Arts
Creative achievements in literature and the visual and performing arts
The Story Behind Banksy
On his way to becoming an international icon, the subversive and secretive street artist turned the art world upside-down
February 2013 |
By Will Ellsworth-Jones
Lost and Found Again: Photos of African-Americans on the Plains
What would otherwise be a local-interest story became a snapshot of history integral to the American experience
February 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A Nike Shoe, Now a Part of the Smithsonian
The Flyknit racer is currently in the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
February 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
New Books, Reviewed: Animal Emotions, Deconstructing Detroit and the Science of Winning
Taking a closer look at some of the newest releases in non-fiction
February 2013 |
By Chloë Schama
Listen to Doc Watson Picking Away at his Banjo
A new release from Smithsonian Folkways highlights the talent of a bluegrass master
February 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
An Illustrated Guide to the World’s Creation Myths
Each culture has its own version of how the universe began. Artist Noah MacMillan brings this “visual vocabulary” to life
February 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
New X-Ray Technology To Reveal Secrets Beneath a Rembrandt Masterpiece
By 1984, conservators had discovered that there was, indeed, another figure hidden beneath the Old Man in Military Costume, but they haven't been able to see who it is
January 31, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
The Making of a Millennial Jazz Musician: Elijah Jamal Balbed
After being put in "baby jazz" in high school, Balbed has made a name for himself in the Washington, D.C. scene
January 31, 2013 |
By Joann Stevens
Events February 1-3: Maya Angelou, Black History Month Festivities and a Teen Poetry Slam
This week, meet world-renowned Civil Rights poet Maya Angelou, celebrate Black History Month and watch Washington D.C.'s most articulate teens battle in rhyme.
January 31, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
How to Tour Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans
Jazz is synonymous with the Big Easy, and there’s no bigger name in the history of the genre than Satchmo
January 31, 2013 |
By Nina Fedrizzi
To Hear Color, This Man Embedded a Chip in the Back of His Head
Because of a rare condition called achromatopsia—total color-blindness—he lived in a black-and-white world, until he and an inventor paired up to developed the “eyeborg,” a device that translates colors into sound
January 29, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001
In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century
January 29, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Did Shakespeare Have Syphilis?
Shakespeare acquired an uncanny obsession with syphilis late in life, perhaps along with a few bacteria of his own
January 29, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu
The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events January 29-31: Ancient Chinese Artifacts, Opera Masters and Rock-and-Roll Trivia
This week, see chinese artifacts once collected in a New Jersey apartment, learn about two of opera's greatest composers and show off your rock knowledge
January 28, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Museums Delay Opening Due to Weather
Smithsonian museums in the Washington, D.C. area as well as the National Zoo will open at noon Monday, due to inclement weather
January 28, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
American Myths: Benjamin Franklin’s Turkey and the Presidential Seal
How the New Yorker and the West Wing botched the history of the icon
January 25, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again
To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon
January 25, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
