National Portrait Gallery
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
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
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
Wednesday Roundup: Flamingos, Planes and XKCD
First Aircraft Moved to New Hangar: This week, AirSpace reports that the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was the first aircraft to move into the Udvar-Hazy Center's new Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar. Designed in 1938 and manufactured in 1942, the scout bomber flew in World War II. The Air and Space Mu...
December 01, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Happy 175th Birthday, Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri, o175 years ago today. Author of such literary classics as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Twain's famous wit makes him just as relevant today as...
November 30, 2010 |
By Jamie Simon
Events: Japanese Rock and Roll, Latin American Poetry, Pop Up Books and More
Monday, November 29: IMAXBaby, it's cold outside—so come on in and enjoy an IMAX movie. Theaters are located in the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum and the Udvar-Hazy Center. In addition to short films—like “Dinosaurs” and “Legends of Flight”—catch a screening of the full-length fe...
November 29, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Jazz at the Freer, Fashionable Gods and a National Portrait Gallery Family Fun Day
Friday, November 19: Jason Hwang's Edge QuartetAn award-winning violinist, composer, and jazz artist, Hwang returns to the Freer with his latest project, Burning Bridge, commissioned by Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works program. His Edge Quartet is joined by guest artists on erhu (Chinese fidd...
November 19, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Classic Japanese Cinema, Fashion of the Gods and Perspectives on Portraiture
Friday, November 12: Perspectives on PortraitureExplore dynamic relationships between portraits, artists, subjects and viewers in docent-led tours at both the Sackler Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. At the Sackler, experience Fiona Tan’s integration of portraiture, moving image and sound...
November 12, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
How Photographer Alfred Wertheimer Captured Elvis Presley's Kiss
In 1956, a young freelance photographer named Alfred Wertheimer was hired to travel with a young regional singer named Elvis Presley to document the performer's first national tour. Wertheimer snapped more than 2,000 images on his 10-day assignment, and 56 are now on view in "Elvis at 21," a travel...
November 09, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Events: Saving Haitian Culture, Pop Up Books, Veterans Day and More
Monday, November 8: It's cold outside -- take in a movie.It's a good day to take in an IMAX movie—and your entertainment options are plentiful. Theaters are located in the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum and the Udvar-Hazy Center. In addition to short films—like "Dinosaurs" and "Le...
November 08, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Portrait Gallery's Hide/Seek Uncovers an Intricate Visual History of Gay Relationships
It's hard to consider a large pile of Jolly Rancher-type candies as a form of portraiture. And yet, in the corner of the National Portrait Gallery's new show "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" is a tidy spill of sweets in Technicolor cellophane. You can't miss it, nor should...
November 05, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Costume Ideas From the Smithsonian Collections
Halloween is two days away—costume parties perhaps even sooner—and if you are anything like me, you are probably Googling "easy costume ideas" right about now. Well, look no further. Here, Smithsonian.com's Around The Mall team brings you ten clever (if we do say so ourselves!) costume ideas inspir...
October 29, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Weekend Events: Hirshhorn After Hours, Day of the Dead
Friday, October 29: Hirshhorn After HoursCome enjoy DC’s premiere contemporary art event, Hirshhorn After Hours, which will feature gallery talks, special performances and music spun by DJ Matt Bailer and DJ Robert Bozick. Tickets are required and may be purchased online or at Smithsonian IMAX thea...
October 29, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Wednesday Roundup: Podcasts, Warhol and Archives
Just Close Enough To The Sun—This week, the folks at the "AirSpace" blog treat us to a few photos of that fiery red giant near and dear to our hearts, the sun. Using a telescope from the Public Observatory Project made especially for looking into the sun's harsh light, solar imaging expert Greg Pie...
October 20, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Happy Birthday Bela Lugosi, the Actor Who Immortalized Count Dracula
On this day in 1880, Bela Blasko was born in Lugos, Hungary, which sits about 50 miles away from the castle of 15th-century prince Vlad The Impaler. Blasko began a career in stage acting in 1902, and soon after adopted the pseudonym Bela Lugosi and went on to play everything from Jesus Christ to Cy...
October 20, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Halloween at the Zoo, the Northern Lights, Quirky Couture and More
Monday, October 18: Northern Lights: A Message from the SunThe aurora borealis is a much-loved sight in a winter's night sky, this phenomenon has been the stuff of myth and legend. In tonight's lecture, solar physicist and senior adviser at the Norwegian Space Centre in Oslo Paal Brekke will give i...
October 18, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Performance Art, National Fossil Day, Michael Jackson and More
Monday, October 11: Performance by Artist James LunaIn observance of Columbus Day, performance artist James Luna invites the public to “Take a Picture with a Real Indian” at the Christopher Columbus statue outside Union Station. Luna employs humor, irony, and penetrating insight to confront commonl...
October 11, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Charlie Brown, Vietnamese Film and a Portrait Gallery Party
Friday, October 1: Portraits After 5Come on out to the Kogod Courtyard, that fabulous open-air space smack in the middle of the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, for an evening jam-packed with entertainment. While DJ Todd Threats will be spinning music, enjoy video installation...
October 01, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
'One Life: Katharine Graham' Opens at the Portrait Gallery
In June of 1971, the Washington Post was in heated controversy over whether or not to publish the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret history of the United States' military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Would making such information public bring on a slew of government lawsuits? Would it jeop...
September 30, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup: Archives Month, Accelerometers, Roller Skates and Great Debates
For the record, October is American Archives Month—To celebrate, the Smithsonian Collections blog, SIRIS, is hosting a 31-day blogathon, where Smithsonian museums and affiliates will be blogging about their archives, giving an insider's look at what goes into preserving and storing so many precious...
September 29, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
