Visual Arts
Who Really Invented the Smiley Face?
It's supposedly the 50th anniversary of the original design of the iconic image, but its history since then is surprisingly complex with millions of dollars at stake
March 13, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Eclipses Look Even More Gorgeous From Outer Space
With roiling red Sun and the black disk of Earth, eclipses don't get much prettier than this
March 12, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Poetry Matters: Women’s Work: Toward a New Poetic Language
For Women's History month, curator David C. Ward considers the steady ascendency of poets from Emily Dickinson to today's Eavan Boland
March 12, 2013 |
By David C. Ward
The Northern Lights—From Scientific Phenomenon to Artists’ Muse
The spectacular aurora borealis is inspiring artists to create light installations, musical compositions, food and fashion
March 12, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Events March 12-14: Missions to Mars, the Civil War in Art and a Meditation on Imaginary Landscapes
This week, meet the scientist behind the Mars rover, learn the civil war's influence on contemporary art and watch films by European media collective Flatland
March 11, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
One Law Firm Really Wants the Met to Change Its Admission Policy
Law firm sues over recommended admission fee--twice
March 08, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
An Early History of the Parachute
It wasn't a military expert or an aviation pioneer, but a Russian actor who developed the first viable parachute
March 07, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The (Natural) World, According to Our Photo Contest Finalists
From a caterpillar to the Milky Way, the ten finalists in the contest's Natural World category capture the peculiar, the remarkable and the sublime
March 07, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Events March 8-10: An Old School Southern Film, an International Women’s Day Celebration and a Classical Concert
This week, watch Bette Davis in the 1938 hit Jezebel, join performance art that honors African women and listen to one of the world's best pianos
March 07, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally
It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good
March 06, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Snowy Day, But Smithsonian D.C. Museums Open, Zoo Closes
Bad weather threatens the metro area, but the Smithsonian museums Will Open, National Zoo is Closed
March 06, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Buy a Handbag, Burn a Forest
Brazilian deforestation is tied to producers of luxury Italian leather goods
March 05, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
Hot Air Balloon Travel for the Luxury Traveler of the 1800s
Visionary designers of the 19th century believed that the future of air travel depended on elaborate airships
March 05, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Gettysburg Cyclorama Is Gone Forever
Richard Neutra's Gettysburg Cyclorama building demolished
March 05, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
From Wyoming to Mexico, A Beautiful Time-Lapse Trip Down the Colorado River
A time lapsed kayak trip down the Colorado River
March 05, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Women’s History Month at the Smithsonian
From a Confederate spy to a deepwater researcher, women are everywhere and the Smithsonian is telling their stories
March 05, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Luxury Home Developer Wants to Tear Down Part of the Berlin Wall’s Remains
Cultural preservation met urban development over the weekend with protests to save the Berlin Wall
March 05, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Greatest R&B Singer Who Never Existed
How the make-believe alter ego of an imaginative teen in the 1970s won him the fame he always dreamed of 40 years later
March 05, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Events March 5-7: Understanding Contemporary Art, Québec Microbrews and Lute Player Naseer Shamma
This week, learn how to interpret contemporary art, taste some Canadian microbrews and listen to one of the world's best flute players
March 04, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Transforming Raw Scientific Data Into Sculpture and Song
Artist Nathalie Miebach uses meteorological data to create 3D woven works of art and playable musical scores
March 01, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
