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Richmond 2010 by Molly Roberts

I went over to visit the new exhibition, “Artists at Work” while the Smithsonian Summer Camp was in session. The sound of kid’s voices rang through the gallery in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, and when I peeked into one of the rooms, the children were creating art of their own. It was the perfect backdrop for a show that features art handcrafted by the staff who work at the Smithsonian Institution—research fellows, curators, interns, security guards and docents.

The exhibition of paintings, sculpture, wearable art, photographs and prints made by 63 staffers was selected from 186 entries put before a team of jurors: Barbara Johnson, the founder and artistic director of the Art Works studio School in Mount Rainier, Maryland; Dennis B. O’Neil, a professor and head of the fine arts department at the Corcoran College of Art + Design and Walter Kravitz, a gallery director and professor of painting and drawing at George Mason University.

Much of the work is inspired by current events, like the painting Blu by intern Fulvia Ciarla, which recalls the devastation of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Others reflect on the work that is done at the Smithsonian, like Jody Mussoff, who works in the Smithsonian Libraries and whose ceramic piece entitled Woman with Bird is inspired by the “vast array of images I come across in my work.” And there are some wonderful surprises: a quilted “Homage to the Hubble: 1″ by Joan Stogis, a volunteer for the Smithsonian Associates; a diptych, “Celestial Speculations” by intern Jenna Swift, for the Folklife and Cultural Heritage Center; and an elegantly crafted cigar box guitar by volunteer Steven Noel for the Natural History Museum.

We’re please to note that an image by Smithsonian magazine photo editor Molly Roberts is among the 63 works in the exhibition.

Roberts, a photographer at the Washington Post before she joined Smithsonian, recalls that she shot the picture entitled Richmond 2010 while strolling, camera at the ready, through the Virginia capital one fall afternoon. As she rounded a corner in the arts district near Carytown, Roberts says,  ”I happened upon these metallic arms akimbo, apparently drying for future use in an assemblage or art project and it made me smile. That’s the moment I’m sharing by making and exhibiting this image.”

Roberts spends her days making assignments to Smithsonian‘s award-winning team of freelance photojournalists, who travel the world for the magazine. Each year, she edits thousands of images to select the visuals that illustrate the magazine. Yet Roberts still finds time to pursue her own art. “My goal is to photograph daily. I carry a purse camera just to be prepared. My photography is an essential part of my life.”

“Artists at Work: The Smithsonian Community Art Exhibition,” is on view in the S. Dillon Ripley Center through October 2.

On Wednesday, June 8, at 6:30, meet ocean explorer Enric Sala at the Natural Museum. Photo courtesy of the museum

Monday, June 13 Book Signing: How To Build a Spacesuit

Tuesday, June 7 Quilting is year round

Escape Washington D.C.’s heat by learning about quilt making. At American History, quilters from the Annapolis Quilt Guild will help you stitch your way through appliqué, piecing and other techniques. Quilts and quilter’s tools from the museum’s collection will be on display. If you’re loving the scene, this is a reoccurring event that is held on the first and third Tuesdays through November, so come often. Free. 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. American History Museum

Wednesday, June 8 Last Wild Places in the Ocean

In the remote areas of the ocean, there remain a few places untouched or unaffected by human activity, these tiny oases are brimming with of life, where sharks reign as top predators of the underwater world. These wild places help researchers understand what we have lost, but also help us understand how the ocean works and how to preserve it. Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic’s Ocean Fellow, is leading expeditions to some of these last wild places, with the ultimate goal of helping to save them. At Natural History, Sala will give an evening lecture about his exploring these places, his research, and his ultimate goal to raise awareness of the plight of the sea. Free. 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Natural History Museum

Thursday, June 9 Ikebana

Try your hand at Japanese flower-arranging. No experience necessary. Refreshments will be served after the workshop. $15 materials fee cash or by check. E-mail asiaworkshops@si.edu to reserve your place. Freer Gallery of Art

Friday, June 10 Art + Coffee

Come for some caffeine and learn about the more than 3,300 treasures held at the Luce Foundation Center for American Art during this tour. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or tea. 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM. American Art Museum

For updates on all exhibitions and events, visit goSmithsonian.com

Shango’s most popular symbol, the double ax staff signifies the diety’s ability to reward the good and punish the bad. Photo courtesy of African Art; gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company

Friday, June 3 Meet Shango, the Yoruba Diety of Lightning and Thunder

According to oral tradition, Shango, the 16th-century Yoruba warrior-king of Nigeria acquired a special “medicine.” He could bring forth lightning and rout his enemies on the battlefield. His powers enabled him to control much of southwestern Nigeria between the 17th and 19th centuries. Upon his death, Shango was deified and thereafter identified with thunderstorms, forces of nature that the Yoruba peoples  interpreted as a sign of supernatural justice. Shango worship, which spread beyond Nigeria to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade, promotes the material and spiritual well-being of humanity and protects the powerless. Join Nigerian art historian Babatunde Lawal from Virginia Commonwealth University as he explores the changing interpretations of Shango symbols in Africa and the Americas. Free. 12 PM. Lecture Hall. African Art

Saturday June 4 Renwick Craft Invitational Family Day

Like to cut and paste the old fashion way? Gather at the Renwick for a family activity day making arts and crafts inspired by the work of the four artists on view. Docents will be on had to lead family-oriented tours through the exhibition History in the Making, featuring the work of stain glass artist Judith Schaechter, ceramicist Cliff Lee, silversmith Ubaldo Vitali and furniture maker Matthias Pliessnig. There will also be live music and a scavenger hunt.  Free. 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Renwick Gallery

Sunday, June 5 DC Jazz Festival at American Art Museum

The award-winning drummer and composer Nasar Abadey is the founder and leader of the band SUPERNOVA. Come out to here the group’s performance as part of DC Jazz Festival.  Abadey defines his music as “mult-D,” which he calls multi-dimensional and multi-directional—a broad eclectic mix of Classical African American music, that includes everything from traditional to bebop to free form.  Free. 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. American Art Museum

For updates on all exhibitions and events, visit goSmithsonian.com

Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Image courtesy of NASA Images

Tuesday, May 31 To the Moon!

A decade ago, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his decision to send Americans to the moon. John Logsdon, author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon, is on hand to explain the behind-the-scenes scientific endeavors and the historical legacies of NASA’s Apollo program. Free. 1:00 PM. Air and Space Museum. If you can’t make it, check out this webcast of the event.

Wednesday, June 1 Behind the Scenes of the Ocean Hall

Meet a Smithsonian scientist in the Sant Ocean Hall to see specimens up close, learn about science underway in the field, new discoveries, specimen collection and the highlights and rigors of pursuing a quest for knowledge working as a Smithsonian scientist. Free. 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Natural History Museum

Thursday, June 2 Ault’s Disquieting World

During the 1940s, a troubled and anxious artist named George Ault painted some of the most original works of art in America. Little was known at the time of Ault’s haunting rural landscape paintings, but they seem to reflect the trying times of a nation at the cusp of war. Perhaps his works were “a desperate attempt to control the muddled chaos not only in his personal life, but also in the world at large.” View the exhibition, To Make a World: George Ault and 1940s America and then come hear historian and writer Stephen May discuss Ault’s work and psyche in this lecture. Free. 7:00 PM. American Art Museum.

Friday, June 3 Mummies Sneak Peek

Explore Egyptian cosmology, learn about burial rituals, see a step-by-step tutorial on the mummification process and view a display of mummy masks in the sneak peek of the Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt exhibition. Full exhibition will go on display November 17. Natural History Museum

For updates on all exhibitions and events, visit our companion website goSmithsonian.com

Abraham Lincoln's top hat (Courtesy of American History Museum

Friday, May 27 Lincoln Exhibit Closes Sunday

You mustn’t miss this show, Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life, which closes Monday, May 30. This is your last chance to see the American History museum’s unparalleled collection of artifacts from the life and times of the 16th president. See the gold pocket watch that carries a secret message inside, a patent model of Lincoln’s own invention, the top hat he wore the night he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre and so much more. Exhibition photos are also online. Special guided tours offered daily at 2:00 PM. The museum will be open until 7:30 PM today and Saturday. American History Museum

Saturday, May 28 Spark!Lab

The Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab offers young visitors hands-on experiments that teach about science, the invention process and the role of technology in American history. Activities rotate on a regular basis to provide visitors with new learning experiences. Staff-led experiments are offered most days at 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Confirm schedule at either information desk. Free. American History Museum. 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Please note: Roads around the National Mall will be closed Sunday for Rolling Thunder and Monday for a Memorial Day parade. Please see DC’s Department of Transportation web site for more information .

Sunday, May 29 Friendship Dance

The Children of the Four Directions sing, drum and tell of the ways of their tribe. Gifts from each tribe will be presented to the museum and a Friendship Round Dance ends the event. Free. 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Museum of the American Indian

Monday, May 30 Dinosaurs on the Big Screen

Dinosaurs 3D will take you into the world of the largest known dinosaurs, Argentinosaurus and Gigantosaurus. Experience their lives in the Early Cretaceous period as they struggle to survive in a brutal environment. Paleontologist Rodolfo Coria is your guide for a archeological dig in Argentina. The film is shown at 2:25, 4:25 and 6:25 daily, in the Johnson IMAX Theater at the Natural History museum. Tickets are $9 adults, $8 seniors, $6.50 members and $7.50 children ages 2 to 12. Toll free phone 866-868-7774 or online. Natural History Museum

For updates on all exhibitions and events, visit goSmithsonian.com