Deputy Director of the Plantation, Richard Pickering poses as Mayflower pilgrim. Image courtesy of the NMAH.

Richard Pickering and Kathleen Wall have been telling the same story for the past 25 years. Some might say, they are living in the past. But then again, as pilgrim interpreters from the Plimoth Plantation, playing the part of the original Mayflower settlers is their job.

This Sunday, November 11, Pickering and Wall will tell the story once more at the National Museum of American History, wearing the buckles and ruffles and dispelling the Thanksgiving myths and traditions as though they were the real deal, the 17th-century pilgrims Richard and Elizabeth Warren.

Warren was among those to arrive on the Mayflower and touch soil at Cape Cod, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620—exactly 392 years ago, next Sunday. His wife Elizabeth arrived three years later with their five children, and so the performance takes place in the year 1627, when the couple is living in the new colony.

Pickering, who is the deputy director of the plantation and a specialist in the food and culinary of the first colony, emphasizes the respect he has for those who survived the first settlement. Half of the community died within three months. Governor Bradford noted that during the first February in the new world, two or three people were dying daily. With these facts in mind, Pickering tells the tale of the first Thanksgiving with the grim accuracy of the colony’s hardships and travails.

“When you really think about these factors, there’s that sense of here you are—the edge of the civilized world. When you’re recreating someone else’s life, honoring that life by representing it in 360-degrees, you never accept a generalization—you are a living biography,” Pickering says. “Generalizations are difficult to swallow when you begin to look at individual.”

At the start of the program, which is presented as part of the American History Museum’s Historic Theater program, Pickering will give background information as his modern self, before slipping into his historic persona. Pickering will answer from both perspectives throughout the discussion. He says the best way to tell the difference between modern Richard and past Richard is in the 17th century English dialect. In early Plymouth there were 17 different dialects. Working for Plimoth Plantation, interpreters like Pickering must master the regional dialect for each character he or she plays. Interestingly, the performers have had to change up their roles. With graying hair and wrinkles, they step into a new  new character.

“I let people know which Richard is talking by dialect and with my hat,” Pickering says. “As soon as the hat goes on, that’s an indication the character is present.”

His favorite part of interpreting is opening modern eyes to how different life was for people in the past, he says.

“They’re not just us in funny clothing,” Pickering says. “It helps us to understand the spiritual and educational framework of people in the past. We often make judgements and ask ‘Why did they do that?’ and we dismiss them. Role playing helps us to understand different ways to perceive the world—past and present.”

Pickering and Wall enjoy answering questions after the performance. One of the funniest experiences from last year, Pickering says, took place during the last role play of the day.  A little girl wanted to know how old Richard Warren was.

“I said to her [as Warren] ‘I guess I’m about 49 or 50.’ and she exclaimed ‘You don’t know?’ I tried explaining to her that people didn’t know the day they were born at that time—you knew the season, but it was unlikely you knew the date.  She immediately said ‘NO BIRTHDAY CAKE?’ She was totally shocked that I didn’t know my birthday and that I wasn’t going to get a cake.”

Pickering says the story he tells year after year is not just a fun exercise in make believe.

“For me, this place is the story of every American,” he says. “This is your story too.”

Richard Pickering will be performing in the Price of Freedom Theater, Third Floor, East Wing at the National Museum of American History, November 11, 10:30, 11:30, 2:30 and 4:30. Pilgrim Food with Kathleen Wall is at 12:30, 1:30 and 3:30.

Julia Child’s Kitchen on display at the NMAH is exactly as it was in Child’s home in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1961. Image courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

The kitchen is the heart of the home—especially when filled with the sounds of cooking: The knife on the cutting board, the clinking of pots and pans, the laughter of good friends and family around the table. Inside Julia Child’s kitchen, add to the mix the delightful sounds of her chuckle and that famous vibrato and you’ve got a recipe for happiness.

Phila Cousins, Child’s niece and trustee of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, can attest to this.

“When you came for dinner, you didn’t come into the living room or the dining room, you came into the kitchen,” she says. “I  had so many moments with Julia in this room. It’s somewhat surreal now to look at this place where I spent so many hours, in a museum. I can’t go in and sit down—Julia’s not there.”

Child would have been 100 years old today, and even though she can’t be present to celebrate, the National Museum of American History  will host a soirée pour son in her honor by unveiling the limited re-installation of Julia’s Cambridge, Massachusetts Kitchen through September 3. (The kitchen had been dismantled and taken off view last January as part of the museum’s on-going renovation.)

Nothing about the 20-by 14-foot room has changed—down to the jar of Skippy peanut butter to the right of the same six-burner “big Garland” stove she cooked on in her home on 103 Irving Street in Cambridge, Massachussets. The pots and pans hang on the blue peg board built by her husband Paul. There are the maple counter tops which were constructed a few inches higher than the standard to accommodate Julia’s 6’3.” And her vast collection of kitchen gadgets are still in the drawers.

These pans, two examples out of hundreds of objects in the collection, are hung on the blue peg board Child’s husband, Paul, built for her. He outlined each pot in black marker on the board. Image courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

Curator Rayna Green, who in 2001 worked with Child during the donation process, says that since the kitchen was first installed at the American History Museum 10 years ago, it has only grown in popularity with visitors and the curators.

“This exhibit is personal for us [the curators]. It’s not just keeping fingerprints off the walls and the usual museum maintenance that we do, this is something we really do take personally. Things in the kitchen conjure up stories that we’ve heard from Julia and that we’ve heard from other people. With every new visitor a new story appears.”

Julia’s knives are arranged on magnetic strips mounted between the windows and above the sink. Julia collected knives her whole life. Image courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

Today’s celebration includes screenings from three episodes from WGBH’s The French Chef and appearances from authors like Bob Spitz who will sign copies of his new book, Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child. Visitors will also enjoy Child-inspired meals.  Free. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a birthday surprise at 1 p.m. in the Flag Hall. Julia’s kitchen will soon be joined by at least 300 objects in the new exhibition: “FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000” which opens November 20.

This Friday night, head over to the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium for a screening of the film, “An Autumn’s Tale” (Dir.: Mabel Cheung,1987). Image courtesy of the Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Friday August 10 An Autumn’s Tale

Got a hot date Friday night? Embrace the “dinner and a movie” itinerary  at the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium and catch a screening of An Autumn’s Tale. Cherie Chung stars as a student who moves to New York to pursue her studies. When her boyfriend abruptly leaves, her downstairs neighbor and distant cousin (Chow Yun-Fat) resolves to cheer her up. One thing leads to another and—you guessed it—they develop feelings for one another. Departing from his usual action hero persona, Chow owns his role as a working-class immigrant, and Cheung’s subtle direction makes this tale of heartbreak and desire a classic date movie. (Dir.: Mabel Cheung, 1987, 98 min.) Part of the 17^th Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival In Cantonese with English subtitles. Free. 7 p.m., repeats Sunday at 2 p.m. Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery.

Saturday August 11 Super Science Saturday: Helicopters

This Saturday,  take the whole family to the Udvar-Hazy Center for an entire day of out-of-this-world fun. Participate in hands-on activities and dive into a universe of science, technology, engineering and mathematics topics related to aviation and space exploration. This monthly program is the perfect way to entertain family members of all ages. Free, but $15 parking fee per vehicle. Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.

Sunday August 12 The Story of Earth

How has the Earth evolved? Is it a singular entity in our Solar System? Author Robert Hazen, a research scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Geophysical Laboratory, will be signing copies of his book The Story of Earth: the First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet, which seeks to answer these burning questions. In it, he explains how the co-evolution of rocks and living matter has shaped our planet. Books available at the Museum store. Noon to 2:00 p.m. Natural History Museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. And download our new Visitors Guide & Tours App for both iPhone and Android. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

This Saturday, celebrate Owney the dog, the unofficial mascot for the U.S. Railway Mail Service. Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

Friday August 3 Children’s Workshop: Mission Preservation

Remembering certain events and periods in history can be difficult to stomach sometimes. Segregation in the 1950s, for example, is not an easy thing to teach younger generations. This Friday, however, children ages 8 to 11 can meet at the West End Library to better understand segregation through the discussion of an age-appropriate book. After, the group will explore authentic artifacts from the 1950s, record  observations and determine a preservation plan for each object. At the end of the day, participants may take home  white cotton gloves and an activity book to help preserve the history. Free. For ages 8-11. Most Wednesdays and selected Fridays at 1:30 p.m. through August 22. The activity is sponsored by the National Museum of African American History and takes place at the West End Library, 1101 24^th St NW.

Saturday August 4 Mail Time With Owney the Dog

Hop on board for a rail-riding good time with the National Postal Museum’s favorite mascot, Owney the dog! Owney made it in our round up of insider tips earlier this summer—and for good reason. The terrior-mix traveled for nine years, riding the rails until his death in 1897. He later became the unofficial mascot for the U.S. Railway Mail Service. To honor the intrepid mail-carrier, Saturday’s events include activities such as designing an Owney tag, sorting mail in the Railway Post Office, starting a stamp collection and more. Free. Noon to 3:30 p.m. National Postal Museum.

Sunday August 5 East of the River Boys & Girls Steelband

This Sunday, come enjoy the festive music of the East of the River Boys & Girls Steelband, a program that seeks to enhance the lives of at-risk children and teens who have unique creative abilities and who live east of the Anacostia River. Founded by Gladys Bray and directed by Roger Greenidge, the group has appeared at the 1996 Olympic Soccer Games, Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts and Apollo Theater. Free. 2 p.m. Anacostia Community Museum.

Tickets are now on sale for Smithsonian Magazine’s, Museum Day Live!, which will be held Saturday September 29. Admission is free at participating venues with presentation of ticket. Visit the Find a Museum page to locate a participating museum in your area. For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Author Gore Vidal, who died yesterday, published 25 novels in his lifetime. “The Smithsonian Institution” is one you’ve probably never heard of.

Prolific author, playwright and personality, Gore Vidal, died yesterday at age 86 due to complications from pneumonia. Among a group of literary writers like Normal Mailer and Truman Capote, Vidal was a “special breed” of writer, known for his controversial works of historical fiction—novels like Burr, Lincoln, and The City and the Pillar. But perhaps his upbringing in the Washington D.C. area influenced his lesser-known—and rather strange—1998 novel, The Smithsonian Institution.

The fictional tale, set in 1939, tells the story of  “T.,” a super genius, “decisive, tall lad of thirteen,” who is mysteriously beckoned to the basement of the Smithsonian to help develop the atomic bomb.  To be clear, The Smithsonian Institution is a work of historical fiction—the Manhattan Project did not come to fruition within the secret passageways of the museums and there are no time machines on the premises. Vidal’s use of humor and allusion in constructing the work of fiction, however, is calculated and often downright absurd.

Historical figures including Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer and Abraham Lincoln make cameos, while wax museum exhibits, including a tribe of aboriginal Iroquois Indians, come to life in the first chapter alone.

“T. tried the door handle; it turned; he pushed the door open just wide enough for him to poke his head into–another world!

A sign identified this world as the Early Indian Exhibit room, a favorite exhibit of T.’s childhood. A couple of dozen Indian braves and their squaws and papooses—papeese?—were going about their business in and out of wigwams on a sunny day, while a realistic painted backdrop, called a diorama, showed their native environment: trees, a distant plain with buffalo roaming, blue mountains.

But something had radically changed since his earlier visits. The Indians were no longer artfully molded and tastefully painted figures of plaster; instead, they were now real men and women and children in colorful native garb, while the mock fire–over which a cauldron of stew had been placed–was very much a real fire, with eye-stinging black smoke, and the pot had a section of what looked to be a real moose floating in it. The background was no longer painted but real: tall aboriginal trees, endless grassy plains where buffalo ambled in the middle distance and a hawk suddenly soared across the intense blue sky of yesteryear.”

In a 1998 New York Times review, Christopher Benfey notes the absurdity of Vidal’s imagined Institution and the novel’s “mumbo jumbo about the space-time continuum.” But Benfey also suggests that the work is very much like the technology applied in the novel itself: “A stable two-way linkup between past and future”:

He who comprehends the Smithsonian Castle comprehends the universe.’ The old Washington proverb, playing the riches of the museum collection off the maze of the floor plan, takes on new meaning in Vidal’s fantasy, when T. stumbles on a coven of nuclear physicists huddled in the Smithsonian basement. They’re eager to capitalize on T.’s amazing ability to ‘visualize’ the implications of certain formulas, which make possible all sorts of earthshaking maneuvers: time travel, newfangled weaponry (the neutron bomb, ‘the Realtors’ Dream Bomb,’ because ‘the people die but the buildings are left intact’), the manipulation of the ‘crossroad in time’ in order to alter not just the future—any politician can do that—but the past.

The Smithsonian Institution is no Night at the Museum—Vidal’s work is sophisticated and offers a cerebral twist with the combined forces of historical and science fiction genres. The hilarity of characters like Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, one of many presidential wives name-dropped in the novel’s first few pages, brings the historical figures and the Smithsonian’s secret’s to life:

Probed, Mrs. Harrison nodded. “Naturally, you can leave whenever you like. But if you mean to penetrate the mystery of the Smithsonian, which is the mystery of life itself…” Mrs. Harrison was now redoing her hair in the cloudy mirror of the Empire armoire; she was also, T. could tell, speaking tonelessly, as if she had no idea what she was saying. “Rest assured that here, somewhere in the bowels of this ancient structure, past all the monsters both living and dead, past blockades and safe places, doublets, penalties …”

“Monsters?” T. perked up considerably. He liked monsters and whenever he could get time off from his busy classroom schedule, he would play hooky from school and go up to the Capitol and look at the Senate.

“Oh, yes. Monsters. Or so they say. We first ladies are sheltered from the worst of the horrors in the basement…”

The novel revisits some of the key events of the 20th century, captures the imagination behind the Institution’s creaky walls, while still finding room for awkward teenage lovemaking scenes. As Benfey says, “the jokes, good and bad, keep coming, and the Presidents really are brought to life. Vidal’s eye for the freaks and foibles of Washington has retained its sharpness.”

This Sunday, learn Kathak, one of eight traditional Indian dances. Photo courtesy of the Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Friday, July 27 Human Origins Today

What does it mean to be human? The Smithsonian is working to answer this question through its Human Origins Program at the Natural History Museum. It’s certainly not an easy topic to tackle, but this Friday, join members of the Broader Social Impacts Committee in an informal discussion on the relationship between scientific research and religious perspectives of human evolution. Free. 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. One Species, Worldwide Theater, Hall of Human Origins, National Museum of Natural History.

Saturday, July 28 Kaypi Perú: This is Peru

Kaypi Perú, which means “This is Peru” in the indigenous Quechua, is a week-long festival celebrating the art, culture, history and contributions of Peru, the Land of the Incas. Highlights of the second annual festival include an exhibition and market of crafts by indigenous Peruvian artisans, as well as folk dances and live music, photo exhibitions, films, Peruvian food and drinks, botanical displays and many other exciting events. Bring the kids for some hands-on workshops that will help them to imagine what life is like for the children of Puno, join in story time and make their own Amazonian pink dolphin. Free. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through July 30. National Museum of the American Indian.

Sunday, July 29 Kathak: A Meeting of Worlds

The young emperor Akbar was known to dance with the Sufis until he passed out and had to be carried back to the palace. When he married a Hindu Rajput princess, she brought her temple dancers into the palace as well, merging the two devotional dance traditions. The result of this connection was Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, that became wildly popular in the Rajput and Mughal courts. This Sunday, as a part of the ImaginAsia series, dancer Bhim Dahal and his pupil Tasrit Johnson will tell this story through Hindu temple, Sufi and Kathak dance. After the performance, there will be a dance class for children. Free. 2:00 p.m. Sackler Gallery.

The National Zoo’s baby cheetah cubs are growing up so fast. Don’t worry though; at three months old, their level of cuteness has not diminished with age.

“They are growing very big and they are playful, running around the yard and getting used to everything,” says Lacey Braun, the head of the cheetah care team. “It’s really good that they have each other to interact with. Hand-raised cheetahs are really hard to breed in the future, but since they have each other, it will be easier when the time comes.”

The Zoo’s baby cheetahs wasted no time getting acclimated to their new surroundings. Photo by K. Annabelle Smith

And the big news is that starting Saturday July 28, the little cubs, which were born in April out in Front Royal, Virginia, at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will make their first in-town debut when they are released into their new yard at the National Zoo.

But these cats aren’t here just for their close up.  Braun was there the night the cubs were rescued from the brink of death and says the pair is nothing short of a miracle in the cheetah-breeding world.

“Cheetahs are one of the most difficult cat species to breed,” Braun said. “We still don’t know a lot about them, so we are constantly learning.”

There are only an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild, and Braun says that the work and research efforts in the breeding program is integral to creating a self-sustaining cheetah population in the wild.

So sports fans, here’s another cheetah highlight. For those of you getting hyped for the Olympics, the Zoo is going to name the cubs after the winners of the 100-meter dash competition. The fastest American male and female Olympiads will be shortly sharing names with the fastest land mammals in the world.

Zoo visitors can come check out the cubs at the Cheetah Conservation Station every day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., at hour-long intervals at first. How long they romp about will be up to the cubs, but visitors should be ready with their cameras.

The cubs play together in their new yard. Image courtesy of the National Zoo.

This Saturday, the American Art Museum celebrates dance with screenings of Black Swan and Saturday Night Fever. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum

Friday, July 20 Living Earth Festival

Do roasted green chiles and live music sound appealing to you? What about hands-on workshops and engaging discussions about sustainability and farmers market fresh veggies? This weekend, look no further than the National Museum of the American Indian’s annual, three-day long Living Earth Festival. The event celebrates indigenous contributions to environment and encourages the diffusion of knowledge and activism.  The chiles, roasted by Cherokee, Siletz and other tribal farmers, growers and chefs, are just a small part of the festivities. Tribal-owned food cooperatives will discuss sustainability while local and Native chefs compete in an Iron Chef-style cook-off. Hands-on family activities will also be offered. The festival includes a live outdoor concert featuring the talents of Wes Studi, Stevie Salas, Jack Gladstone, Kinnie Starr, and Brule. Free. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Sunday July 22. National Museum of the American Indian.
 
Saturday, July 21 Movie day

The heat has been unbearable this summer, so why not escape it with a good movie? As part of the Dance DC Festival, the American Art Museum is offering two viewing options depending on your mood.  If you’re looking for a thriller, Black Swan, starring tutu-costumed Natalie Portman, will show at 1:00 p.m. For those of you feeling a little nostalgic for bell bottoms, disco balls and a younger, (more fit) John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever will show at 4:00 p.m. Free. McEvoy Auditorium, American Art Museum.

Sunday, July 22 Book signings at Air and Space Museum

This Saturday, come check out some of the awesome aviation on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center—the Discovery space shuttle included. While you’re there, get books signed by a pair of legendary pilots. Dave “Bio” Baranek signs copies of TOPGUN Days: Dogfighting, Cheating Death, and Hollywood Glory as One of America’s Best Fighter Jocks from 12 to 4 p.m, and Col. Wolfgang Samuel will sign copies of his books Glory Days, Watson’s Whizzers, American Raiders, The War of Our Childhood, German Boy, I Always Wanted to Fly, and Coming to Colorado from 12 to 5 p.m. Free, $15 parking fee per vehicle. Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Contemporary artist Gavin Jantjes’s untitled work is a part of the “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts,” exhibit on display through December 9. Image courtesy of the African Art Museum.

Friday July 13 After Hours at the Museum of African Art

Friday night, the  National Museum of African Art launches Africa Underground “Beneath the Stars,” a spectacular after-hours event that invites visitors to experience the popular exhibit “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts,” in a new, hands-on way. The exhibit explores how the sun, moon and stars among other celestial bodies serve as inspiration in the creation of contemporary and traditional African art. The night sky provides inspiration for this night of henna tattoos, art work shops, music, dancing and celebration of African culinary traditions. As you sip cocktails, take a tour through Africa with DJ T and the AfroRoots band, Eme & Heteruwho, as they mix music from each region of the continent. Africa Underground is held four times a year in the winter, spring, summer and fall. For more information, visit: africa.si.edu. $35. Tickets available online. 7:oo to 11:oo p.m. National Museum of African Art.

Saturday July 14 Cranes and Clouds

The Korean celadon ceramics on display at the Freer and Sackler Galleries are stunning. The designs on the the pottery’s pale jade-green glaze—for which the name “celadon” originated—features cranes, clouds, fruit and flowers. This Saturday, as a part of the series ImaginAsia, bring the whole family to the Sackler Gallery classroom to make your own plaque to take home. Free. 2:00 p.m. Sackler Gallery.

Sunday July 15 Don Juan with John Barrymore

There’s nothing like immersing yourself into a classic, black-and-white movie. Especially if it’s one as well-known and, well, dramatic, as Don Juan. The film, which was released in 1926,  was the first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and musical soundtrack, though it has no spoken dialogue. John Barrymore plays both the legendary lover Don Juan, who was raised to “love ‘em and leave ‘em” by his cynical father. But when he meets the alluring Adriana Della Varnese (Mary Astor), his world turns upside down. Murray Horwitz, NPR film commentator, will lead a pre-screening discussion at 1:00. Screening is at 2:00 p.m., first come, first seated. Warner Brothers Theater, American History Museum. 

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Rock out on the Fourth with Max Impact, the premier band of the United States Air Force. Image courtesy of the United States Air Force.

Tuesday, July 3 Flag folding

Begin the Independence Day celebration early and learn a little about the Star-Spangled Banner this Tuesday. Ever wonder how to properly fold a 1,260 square foot flag? Check out this demonstration—featuring a replica of the 30- by 42-foot Star-Spangled Banner. The original, that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the lyrics that would become our national anthem is on display at the Museum of American History. Commissioned during the War of 1812 and first flown at Fort McHenry in Baltimore is meticulously cared for in its environmentally controlled chamber. Obviously, you can’t fold the original during the demonstration, but the enormous replica will be ready for hands-on fun in Flag Hall on the second floor. Honor guards will show you how to properly fold the banner according to the Flag Code. Free. Tuesdays-Saturdays at 2:30, except July 4. National Museum of American History .

Wednesday, July 4 Max Impact concert

Celebrate the Fourth of July with the United States Air Force’s premier rock band, Max Impact. Didn’t know they could rock and roll? Come see for yourself this Wednesday and escape the heat while you wait for the fireworks to begin. 6:00 p.m. Repeats most Wednesdays through August 1. Free. Air and Space Museum.

Thursday, July 5 Heirloom Garden

Take in the beauty of the Heirloom Garden on a tour with a knowledgeable horticulturist. Bring the whole family and learn to identify the wide range of plants and flowers the Institution has to offer. Through September 10. Free. 1:00 p.m. Southwest corner Mall Terrace, National Museum of American History.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt, spread out on the National Mall. Image courtesy of The NAMES Project Foundation.

It would take more than 33 days to view the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt—if you spent only one minute per panel. The piece of community art, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, remains the largest in the world.

The quilt was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 1987, during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It included 1,920 panels. Today there are more than 48,000.

The quilt has returned to our nation’s capital as a part of the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival through July 8. The program, Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt displays the patchwork of names and memories first thought up by the NAMES Project Foundation, an international organization that seeks to heighten awareness in the struggle to stop HIV and AIDS. We spoke with Julie Rhoad, president and CEO of the foundation, about how the quilt also managed to sew together a community for the past 25 years.

1) How did the idea to make the AIDS Memorial Quilt come about?

In 1985, people were rapidly dying from what was at that time not yet named HIV/AIDS. Family members and their friends in the Castro [a region in San Francisco] didn’t have a place to grieve. It was a very volatile time. The NAMES project founder, Cleve Jones, organized a march in 1985 where he asked his friends and family to carry placards with the name of somebody they had lost to this yet unnamed disease. When they got to the Federal Building at the end of the march, Cleve got some ladders and they taped the names up the side of the wall. When Cleve looked at it, he saw a quilt.

Two years later, when a small group of people got together to talk about HIV/AIDS, Cleve brought a three-foot by six-foot panel of cloth that had one of his dear friends’ name on it, and they realized it was time to form the NAMES project. We were founded in 1987 to make sure that people would be remembered and to make sure people would begin to talk about HIV/ AIDS in a different way—that these are real people who lived real lives and had people who loved them! As a result, it revolutionized the notion of quilting. Friends and family members began to make panels for their loved ones, growing to 1,900 total in the first few months. When the organization took them to DC and they laid the panels out on the Mall for the first time in 1987, people began to think ‘Oh my goodness, this is really not about statistics, it’s about people.’

2) What does it mean for the NAMES Project Foundation to bring the quilt back to DC?

I think 25 years ago we thought we’d be done with the disease within five years—that we’d be able to unhinge the panels, send them back to the panel makers and say ‘Here is your loved one’s panel. Care for it, we cared for it. It helped end AIDS.’ The same thing is true right now. We’re 25 years in, we have more than 94,000 names on this quilt and we’re not only one of the major symbols of the epidemic, we are also the evidence—we bear witness. So in a time, when science is saying that the potential exists for us to find a pathway to end AIDS, it’s imperative that we stand on our National Mall and tell people that this is about them. It’s about all of us.

3) How did you get involved with the organization?

In 1981 when the disease was first being identified, I was beginning a career in the professional theater and was witness to a community that was decimated by this disease. Thirty years ago HIV/AIDS became a part of my world and it has remained so because part of my world is now gone—a slew of friends are gone. I came to this from the arts community and it made sense for me to be involved in an artistic response like [the quilt]. To want to care for it, to make sure that in the foreseeable and the not foreseeable future that this quilt is always here to bear witness.

4) What might people coming to the Mall this year find on these panels?

I think each panel of this quilt is beautiful in its own way. I remember a panel maker said in one of their letters: ‘How does a mother, begin to sum up the life of her son in a three-foot by six-f00t piece of cloth?’  I think people will not only see a glimpse into a person’s life, but they will see how people loved them and how important they were. There are panels that have all sorts of things on them from flags to feathers to sequins; bowling balls, wedding rings, ashes, poems, photographs—all sorts of records of the person’s life. When you look at it from up close and personal, the intimacy and detail lovingly stitched into each one of these panels is evidence of love and life.

5) Do you have a personal connection to the quilt?

It’s personal the instant you begin to read one of the panels. All of a sudden it’s like you know a little bit about Bill Abbott, for example, because his leather jacket is here and there are pictures of his friends and family. You begin to know he was an artist. You know what size he was because of his jacket, that he was born in 1960. It’s a fascinating look at how valuable life is regardless of whether it’s a life that was lived for 30 years or 13.

6) At the Folklife Festival, there will be workshops for people to create their own panels. How will these events contribute to the message?

What happens around the quilting table, is kind of extraordinary. People may start the conversation by helping somebody make a panel and then discover after an hour or so together that a second person who’s come into the room is also there helping because they need to find a way to make a panel themselves. The dialogue begins and continues there.

7) What do you hope people will leave the festival thinking?

It would be interesting to see how people feel before they see it and after. We [at the NAMES project] wonder about things: Does a piece of fabric carry the kind of weight of relevance that any other form of communication does? It’s such a pivotal time for HIV/AIDS in the world that when we look at how people responded and how they cared for one another through arts and culture as a communication tool, we realize [the quilt] is advocacy, it is art. We are coming to the Mall to say we are connected to one another as human beings—that we have a responsibility for one another.

Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt program at the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a partnership between the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and The NAMES Project Foundation, with the support and participation of many others. For a complete listing of events at the festival click here.

The Mother Ship Model, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” is on display in the Rockets and Missiles exhibition station at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

During the summer, the National Mall transforms into a lively gaggle of families: kids, covered in a fresh coat of sunblock, moms and dads with maps in hand. Tourist season is in full-swing. And while you’ve got 19 museums to choose from and a list of “Greatest Hits”available starting July 1st in our new goSmithsonian Visitor’s Guide, there are more things to look out for, hiding in plain sight. Here are a few insider tips to know:

National Air and Space Museum

In the climax of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 classic, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Mother Ship rises over Devil’s Tower, casting an ominous shadow over all other alien thrillers that preceded. The ship came back to earth when Columbia Pictures donated the model to the Smithsonian in 1979. Housed in the Rockets and Missiles exhibition at the Udvar-Hazy Center, you can safely explore the Mother Ship model, which was built from toy train kits. The team of model-makers stuck in a few inside jokes, too. Two small sharks are tucked deep inside the model as a wink to Spielberg’s earlier film Jaws. A small R2-D2 figure perches on the underside of the ship, placed there by special effects guru Dennis Muren, who had just finished work on Star Wars. See if you can spot the Volkswagen bus parked under an eave, the small cemetery inside the front lip or the mailbox and World War II airplanes that piggyback the ship’s hull.

Museum of Natural History

From the balcony, look up into the vitrine. You’ll see the cast of a dinosaur skull—one that used to be in the office of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

National Postal Museum

One insider tip about the Postal Museum involves the outside of the building. The Postal Square Building that houses the museum was designed by Daniel Burnham, an architect of Chicago’s World Fair of 1893. Burnham later became the subject of the popular novel Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness.

The Postal Museum also has a famous puppy pal, named Owney. He may be stuffed, but he’s been all over the world—he’s even met the emperor of Japan. This Terrier-mix was adopted by postal employees in New York State and traveled for nine years, riding the rails until his death in 1897. He became the unofficial mascot for the U.S. Railway Mail Service. On your way to see Owney in the museum’s atrium, be sure to look down—the floor tiles are in the shape of envelopes and stamped letters.

National Zoo

If you like adorable baby animals, the Bird House is the place to be. The Zoo announced a few birdy additions last week: Two burrowing owl babies hatched on May 24, and more recently, two kori bustards entered the world on June 9 and 10.  Although the kori chicks will not be on exhibit until late August, Zoo visitors can see their parents at the kori bustard exhibit, located outside of the Bird House.

National Museum of American History

Head to the third floor and check out the Dolls’ House. This is no ordinary dollhouse, either. When Faith Bradford, a retired librarian, donated the 23-room, five-story dwelling furnished with 1,354, 20th-century vintage items, a miniature world was created. The details in the dollhouse are nothing to sniff at. Bradford has a family of dolls inhabiting her artwork: A father, mother, their 10 children, 20 pets, a household staff and even their in laws. Come back during the holiday season too, for a tradition Bradford started long ago. Each December, the whimsical house is decorated with mini-holiday decorations: tiny presents, ornaments—even a train set is placed meticulously throughout the house. And get this, the decorations are all stored in the attic during the rest of the year.

American Art Museum

Travel to the third floor and you’ll find Woman Eating, an amazingly-life-like sculpture that will certainly stop you in your tracks. But that’s not the coolest part. Scrawled on the wall nearby are the initials “C.H.F.” and a date “Aug. 8, 1864.” The museum used to be a Civil War infirmary and though it’s not confirmed, it is likely that the etching was left by a patient.

Museum of the American Indian

The Charles Ross’ Prism/Solar Spectrum installation in the south-facing window of the Potomac Atrium is something you simply cannot miss. Light from the sun shines through eight prisms, casting beautiful beams onto the atrium’s floor. If you missed the rainbow display during the summer solstice, when the Earth tilts closest toward the sun, you can read about the unique way the colors stack in a straight line on the floor of the Potomac here.

Additional reporting done by Aviva Shen. For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide.

This Sunday, local artist Kristina Bilonick will hold a workshop on screen printing and t-shirt design in pop culture. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

Friday, June 29 One Life: Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart achieved international celebrity status as the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane in 1928. Timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of her disappearance in 1937, this one-room exhibition tells the story of her remarkable life and career—not just in aviation but as a champion for women’s rights. On view is a selection of portraits in all artistic media, along with rare vintage film and audio excerpts. Free. Through May 2013. National Portrait Gallery.

Saturday, June 30 1812: A Nation Emerges

This year marks the War of 1812′s bicentennial, but its history often takes the back burner.  In fact, few people “Remember the Raisin,” and you’d be surprised about some of the common misconceptions. This Saturday, learn the facts and visit the exhibit, “1812: A Nation Emerges” and meet the authors of three books on the War of 1812:
12 noon: Beth Taylor discusses A Slave in the White House, about Paul Jennings, who was born into slavery on the plantation of James and Dolley Madison, served the Madisons in the White House, was emancipated by Senator Daniel Webster  and saw his sons fight with the Union army in the Civil War.
2 p.m.: John Stagg discusses The War of 1812: Conflict for a Continent, which explores the social, diplomatic, military and political dimensions of the War of 1812.
4 p.m.: Anthony Pitch discusses The Burning of Washington, which brings to life the summer of 1814, when the British forced President Madison to flee the city, torched public buildings and detained an amateur poet aboard a warship in Baltimore harbor.

Books are available for sale at the bookstore. Free. 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. The National Portrait Gallery.

Sunday, July 1 Meet the artist and hands-on screen printing demo

Join local artist Kristina Bilonick as she discusses the use of screen printing and t-shirt design in pop culture. Learn how to make a workable graphic design. Then, using Bilonick’s design, silk-screen a t-shirt into a wearable work of art. Talk and demo are free; participation in workshop is $10 ($5 if providing own shirt). To register, e-mail AmericanArtLuce@si.edu. 1:30 p.m. Third floor, Luce Foundation Center. American Art Museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

The National Zoo's newest addition, a baby howler monkey. Image courtesy of Janice Sveda/the National Zoo.

Friday, June 22 Choctaw Days

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma celebrates its tribal history and heritage with four days of food, workshops and performances. The event will honor the tribe’s rich military tradition, including a discussion of a competition called “Little Brother of War,” which was a lacrosse-like game that was played to settle disputes before declaring war. Other activities include Native dance and singing performances, storytelling programs and booths showcasing bead work, pottery, flutes, the Choctaw language and tribal cooking. Free. 10:30 a.m.  to 4:30 p.m through Saturday June 23. Part of the series Choctaw Days. National Museum of the American Indian.

Saturday, June 23 The Outlaw Josey Wales

While all of big summer Hollywood films are hitting theaters, there is nothing like watching the classics. This Saturday, as a part of the the Classic Film Festival Series at the American History Museum, come check out the screening of The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976, directed by Clint Eastwood). The film takes place at the end of the Civil War when a group of union soldiers called the “Red Legs” is terrorizing Missouri farmers, killing, pillaging and plundering homesteads. One farmer, Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood), joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and takes revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered his family. Get there at 1:00 p.m. for a pre-screening discussion with NPR film commentator Murray Horwitz, who will  highlight historical things to look for in this classic Hollywood movie. The screening begins at 2:00 p.m. Warner Brothers Theater, American History Museum.

Sunday, June 24 What do Zoo Animals Eat?

Need a place to take the kids this Sunday? The hot weather should break soon and so we recommend the National Zoo where they can see all of their favorite animals—especially the new baby howler monkey. Find out what time the animals get to eat at the Zoo’s daily calendar and be there to watch. Animal feedings take place every day, beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the fish feedings at the Kids’ Farm. Watch up to six feedings a day, including the giant Pacific octopus at the Invertebrate House at 11:00 a.m. and 3p.m. and the small mammals at their house at 1:30 p.m. Don’t be late; the feedings last only 15 to 20 minutes. Free. National Zoo.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Celebrate the summer solstice by checking out this mesmerizing display of color in the Potomac Atrium. Image courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Welcome to summer! Today is the first official day of the season, though the temperatures in D.C. climbing into the mid to high 90s over the past few weeks have suggested otherwise. The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, officially arrives at 7:09 P.M. (EDT) in the Northern Hemisphere. And as you bask in the glory that is summer, don’t miss the National Museum of the American Indian‘s celebration of the changing seasons at the Charles Ross’ Prism/Solar Spectrum installation in the south-facing window of the Potomac Atrium.

As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, the light will hit eight large prisms inside a tall rectangular window in the atrium of the NMAI just so, creating a solar spectrum projection. Light passes through these prisms year round, but at the solstice, when the Earth tilts closest toward the sun, the light bands transform into a mesmerizing rainbow display. Growing stronger through the early afternoon, the colors stack in a straight line on the floor of the Potomac, creating a prism-playground for museum-goers.

This phenomenal light show is no accident. Lead design consultant JohnPaul Jones (Cherokee/Choctaw) details his inspiration for the atrium spectacle in the NMAI’s book The Land Has Memory:

“One day as we met to discuss the building’s progress, Donna House asked me to stand with her next to a window,” he wrote. “As sunlight poured in through the glass, she placed her closed hand in the light and then opened it so that the crystals she was holding made a rainbow pattern on the ceiling and walls beside us. It was her inspired design concept that led to the magnificent prism window mounted in the south wall of the Potomac Atrium.”

He kept ancient traditions in mind when mapping out the museum atrium. For centuries, the connections between the celestial world and the cycles of the seasons have tied indigenous peoples to earth. The natural world, to the American Indian, governs all living things, determining what crops they will yield, when they will harvest and which rituals they will perform. For this reason, seasonal solstices and equinoxes remain a symbol of transition and growth.

Go check out the celebration on your lunch break, since the projections are at their height between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. If you can’t make it to the museum this year, here are six other ways to celebrate the summer solstice.