Talk to Me, Baby

Photo of Apollo 8 astronauts by Jim Kerlin, Courtesy The Associated Press.

DCist's guide to lectures and panel discussions in the D.C. area

This week, we've got a bit more talk on the elections, as well as some interesting discussions on astronauts, a changing Berlin, evolution, Abe, the First Amendment, and art criticism.

Monday:
>> At 7 p.m. today, George Mason University continues its Vision Series with Themes and Variations in Evolving Systems with professor Robert Hazen. Get info on tickets here. Hazen will further the discussion on biological evolution by focusing on "the formation of chemical elements in stars, diversification of minerals, development of languages, and progress in material culture ... [in which] the “species” evolves through selective mechanisms."

Tuesday:
>> Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Freer Gallery of Art is hosting Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief: An Evening with James McPherson in their Meyer Auditorium. The author and Civil War historian will be discussing Lincoln's military experiences, including how he "invented the idea of Commander-in-Chief by assuming powers that overstepped the rights granted by the Constitution to the president." General admission costs $28. Call 202-633-3030 or go online for more info.

Wednesday:
>> In case you forgot, we had a national election last week, but don't let that make you think all the election talk is finished. At 6:30 p.m. tonight, the Goethe Institute brings us a discussion titled After the US Elections: Opportunities and Challenges for Transatlantic Cooperation with Karsten Voigt, who was a leader of the German Social Democratic Party and member of the German Parliament. RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 165 or rsvp [at] washington.goethe.org.

>> Now that she's got some free time on her hands, Sarah Palin may want to head to the Newseum from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for their First Amendment Center Program at the Knight Conference Center. Panelists will be discussing The Wondrous World of the First Amendment: An Encyclopedic Look. RSVP by noon on Tuesday to ahampton[at] freedomforum.org with the subject line "Encyclopedic Look." Free.

>> If you'd rather geek out on tech, head to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 6:30 p.m. for From Data to Visualization: Emerging Tools for Research, a talk with Jan Johansson and Richard Landry about data analysis applications and emerging technologies. Costs vary, see registration info for more details.

>> The Freer's Meyer Auditorium has another political event tonight: Behind the Scenes of the 2008 Presidential Election at 6:45 p.m. The discussion will include some pretty well-known experts from all sides: Obama pollster Cornell Belcher, Howard Dean, McCain chief liaison Frank Donatelli, Hillary strategist Geoffrey Garin, and Romney's press secretary Kevin Madden, all moderated by U.S. News & World Report's White House correspondent Kenneth Walsh. Costs $35, but unfortunately, this looks sold out, so you may have to try begging at the door.

>> At 7 p.m. tonight, head to the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue for a book talk and signing by civil rights leader Marion Wright Edelman. Her newest book The Sea is So Wide and My Boat is So Small, is "a deeply personal volume in the form of letters to parents, teachers, community leaders, her own grandchildren, and to others." Free.

Thursday:
>> At 1:30 p.m. today, the Newseum is holding a discussion with the astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission, which was the first to circle the moon, in the Knight TV Studio. The event celebrates the 40th anniversary of the voyage.

Photo of the Brandenberg Gate courtesy of the Smithsonian Resident Associate program.

>> The auditorium of the German embassy holds an interesting but pricey lecture tonight titled Berlin: Two Centuries of Change with GMU professor Dr. Marion Deshmukh, who will give an illustrated presentation on "the architectural, political, and economic transformations that changed Berlin from a relatively insignificant Prussian barracks capital in the 18th century to one of the world’s most important cultural centers and crossroads of east and west today." General admission costs a whopping $50.

>> The National Gallery's West Building Lecture Hall is the place to be today at 10:30 a.m. for Back to the Future: Conservation Documentation: A panel discussion of current trends in museum conservation documentation. The discussion will focus on ways to streamline collection management and conservation procedures and bring them up to speed with new technologies.

>> At 6:30 p.m., the Corcoran holds a gallery talk with curator William Stapp on the Richard Avedon exhibit.

>> From 7 to 9 p.m., the McLean Project for the Arts holds an exhibit opening and gallery talk for their new exhibit of work by Georgia June Goldburg, Aimee Helen Koch, and Michael C. Mendez.

>> For yet another creative option tonight, head to the Washington Studio School at 7 p.m. for a lecture and book signing by art critic and author Jed Perl, whose four books on art criticism include Eyewitness and New Art City: Manhattan at Mid-Century.

Saturday:
>> The S. Dillon Ripley Center holds two all-day, $120 seminars from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Buddhism: Freeing the Self that Wasn’t There and The Golden Age of American Furniture.

Sunday:
>> Head to the East Building auditorium at the National Gallery of Art at 2 p.m. for a conversation between collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, filmmaker Megumi Sasaki, and modern art curator Ruth Fine.