June 3, 2008
June Museum Round-Up
We're continuing to bring you a monthly round-up of the most interesting events and exhibits at area museums, and this month, there's something to please photography fans, animation addicts, ocean lovers and more.
At the Natural History Museum, check out Ocean Views, where a collection of photographers have captured their vision of the sea (June 11).
Forget Q and Basil: Check out what the real life spies of the CIA have come up with in terms of technology in "Spycraft 1010: CIA Spytechs from Communism to Al-Quaeda", an event at the Spy Museum. The June 3 event at 6:30 shows off the gadgets of our government; $20 to get in.
The National Gallery's Jazz In The Sculpture Garden Friday programming began last month and runs through October. This month, performers include Lady A, Rick Whitehead Trio, Origem and Orquestra La Leyenda.
Cartography fans: pay attention. June 30 is the last day of the Baltimore Festival of Maps. If you're willing to make the trek, the Walters alone has four exhibitions related to mapping, from the cosmos to Google Earth.
Astronomy buffs, on the other hand, can head out to Sky Meadows, a beautiful hiking spot near Paris, Virginia, for the Air and Space Museum's Sky Party June 7; it's free.
One of the more hoity-toity events this month is the Smithsonian's Young Benefactors Cup Kick-Off Party. If you ever wanted to play the polo fan, here's your chance - the event's at the Embassy of Argentina June 5 and will feature Argentine wines, cuisine and music to kick off polo season. $30 if you buy a membership that day; $60 for non-members.
The Textile Museum exhibits "Blue", featuring Indigo textiles, and "The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands", both through September.
If your fantasy has ever been to become a pilot, it might be time to check out the Udvar-Hazy Museum, the Dulles branch of the National Air and Space Museum. "Become a Pilot" family day on June 14 will feature more than 60 aircraft on display, flown in for the event and shown off outside. Flight simulators and model airplane experts will also be on hand.
Animation is the focus of a couple of events this month. An animation celebration at the Museum of the American Indian goes on throughout June. Films will include "Maq and the Spirit of the Woods", "The Race", "Raccoon and Crawfish", etc. Or check out the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen during the Hirshhorn's Summer Camp film series, featuring retro stuff like Earth vs the Flying Saucers, etc.
Hear a talk by French architect Jean Nouvel for the Spotlight on Design program at the National Building Museum, Tuesday, June 3.
Remember the Glass House guy? Renowned architect Philip Johnson is the subject of an exhibit at the Kreeger Museum, a place that he designed. The exhibit opens June 3.
Can jewelry be rebellious? Check out the avant-garde collection of Helen Williams Drutt at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery.
Still running
"Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture" at the Portrait Gallery (through next year).
"Directions - Amy Sillman, Third Person Singular" at the Hirshhorn (through July 6).
"In the Forest of Fontainebleau" (French landscape art) at the National Gallery (through June 8).
"Yellow Mountain: China's Ever-Changing Landscape" at the Sackler (through August 24).
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where was that photo taken?
Also, the National Library of Medicine has just opened, "Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health." It's open for another two years and has a really great message.
Da Monsta in Connecticut; it's Philip Johnson's work.
Just chiming in to mention that I volunteered my time last year to develop the antique map overlays for Google Earth that are currently on the Walters Museum website. They feature some of the antique maps currently on display at the Walters Museum overlaid onto the surface of the earth. They provide an interesting glimpse of how cartographers drew the earth hundreds of years ago. The Walters Museum has also mapped their permanent collection and made a separate layer for Google Earth that will probably be around after this exhibition is over.
If you haven't been to the exhibit yet, you are really missing out. I have learned quite a bit from going to the exhibit. No Google Earth overlay can replicate the experience of seeing thousands of years of maps in one place. I recommend taking the MARC train ($14 roundtrip) from Union Station to Baltimore because the Walters Museum is only a 10 minute walk down Charles Street from Baltimore's Penn Station.
One quick correction: the exhibition goes until June 8th, not June 30th. Even less time! Hurry.