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

Esther Nisenthal Krinitz' fabric depiction of pasturing livestock next to a Nazi labor camp in Poland. Image courtesy of Art & Remembrance Organization.

For years, Holocaust survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz sought a way to show pictures to her daughters that told the story of her childhood. At the age of 50, she picked up her needle and began sewing.

“She decided that she wanted my sister and me to see what her house and her family had looked like. She had never been trained in art, but she could sew anything,” says her daughter Bernice Steinhardt. “And so she took a piece of fabric, and she sketched out her home.”

Krinitz stitched her childhood village of Mniszek, near what is today known as Annapol, in rich detail on a large fabric panel, including the Polish settlement’s houses, fields, animals and members of her family. Pleased with the results, she created a companion piece so there would be one for each of her daughters. But as time went on, she couldn’t stop stitching into fabric the images of her childhood, making a new panel for each episode of a story she wanted to tell. Eventually, she would add captions, stitching the words into the works. And over time, she produced works that grew in composition and complexity.

Thirty-six panels later, Krinitz’ story is stunningly visualized at the newly opened “Fabric of Survival” exhibition in the Ripley Center. In the tradition of the graphic novel Maus, Krinitz brings a horrifying story to life in an unidealized, accessible way. The large-scale artworks envelop the viewer, with bold depictions and vivid colors, evoking the emotions of a childhood disrupted by unthinkable trauma.

Krinitz was born in 1927, and enjoyed an idyllic rural childhood until Germany invaded Poland in 1939. “They occupied her village for three years,” Steinhardt says. “In 1942, they ordered all the Jews from the area to leave their homes. They were essentially being deported.”

At the age of 12 15—and somehow aware that complying with Nazi orders could mean certain death—Krinitz decided to take her fate in her own hands. “She pleaded with her parents to think of somebody that she could go to work for, a non-Jew.” says Steinhardt. “She actually left with her sister and they wound up spending the rest of the war under these assumed identities of Polish Catholic girls.” From the entire family, the only members that survived the war were Esther and her sister Mania.

The panels on display document Krinitz’ six-year-long saga as she survived the dangers of concealing her identity under Nazi rule. Many convey the terrors she experienced as a child—in one, German soldiers arrive in the night to her family’s house and force them to line up in their pajamas at gunpoint. In another, Krinitz and her sister are turned away from a friend’s house and spend the night hiding in a pile of farm debris.

But other images capture the boldness and playfulness that Krinitz exhibited even as a child during the Holocaust. Once, while suffering a terrible toothache, she posed as a German child and entered a Nazi camp to have the dentist remove her tooth. Other panels show the simple joys of baking traditional food during Jewish holidays and walking through the fields near her home village.

The residents of Krinitz' village are forcefully deported. Image courtesy Arts & Remembrance.

The works also show Krinitz’ evolving skill, over the years, as an artist. “She created the memory pictures completely out of order, she skipped around,” says Steinhardt. “So you can see the changing design and amount of complexity as you walk through the gallery.” While some of the early works, in terms of date of creation, are more simply designed, the latter ones are incredibly thorough in detail and sophisticated in their composition.

“Fabric of Survival” is especially useful in telling a difficult story to young people. In 2003, Steinhardt and her sister Helene McQuade created Art & Remembrance, an organization that seeks to use art such as Krinitz’ to engage young people in thinking about injustice and oppression. Art & Remembrance uses the works in the exhibition in school-based workshops, where students learn about the Holocaust and illustrate their own stories.

The full set of panels is viewable via a gallery on the organization’s website, but seeing the works in person is a wholly different experience from looking at images online. Up close a remarkable level of detail is revealed—individual stitches represent blades of grass and dozens of villagers can be identified by their distinguishing characteristics.

The story concludes with the final panels, which document Krinitz’ liberation as Russian infantrymen arrived in Poland and her subsequent journey to America. She had planned to make several more pieces to illustrate other anecdotes that occurred during her period of hiding, but was unable to finish the project before she died in 2001 at the age of 74.

Looking through the overwhelming library of fabric art she created, though, one can’t help but feel she completed her mission. “She understood that the world must not forget the Holocaust,” says Steinhardt. “She recognized the power of her pictures to carry her message, and knew that these would be her legacy.”

“Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz” is on display at the Ripley Center through January 29. The world premiere of the documentary based on Krinitz’ story, “Through the Eye of the Needle,” is part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival on Monday, December 5.

"Superfudge" author Judy Blume. Photo by Sigrid Estrada

One of America’s most beloved authors, Judy Blume, will receive the John P. McGovern Award from the Smithsonian Associates in recognition of her contributions to the American family.

“Blume is a longtime champion of children’s education and advocate of intellectual freedom,” says Barbara Tuceling of the Smithsonian Associates. “She’s given a voice to young people coming of age that they may not have otherwise had, and she’s done so with honesty and great care for her young readers.”

Blume is best-known for her work in children’s and young adult fiction, with books such as Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Blubber, Forever and Tiger Eyes. With identifiable characters that readers could relate to, she has unflinchingly and realistically dealt with coming-of-age issues like menstruation, bullying and teen sex. Her books have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 31 languages. Now 73 years old, Judy Blume is currently at work on a young adult novel set in the 1950s. “I like the 12-and-under set,” she wrote in a recent email to me. “and also the adult voice. Yet here I am writing a long, complicated novel from various viewpoints, all of them teenagers in the ’50s.”

Following the presentation, Blume will reflect on her career and discuss today’s children and the challenges of the American family, as seen through the lens of her work, with NPR arts correspondent Lynn Neary. Be sure to check out my interview with Blume in the upcoming January 2012 issue.

Judy Blume and the Right to Read: Monday, November 28, from 7-9 p.m. at the Ripley Center. Tickets for members is $18, non-members $23.

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.

Dimelza Broche, 21, is studying fine arts at the University of North Florida. Photo courtesy of Dimelza Broche.

Dimelza Broche, a student at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, has been pursuing her passion for art since she was 13. She learned the basics of drawing from her brother and then studied painting at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a magnet high school in Jacksonville that specializes in performing, visual and language arts. Now, the 21-year-old fine arts major is being recognized as the grand prize winner in a juried exhibition entitled “Momentum,” which opened this week at the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center.

A friend of Broche’s informed her about the national contest for emerging artists with disabilities. Broche has osteogenisis imperfecta, a genetic disorder causing extremely fragile bones. And, to the contest, she submitted Soul Reader, an oil-on-canvas self portrait that she painted over the course of a month in 2010.

Reoccurring themes in Broche’s work are time and people’s emotions, and both are central to Soul Reader. “To me, the circles in the background and the circles in the clothing represent the circle of life and how important it is to look at what we have and cherish it. In this fast moving society, people sometimes see, but they forget to look at what’s really important in life,” says Broche. “The circles in the background form a halo-like circle, which represents how important or sacred it should be to look and understand life around us and the people and things we interact with.”

"Soul Reader," an oil on canvas (36" by 28"), is on display in "Momentum," at the S. Dillon Ripley Center through January 22. Photo by Greg Staley.

Being in a wheelchair, says Broche, has stopped her from going some places, but it hasn’t stopped her from “traveling to the unexplored places in my subjects’ minds.” She adds: “The force that drives my artistic interest is the interesting people I have met during the years. Every face and every movement of their body says something about the person I’m painting. At the same time, those people show me something about themselves, which I translate into the canvas as something that is crucial or important in their lives. What I learn about my subjects’ lives is something that guides me and will guide me each day as I move towards my future.”

With the title of grand prize winner comes a $20,000 cash prize, which Broche plans to put towards her education. On winning, she says, “I feel like my art is being recognized in a different way. I think the jury selected my art not because it is ‘pretty’ or because they ‘liked it,’ as a lot of people usually comment, but because they found it interesting. It has a theme, and it shows painting techniques, which I have to keep improving.”

“Momentum” is co-sponsored by VSA Arts, an international nonprofit created to promote and showcase artists with disabilities, and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. On view through January 22, 2012, the exhibition includes the works of 15 artists with disabilities, between the ages of 16 and 25.

Big Bird and the gang star in "One World, One Sky" at the planetarium. Photo courtesy Air and Space museum

Friday, August 26 One World, One Sky

Bring your child to the planetarium for a show guaranteed to please. In “One World, One Sky,” Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu (a character from Zhima Jie, the short-lived Chinese incarnation of Sesame Street) travel from Sesame Street to the moon and learn all about the night sky. The excitement of learning about the moon and the show’s opportunities for audience interaction make this a great family-friendly event to start off your Friday. Free, tickets available at planetarium box office. Air and Space Museum, 10:30 AM.

Saturday, August 27 American Sabor

This Saturday, the Smithsonian Latino Center and Latino Public Broadcasting present a pair of documentaries about Latin music as part of the American Sabor series. Accordion Dreams, by Hector Galán, explores conjunto, the unique musical tradition that originated in the 19th century among the Mexican American community and is increasingly popular worldwide. Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano, by Dan Guerrero and Nancy De Los Santos, celebrates Lalo Guerrero, whose influential life and career have affected the contemporary history of Mexican Americans significantly. Free, doors open 30 minutes before first film starts. Ripley Center. 2 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, August 28 Glory Days

After a childhood in wartime Germany and a decorated career in the Air Force, Col. Wolfgang Samuel has written memoirs, oral history, and aviation history. Come to meet the author as he signs copies of his books Glory Days, Watson’s Whizzers, American Raiders, The War of Our Childhood, German Boy, and I Always Wanted to Fly. Free. The event is at the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, Virginia. Noon.

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

West Coast East Side Revue, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, Sunday February 21, 1965 Courtesy of Mark Guerrero

When you think of Latin music, the sounds that have typically defined it—mambo, merengue, salsa, cha-cha-cha—naturally, come to mind. But what about music’s influence on more traditional U.S. genres like jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop?

A newly opened exhibit, “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” invites visitors to explore the depth and breadth of Latino music, which, historically, encompasses a sound that is at once distinctive, and all-American.

“In a huge way, what this [exhibition] is about is not just Latino music in a bubble, which, as we know, never exists in a bubble,” says Ranald Woodaman, of the Smithsonian Latino Center. ”It really is a huge story about Latin music, kind of at the heart of America.”

Divided regionally into the five cities best-known to American audiences in terms of Latino music production—New York, Miami, San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Francisco—this interactive exhibition focuses on post-World War II Latino music. While there are parts of the Latino music story that date back to the Great Depression, World War II was the era when many Latino musicians fighting in the war, like Tito Puente and Ray Barretto, were exposed to jazz, says Woodaman. From that exposure, the mambo sound was developed, “a fusion of more traditional Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean rhythms with a U.S. jazz approach.”

Mambo would not be the only new sound created from melding cultures and influences, as the bilingual exhibit explains. From the rebellious Pachuco of the late 1930s, a counterculture created by Mexican-Americans who felt rejected by both societies, which would lay the foundation for Chicano music, to the intersections of Mexican music with that of German and Czech immigrants in Texas and the fusion of Caribbean cultures with urban cultures in Los Angeles and New York, Latino sound can be heard across genres.

With music playing in the background, maps, original records, fliers, promotional posters, videos, films and other ephemera from the era, including: Carlos Santana’s mariachi, Eva Ybarra’s accordion, a Celia Cruz outfit, original records from both independent and commercial music labels, as well as items from Héctor Lavoe, Ruben Bladés and Gloria Estefan, among others, tell the story. Listening booths, a mixing station and a dance floor encourage visitors to be a part of it.

“Learning is important,” says Woodaman, “but this exhibit offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the music, in the rhythms, and use that as an entry point for learning.”

“I’d like people to come to this exhibit and basically get a sense of how varied, especially by region, Latino music traditions really are,” Woodaman says. “It’s really old, it’s been in the United States for a long time and … at the end of the day, what we call Latin music is part and parcel of the American experience.”

See “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music” at the S. Dillon Ripley Center’s International Gallery until October 9. Learn more about Latino music and the exhibit at the American Sabor website. Created by the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington with curators from the University of Washington, the 5,000 square-foot exhibition was designed to be accessible to visitors of all ages. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) also designed a smaller version of the exhibit, intended for libraries and community centers, which is traveling the country simultaneously.

Humpback whale female with cooperating males around her. She just slapped her pectoral on the surface which caused the bubbles. ©Flip Nicklin, from Among Giants.

On Monday, July 11, at 7:00 p.m., at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, one of the world’s leading whale photographers, Charles “Flip” Nicklin, will be sharing personal tales about the depths he goes to in his quest to shoot the gorgeous marine images that have become synonymous with his name. Many of these can be found in his new book, Among Giants: A Life with Whales.

Nicklin hit the ocean swimming. His father Chuck, an underwater cinematographer, naturalist and one-time San Diego dive shop owner, had taught his young son to dive by the age of eleven. The elder Nicklin provided the impetus for his son’s cetacean photographic habit, in 1963 when a picture of Chuck riding astride a Bryde’s whale was published in a number of national magazines and caught the eye of National Geographic photographer Bates Littlehales, who wanted to swim with the whales.

The elder Nicklin and his son soon became dive instructors to a host of prominent National Geographic photographers—providing a mentoring relationship for a budding photographer that could not be beat.

“In retrospect, I can see that my dad’s encounter with a whale in the wild influenced the direction of my own life,” he writes in his new book. Nicklin became one of the first photographers to swim with whales and shoot them in their natural habitat. By the early 1980s, Nicklin was the go-to-guy for whale photography.

The sheer amount of time that Nicklin spends in the field is a measure of his dedication to his craft. For the past 27 years he has averaged eight months a year in the field. He can free dive to depths of nearly 100 feet, leaving behind his oxygen tank so that bubbles will not disturb his photo subjects.

And Nicklin wants to make sure the great mammals are looked after and well-researched. In 2001, he co-founded the Whale Trust to promote and carry out scientific research on whales and their environment. “It’s not just that we don’t kill them all,” he told Capital City Weekly earlier this April, “it’s that we cherish them.”

I caught up with Flip Nicklin, a Juneau, Alaska resident via email:

For many people, the idea of swimming with whales or dolphins is merely a fantasy, but you do it on a regular basis. What are a few surprising things about that activity or the animals’ behaviors that people might not expect?

There have been many surprises over the years, but the time it takes to get these opportunities was one . . . . Another thing is the varied personalities of individual whales and dolphins, and working with researchers who spend their lives getting to know whales has been great. Looking into the eye of a whale or dolphin, above or underwater, changes you. I wish everyone that opportunity.

Photographer Flip Nicklin. Image courtesy of Flip Nicklin.

When photographing animals underwater there’s often not much in the way of natural light. How do you usually deal with that?

I am always aware of light and shadow. In the early day with ASA 64 film it was tough to expose properly and still stop the action. Often it didn’t work. I am really enjoying my new Nikons that allow me to shoot at high speeds with great depth of field. If I ever think I had it hard, I just think of the guys before me and feel very lucky to have come along at a time when we were not just learning a lot about cetaceans, but camera gear was evolving to make it easier to document what was learned.

Do scientists ever help out as photo assistants on your underwater photo shoots, or do you pretty much fly solo?

I usually used any budget for assistants for researchers to help. I was looking over the shoulder of the scientists for most of my work. Especially in working with endangered species, I was very happy with the knowledge they shared and the room they made for me to cover their projects.

Do you prefer free diving for your photo shoots when possible, and if so, why?

That is really a little funny. Free diving has come so far that I am amazed, but I try. I free dive because it is quiet and fast. The good opportunities in the water are rare and often short. I don’t want to make too much noise and disturb behavior I’m trying to shoot. Also I don’t want to take time getting in the water and miss the action. Re-breathers and remote cameras will give us some great looks at whales in the future. I think we have just begun.

How do you keep your breathing skills sharp for diving?

I have to train more every season to do what used to be very easy. If possible we try to get to Maui a month before the season and dive or swim every day. As I get older the days waiting on the boat and not doing much take a greater toll. It is still fun to try each year to do new stuff, and when researchers like Dr. Jim Darling get excited about a new study, I always want to go.

You’ve published books previously. So what was the impetus for your new book, “Among Giants: A Life with Whales?”

Most of my work has illustrated other people’s stories. This book is much more personal.

You get to shoot in some unfavorable conditions–have things ever gotten too close for comfort in a situation?

Yes, more often with weather and equipment than with animals, but one must respect these large, powerful creatures. I am pretty cautious, and again, I am usually not the one running the boat. I do remember my father telling me that, “If you get dead, you don’t take any more good pictures.”

What was your favorite underwater moment that you’ve been able to capture?

Probably the day the curious humpback picked me up on its pectoral. If I didn’t have video, I probably wouldn’t even tell people. A very fun nine seconds.

How do you think your work has contributed to the conservation of whales?

In two ways:
1. My images helped illustrate our changing relationship with whales and dolphins and highlight the research and researchers I covered.
2. Since 1996 I co-founded Whale Trust with Dr. Jim Darling and new Dr. Meagan Jones and have helped support their work. Being a bigger part of one small set of studies has been my biggest and proudest accomplishment.

“A Life with Whales” Smithsonian Resident Associates evening lecture with Charles “Flip” Nicklin takes place Monday, July 11, from 7:00-8:30pm in the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 for Resident Associate members, and $13 for senior members. Nicklin will be available for a book signing afterwards. See Nicklin’s work in Smithsonian magazine’s May 2009 “In Search of the Mysterious Narwhal.”

Star-Spangled Banner demonstration. Courtesy of American History Musem

Monday, June 13 Escape the Monday blues

Have you ever found yourself humming the Star-Spangled Banner tune and wondered where the inspiration came from? Well now you can find out and test your knowledge of the American Flag with an exciting interactive puzzle. Go to the Flag Hall of the American History Museum this Monday at 10:30 and meet Mary Pickersgill (played by actor Kate Guesman) , the seamstress who sewed the Star Spangled Banner in 1813. During the War of 1812, Pickersgill was commissioned by Major George Armistead to sew a flag so large that the approaching British soldiers would have no trouble seeing it from miles away. Pickersgill answered the call and was able to put the flag together in just six weeks with only the help of five others. The final product contained 400 yards of fabric and 15 stars and stripes. It was this flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that we now honor as our National Anthem, and now we need your help to assemble the flag again. You too can play a part in the historical Star-Spangled Banner by helping Pickersgill assemble the massive flag and learning about its history. Can’t make it at 10:30? You can catch it again at 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 PM as well.

Lean more about the history in our video produced by Ryan Reed of a reenactment held in Baltimore.

Tuesday June 14 Sketch Your Way Around

Break out of your boring Tuesday routine by visiting the American Art Museum‘s Luce Foundation Center for American Art. Make your way to the 3rd floor of the West Wing of the museum at 3:00 p.m. to join a discussion about some of the works that line the walls of the museum. Then put your own spin on the masterpieces as you spend time sketching a few of your favorites. But don’t make the mistake of thinking the pickings are slim, there are more than 3,300 artworks on display in the Luce Foundation Center so branch out and find your favorite. Be sure to bring a small sketchbook and some pencils and enjoy the artwork as you spend an afternoon adrift in the Luce sea. The event is free and lasts until 4:30 PM.

Wednesday, June 15 Coral, Tigers, and Honeybees. Oh My!

What do tigers and honeybees have in common? If your answer is nothing you couldn’t be more wrong. Tigers and honeybees are two of the many species that are suffering catastrophic decline in our growing world. Joining coral, frogs and birds, these animals are disappearing at a disastrous rate. Conservationists estimate that one-fifth of mammal species, one-eighth of all bird species, and one-third of amphibian species are at risk of extinction. This could lead to devastating changes in the functioning of ecosystems and eliminate all the services they provide. Each loss signals a change that affects our world. Join Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Brian Gratwicke, an amphibian conservation biologist, Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project; Michael Henley, an invertebrate keeper at the National Zoo; Peter Marra, a conservation scientist at the Zoo; and Jeff Pettis, a researcher from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to discuss both efforts to preserve species and the ecological implications of extinction. Come on out, 6:45 PM to 8:45 PM at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, for this crucial discussion provided by Resident Associates.

Thursday, June 16 Never Complain About that Washer Again

Go back to a time when doing laundry consisted of more than pushing a button in this blast from the past. Twist and turn your way into this free laundry day that the whole family will love. Learn what it was really like to do laundry before the invention of washing machines! See if you can take the heat as you wash, rinse, wring and repeat your way through a batch of laundry just like Americans did at home during the 19th century. After the program, visit Within These Walls to learn more about the laundry life of families in the 1880s. So roll up your sleeves and start washing from 10:30 to 11:30 outside the American History Museum, on the South side Mall terrace.

Friday, June 17 A Bunch of Hot Air

After you have cooled off from the Friday heat, join Dr. Tom Crouch, senior aeronautics curator, as he chairs a panel of authorities on Civil War ballooning tonight at 7 p.m. at the Air and Space Museum. Listen as experts including Mike Boehme, Virginia Aviation Museum director; Dr. James Green, NASA; and Thomas Hilt, USN, (Ret.) talk about the role that balloon travel played in the Civil War. On June 18, 1861, Thaddeus. Lowe’s tethered ascent from the area in front of the present site of the National Air and Space Museum attracted the support of President Abraham Lincoln. Lowe’s demonstration of how a gas-filled balloon could be used to spy on the Confederate troops intrigued Lincoln and led to the creation of a Union Army Balloon Corps, becoming the first military air unit and it is now the oldest military aeronautical unit in American history. Hear this distinguished panel of scholars discuss the events leading up to this historic flight, ballooning during the Civil War, and the birth of aerial reconnaissance in America. While the event is free, do not let your chance float away. Be sure to make a reservation to hold your seat.

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

International and indie film buffs should check out the veritable bonanza of fine selections at the Film Forward Festival coming up this Thursday night, May 12. Movies will be showing in eight Smithsonian venues on the National Mall. See below for details, and check here for ticket information.

A Small Act

A Small Act (2009): 6:00, Hirshhorn Museum
One person can make a difference. Chris Mburu grew up in an impoverished environment in Kenya, yet he went on to become a Harvard-educated human rights lawyer, thanks to a primary and secondary education sponsored by an anonymous Swedish woman. Jennifer Arnold’s inspiring documentary tells Mburu’s story, and how he hopes to pay that generosity forward.

Udaan (2010): 6:00, Freer Gallery of Art
In this Hindi coming-of-age film, 17-year old Rohan is expelled after being caught watching naughty movies with three of his friends. Forced to return home, he finds an untenable situation with a domineering, abusive father and they clash regarding Rohan’s desire for a more creative profession. But on the upside (there’s always an upside), Rohan eventually gets a chance to begin a relationship with a six year-old half-brother whom he never knew existed.

La Mission (2009): 6:00, Smithsonian American Art and National Portrait Gallery, McEvoy Auditorium
Acceptance is the theme here, as Benjamin Bratt grows the requisite tough-guy goatee to play a macho, rehabilitated ex-con living in the Mission District of San Francisco and who gradually comes to grips with the fact that his teenage son is gay. Oh, and the Bratt character likes driving and fixing lowriders, too.

BOY

BOY (2010): 6:15, National Museum of the American Indian
Director Taika Waititi’s film is set in 1984 New Zealand, where Boy, an 11-year old Michael Jackson fanatic, and his brother Rocky, are forced to rely on their abundant imaginations to create an epic version of their father while he’s in prison. However, Boy and Rocky must eventually face the actual version of their father upon his release and return home. Much more comedic than that last sentence implies, the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Afghan Star (2008): 6:30, S. Dillon Ripley Center
There’s pop culture in Afghanistan? That’s what director Havana Marking set out to show in this documentary, as he followed the path of four contestants from start to finish on what is essentially the Afghanistan version of “American Idol.” The female contestants took their lives into their own hands, facing death threats and condemnation. Afghan Star picked up the World Cinema Directing Award for documentary film at the 2009 Sundance festival.

Last Train Home (2009): 6:30, S. Dillon Ripley Center
Millions of Chinese peasants leave their families and children behind to go to work in city factories for the majority of the year. And for many of them, the Chinese New Year holiday gives them their annual chance to return via railroad to the countryside to see their loved ones. This documentary focuses on one family’s story, including the parents’ 1,000-mile journey home as part of the world’s largest single human migration.

Amreeka

Amreeka (2009): 6:30, National Museum of American History, Carmichael Auditorium
When a Palestinian mother, played by actress Nisreen Faour, and her son leave a potentially dangerous area in the Middle East to go live with family in the United States, it’s not a smooth transition for anyone. They arrive shortly after the start of the war in Iraq, and must deal with anti-Arab sentiment, along with the rigors of fitting into a new society. Yet director Cherien Dabis deals with the potentially heavy subject matter in a heartwarming fashion, and the charismatic Nisreen Faour shines in a lead role.

Winter’s Bone (2010): 6:30, Natural Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium
Watch this and you’ll probably never think of the Ozarks in the same way again. Unless of course you already cook meth in the woods, or you usually have to track your daddy down with the help of Uncle Teardrop to make sure you and your siblings don’t get your house repossessed by the bail bondsman. This gritty Best Picture-nominated-film doesn’t pull any punches, and I for one, would have been happy if it had sent The King’s Speech home from the Oscars empty-handed.

Monday, May 9 – Beautiful butterflies

With new summer hours in place, you can stroll through this special butterfly exhibit with exotic plants and live butterflies from around the world until the last entry at 6 PM. Tickets are required, however and rates are as follows: $6 for adults; $5.50 for seniors (60+); $5 for children and members. Big tip for the frugal visitor: There is no charge on Tuesdays; however you still must get a ticket at the desk. Visit the Butterfly Pavilion’s Web site to purchase tickets and for more information about free entry on Tuesdays. Natural History Museum, 10:15-5:00 PM.

Tuesday, May 10 — Harry Potter pops up

The Houston-based paper engineer Bruce Foster talks about designing the 2010 Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book, the design process and paper engineering. “I will show the process from beginning to end, explain some of the math involved in creating this boo and share secrets of Harry Potter that did not make it into the final book,” Foster writes. Free. 12:00 PM. American History Museum. Sponsored by Smithsonian Libraries. Related exhibition: “Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn”

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum

Wednesday, May 11 Behind the Scenes at the Lunder Center

Learn how museum conservators use science, art history and skilled hands to preserve the art collections at the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Free, but register before 3:00 PM at the Luce Foundation Center information desk. Tour begins at 3:00 PM at the same place. Repeats most Wednesdays. American Art Museum.

Thursday, May 12 Pick a Flick just $10

“Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue” presents 10 films with a discussion following the screenings: Freedom Riders (already sold out); La Mission; Udaan and A Small Act at 6:00 PM; Boy at 6:15 PM and The Last Train Home; Afghan Star; Amreeka; Son of Babylon (free admission, but tickets required) and Winter’s Bone at 6:30 PM. $10 tickets for general admission are available online. Various National Mall locations.

Friday, May 13 Not Your Father’s Planetarium Show

Cosmic Collisions, a planetarium show, is the story of a speeding comet that collides with Earth’s atmosphere. Zipping along at 40 million years per second, the film takes visitors on a journey through time and space that includes colossal impacts and exciting explosions. Scientific visualizations, images from NASA and advanced simulation and imaging technology enhance the experience. Seven shows daily, beginning at 11:00 AM. Tickets are $6.50 members, $9.00 adult (13-and up), $8.00 senior, $7.50 youth (2-12 years old). Purchase tickets by phone (toll-free) 866-868-7774; online up to two weeks in advance or at the box office. Albert Einstein Planetarium at the National Air & Space Museum

Don't miss the Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery. For the first time, the room has been restored to its appearance in 1908, when founder Charles Lang Freer filled its shelves with ceramics he had collected throughout Asia. Photo by John Tsantes

Monday, April 18 Peacock Room Comes to America: A new view of Whistler’s Peacock Room

The Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery is recently restored to its appearance in 1908, when the museum’s founder Charles Lang Freer filled its shelves with ceramics he had collected throughout Asia. For those of you who skipped DC to spend your spring break in the Bahamas, you can check out the room, in all its splendor in 360 degrees, thanks to the Google Art Project and the Freer Gallery. James McNeill Whistler’s chamber, once the dining room of a wealthy British merchant who had hired the artist to make a few touch ups to the decor, becomes now a work of art that according to critic Peter Schjeldah, is a “synesthetic fusion of dazzling spectacle and intimate touch.” The room will be available in its new incarnation through the Spring of 2013.

Tuesday, April 19 How healthy is the Gulf of Mexico now?

As the world’s media attention is largely focused on the more recent environmental disasters unfolding at Japan’s Fukishima power plant, today’s anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, brings the dialogue back home. A panel of scientists will discuss the present state of the Gulf and its future at the National Museum of Natural History. Speakers include: David Hollander, University of South Florida; Judilee Marrow, National Zoo; John Stein, NOAA; James Bonner, Clarkson University. Free. 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. National Museum of Natural History. ASL interpretation will be provided.

Wednesday, April 20 Junkyard Pirates

Pirate puppets made of trash? It must be Earth Day at the Smithsonian! Did you know that a pirate’s favorite exclamation, “Aargh” or “RRRR!” stands for Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle? Full of songs and fun for ages 3 to 10. Tickets are required. Rates are $4 child member; $4 member; $5 child nonmember; $3 child under 2; $6 general admission. Tickets may be purchased online or at the Resident Associate Program box office located in the Ripley Center on the National Mall. Showtimes are 10:15 and 11:30 AM through Friday.

Thursday, April 21 Grazia Toderi Artist Talk

As the Hirshhorn’s exhibition, “Directions: Grazia Toderi” opens, the artist herself kicks things off in an evening lecture at the museum, when she’ll share  her recent projections and drawings.  According to the museum, her works “transform the artifacts of a culture obsessed with technology and surveillance into celestial meditations both poetic and chilling.”  Free. First come, first served. 6:45 PM. Hirshhorn Gallery and Sculpture Garden.

Friday, April 22 Party for the Planet!

Celebrate Earth Day at the National Zoo. Family-friendly event. RECYCLE: bring small electronics to be recycled. REDUCE:  learn how you can use fewer resources at home and at work. REUSE & REPLENISH: make a newspaper planter, fill with seeds and plant in your yard.  Free. 10:00 AM to noon. National Zoo

Still of a sleepy orangutan from the IMAX film, "Born to Be Wild 3D," currently showing at the Natural History Museum. Courtesy of IMAX and Warner Brothers Pictures

Monday April 11 Born to be Wild 3D

Born to be Wild 3D features the conservation efforts of primatologist Birute Galdikas with orangutans in Borneo, along with that of Dame Daphne Sheldrick‘s work with elephants in Kenya. Both women live near the animals, rescuing them and returning them to live in the wild. Film is shown at 2:25, 4:25 and 6:25 daily. The Johnson IMAX Theater at the Natural History museum. Tickets are $9 adults, $8 seniors and $7.50 children ages 2 to 12. Toll free phone 866-868-7774 or online.

Tuesday April 12 Draw & Discover

Be inspired by the paintings, sculptures and installations at the American Art Museum and spend some time sketching at the Luce Foundation Center’s workshop. Free, but bring your own sketchbooks and pencils. American Art Museum, 3:00-4:30PM. This event repeats every Tuesday at the same time and location.

Wednesday April 13 Nile Style

How does a nation’s history affect its food? Cookbook author Amy Riolo provides a virtual tour of Egypt’s history and cuisine. Light refreshments will be provided by the Embassy of Egypt. Riolo’s books, including Nile Style will be offered for sale. 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. $25 members, $30 non members. Tickets may be purchased online or at the Resident Associate Program box office located in the Ripley Center on the National Mall. Ripley Center.

Thursday April 14 Smithsonian Craft Show

More than 100 American artists will be displaying and selling their wares at this year’s Smithsonian Craft Show. The National Building Museum makes a perfect backdrop for the beautiful hand-crafted work of the nation’s top artisans. 10 AM to 8 PM through April 17. Reduced price tickets are $6 after 6 pm Thursday and Friday. Daily admission is $15/person, 12 and under free (no strollers permitted). Two day admission is $20/person. Call the Craft Show Office at 202-633-5006 or 888-832-9554 or online. Event is at the National Building Museum.

Friday April 15 DJ Toxic Avenger

Disco Dance Party at the Postal Museum provides visitors and locals alike a lively end to a long work week or a spring break vacation. 9 PM to 1 AM. Must be 21 or older to attend the event. Tickets are: $30 members, $35 general admission (and includes 2 drink tickets). Purchase tickets online or at the Resident Associate Program box office, located in the Ripley Center on the National Mall. Postal Museum

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

All Smithsonian Institution museums and the National Zoo are Open. Photo by Eric Long

All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are open.

Don’t miss out on all the events and happenings, all scheduled as planned. Tarantula feedings at the Natural History Museum. A special tour of the Kinsey Collections at American History. An Earth Day celebration at the American Art Museum.

And here’s a list of all the exhibitions that are on view.  For the first time, the Freer Gallery’s renowned Peacock Room has been restored to its appearance in 1908, when the museum’s founder Charles Lang Freer used it to organize and display more than 250 ceramics from all over Asia. The new exhibition, The Peacock Room Comes to America, debuts today.

Other don’t-miss exhibitions and landmark Smithsonian artifacts like the Hope Diamond, Julia Child’s kitchen, the Ruby Slippers, The Wright Flyer, The First Ladies exhibition can be found at the following Smithsonian museum locations:

• The Smithsonian Castle
• The Carousel on the National Mall
• The Ripley Center and International Gallery
• The National Museum of American History
• The National Museum of Natural History
• The National Air and Space Museum
• The Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia
• The Smithsonian American Art Museum
• The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• The National Portrait Gallery
• The Freer and Sackler Galleries
• The Hirshhorn Museum
• The African Art Museum
• The National Museum of the American Indian
• The National Postal Museum
• The National Zoo
• The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City
• The George Gusav Heye Center in New York City

This weekend marks a special time for Smithsonian visitors and the Institution’s spokesperson Linda St. Thomas expressed her delight that the museums were all open for business this weekend:  “People have planned for months, or a year or more, for their spring visits to Washington, which always includes visits to the museums and the Zoo. If it were up to us, we would never shut down. That’s why we are only closed one day a year—Christmas Day.”

Of course spring time is also is presenting Smithsonian photographer Eric Long with some of the most exquisite visual opportunities, enjoy this gallery before gearing up to head out.

Mt. Pico, Azores Islands (1905) by Cass Gilbert. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum

Tuesday, October 26: Don’t Call Me Geechie!

Ricardo Williams, born and raised in the Gullah region of South Carolina, remembers a special life that retained many aspects of traditional African culture. His illustrated discussion includes the meaning behind the word “Geechie.” Free. For reservations and more information, call 202-633-4844. Anacostia Museum, 10:30 AM.

Wednesday, October 27: Living on an Active Planet 101: Volcanoes and Earthquakes

From the earthquake disasters in Haiti and Chile to the eruption of an obscure volcano in Iceland, our planet has been beset by geologic hazards. Is this business as usual for our planet or something more? Join USGS experts and find out. Tickets are required. Rates are: $35 general admission; $25 members; $22 senior members. Tickets may be purchased online or on the National Mall at the Resident Associate Program’s box office located in the Ripley Center. Resident Associate Program, 6:45-8:45 PM

Thursday, October 28: Take 5! Doc Scantlin

Get into the swing of big band-era jazz with DC bandleader Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palm Orchestra, featuring the sultry songstress Chou Chou. A mainstay at Washington DC’s Carlyle Club, the group will perform a program of tunes from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Free. American Art Museum, 5-7 PM

Friday, October 29: Hirshhorn After Hours

Come enjoy DC’s premiere contemporary art event with Hirshhorn After Hours, which will feature gallery talks, special performances and music spun by DJs Matt Bailer and DJ Robert Bozick. Tickets are required and may be purchased online or at Smithsonian IMAX theaters on the National Mall. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Rates are: $18 general admission; free for Annual Circle members. Hirshhorn, 8:00 PM-12:00 AM.

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