join staff at the American History Museum this Tuesday afternoon as they offer you a look into the trial of John Brown. A revolutionary abolitionist, Brown became famous after his bloody raid on a federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. He was tried and executed for treason. Now you can become a part of history as you join the jury and deliberate on John Brown’s fate. Meet Brown and decide for yourself how history should remember this disputed figure. This free event begins at 2:30 in the Price of Freedom Theater on the third floor, East Wing, of the Museum.

Wednesday July 6 Under the Sea

Get out of the July heat this Wednesday with a trip to the Sant Ocean Hall at the Natural History Museum. There, search out an ocean scientist stationed within the exhibition. Then watch as the researcher shows a collection of specimens and artifacts under microscopes and on monitors. Listen to a talk about the scientific excursions to different locations, the field studies, the new discoveries and more.  This event is free and fun for the whole family so come to the Sant Ocean Hall between 1 and 3.

Thursday July 7 Pirates at American History?

Arggh, matey. Can you talk like a pirate? But do you really know the legacy of piracy? Well now the American History Museum is offering a theatrical primer in its new program, Am I A Pirate? Join actor and storyteller Xavier Carnegie at 11:30 in the exhibition On the Water: Stories from Maritime America and listen as he tells historical tales and songs that discover some truths behind the North American piracy and privateering legacy. Check out the artifacts from real pirates and privateers of the high seas. Then learn to separate pirate myth from pirate fact while you explore the lives and legacy’s of the nation’s seamen. This is a free, walk-in event that the whole family will enjoy so meet at On the Water on the first floor of the museum.

Friday July 9 The People Are Dancing Again

This Friday try something different and head over to the American Indian Museum for a celebration of the art and traditions of the Siletz Tribe of Oregon. From 10 to 4:30, join the tribe as you learn about Siletz basket weaving through demonstrations, watch as the tribe performs the traditional Nee-Dash dance and join a panel discussion featuring Charles Wilkinson, the author of The People are Dancing Again: The History of the Siletz Tribe of Western Oregon. Afterwards, you can join Wilkinson for a book signing or explore the rest of the museum. This is a free event held throughout the museum and repeats daily until July 10.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibitions go to the GoSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

To Fly, showing this weekend at the Air and Space Museum

Friday July 1 Celebration! Air and Space Turns 35!

This Friday marks the 35th Anniversary of the National Air and Space Museum. Help celebrate this birthday in style throughout the museum by coming for a visit between 10 and 7:30. Stop by the Lockheed Martin IMAX theater for a special treat. To Fly!, the IMAX movie that premiered on the opening day of Air and Space, is playing once again for the anniversary. But that’s not all, the tickets are being offered at 1976 prices, 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. The film starts at 11:20 and will be shown throughout the day until 2. Then at 2, meet the curators Michael Neufeld and Alex Spencer as they discuss the history of the Air and Space Museum and also sign copies of Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: An Autobiography. This book tells the story of the museum and collections from the museum’s opening days until the present time. Come by and wish the Air and Space Museum a happy birthday!

Saturday July 2 Portrait Story

Baseball is the American past time so why not spend your Saturday learning about one baseball’s greats? Swing by the Portrait Gallery‘s Education Center from 1 to 4, and listen to a story about legend Babe Ruth’s influence on American history and culture. The Great Bambino became one of the major league’s greatest hitters, helping the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series. After you have had your fill of Babe Ruth, make your own souvenir by creating a special piece of art. This free event is on a drop-in basis and is recommended for adults and children ages five and up.

Sunday July 3 Explore the Caves of Xiangtangshan!

Spend your Sunday immersed in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery with a free tour of Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan. Meet at the Sackler information desk at 1, then journey with your guide through the cave temples of Xiangtangshan in the innovative exhibition consisting of both ancient Chinese sculpture and digital components. Take in the sixth-century Chinese Buddhist sculpture, via 3D imaging, and explore one of the most important groups of Buddhist devotional sites in medieval China. Marvel at the video installation’s kinetic re-creation of one of the largest stone temples in Chinese history, then head to research kiosks to gather more detailed information about the exhibit. After you tour, be sure to check out the other exhibits the Sackler has to offer.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian Institution events and exhibits go to the GoSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

People are all different. But have you ever wondered why? Today, scientific understanding of human variation is challenging “racial” differences, even questioning the very concept of race. A new exhibit, “Race: Are We So Different?”, recently opened at the Natural History Museum. Find it on the northeast side of the 2nd floor of the museum. Today, volunteers will be in the exhibit engaging visitors, answering questions and encouraging thoughtful conversation about the science, history and culture behind the question of why people are different, as well as helping visitors explore the exhibit. Volunteers will be available throughout the day until closing, so feel free to swing by anytime.

Tuesday June 28 Trivia Hollywood Style

Get your game face on and make your Tuesday night memorable with a trip to the Kogod Courtyard located in the building that houses both the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum at 8th and F Streets. Starting at 6:30, play the Portrait Gallery’s trivia game, with questions drawn from the Gallery’s new multi-media collection and focusing on the history of Hollywood. The event is free, but the questions are hard, so kids might not enjoy it. Snacks and beverages are available for purchase from the Courtyard Cafe.

Wednesday June 29 Book Signing and Author Discussion

Take a trip beyond the Mall this Wednesday with a visit to the Anacostia Community Museum, located at 1901 Fort Place, SE.  Meet in the Program Room at 10:30 to hear from Dianne Dale, author of The Village That Shaped Us, as she tells the story of Washington, D.C.’s historic black community, Hillsdale, which was settled in 1867 by the Freedmen’s Bureau. Located within sight of the U.S. Capitol, the small neighborhood became a cornerstone of the city. Through illustrations, pictures and letters, Dale presents the story of this remarkable community. Join the author afterwards for a book signing. The event is free.

Thursday June 30 Delve Into Nature

Enjoy the outdoors this Thursday by visiting the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Habitat Garden. Meet at the garden entrance on the east side of the museum on Madison Drive and 9th Street at 2, for a free tour. Look for the garden’s lead horticulturalist, usually dressed in green, to discuss some of the plants that attract, feed and nurture butterflies. Afterwards, see how many different butterflies you can find as you do some exploration on your own. Here’s a helpful hint: butterflies are most attracted to pink, purple and lavender, so wear one of these colors if you really want to attract the beautiful insects. This event is held every Thursday, weather permitting.

The 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival begins today! Check back with Around the Mall for daily events listings and interviews with festival presenters.

Friday July 1 Break Out of Your Routine

Escape the heat this Friday with a trip to the American Indian Museum. Go the Lelawi Theater on the 4th level of the museum to view the free film. Who Are We? is a unique 13-minute experience that transports viewers to the Arctic, the Northwest Coast and the plateaus of Bolivia. Watch as the film reveals the diversity of modern Native life. The orientation film is shown daily between 10:15 and 4:45.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibits go to the GoSmithsonian Visitors Guide.