September 3, 2008
September Museum Roundup
This month the area's museums are chock full of celebrations, openings, anniversaries and festivals. Enough to keep your dance card filled and your brain active.
>> The Natural History Museum describes the ocean as "a huge, awesome realm -- sometimes mysterious but always amazing." Their interpretation of the "awesome realm" will be shown in the long awaited opening of the Sant Ocean Hall on September 27. The exhibit represents the largest renovation in the museum’s 100-year history and is a must see upon completion. Check out a time lapse video of the exhibit's construction over here.
>> The American Art Museum pairs two familiar artists in Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities. Compare and contrast their styles and compositions of natural settings. Opening September 26.
>> The National Postal Museum celebrates its 15th anniversary with Alphabetilately. The stamps, ephemera, and artifacts exhibited in Alphabetilately will graphically document the spectrum of the American experience, from historical subjects to popular culture, from actual events to important ideas. Opening September 26.
>> The Hirshhorn will host local art critic and DCist contributor Kriston Capps for a Friday gallery talk. Hear Kriston's take on the Hirshhorn's collection, September 19 at 12:30 p.m.
>> The National Museum of the American Indian continues their Vine Deloria, Jr. Native Writers Series, with building and landscape tours, book discussion, and book signing of American Indian Places: A Historical Guidebook. September 21 from 1 to 4 p.m.
>> At the National Museum of African Art's Community Day, enjoy a fun-filled day of live music, dance and art on September 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
>> Wednesdays at the National Air and Space Museum, join in the "Ask an Expert" Series. This month sooth your inquisitive nature with topics on Air Racing, Military Planes, Mars Rover landing sites and more. 12 p.m.
>> The Sackler Gallery opens Moving Perspectives: Yang Fudong/Cao Fei and Ou Nin, an exhibit of recent video works that highlight the many changes taking place in contemporary Asia. Opening September 6.
>> In remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001, the Newseum offers Inside Media: 9/11 Devastation and Determination with Mike Forcucci and Tom Franklin. Hear how these two reporters covered the horrific events. September 13, 2:30 p.m.
>> On September 10 at 6:30 p.m., the International Spy Museum will show Three Days of the Condor, a spy thriller starring Robert Redford. Peter Earnest, International Spy Museum executive director, will comment on the plausibility of this espionage classic and how it reflects the spy world of 1975. $6.25.
>> Like your subversive Russian art to be miniature and in porcelain? Then get yourself to Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens for Fragile Persuasion: Russian Porcelain and the Fine Art of Propaganda on September 16. This exhibit will feature over 70 objects used for the purpose of political and social propaganda.
>> The Anacostia Community Museum continues their exhibits, Separate and Unequaled:
Black Baseball in the District of Columbia andEast of the River: Continuity and Change with talks, forums and community activities throughout the month.
>> Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the National Zoo. At Fiesta Musical, enjoy animal demonstrations, Hispanic and Latino music, costumed dancers, traditional crafts, and Latin American foods. Scientists will be on hand throughout the event to discuss field research being conducted in Latin American countries. September 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m
>> On September 18, join the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences for Antibiotics: Is a strong offense the best defense?, a debate on the best ways to optimize antibiotic use and minimize the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. Let your inner hypochondriac come out and play. 6:30 p.m, $8.
>> Blue at the Textile Museum closes this month. Get in before September 18 to learn about the creation and meaning of the color of textiles produced across time and place, with particular emphasis on contemporary artists’ use of natural indigo dyes.
Image of preliminary artistic rending of the Sant Ocean Hall, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
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thanks for pulling this list together, kelly!
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Ugh. It looks like the Natural History Museum has followed the irritating trend to take away descriptive name plates and put everything on a touchscreen computer.
This is a really annoying trend because:
A. They're slow
B. Only one person can use it at a time
C. It adds nothing
It's clearly a solution in search of a problem. It's not like in the past I was thinking "God, if only one person could read these name plates at once, and in a technologically pointless way, to boot."
I understand the pull to make museums more "hip" and "with it" and I also understand that one of the ways they do that is to throw a whole bunch of crap on the walls that would normally only fit a couple things, and thus nameplates would be tougher to fit. But it's still incredibly annoying to use those touch screens when I just want to glance over and see "oh, ok so that's a Perch".
It seems that this was modeled after the ante-chamber to the huge Blue Whale room in the American Museum of Natural History in New York (which can be anachronistically seen for a split second in The Squid and the Whale, a film full of anachronistic split seconds).
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What about the Avedon exhibit at the Corcoran? I read about that in the Washingtonian recently.
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Also worth seeing at the American Art Museum (through Oct. 12): “Local Color: Washington Painting at Midcentury”
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Yes, go see Avedon at the Corcoran. Also, I read Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes on the Food Network) is going to be there September 18th.
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DCist will have a preview of the Avedon exhibit for you next week.
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Also, the Jim Henson exhibit at the International Gallery (enter through the little pagoda shaped building to the west of the castle). I think it runs through the beginning of October. Good stuff =)