July 16, 2012
Events July 17-19: Virtual Caving, Air Force Strings and a Tribute to Thelonius Monk
The covered Kogod Courtyard provides the perfect setting for Thursday’s jazz concert with the Freddie Redd-Butch Warren Quintet celebrating the legacy of Thelonius Monk. Photo by Timothy Hursley.
Tuesday, July 17 The Hidden World of Caves
The first cave many of us encounter is in the pages of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. We’re told; “Within was a small chamber, chilly as an ice-house, and walled by Nature with solid limestone that was dewy with a cold sweat. It was romantic and mysterious to stand here in the deep gloom and look out upon the green valley shining in the sun.” National Speleological Society fellow Gregg Clemmer will lead a romantic and educational virtual tour of caves, covering everything from the striking architecture of mineral deposits to the many species living in these dark ecosystems. New technology even allows us to see where no researcher has ever been. 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. $35 general admission. S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Wednesday, July 18 Air Force Strolling Strings
You’ve heard of the Sultans of Swing but what about the ambassadors of music? The United States Air Force Strolling Strings ensemble has been performing for the White House and Capitol Hill since 1954. Get the presidential treatment this Wednesday with a midday concert showcasing the Strolling Strings many styles including bluegrass, Classical, Broadway and popular tunes. 12:30 p.m. Free. Wednesdays through August 1. Space Race, Gallery 114, Air and Space Museum.
Thursday, July 19 Take 5!
If music is a language, jazz is its poetry. Lending itself to collaboration and interpretation, jazz continues to provide fertile grounds and entertaining evenings. Join the American Art Museum for Thursday’s installment of Take 5! honoring the works of Thelonius Monk. Friends and fans of the legendary artist, Freddie Redd and Butch Warren will perform pieces by or inspired by Monk, including “I Remember Monk.” Accompanied by Brad Linde, Brian Settles and Tony Martucci, the quintet compliments the American Art Museum’s current exhibition, “African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond.” Refreshments, board games and a chance to paint for those who register complete the event dedicated to the enduring impact of artists such as Thelonius Monk. 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Free. Kogod Courtyard, American Art Museum.
For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.
July 11, 2012
Smithsonian Gets Google Mapped
Now included in the Google Maps database, the Air and Space Museum, along with the National Zoo and 16 other Smithsonian museums.
Getting around the Smithsonian museums has never been easier thanks to a partnership with Google Maps. Visitors using smart phone with Android can now get step by step walking directions through every floor of 17 of the Smithsonian’s museums, including the big three: the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum.
After seven months of working together to confirm the exact location of museum artifacts, Smithsonian and Google launched the new indoor maps on Tuesday. The announcement was widely covered by publications and outlets including the Washington Post, CBS and Huffington Post.
The maps, which also include the National Zoo, currently cover 2.7 million square feet, but will continue to expand as the partnership moves forward. And because so many tourists and families come looking for particular objects, hundreds of artifacts can be easily located and set as their own destination.
Looking for the Hope Diamond? Just select the item and the map will guide you through the Museum of Natural History. Parents weighted down with diaper bags and snack reserves will delight in the ease of the application.
The product will be available through Google Maps for Android. The database now includes the African Art Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the American Art Museum, the American History Museum, the American Indian Museum, the Anacostia Community Museum, the Freer Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Zoo, the Postal Museum, the Renwick Gallery, the Ripley Center, the Sackler Gallery and the Smithsonian Castle.
Stay tuned for even more exciting app news this month when the Smithsonian will be unveiling its newest tool for touring the museums in style.
June 18, 2012
Events June 19-21: The Art of Political Ads, Luce Design with Jackie Flanagan, and Karel Nel
In association with the new exhibition, “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts," the African Art Museum hosts a talk by astronomist-artist Karel Nel this week. Image courtesy of the African Art Museum.
Tuesday, June 19 The Art of Political Advertising
From 30-second spots to 30-minute infomercials, presidential campaigns have long relied on television as the best way to communicate with the American public. Trace the genre’s evolution from early ads to the state of today’s industry with Robert Mann, author of Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds: LBJ, Barry Goldwater, and the Ad That Changed American Politics, and political consultant Mark Putnam, who wrote and produced Barack Obama’s 2008 30-minute TV special American Stories, American Solutions. Stick around afterwards for a moderated discussion led by Alicia Kolar Prevost of American University’s Campaign Management. $35 for general admission, $30 for members. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Wednesday, June 20 Luce Design with Jackie Flanagan
DC fashion designer Jackie Flanagan kicks off the American Art Museum’s new summer series showcasing local designers. Flanagan, who owns the DC boutique Nana, will talk about her design process, her desire to create ethically-made clothing, her support of other local designers, and how she is inspired by color and vintage and modern designs. Free. 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Luce Foundation Center, American Art Museum.
Thursday, June 21 Karel Nel
Star-gazing will never be the same after this talk by South African artist Karel Nel, who explores the intersection of arts, spirituality and astronomy. In 2004, Nel became an artist in residence for COSMOS, an astronomy project that is mapping a two-degree square area of the sky. Joining the conversation is Nick Scoville, the principal investigator of the Hubble Space Telescope imaging of COSMOS. Free. 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. African Art Museum.
For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.
June 11, 2012
Events June 12-14: Temple of Invention Tour, A Healthy Future in Renewable Energy, and Painting with Maya-Mam
Tour the former Old Patent Office, now the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
Tuesday, June 12 Temple of Invention Tour
The building that houses the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery once served a very different function, as the Patent Office Building, the nation’s “temple to the industrial arts.” Built in 1868, the building is one of the country’s finest examples of Greek Revival architecture. Discover its rich history on a tour led by curator Charles Robertson, who will also discuss the patent exhibition “Inventing a Better Mousetrap: Patent Models from the Rothschild Collection.” Free. 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Meet in the F Street Lobby, American Art Museum.
Wednesday, June 13 A Healthy Future in Renewable Energy
How do we balance sustainable energy production with responsible environmental stewardship? In this evening seminar, Philippe Fauchet, director of the University of Rochester’s Energy Research Initiative, grapples with one of the biggest challenges facing the world population. Learn about global energy use and the potential of alternative energy sources like solar and wind power. $40 for general admission, $30 for members. 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Thursday, June 14 Painting with Maya-Mam
Local Mayan artist Ubaldo Sánchez (Maya-Mam) uses this colorful family-friendly painting workshop to explain Mayan culture and art. Sánchez comes from a family of artists from Concepcion Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, whose projects represent the rich, crafts-based art of Guatemala here in the United States. Sánchez’s work includes painted pottery, sculpture, silkscreening, and painting. His 2009 painting of Barak Obama, New Dawn, was selected to represent Virginia students in the White House. Free. Repeats daily through June 17 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. American Indian Museum.
For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.
June 4, 2012
Events June 5-7: Transit of Venus, Living Portraits, and Ai WeiWei
Tuesday is the last chance of the century to see Venus pass between the sun and the earth.
Tuesday, June 5 Transit of Venus
Don’t miss your last chance this century to see Venus pass between the sun and the earth. Since it’s not safe to stare directly into the sun, watch the transit through one of the Air and Space Museum‘s special solar telescopes. Inside the museum, experts Dr. David DeVorkin and Dr. Jim Zimbelman will guide curious visitors through this rare event. Free. 6:00 p.m. Air and Space Museum.
Wednesday, June 6 Living Portraits
Portraitist Alexa Meade, acclaimed for her “living paintings,” takes over the Kogod Courtyard to paint two live models into background sets. Enjoy specialty cocktails and take your own portraits against Meade’s painted scenes. Find Ann M. Shumard, curator of the exhibition In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio, to chat about both Warnecke’s and Meade’s boundary-breaking portraits. Free. 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. National Portrait Gallery.
Thursday, June 7 The Artist as Dissident: Ai WeiWei
Chinese artist Ai WeiWei, who currently has exhibitions at both the Hirshhorn Museum and the Sackler Gallery, is both a uniquely innovative artist and an outspoken political advocate who has tested the limits of freedom of expression in contemporary China. Despite frequent arrests, he continues to create and to send out his message of the interrelationship of art and politics. Join Michelle Wang, assistant professor of art history at Georgetown University, in an exploration of dominant themes in Ai’s work. $20 for members, $30 for general admission. 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. S. Dillon Ripley Center.
For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.
