Mandara, Image courtesy of Lino Tagliapietra, Inc. Photo by Russell Johnson

October at the Museums brings much photographic portraiture with a dash of holiday activity at the end of the month. Get your calendar out now so you don’t miss a thing.

>> Opening October 3, Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass is the first exhibition to thoroughly examine the art of Lino Tagliapietra, a master of glass blowing. Explore 140 works from the artist’s 40-year career including items that have never been exhibited. Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery.

>> The DAR Museum celebrates childhoods of the past with a playful exhibition of late 19th- and early 20th-century toys. Opening October 3, Return to Toyland features antique toys from the Museum’s collection including dolls and doll houses, military and vehicular toys, games and stuffed animals.

>> Winner of the 2008 Kreeger Museum Artist Award, Ledelle Moe will have selected work on view at The Kreeger Museum starting October 3.

>>The National Air and Space Museum celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Family Day on Saturday October 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn what’s it’s like to live and work in space, talk with former astronauts and discover how robotics are used in space exploration. All materials and demonstrations will be provided in Spanish and English and translators will be available.

>> Jim Henson’s Fantastic World closes October 5. So if you haven’t taken this trip down memory lane, get there quick before its gone. Smithsonian International Gallery.

>> For 30 years, Xavier Guerrand-Hermès of the renowned Paris-based fashion empire collected both stunning North African jewelry and historic late 19th- and early 20th- century photographs by some of the region’s most prominent photographers. View highlights from his collection in Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection at the National Museum of African Art opening October 8.