How much is the Hope Diamond worth? Ask Smithsonian.

Our inquisitive readers are rising to the challenge we gave them last month. The questions are pouring in and we’re ready for more. Do you have any questions for our curators? Submit your questions here.

How much is the Hope Diamond worth? — Marjorie Mathews, Silver Spring, Maryland

That’s the most popular question we get, but we don’t really satisfy people by giving them a number. There are a number of answers, but the best one is that we honestly don’t know. It’s a little bit like Liz Taylor’s jewels being sold in December—all kinds of people guessed at what they would sell for, but everybody I know was way off. Only when those pieces were opened up to bidding at a public auction could you find out what their values were. When they were sold, then at least for that day and that night you could say, well, they were worth that much. The Hope Diamond is kind of the same way, but more so. There’s simply nothing else like it. So how do you put a value on the history, on the fact it’s been here on display for over 50 years and a few hundred million people have seen it, and on that fact it’s a rare blue diamond on top of everything else? You don’t. – Jeffrey E. Post, mineralogist, National Museum of Natural History

What’s the worst impact of ocean acidification so far?- Nancy Schaefer, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The impacts of ocean acidification are really just starting to be felt, but two big reports that came out in 2011 show that it could have very serious effects on coral reefs. These studies did not measure the warming effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but rather its effect of making the ocean more acidic when it dissolves in the ocean. Places where large amounts of carbon dioxide seep into the water from the sea floor provide a natural experiment and show us how ocean waters might look, say, 50 or 100 years from now. Both studies showed branching, lacy, delicate coral forms are likely to disappear, and with them that kind of three-dimensional complexity so many species depend on. Also, other species that build a stony skeleton or shell, such as oysters or mussels, are likely to be affected. This happens because acidification makes carbonate ions, which these species need for their skeletons, less abundant.

Nancy Knowlton, marine biologist
National Museum of Natural History

Art and artifacts from ancient South Pacific and Pacific Northwest tribes have similarities in form and function. Is it possible that early Hawaiians caught part of the Kuroshio Current of the North Pacific Gyre to end up along the northwest coast of America from northern California to Alaska? — April Croan, Maple Valley, Washington

Those similarities have given rise to various theories, including trans-Pacific navigation, independent drifts of floating artifacts, inadvertent crossings by ships that have lost their rudders or rigging, or whales harpooned in one area that died or were captured in a distant place. Some connections are well-known, like feather garment fragments found in an archaeological site in Southeast Alaska that appear to have been brought there by whaling ships that had stopped in the Hawaiian Islands, a regular route for 19th-century whalers. Before the period of European contact, the greatest similarities are with the southwest Pacific, not Hawaii. The Kushiro current would have facilitated Asian coastal contacts with northwestern North America, but would not have helped Hawaiians. The problem of identification is one of context, form and dating. Most of the reported similarities are either out of their original context (which can’t be reconstructed), or their form is not specific enough to relate to another area’s style, or the date of creation cannot be established. To date there is no acceptable proof for South Pacific-Northwest Coast historical connections that predates the European whaling era, except for links that follow the coastal region of the North Pacific into Alaska.

William Fitzhugh, archeologist
Natural History Museum

The Art of Video Games exhibit opens at the American Art Museum on March 16.

We know you’ve got enough “looking forward to 2012″ lists under your belt by now; our Who to Follow post alone will keep you pretty busy. But we can’t resist sneaking in just one more. Here’s our guide to the exhibitions we’re most excited for this year. Mark your calendars now so you’ll have no excuse to say you’re bored later.

A new look at Monticello: Founding father Thomas Jefferson called slavery an “abominable crime”. . . but owned more than 600 slaves who sustained his plantation, Monticello. “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” opened on January 27 in the American History Museum‘s National Museum of African American History and Culture Gallery, and focuses on the long-overlooked history of slave life at the third president’s Virginia home. Be sure to keep up with the latest news from Monticello on Twitter at @TJMonticello.

Happy birthday, Jackson Pollock: If he were alive today, Jackson Pollock would have turned 100 on January 28. To honor the stormy life and revolutionary work of the modern art icon, the Archives of American Art presents Pollock’s personal family photos, letters, and writings in “Art Memories Arrested in Space, a centennial tribute to Jackson Pollock” at the Reynolds Center through May 15.

Game on: Can video games be art? To answer that question, the American Art Museum‘s upcoming exhibit, “The Art of Video Games,” pulls together the most arresting graphics and innovative designs in the gaming world, on view March 16 through September 30. Even if you forgot to vote for your favorite game, don’t miss out on GameFest, which kicks off the exhibit with three days packed with open play, panel talks with artists and designers, and live-action gaming. To tide you over til March, follow curator Chris Melissinos at @CMelissinos for updates and teasers.

Hokusai: In anticipation of the Cherry Blossom Centennial, the Sackler Gallery presents a study of Katsushika Hosukai, Japan’s most famous artist (yes, that’s his Great Wave that has probably graced every college dorm wall in America). “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” his most acclaimed woodblock print series, was first published in 1830 when Hokusai was in his 70s and goes on view on March 24 through June 17. The gallery has set up an interactive website with more information on Hokusai’s life and artistic technique.

Ai Weiwei: The controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, arrested last year, brings a new installation, “Fragments,” to the Sackler Gallery beginning May 12. Using antique wood salvaged from Qing Dynasty temples, Ai worked with skilled traditional carpenters to create what he calls an “irrational structure” that both affirms and defies centuries of architectural traditions. In October, the Hirshhorn gets in on the action with an exhibit of 25 of Ai’s recent works entitled “Ai Weiwei: According to What?” For an English translation of Ai’s Twitter, follow @aiwwenglish.

Now that you’ve probably burned through the lists of historians, innovators, and food-writers to follow this year, we’re bringing it back home to the Smithsonian. As always, the Mall is cooking up some fascinating, crazy, and sometimes grotesque stuff for 2012. Bookmark these people and projects to keep up with this year:

Nicholas Pyenson: Pyenson studies and curates fossils of marine mammals. Get a feel for what is going on inside his lab and follow his team into the field—fresh from an expedition in Chile—at his blog, Pyenson Lab.

Postal Museum: Time for a pop quiz: A “hamper dumper” is:

a) machine in postal processing

b) bin of misprint stamps

c) failed mail vehicle

d) philatelic tool.

If you know the answer, you should be following the Postal Museum (@postalmuseum) for their daily #PostalQuiz and other philatelic factoids.

Biodiversity Heritage Library: As part of the Biodiversity Heritage Library consortium, the Smithsonian Libraries collects and digitizes biodiversity research for open online access—essentially, a bio-wiki. Check out @biodivlibrary for the species of the day: plants that eat worms, albino penguins and other bizarre creatures you never knew existed.

Archives of American Art Pinterest: The American Art Pinterest lets you browse the archives and “pin” the images you like to your virtual board. Mix and match from collections like “facial hair of note” and “ain’t no party like an artist’s party.”

Book Dragon: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program’s Book Dragon is the pet project of former APA Media Arts Consultant Terry Hong, featuring reviews of “books for the multi-cultural reader.” Hong highlights literature for kids and adults alike that speaks to the Asian American experience. Follow her at @SIBookDragon.

Smithsonian Vids: For a moving view of the Institution, follow @SmithsonianVids. Meet a scientist studying frog-eating bats, or get a video tour of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings from Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

Smithsonian Marine Station: This Natural History Museum field station, located in Fort Pierce, Florida, tweets news updates and photos from the field (er, coral reef) @SmithsonianSMS. Plus, there’s #followfriday trivia every week.

Field Book Project: Also, from the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Archives check out this blog, where researchers post updates on their initiative to compile an online database of field books and journals documenting biodiversity research. Besides progress updates, you’ll also find excerpts of century-old field notes from explorers, birdwatchers and scientists (including lots of fun, old-timey sketches) and learn a lot more than you ever thought there was to know about indices.

Encyclopedia of Life: Take your best shot and enter the picture in the Smithsonian’s Encyclopedia of Life Flickr photo contest. The bi-weekly contest could be (and has been) any theme from “backyard life” to “sexual dimorphism.” Even if you don’t enter, be sure to browse the entries for gems like this.

And of course, if you’re not following them already, the museums are always Tweeting up a storm. Here’s the checklist:

American Indian Museum: @SmithsonianNMAI

National Portrait Gallery: @npg

American Art Museum: @americanart

Anacostia Community Museum: @anacostiamuseum

American History Museum: @amhistorymuseum

Air and Space Museum: @airandspace

Museum of Natural History: @NMNH

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: @hirshhorn

Freer and Sackler Galleries: @FreerSackler

Museum of African Art: @NMAfA

National Zoo: @NationalZoo

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum: @cooperhewitt

Smithsonian: @Smithsonian

Still from Ali Kazma's "O.K.," 2010, courtesy of C24 Gallery and Vehbi Koç Foundation, New York.

Step into the Hirshhorn’s Black Box theater and you’ll find Turkish video artist Ali Kazma’s “O.K” (2010) showing on seven small screens arranged across the wall. Looped and played in real time, each shows a different perspective of the hands of a notary public rapidly stamping piles and piles of paper with extreme expediency. The cacophony of sound and the repetition of imagery becomes more and more hypnotic the longer the viewer stays in the theater.

“I sought someone out who was really fast and had nice hands,” Kazma told Art in America this past September of his subject. That well-manicured, faceless worker smartly dressed in a slim-fitting gray suit becomes a highly efficient machine in “O.K.”–with no assistance from rubber-tipped fingers or the stationary equivalent of steroids. Just a man, his piles of paper and a stamper.

Still from Ali Kazma's "O.K.," 2010, courtesy of C24 Gallery and Vehbi Koç Foundation, New York.

“We, especially in the art world, are always talking about the idea that the world has moved on, that the world has become a superhighway of information, that it’s mobile.” Kazma continued. “But I wanted to remind us all that we still live in a world where such work as stamping papers exists.”

The blitzkrieg of rapid-fire sound and movement in a generic office setting immediately triggered my memories of the classic 1980s Federal Express commercials featuring motor-mouthed John Moschitta. And watching detailed images of people at work brought to mind Eadweard Muybridge’s early photo studies of human movement.

“The work is mesmerizing but also redolent of the caffeine-infused work-a-day tasks we all hope we accomplish as masterfully,” says Hirshhorn curator Barbara Gordon. “Kazma seems to ask us to slow down, to sit and take in, to appreciate and consider the process, and progress of as well, the so-called fruits of our labor.

“Black Box: Ali Kazma” will be on display at the Hirshhorn Museum until April 2012

See Warhol through an artist's eyes in Talking With Andy on January 11. Image courtesy of the Hirshhorn .

January 10 Mission: Impossible in IMAX

Some Hollywood action is taking shape at Smithsonian’s IMAX theaters with the arrival of the new thriller Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise. When the IMF is shut down after being implicated in a global terrorist plot, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes his new team undercover to clear the organization’s name and stop the attack. Rated PG 13. $15/adult; $12/members; $14/senior; $13.50/under 12. 5:30 p.m., 8:10 p.m. and Friday/Saturday nights 10:40 p.m. in the Johnson Theater at the Natural History Museum; 5:40 p.m., 8:10 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. in the Airbus Theater at Udvar-Hazy Center.

Wednesday, January 11 Talking about Andy

Explore the iconic legacy of Andy Warhol with acclaimed contemporary artist Kara Walker. Among the youngest people ever to win a MacArthur Genius Grant, Walker is known for her unblinking treatment of race and oppression. Join her in a discussion of one of her earliest influences, and learn more about Warhol’s role in the melding of pop culture and fine art. Free. 7:00 p.m. Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum.

Thursday, January 12 Webby Talk

Stay on the cutting edge of today’s digital trends with David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards, in a discussion of the most innovative work happening on the Web. Every year, the Webby Awards highlights work from more than 10,000 entries from around the world. Based on these entries, Webby Talks present questions on the newest developments in social media, interactive advertising, content creation, and more. Free. 3 p.m. Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum.

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

Learn about writer and art collector Gertrude Stein as part of the Portrait Story Days series. Photo courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Friday, December 23 ArtLab+ Showcase

ArtLab+, a digital media studio that provides local teens a chance to engage with different forms of art and design, presents this showcase event. Produced by the Creative Consultants Club of ArtLab+, it will feature young people’s creative works in fashion, music, photography and film.  Free. 6 to 7 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum, Sunken Sculpture Garden.

Saturday, December 24 Portrait Story Days

As part of the Gallery’s family-friendly Portrait Story Days series, drop in and hear about an American who has had a major impact on culture and history. This week, learn about writer, poet and art collector Gertrude Stein, subject of the new exhibition “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories.” After the curator talk, you’ll have the chance to create your own work of art—materials provided. Free. 1 to 4 p.m. National Portrait Gallery, education center.

Sunday, December 25 Christmas

All Smithsonian Institution museums and the National Zoo are closed today. Enjoy the holiday!

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

A frame from "Empire," Warhol's 1964 film. Photo courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum.

In 1964, when Andy Warhol first screened his film Empire, the reaction was decidedly negative. “The first theatrical screening at Jonas Mekas’ American Cinematheque, according to Mekas, caused a near riot,” says Kelly Gordon, a curator at the Hirshhorn Museum. “People became restless, then agitated, and finally many stormed the box office for a refund.”

When you first sit down to watch Empire at the Hirshhorn’s new exhibition, “Empire³,” you might be inclined to agree with the angry crowds. Warhol’s work is a nearly static image of the Empire State Building, filmed over the course of more than six hours on a night in July of 1964. In the sense of a conventional film, absolutely nothing happens. The sun slowly sets, and some of the building’s lights flicker on and off. For the entire 46-minute excerpt shown at the Hirshhorn, that’s it.

But as you settle in, and your mind starts to play with the image. Set to the humming of the projector and the wandering of your thoughts, the picture is slowly transformed. The illuminated top of the building becomes a lighted crown, and then a candle’s flame. You close your eyes, and you see a faint ghost image of the building on the backs of your eyelids. In the darkened room, the flicker of the film brings to mind Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” And when you emerge out into the bright gallery, you’re uncertain what to think of it all: is it a serious work of art, or an elaborate joke?

For Warhol, all this is no accident. “Warhol’s early movies were experiments in which the camera is utilized to record the beauty of a found subject, like a suspended stare,” Gordon says. “He commented that this allowed viewers to get to know themselves better.”

Warhol believed that this unconventional use of film was essential in curbing the rapid pace of life for viewers in the increasingly hectic world of the 1960s.  ”It’s not for everyone, but it is a landmark use of media to slow one down from the barrage and dynamic of the media-ized world, which has grown exponentially more frantic since this was made,” says Gordon. “Even those who aren’t captivated by this often rest here longer than they do before, say, a Rothko.”

The Hirshhorn’s new exhibition pairs Empire with a pair of related works to explore the ways in which the media environment—and the expectations of viewers—have changed since the film’s creation. Outside the gallery, on a small TV monitor, Bootleg (Empire), by Douglas Gordon, is shown.

“Warhol’s work was a legend, but difficult to get to see,” Kelly Gordon explains. “When [Douglas] Gordon found out it was showing in Berlin, he brought a crummy hand-held video camera to tape it on the sly.” Douglas Gordon’s work, a shaky, two-hour bootleg of the original, seems to play on many of the same concepts prevalent throughout Warhol’s career. “His work brings to mind all the issues of appropriation in art—what is inspiration, versus simply theft?” Kelly Gordon asks.

The most recent work in the Gallery is Wolfgang Staehle’s Empire 24/7. Like Douglas Gordon’s film, it’s a comment on Warhol’s original, but was created through an entirely different method.  Staehle set up a digital webcam that took photos of the Empire State Building every six seconds and streamed it on the Internet for four years straight. “He has said that it responds to what has happened in the world since Warhol’s work was created,” says Kelly Gordon. “Namely, that digital means provide access to consumerism that continues 24/7.” At the Hirshhorn, a segment of the film is shown, calibrated to match the real-time hour of the day outside.

The exhibition is the very first time the works have been on display together, and Gordon hopes that the chance to see them in the same place will give visitors a new take on the original piece. ”The work is about the cumulative experience, and how long it takes to rinse your mind of other things—or if, in fact, you actually can,” she says.

Empire³ is on display at the Hirshhorn Museum through February 26, 2012

The Hirshhorn Museum is illuminated red in honor of World AIDS Day. Photo by Ryan R. Reed

All around the world, in honor of World AIDS Day, famous buildings and landmarks are being turned red—the official color of AIDS awareness—to promote the cause. The list of red structures includes the London Eye, the Empire State Building and the Sydney Opera House. And this year, for the very first time, a Washington, D.C. landmark will be illuminated red: Smithsonian’s own Hirshhorn Museum.

“RED approached us originally, because they were looking for iconic buildings in different cities, and the Hirshhorn is very distinctive,” says the museum’s spokesperson Jenny Leehey. The 60,000 square foot circular structure was designed by noted architect Gordon Bunshaft and opened to the public in 1974. ”Anytime that we can emphasize the architecture of our building, because it’s so unique, we like to do that,” says Beth Skirkanich, Production Coordinator at the museum. “Especially for a good cause.”

World AIDS Day is an annual event, first observed in 1987, designed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and show support for people living with the disease. This year, the specific aim in mind is ending mother-to-child transmissions of AIDS by 2015.

The Hirshhorn will help promote this goal by having its exterior illuminated a vivid red from this evening to midnight, with the help of 12 exterior lights that weigh 125 pounds each. ”It’s going to be half the building that’s lit, the East and Northeast sides” says Skirkanich. ”So from the Mall or from 7th street, you’ll get a wonderful view.” The museum team is working with an outside events company to install the lighting, the same group used for previous special events such as After Hours.

Because the lighting used for After Hours is primarily projected onto the building’s inner courtyard walls, though, lighting the outside provides a new challenge. ”The curvature of the building probably does make it a little more challenging,” Skirkanich says. ”and red is actually a difficult color to light, because it’s very dense, so it’s hard to make it really pop.”

To maximize the effect, the team has installed panoramic light fixtures that can be manually focused. The lights can also mix various colors to achieve precisely the right red color featured in the AIDS campaign. “We’ve never done this before, so we’re not sure exactly how it’ll turn out, but we’re hoping that it’ll be really vibrant,” says Skirkanich.

The film, "Under Control," is showing tonight at the Hirshhorn. Photos courtesy of Volker Sattel

Brush up on your German, zip up your lead-lined pants and bring your NukAlert badge when you go check out the film Under Control [Unter Kontrolle] tonight, Tuesday, November 15, at 7:00 at the Hirshhorn Museum. This timely work explores both the design aesthetics and the behind-the-scenes of what really happens behind the scenes at nuclear reactors.

Filmed in the wide-screen Cinemascope, the camera moves deliberately over several locations, running the gamut from active nuclear plants, decommissioned reactors, training classes and radioactive waste storage facilities—even shooting over an open research reactor while the fuel rods were being changed. Kind of gives you a warm, glowing feeling, doesn’t it?

Hollow, echoing sounds reflect the underlying menace that’s present. Yet there’s an appeal to the clean lines of the sterile, industrial design and a retro Eastern European feel to the furniture and instrument panels that ironically control some of the most powerful forces on the planet.

Hirshhorn associate curator Kelly Gordon first saw the piece at the Berlin Film Festival this past February and came away impressed. “It is a mind-blowing study of the haunting elegance of the hardware of the industry,” she says. “The film meditates on the poetry of technology but also the echo of mass destruction.”

Control panel, a still from the film, "Under Control."

Director Volker Sattel, who will be on hand for tonight’s screening, came up with the idea for the piece in 2007 while in Vienna. He was visually inspired by the concentric construction of UNO-City, the 1970s-style high-rise headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, the men in dark suits and stylishly-dressed women there reminded him of the men-in-black portrayal of the secret service in American cinema.

Sattel actually grew up where nuclear reactor towers loomed on the horizon, in the German town of Speyer. He brings an objective and stylized eye to the German nuclear discussion.

“We encountered an industrial-scale technology that was both fascinating and creepy at the same time,” Volker told Berlin Art Link in April of 2011. “Looking at the long term, you can sense the enormous challenges and ludicrous efforts that this form of energy generation demands of human beings.”

Stanford Addison, the Arapaho horse whisperer featured in the film, "Silent Thunder." Photo courtesy American Indian Museum

Monday, November 7 Silent Thunder

Stanford Addison, an Arapaho elder, suffered a car accident at the age of 20 and was paralyzed from the waist down. From his wheelchair, he has become a master “horse whisperer.” Bring the whole family to see the film that captures his unusual and inspiring story. Free, 27 minutes. 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. daily, except Wednesdays. American Indian Museum, Rasmuson Theater.

Tuesday, November 8 Cyborgs and Human Evolution

Advances in biotechnology—such as pacemakers, cochlear implants and joint replacements—have gradually shifted the concept of cyborgs from science fiction to reality. Listen to senior curator Roger Launius‘ fascinating analysis of cyborg development and his visions of what the future might hold. $30 for Residents Associate Members, $27 for senior members, $40 for general public. 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. S. Dillon Ripley Center.

Wednesday, November 9 Inventing the Internet

Come to a discussion with two of the Internet’s “founding fathers.” Steve Crocker, who established crucial early protocols necessary for data transfer, will join Vinton Cerf, who played a role in developing the first commercial email program. The two will tell their personal stories regarding the early days of the internet and discuss how its development has fundamentally altered the way we communicate. Free. 7 to 8 p.m. American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium

Thursday, November 10 The Films of Andy Warhol

Douglas Crimp, a renowned art history scholar and film critic, will read from his his upcoming book, “Our Kind of Movie: The Films of Andy Warhol (available March 2010).” Crimp’s work examines Warhol’s innovative cinematic techniques, collaborative methods and unusual topics of focus. Before the talk, visit “Directions: Empire³,” the Hirshhorn’s new exhibition which involves multimedia responses to the Empire State Building by Warhol, Douglas Gordon and Wolfgang Staehle. Free. 7 to 8 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum, Lerner Room.

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

What if we could make masks to look like these models in the Natural History Museum's Hall of Human Origins? Artist: John Gurche. Photo by Chip Clark, NMNH.

In past years, our ATM team of bloggers has collectively pored over the Smithsonian’s collections to bring you museum-inspired costume ideas. Last year was a banner year for us, as we ginned up ideas for dressing as Carol Burnett in her curtain rod dress, from when she spoofed Gone With the Wind on her comedy show, and Abel the Monkey, who paved the way for human space flight. For a group costume, we went conceptual, suggesting you and six friends each wear a white t-shirt inscribed with one of the seven words in artist Lawrence Weiner’s “A RUBBER BALL THROWN ON THE SEA,” on display at the Hirshhorn.

This year, however, I decided to turn to the Institution’s resident experts—curators at the museums—for their insider’s insight. Here is what they suggest:

1. Man Ray’s Nut Girls

Melissa Ho, assistant curator at the Hirshhorn Museum, has had collage on the brain, as she has been busily working on an upcoming show of collage and assemblage works called “Over, Under, Next.” She suggests cobbling together a costume inspired by Man Ray’s 1941 photograph and mixed media collage, Nut Girls. In it, the American artist puts a walnut, in place of a head, on a cutout of one woman, and on another figure, the walnut covers the woman’s head and torso. “Carve a big walnut out of Styrofoam and slip on a romper,” says Ho.

Another idea for a costume party, she says, is to dress as Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely’s The Sorceress (1961). “This is one of his motorized kinetic sculptures,” says Ho. “When turned on, it shakes and vibrates until its bits and pieces start to fall off—so perfect outfit for dancing!”

2. Dracula

According to Thomas Lera, the Winton M. Blout Chair in Research at the National Postal Museum, Dracula is the Halloween character that postal administrations around the world have depicted the most on stamps. In 1997, the U.S. Postal Service issued a “Classic Movie Monsters” stamp set, featuring five villains from Universal Studio films. Dracula was one. “As a special security feature, a process called ‘scrambled indicia’ was used, which overlaps symbols and images that are not seen by the naked eye when printed,” says Lera. “The Dracula stamp has three vampire bats in the blue background, which can only be seen by a precision optical device using elongated lenses called lenticules.” Lera suggests modeling a Dracula costume after this or the many other portrayals—a Canadian stamp honoring the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula in 1997, a Samoan stamp from 2000 featuring the Sesame Street’s Count von Count and a British stamp from 2008 with actor Christopher Lee as Dracula commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hammer Horror Films.

3. Dr. John Jeffries

Seeking input from Smithsonian curators certainly brought some little-known characters to light. When I asked Tom Crouch, senior curator of aeronautics at the National Air and Space Museum, who or what he might be inspired to dress up as for Halloween, he was quick to answer Dr. John Jeffries. Who, you might ask? Jeffries is not exactly a household name, but his story may be an interesting one to tell at a party. On January 7, 1785, Jeffries flew the English Channel in a balloon with Pierre Blanchard, making him the first American to make a free flight. “He wore a great costume, which included a leopard skin hat to keep his head warm, a cork jacket to keep him afloat in case of a channel landing and a Jerry Seinfeld style ‘puffy shirt,’ complete with frilled cuffs, so that, I suppose, he would look good in the post-flight interviews,” says Crouch. NASM has the large barometer and thermometer that Jeffries carried with him in its collection. As it would have it, some pieces of the outfit are at Harvard’s Houghton Library, where his papers are kept. “Fortunately, some years ago my friend and Smithsonian curator of costume, Claudia Kidwell, studied the Jeffries garments and prepared patterns for them, so sewing up my costume would not be all that difficult,” says Crouch. Over three decades, Crouch has researched the life of Jeffries. “I could step right into the good doctor’s shoes and answer any questions that might arise,” he says.

4. Empress Dowager Cixi

Although he does not think he would make a convincing Empress Dowager, David Hogge, head of the archives at the Freer and Sackler galleries, offers it up as a suggestion to others. Empress Cixi reigned as sovereign of China for 45 years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nineteen portraits of her are currently on display in the exhibition “Power | Play: China’s Empress Dowager,” which Hogge curated, at the Arther M. Sackler Gallery, if you are in need of some inspiration. Empress Cixi wore her fingernails about an inch long, and on her third and pinky fingers, notes Hogge, she wore elaborate jeweled, gold filigreed fingernail protectors. “Those seem to give people the creeps,” says Hogge.

5. An Early Human

Rick Potts, curator of anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, is a self-described Halloween fanatic. “What could be better than to skulk around the neighborhood or delight party-goers on Halloween night by dressing up as a realistic early human?” he says. “I wish I could turn some of the amazing visages in our Hall of Human Origins into masks.”

6. Annie Oakley

In 2007, the National Portrait Gallery purchased a photograph at an auction of sharpshooter Annie Oakley taken in 1885. “She was a cowgirl, known as “little sure shot” for her extraordinary ability to hit a moving target, most famously a small coin, even on horseback, all while maintaining ‘lady-like’ composure and elegance,” says Anne Collins Goodyear, associate curator of prints and drawings at the museum. “Wonderful inspiration for the imagination!” In the photograph, Oakley holds a rifle and is wearing a hat, blouse and fringed skirt with embroidered flowers.

7. Bob Dylan

Gail Davidson, head of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s department of drawings, prints and graphic design, considers Milton Glaser’s famous 1966 poster of singer Bob Dylan great costume fodder. Glaser, an artist and graphic designer, created the poster early in his career, to be included in the packaging of Dylan’s “Greatest Hits” LP. In terms of the poster’s composition, Glaser was influenced by a 1957 self-portrait by Marcel Duchamp. But, he gave it a psychedelic feel by adding bold colors to Dylan’s tousled hair. “I would dress up by dying my hair in wavelets of the different colors in the poster,” says Davidson.

8. A Zoo Animal…Take Your Pick

Cute baby animals born at the National Zoo are our bread and butter here at the ATM blog. But Craig Saffoe, the Zoo’s curator of Great Cats and Andean Bears, reminds us, “What’s cuter than an infant dressed as a full-maned lion?” Animals make fine costumes for adults too. Dressing as an endangered species gives one the opportunity to have an awesome costume and educate friends, notes Saffoe. There is also great potential for themed family costumes. “A mother and her infant could dress as a kangaroo and her joey, a banana and a monkey or a eucalyptus tree and a koala bear. A family could dress as a pride of lions, a gaggle of geese or a flock of flamingos. Whatever animal costume you choose, don’t forget you’ll need a zookeeper!” says the curator, whose son attended this year’s Boo at the Zoo event at the National Zoo in a zookeeper uniform.

Andy Warhol's Shadows, on view in its entirety for the first time. Photo courtesy Hirshhorn Museum

October 24 goSmithsonian Trek

Play the new goSmithsonian Trek game on your iPhone or Android to take part in an scavenger hunt in the largest museum complex in the world. Download the free SCVNGR App to answer questions about artifacts, solve mysteries about national treasures and complete GPS-based challenges in nine Smithsonian museums. This innovative game brings a whole new level of interaction to the Smithsonian experience. Free. Play via SCVNGR App on iPhone or Android.

October 25 Talking About Andy: In the Shadows

Shadows, a newly installed exhibition, is a monumental 102-panel work by Andy Warhol, rarely seen on view in its entirety. Come for this walk-through and gallery talk to get an insider’s perspective on the work. Speakers include Dia Art Foundation curator Yasmil Raymond and Glenn O’Brien, an original member of The Factory—Warhol’s cutting edge studio that the artist founded in 1964 in an abandoned hat factory—and former editor of Interview—the fashion magazine Warhol created in 1969. Free. 7 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum, 2nd floor.

October 26 Skin Color Evolution

As part of the Natural History Museum‘s “RACE: Are We So Different?” exhibition, distinguished anthropologist Nina Jablonski, author of Skin: A Natural History, will provide insight into the biological underpinnings of the evolution of human skin pigmentation. The discussion will address the complex interactions between the biological factors that influenced skin color early in our species’ history, and how appearance has been used to create the concept of race. This Residents Associates program is $20 for the public, $15 for members, and $13 for senior members, with tickets available online. 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. Ripley Center.

October 27 Independent Inventors Symposium

The U.S. Trademark and Patent Office presents this unique event to complement the American Art Museum’s “Great American Hall of Wonders” exhibition. As part of the day and a half long symposium, patent officials will help inventors understand the newly passed America Invents Act and how it impacts independent inventors. On the second day, a panel of experts will give participants tips on manufacturing, marketing and licensing to take their inventions to the next level. Free, with space limited and online registration encouraged. 1 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 27, continuing 8:30 a.m. to 5:5 p.m. on Oct. 28. American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium.

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

This past Friday night, instead of closing its doors, the Hirshhorn museum held its three-times-a-year After Hours party, transforming into a sophisticated dance party, with gallery tours, food and drink, and live music from the nine-piece psychedelic orchestra the Crystal Ark. Throngs of partygoers filled the museum and outdoor plaza, dancing to the music and enjoying the night.

The party was themed around one of the Hirshhorn’s newest installations, Andy Warhol’s Shadows. Warhol created the 102-panel work in his later years, and the museum’s unique sweeping architecture allows it to be viewed in its 450-foot entirety for the first time.

“What’s so unique about the marriage of the space and the artwork is that we occupy this wonderful round building, so we are able to have a continuous wall, with no corners and nothing obstructing your view,” said curator Melissa Ho, who gave a gallery tour during the event. “So for the first time, we’re able to show all 102 panels of Shadows, and it’s a continuous panorama. You really get a sense of the monumentality of the work.”

Ho feels there couldn’t be a more appropriate exhibition to theme an After Hours party on than Shadows. “One of the things that’s really lovely about After Hours happening during this exhibition is that the first time shadows was shown, there was a huge party,” she said. “Andy Warhol, in his usual flippant way, said ‘this is disco decor.’”

At the start of the night, multimedia projections by Bec Stupak and Honeygun Labs played around the central fountain, set to music by Nancy Whang, a former keyboardist for LCD Soundsystem and vocalist for The Juan MacLean. At ten, the Crystal Ark came on and performed a set of their distinctive blend of Funk Carioca, atabaque drumming, Tropicália and South American-style rave, driving the crowd into a frenzy.

Partygoers loved the unusual blend of Smithsonian-quality modern art and live dance music. “You get the art culture and you get the nightlife culture together,” said Jeanna Lo. “Just looking around, it’s beautiful here: the lights, the music, it’s not what you expect from a museum. Everything’s kind of unexpected.”

“This gives people access to have an enlivened, very social, very hip, very now, very cool scene,” said Danny Chapman. “And then they can go inside and have access to some of the most beautiful things that man has ever created.”

Looking around the party, once can’t help but imagine Warhol appreciating the setting in which one of his most significant works would appear in its entirety for the first time. When he debuted Shadows to the public, in the midst of his own colossal party, he told his admirers, “The review will be bad—my reviews always are. But the reviews of the party will be terrific.”

Come see the Bay Jazz Project perform at the American Art Museum. Photo courtesy museum

Monday, October 17 YouTube Mania

ArtLab+, a digital media studio that provides local teens a chance to engage with different forms of art and design, presents this weekly event on video art. ArtLab mentors will show YouTube videos around a different theme each Monday night, with everything from fan videos to mash-ups, remixes and viral video. Teens will have the chance to show their own videos to the audience. Free. Every Monday from 6 to 7 p.m. Hirshhorn Museum, Sunken Sculpture Garden.

Tuesday, October 18 Worms from Hell and Microbes from Space

Come hear Washington Post science writer Marc Kaufman talk about how unusual creatures and extraterrestrials may have formed the original building blocks of life on earth. “Extremophiles,” microscopic creatures that thrive in unusual conditions, have been discovered everywhere from miles below the earth in underground caves to fossilized on the surface of Martian meteorites. Kaufman will be joined by a Princeton professor and a NASA astrobiologist as they discuss the significant implications of extremophiles on the origins of life. This Smithsonian Associates Program is $15 for members, $13 for senior members, and $25 for general admission. 6:45 p.m. Ripley Center, Lecture Hall

Wednesday October 19 American Women in Hong Kong

Join author Stacilee Ford as she discusses her book “Troubling American Women: Narratives of Gender and Nation in Hong Kong.” Ford, who lived in Hong Kong for more than 18 years, has explored the lives of expatriate women in both Hong Kong and Macau and studied how their gender identity has affected interactions with both Chinese life and British colonialism. After the talk, get your own copy of the book autographed by the author. Free. Noon to 1 p.m. National Portrait Gallery, bookstore

Thursday October 20 Bay Jazz Project

As part of the Take Five! series, the American Art Museum welcomes the Bay Jazz Project. Led by pianist Sean Lane, one of the DC area’s most accomplished jazz keyboardists, the group presents a soulful mix of vocals with jazz classics and original compositions. Come for free live jazz and cool art. No tickets required. American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard

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

Film still from 55 Days at Peking (1963). Courtesy of Freer/Sackler Gallery, SI.

There’s a wonderful little nip in the air that’s invaded the Metro area, and finally taken the edge off that dreadful humidity that had been lingering like in-laws that just won’t take the hint to leave. It’s the perfect time for you and that special someone to go out for the evening and kick up your heels, or get out to learn something.  And wouldn’t you know it, the Smithsonian museums have a full slate of varied evening events scheduled for pretty much every night this month. We’ve selected an uneven eleven, because that’s just how we roll.

1. See a film: If you’re a fan of Asian cinema, Friday nights at 7:00 at the Freer Gallery this October could be your bag, baby. The ambitious Boxer Rebellion tale, 55 Days at Peking, featuring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner, is playing October 7. You can check out Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, the aptly-titled film about Puyi, the last emperor of China on October 14. And in Rebels of the Neon God, October 21, a street hood gets a overly zealous student admirer.

2. Gaze into the starry, starry night: Get all romantic and hold hands with that special someone while you do some stargazing at the museum’s Public Observatory at the Air and Space Museum. No excuses, guys. You’ve got three dates to chose from—October 8, 21 or 22.

3. Get your dose of intellectual: Share an art outing Wednesday, October 12 at 7:00 and head over to the Smithsonian American Art Museum for figurative painter and portraitist Elizabeth Peyton’s lecture on the creative experience. Peyton is best known for her smaller-scale paintings of stylized, elongated, androgynous figures.

4. Play ball: True, the Nationals didn’t make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to stop loving baseball. The authors of Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress will be on hand for signing and discussion at the National Portrait Gallery Wednesday, October 12 at 6:00 7:00. The book uses the Library of Congress’ vast trove of baseball goodies to cover over two centuries of baseball history.

5. Expand your music horizons: Go hear the performance of American composer Daron Hagen’s new concerto for Japanese koto and string quartet Thursday, October 13 at the Freer Gallery. The piece is based on the eleventh-century work of Japanese literature, Tale of Genji, and the soloist Yumi Kurosawa has appeared at Carnegie Hall.

6. Go the sophisticated route: Take your date to After Hours at the Hirshhorn for modern art, cocktails and live music October 14 at 8:00. Tickets are $25 in advance, and the event usually sells out!

7. Chase storms like the pros do: Head over to the IMAX Theater at the Natural History Museum October 20 at 7:00 to catch Tornado Alley 3-D. Director Sean Casey, along with featured scientists Josh Wurman and Karen Kosiba, will be on hand to answer questions like, “Why the heck do you go outside while there’s a gigantic tornado going on?” Tickets are $10 for members, $13 for general admission.

8. Do the locomotion: Receive a history lesson in cinematic form, courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad covers the six-year construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, in all its laborious glory Thursday, October 20 at 6:30.

9. Be a problem solver: Head over to the Anacostia Museum Thursday, October 20 for the lecture and book signing The Heart of the Race Problem: The Life of Kelly Miller. Author Ida E. Jones will be discussing the accomplishments of Miller, the first African American admitted to Johns Hopkins University in 1887. Miller, who pursued a doctorate in mathematics, physics and astronomy, later became interested in improving relationships between the races.

10. Go trick or treating: Have kids, or just want to remember the good old days of trick-or-treating? Head over to Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo on either October 21, 22 or 23 at 5:30. Throw a costume on your child, or don one yourself and enjoy wildlife and treats. Tickets are $20 for FONZ members, $30 for non-FONZ members.

11. Take flight: If you and your special someone happen to dig airpower, check out the lecture over at Lockheed Martin IMAX Theatre by Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner October 27 at 8:00. Mariner was one of the first eight women to enter military pilot training back in 1973, and was the first woman to fly a front-line attack aircraft.

Update 10/12/2011: The baseball event this evening takes place at 6 and not 7 p.m., sorry for the inconvenience.