Alexis Rockman, The Pelican, 2006, oil on wood, Courtesy Elizabeth Schwartz, New York. © Alexis Rockman. Photo courtesy of the artist

>> Get your appetites ready for the Food for Tomorrow Symposium at the National Museum of American History. The Symposium weekend features a preview of the upcoming documentary Truck Farm!, academic discussions on the future of food, a food truck muster and a tasting of wines from innovative East Coast vineyards. November 5-6. The full list of events and times can be found here.

>> The National Air and Space Museum reopens its updated exhibit Pioneers of Flight, Barron Hilton with new research and a broader selection of artifacts, including Tuskegee Airman Chauncey Spencer’s flight suit, Lindbergh memorabilia, a Lockheed 5B Vega flown by Amelia Earhart and more. The renovated permanent exhibit highlights the growth of aviation and rocketry during the 1920s and 30s. November 19.

>> Concern for the environment meets art in Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow, opening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. One of the first contemporary artists to build his career around exploring environmental issues, Rockman’s highly complex and brightly colored canvases are worth checking out. November 19.

>> A small exhibit exploring how Americans used entertainment to distract themselves during 1939, a year when the country was recovering from the Great Depression and World War II loomed, opens at the National Museum of American History. 1939 features objects from The Wizard of Oz and images from Life magazine. November 24.

>> On November 19, the National Museum of African Art celebrates 10 years of collection with the opening of African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting. The exhibit will include 112 objects from gold jewelry and wooden figures to a coffin in the shape of a cell phone.