Artists
Visionaries in art, literature, dance, music and design who define the creative tradition
Weekend Events: Painting, Woodworking and a Dance Party
Friday, January 21: Painting Techniques of Henry Ossawa TannerMuseum conservators Amber Kerr-Allison and Brian Baade present findings of their recent study and analysis of six of Tanner’s works in the permanent collection, including the newly conserved Flight into Egypt. Learn how Tanner’s document...
January 21, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Another Candle on Cindy Sherman's Cake
Contemporary conceptual photographer Cindy Sherman (b. 1954) turns 57 today, so make sure you wish her a very happy birthday should you pass her by. Born in New Jersey and schooled at SUNY-Buffalo, with her edgy portraiture and ever-updating style, Sherman creates images that are among the most val...
January 19, 2011 |
By Jeff Campagna
Events: Elvis, the Wright Brothers, Foreign Film and More
Tuesday, January 18:The Washington D.C. area experienced a snow and ice event, but all of the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are open today. The National Museum of Natural History's Naturalist Center located in Leesburg, Virginia, is closed today. A quilting demonstration at the Nationa...
January 18, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Gullah Culture, Sci-Fi Film, Gallery Talks and More
Monday, January 10Book Signing: Mike Brown: Astronomer Mike Brown, the man who demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet, signs copies of his book How I Killed Pluto. Free. Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, 2:00-4:00 PMTuesday, January 11The Sierra Leone—Gullah Link, Part 1: Moderate...
January 10, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Gallery Talks, Joseph Cornell and a Spot of Tea
Friday, January 7Friday Gallery Talk: Clarke Bedford: Come on out to the Hirshhorn where conservator Clarke Bedford will talk about "ColorForms," an exhibition that explores the way artists employ color and abstract forms. Free. Hirshhorn, 12:30 PM.Saturday, January 8Portrait Story Days: Joseph Cor...
January 07, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Presidential Historian Robert Dallek to Give Talk on JFK
This month marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inauguration—January 20, the day that the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts took oath and famously appealed to his fellow Americans, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."Robert Dallek, a presidentia...
January 05, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: FONZ Photo Club, Music of the Civil Rights Movement, Gallery Talks and More
Monday, January 3: Spark!LabThe Lemelson Center's Spark!Lab offers visitors a number of hands-on experiments that teach about science, the invention process, and the role of technology in American history. Activities are organized around the invention process and will rotate on a regular basis to p...
January 03, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Q and A: James Luna
The Native American artist talks about his "Take a Picture With a Real Indian" performance
January 2011 |
By Jess Righthand
Devastation From Above
J. Henry Fair's aerial photographs of industrial sites provoke a strange mix of admiration and concern
January 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Arcimboldo's Feast for the Eyes
Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo painted witty, even surreal portraits composed of fruits, vegetables, fish and trees
January 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
J. P. Morgan as Cutthroat Capitalist
In 1903, photographer Edward Steichen portrayed the American tycoon in an especially ruthless light
January 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
The Trouble With Autobiography
Novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux examines other authors' autobiographies to prove why this piece will suffice for his
January 2011 |
By Paul Theroux
Wednesday Roundup: Aviator Lions, Rockwell Models and Baby Anteaters
Air and Space Lions—Understandably, folks over at the AirSpace blog have been feeling a bit envious of all the attention the National Zoo has been getting on account of their seven new lion cubs (ATM has covered their birth, swim tests, physical exams and outdoor exploration in recent months). To s...
December 29, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup: Happy Holidays!
Total Eclipse of the Moon—Early yesterday morning (or late Monday night for those on the west coast), an astronomical event took place that only happens once in a blue moon. Well, okay, it wasn't a blue moon, but it was a total lunar eclipse. This was the first lunar eclipse to fall on the winter ...
December 22, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
The Day When Elvis Met Nixon
Traveling incognito under the name Jon Burrows, rock and roll superstar Elvis Presley arrived at the White House in a purple velvet jumpsuit on this day in 1970 to meet President Richard Nixon. Offhand, this seems like an unlikely pairing but the king had his reasons for wanting to meet with the le...
December 21, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Freer Gallery Celebrates "Seasons"
Today, the 21st of December, marks the winter solstice—the day of the year when the Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun on its axis. How better to acknowledge the first day of winter, than to turn to "Seasons," a series of five overlapping exhibitions at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery o...
December 21, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: ZooLights, Book Signings and the Rhythm of the Drum
Monday, December 20: ZooLightsZooLights, the National Zoo’s festive electric light display, is back once again—and this year it’s absolutely free! For children of all ages, a menagerie of LED light sculptures modeled after critters at the Zoo will be on display. Tickets are NOT required. This event...
December 20, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Rollicking Dance, Christmas Stories and ZooLights
Friday, December 17: ZooLightsZooLights, the National Zoo’s festive electric light display, is back once again—and this year it’s absolutely free! For children of all ages, a menagerie of LED light sculptures modeled after critters at the Zoo will be on display. Tickets are NOT required. This event...
December 17, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Pierre Huyghe Wins American Art's Contemporary Artist Award
Yesterday, the American Art Museum announced that French artist Pierre Huyghe is this year's winner of the museum's biennial Contemporary Artist Award. The $25,000 prize is awarded to a contemporary artist under the age of 50 who has already amassed a significant oeuvre and demonstrates great creat...
December 16, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Holiday Storytime at American Art Museum
Gracing the cover of the December 2, 1922, issue of The Saturday Evening Post was a slumped, sleeping Santa. Crawling over him were elves, resembling those in the illustrations of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, putting last-minute touches on gifts and loading his sack.The painting is one of over 300 t...
December 14, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
