August Museum Round Up

>> On August 1, the Newseum opened Woodstock at 40: The Rise of Music Journalism. This exhibit commemorates the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair featuring rarely seen images, memorabilia and artifacts.

>> On August 7, the National Portrait Gallery opens One Life: Thomas Paine, The Radical Founding Father . Featured in the exhibition is the museum's recently acquired portrait of Paine depicted by the French artist Laurent Dabos around 1792.

>> Also opening August 7, the Renwick hosts Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009 the fourth in a biennial exhibition series that honors the creativity and talent of craft artists working today. View the work of four artists that push the edge of craft away from the functional towards the narrative. Look for our upcoming preview of this exhibit.

>> At the National Building Museum see the culminating exhibit of the Investigating Where We Live Summer program for middle and high school students. The exhibit brings together themes, photographs, writings, and artwork by the students, inspired by their neighborhoods. Opening August 7.

>> Fiber enthusiasts, you only have two weeks to view batik patterned textiles from the collection of Ann Dunham, President Obama's mother at the Textile Museum. A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks highlights selected fabrics that Dunham collected from Indonesia, where she once lived. August 9.

>> Sure to attract the gaming nerd in all of us, the National Museum of American History hosts Ralph Baer, the inventor of the home video game, in honor of National Inventors' Month. Baer will reenact the first time he played Odyssey with his business partner Bill Harrison and then answer questions from the audience. August 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the Carmichael Auditorium.

>> The ever popular Brew at the Zoo returns August 20 for its fifth year running. Your ticket will grant you access to over 35 beers, a commemorative mug and live music. $35 for FONZ members and $50 for nonmembers. Tickets can be purchased here.