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Fine Arts

What if we could make masks to look like these models in the Natural History Museum's Hall of Human Origins?

The List: Smithsonian-Inspired Halloween Costumes

For all you last-minute costume shoppers, here’s this year’s list of Smithsonian DIY ideas

Alice Waters, by Dave Woody; 2010

Last Call: Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

National Portrait Gallery curator Brandon Fortune provides some insight to what she and other contest jurors are looking for

Andy Warhol's Shadows, on view in its entirety for the first time

Events Oct. 24-27: goSmithsonian Trek, Andy Warhol, Skin Color Evolution, and an Inventors Symposium

Take part in an interactive scavenger hunt, get an inside look at the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition, learn about human evolution and get tips on inventing

Henrique Oliviera's "Bololô," on display in the "Artists in Dialogue 2" exhibition.

Weekend Events Oct. 21-23: Craft2Wear, MATCH+WOOD, and Drumming Workshop

This weekend, come to a party with wearable crafts, experience the pairing of poetry and art, and participate in a drumming workshop

Carl Yastrzemski's custom batting helmet

The List: Legends Play Ball at the Smithsonian

With the World Series set to start, see some of the all-time baseball greats in the Institution’s collections

Saltillo Sarape, Maximilian Period c.1865 91 5/16 x 48 7/16 inches, wool, silk and metalic thread wefts on cotton warp Fred Harvey Collection, International Folk Art Foundation Collection, Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Inscribed in the end border: "Epifanio Jemenez", probably the patron for whom it was woven.

Latin America’s Wrap for All Seasons

Blanket-like “sarapes” from northern Mexico are among the world’s most intriguing textiles, as shown by a recent gallery exhibition

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After Hours: A Hit at the Hirshhorn

Catch a glimpse of the Smithsonian’s unique party of modern art and live music

Jo Ann Gillula interviews Susan Ford Bales, left, daughter of President Gerald Ford, about what it was like to live in the White House.

Susan Ford Bales: A Peek Inside the White House

A former White House resident dishes on what it was like to live in the White House as a teenager

Come see the Bay Jazz Project perform at the American Art Museum

Events Oct. 17-20: YouTube Mania, Worms From Hell, Women in Hong Kong and Bay Jazz Project

This week, come to an interactive art event, discuss life on meteorites, learn about Women in Hong Kong and take in some live jazz

"Young Man and Woman in an Inn" by Franz Hals, 1623

Frans Hals and the Divided Self

The Metropolitan’s recent Frans Hals exhibition and other works by the Old Master showcase his surprisingly modern psychological insight

Historian David Ward discusses his new book of poetry

National Portrait Gallery’s David C. Ward: Historian Turns to Poetry

In a new book of poetry, a Smithsonian scholar renders his thoughts on family, nature, celebrity and anonymity

Come hear Yumi Kurosawa play the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.

Events Oct. 11-13: Stories From the Mine, Baseball Americana and the Music and Arts of Japan

This week, come to a panel discussion with the Chilean miners, a talk about baseball, and join in an evening of Japanese culture

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe: Pioneer, Genius, Oddity

On this day in 1849, America lost an innovative, unique and utterly strange literary giant

The film Shadow Magic features the arrival of motion pictures in China.

Weekend Events Oct. 7-9: Native Americans and the Courts, Balloons and Blimps and Shadow Magic

Understand how the U.S. courts system has affected Native Americans, learn about the science of balloons and take in a Chinese film at the Freer gallery

Film still from 55 Days at Peking (1963)

The List: Top Eleven Things to Do this Month at the Smithsonian After Work

Date night at the Smithsonian, grab your special someone and head out to these after-hours events

Visit the Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum

Events Oct. 3-6: Butterfly Pavilion, Quiltmaking Demonstration, America in Black and White and African Drumming

This week, see exotic insects, learn a new craft, be part of a thought-provoking discussion on race and join a drum circle

Andy Warhol, "Shadows," 1978-79. Dia Art Foundation. Copyright 2011 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

A Fresh Look at Andy Warhol

Hirshhorn curator Evelyn Hankins discusses the new Warhol show, on view through January 15, 2012

See the documentary "Columbus Day Legacy" this Saturday at the American Indian Museum.

Weekend Events Sept. 30 – Oct. 2: Treasures at the Museum, Columbus Day Legacy, and Portrait Discovery

This weekend, get a book autographed, see a thought-provoking documentary, and see the Portrait Gallery in a whole new way

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