Smithsonian Highlights
Art Night on the Mall
Enjoy extended summer hours and special films, lectures and gallery tours at the National Museum of African Art, the Freer and Arthur M. Sackler galleries, and the Hirshhorn Museum, Thursday evenings until 8 P.M. through September 3. The Ripley Center's International Gallery, the Hirshhorn's Full Circle Café and the museum shops will also be open.
Special August Exhibitions, Events
National Museum Of African Art
African Design and the Furniture of Pierre Legrain
(August 16 through November 29)
Explores the influence of African chairs and stools on the work of French Art Deco designer Pierre Legrain.
Olowe of Ise: A Yoruba Sculptor to Kings
(through September 7)
Presents 35 major carvings.
Images of Power and Identity
More than 100 works from the collection.
The Art of the Personal Object
Features utilitarian objects from Africa and celebrates their aesthetic values.
The Ancient West African City of Benin, A.D. 1300-1897
Features the museum's collection from the royal court of the capital of the kingdom of Benin as it existed before British colonial rule.
The Ancient Nubian City of Kerma, 2500-1500 B.C.
Features 40 works - from the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - that celebrate Kerma, the capital of the kingdom known to the Egyptians as Kush.
Sokari Douglas Camp: Three Sculptures
Sculptures by the Nigerian artist Sokari Douglas Camp (b. 1958) are featured in the museum's pavilion. Two sculptures are kinetic and are timed to perform at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour during museum hours.
Recent Acquisitions
(August 8 through January 24)
Paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs by such artists as Henry Inman, Elaine de Kooning and Jamie Wyeth, a self-portrait by Jacob Lawrence and two photographs of Marilyn Monroe by David Geary, taken when the star visited Korea in 1954.
Celebrity Caricature in America
(through August 23)
More than 200 caricatures of the stars of stage and screen, sports heroes and colorful personalities, both famous and infamous, who fascinated America between the world wars.
[Capitol Hill]
The Artful Mailbox
(through May 1999)
A whimsical, handcrafted mailbox.
Artistic License: The Duck Stamp Story
Fifty new objects.
What's in the Mail for You!
Innovative, hands-on exhibition about the direct mail industry.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
[New York City]
Fountains: Splash and Spectacle
(through October 11)
Inventive designs dating from the Renaissance to the present. See Smithsonian, June 1998.
Under the Sun: An Outdoor Exhibition of Light
(through October 25)
The power of the sun as a catalyst for design, featuring solar and solar-electric products, prototypes, commissioned designs - from sundials to solar collectors and more. See http://www.si.edu/ndm.
National Museum Of American Art
David Hockney's Grand Canyon
(through September 7)
Panoramic oil painting, 24 feet wide, made up of 60 individual canvases, along with six related works.
Stuart Davis
(through September 7)
Fifty-six paintings by one of America's finest modernists.
Japanese Art in the Age of Koetsu
(through February 5, 1999)
Cultural renaissance of early 17th-century Kyoto.
Charles Lang Freer and Egypt
Freer's collection of Egyptian artifacts.
Masterworks of Indian Painting II
(through January 10, 1999)
From the Mughal dynasty and the Rajput courts.
Ikat: Splendid Silks from Central Asia
(through September 7)
The Buddha's Art of Healing
(August 2 through January 3, 1999)
Fourteen paintings from an illustrated medical treatise that is considered to be one of the greatest surviving treasures of Tibetan civilization.
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Triumph of the Spirit: Carlos Alfonzo, A Survey (1975-1991)
(through September 13)
Paintings, works on paper.
The Collection in Context: Henry Moore's Stringed Figure No. 1
(through September 7)
The sculptor's 1937 work in cherry wood and string.
Directions - Tony Oursler: Video Dolls with Tracy Leipold
(through September 7)
Video-animated sculptures.
Business Wings
(through May 31, 1999)
The history of business aviation -- from biplanes to "bizjets."
Star Wars: The Magic of Myth
(through January 31, 1999)
For information on limited free same-day passes, call 202-786-2122. Advance tickets can be purchased through ProTix (800-529-2440).
National Museum Of American History
A Collector's Vision of Puerto Rico
(through January 1999)
Items from Teodoro Vidal's 3,200-object collection.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820-Present
(through October 30)
American Encounters
Cultures of New Mexico's Upper Rio Grande Valley
Information Age: People, Information and Technology
A 150-year history.
National Museum Of Natural History
Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals
Spectacular new permanent gallery showcases the National Gem Collection and takes visitors from the depths of a copper mine to the far reaches of the Solar System.
Natural Selections: Museum Photography by Chip Clark
(through September 7)
On exhibit are 33 large-scale prints, selected from the photographer's 25-year career at the National Museum of Natural History.
Exploring Marine Ecosystems
Tropical coral reef and temperate rocky shore reef.
In Search of Giant Squid
The world's largest invertebrates.
National Zoological Park
The Birds of Paradise Lost
The distinctive birdlife of the Hawaiian Islands.
Amazonia
The world's largest rain forest and river habitat.
Pollinarium
Means of reproduction - living plants, hummingbirds, butterflies and a colony of bees.
Think Tank
The biology and evolution of animal thinking with a focus on orangutans.
Speak to My Heart: African American Communities of Faith and Contemporary Society
The role of the black church.
Resonant Forms: Contemporary Women Sculptors and Three Generations of African American Women Sculptors
(through September 30)
Discovery Theater
Live theater for young audiences. For information, call 202-357-1500 (voice or TTY) weekdays, 8 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Man Made: African American Men and Quilting Traditions
(through August 31)
Muhammad Ali: A Thirty Year Journey
(through August 31)
Photographs.
A Joyride with American Names
(co-sponsored with Merriam Webster)
August 11, 6 P.M.
Firepower! Jose Greco II Flamenco Dance Company
August 19, 7:30 P.M.
For tickets, call 202-357-3030. For information on other Associates programs, visit http://www.si.edu/tsa.
Exhibition Catalogues
Catalogues currently available include:
Posters American Style ($35 cloth, $29.95 paper)
The Jewels of Lalique ($50 cloth, $37.50 paper)
Celebrity Caricature in America ($45 cloth)
Three Generations of African American Women Sculptors ($24.95 paper)
Indian Humor ($20 paper)
Stuart Davis ($35 paper)
Faces of Time: 75 Years of Time Magazine Cover Portraits ($40 cloth)
To order, send check or money order to Smithsonian Museum Shops, 8308 Cinder Bed Road, Lorton, Virginia 22079. Include 15 percent of purchase for shipping (minimum $4.50).
Smithsonian Productions
Visit the Smithsonian Productions Website for information about their radio programs and video products: Lena Horne and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, which performs music of the 1920s through the 1960s. Check public radio listings in your area.
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
SITES organizes and circulates exhibitions to cities throughout the United States and abroad. To sponsor a show in your community, write to: SITES, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. A listing of current exhibitions and additional information is available at http://www.si.edu/sites.