Smithsonian.com

Image via Diller Scofidio + Renfro

In 2009, the Hirshhorn Museum announced plans for a dramatic, glowing balloon that would emerge out of the center of the circular building when inflated seasonally. The “Bubble,” as it came to be called, was conceived by the Hirshhorn’s director, Richard Koshalek, as an architecturally ambitious addition to the museum that would serve as a space for meetings, lectures and temporary think tanks about the arts and culture. But recently, cost projections for the Bubble, officially known as the Seasonal Inflatable Structure, had been reported to be unsustainable.

The fate of the project lay in the balance today as the museum’s board of trustees met to determine if the project would go forward. But at the meeting’s conclusion, Smithsonian Institution officials stated that the board had “failed to reach a consensus.” A final decision will be announced next month.

The museum’s director also announced his resignation to the board and to the museum staff to become effective at the end of the year.

Koshalek came to the Smithsonian in 2009 from the Art Center of College and Design in Pasadena, California with many bold ideas. Koshalek saw the Bubble design as a seasonal venue that would “house pop-up think tanks about the arts around the world,” according to architecture critic Joseph Giovannini in the May issue of Smithsonian magazine.

Under Koshalek’s leadership, the museum produced a number of ambitious exhibitions to critical acclaim, including “Doug Aitken: SONG 1,” and “Barbara Kruger: Belief+Doubt.”

In an announcement to staff, Richard Kurin, the Institution’s undersecretary for history, arts and culture, said that Koshalek had brought “tremendous energy and creativity to the Hirshhorn.”

The New York-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro conceived the blue, translucent structure as an “off kilter dome, jaunty as a beret,” wrote Giovannini, who also described the project as daring and innovative. But costs of the structure and its installation are estimated at $12.5 million, with only $7.8 million raised or committed to date. In addition, Smithsonian officials report that about $1 million would be required to maintain the project, covering the installation, de-installation and storage.

Who is this guy exactly? Find out at Friday’s gallery talk at the Hirshhorn. Photo by Wikimedia user AgnosticPreachersKid

Friday, May 24: Gallery Talk on Jeff Koons’ Kiepenkerl

What is about pop artist Jeff Koons that draws equal parts scorn and admiration? The art world, argues a recent article in New York Magazine, remains skeptical even despite his commercial success. “Koons is,” writes Carl Swanson, “by the measure of sales of new work, which is the money-mad art world’s only objective measure, the most successful living American artist, but he has never before had a museum retrospective in New York, his home base for 36 years.” His reputation, says Swanson, is built on creating toys for rich old boys. The Hirshhorn’s own Koons, Kiepenkerl, is a strange mix of old meets new, with a candy-coating of silver. The statue of a traveling peddler plays on nostalgia while selling an exciting spirit of exploration: poised with walking stick and a bag full of mysteries, where is this man headed? Today’s gallery talk will examine this 1987 stainless steel sculpture and look at how it fits into the artist’s larger oeuvre. Free. 12:30 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Saturday, May 25: Celebrate Hawai’i Festival

Even though the Washington Post reports that fewer folks will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend, you can still get that tropical vacation you were hoping for right on the Mall. Head to the American Indian Museum for a full day of events celebrating Hawai’i. The annual celebration is part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and includes cooking and hula demonstrations as well as films and performances from popular acts like the Aloha Boys. And if one day isn’t enough, Sunday features another full day of programs. Free. 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. American Indian Museum.

Sunday, May 26: Music at the Museum: Summer Band Concert

Salute the troops this weekend with a performance by the U.S. Navy jazz band, the Commodores. The show is outdoors, so bring the blanket, the family and some sunglasses. The band has been entertaining and educating since 1969 and features a mix of big band tunes and vocal arrangements. The concert series continues each fourth Sunday through August. Free. 6 p.m. Air and Space Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

Lillian Gish played a girl haunted by the wind of the western prairies in the 1928 silent film The Wind. On Sunday, see the film set to a live piano concert at the American Art Museum. Photo by Movie-Fan, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Friday May 17: Modern art conservation: palimpsest

What does it take museums to conserve art projects that go beyond a painted picture? Ann Hamilton‘s palimpsest is an installation in the exhibition “Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-present” that takes up a small room, whose walls are covered in loosely hanging newsprint sheets with handwritten scrawls across them. In the middle is a glass case that contains two heads of cabbage being eaten by 20 snails. This afternoon, Conservator Gwynne Ryan discusses the conservation issues surrounding this challenging artwork. Free. 12:30 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum.

Saturday, May 18: The art of Japanese pouch-books

The Japanese “pouch-book” was a common format used for novels, romances and comedies during the Edo period (1603-1868)—but you can still make one today! Artists from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center are in the Sackler Gallery this afternoon to show you how, with plenty of supplies. You get to take your masterpiece home when you’re done. $15 materials fee. 1 p.m. Sackler Gallery.

Sunday, May 19: The Wind

Two good Sunday afternoon activities: watching movies, listening to music. One great Sunday afternoon activity: both at the same time! This afternoon, in a very special “cineconcert,” composer and pianist Andrew E. Simpson performs a new, original score for The Wind, a silent film classic form 1928. In the movie, Lillian Gish plays an innocent girl who moves to the western prairies and is haunted by the ever-present wind. Free tickets distributed 30 minutes before the film in the G Street Lobby. 3 p.m. American Art Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

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

Kota Ezawa recreates famous moments in history and pop culture with basic animation software. He is visiting the Hirshhorn on Thursday to talk about his art. Photo by Independent Curators International, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Tuesday, April 30: Did an Emperor Kick-Start the Renaissance?

Most of the art of Emperor Frederick II’s court was destroyed after his death, but there is evidence that the Roman ruler, who directed his artists to recreate the splendor of ancient Rome, sparked the Renaissance during his reign in the 13th century. This evening, art historian Louisa Woodville, a teacher at George Mason University, juxtaposes the surviving works of Frederick’s court with those of the proto-Renaissance to make the case for the emperor’s influence. Tickets $25, with member discounts. 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Ripley Center.

Wednesday, May 1: Hands-On Family Craft Activities

Most Wednesdays and Saturdays this Summer, the American Indian Museum is offering a hands-on experience of Native culture. Stop by the museum this afternoon to learn how to make a Native craft that you can take home with you. Free. 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday and Saturdays through August. American Indian Museum.

Thursday, May 2: Meet Artist Kota Ezawa

Japanese-German artist Kota Ezawa recreates famous moments in television, film and art history with rudimentary digital drawing and animation software. Frame by frame, he has covered the Kennedy assassination and O.J. Simposon’s trial to clips from popular movies. This evening, the artist discusses the method behind his approach with a talk on “A History of ‘Poor Animation.’ ” Free. 7 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

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

The Cyrus Cylinder is sometimes called the oldest declaration of human rights. See it on display and hear its story on Tuesday at the Sackler Gallery. Photo courtesy of the Sackler Gallery

Tuesday, April 23: From Babylon to Persepolis: Cyrus the Great and the Legacy of Ancient Iran

The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most significant archaeological artifacts in history. Inscribed with cuneiform, one of the earliest known scripts, the football-shaped cylinder of baked clay describes Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C., and describes how the king freed his newly conquered people from religious persecution by restoring their temples and sending prisoners home to worship their own gods. Cyrus’ tolerant approach has inspired philosophers and politicians for centuries. The Cylinder is on display at the Sackler Gallery through April 28, and in preparation of its departure, curators of the exhibition today will discuss its archaeological and historical context and lasting legacy. Free. 12:15 p.m. Sackler Gallery.

Wednesday, April 24: Curator Tour: “Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present”

Since 1912, when painter Georges Braque began to mix swatches of printed paper and cloth into his pictures, collage has redefined the limits of artistic expression by blending everyday materials like car parts, butterfly wings and furniture. “Over, Under, Next: Experiments in New Media,” a new exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum, displays approximately 100 assemblages from the past century. This evening, associate curator Evelyn Hankins discusses ways in which artists from almost every major art movement have incorporated assemblage into their work. Free. 7 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum.

Thursday, April 25: Smithsonian Craft Show

Furniture! Ceramics! Glass! Wearable art! More than 100 of America’s top artisans are displaying and selling their hand-crafted work this weekend in the institution’s 31st annual craft show. Great chance to pick up an early Mother’s Day gift, or something for yourself to impress your friends. Daily admission $15; two day admission $20 (12 and under free, no strollers permitted). To purchase tickets, call the Craft Show Office at 202-633-5006 or 888-832-9554, or go here.  10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. today and Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. National Building Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

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