GINNY RUFFNER: REFORESTATION OF THE IMAGINATION @ RENWICK

Glass flowers meet augmented reality in a collaboration between two Seattle-based artists, sculptor Ginny Ruffner and animator Grant Kirkpatrick. The installation consists of six islands that feature a lifeless landscape of colorless glass tree stumps. Through the magic of AR in an app accessed via smartphones, the stumps grow flora that adapt to their surroundings. Much like LAWN at NBM, this reforestation encourages us to escape in the natural world indoors, free from stinging insects and heat.
Renwick Gallery, through January 5, 2020. Open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. FREE.

MICHAEL SHERRILL RETROSPECTIVE @ RENWICK

Also at the Renwick is this companion exhibit to Reforestation of the Imagination featuring 73 objects from Michael Sherrill’s 40-year career. The sculptor’s ceramic botanical creations are inspired by the natural world outside his studio in Bat Cave, North Carolina. You, too will shout, “To the Bat Cave!”
Renwick Gallery through January 5, 2020. Open daily 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. FREE.

LAWN @ NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

It’s summer, so that means the former Pension Building will fill its majestic Great Hall with a new Summer Block Party installation. This year the museum lures visitors by immersing you in the outdoors—indoors! NBM has partnered with the LAB at Rockwell Group to create a sloping green space and room for activities like croquet, bocce ball and dominoes, all in air-conditioned comfort. Unlike other installations that may simply take over the elegant communal space, LAWN features a three-story scaffolding tower that offers unique views of the Great Hall as well as column capitals and the sculptural busts that line the roof.
National Building Museum, through Sept. 2. Open Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $16. 

BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON: A CENTURY OF LUNAR PHOTOGRAPHS @ NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

To help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the National Gallery of Art presents an exhibition that shows how much the lunar surface has captured the imagination of photographers. Photos include images from the unmanned Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar Orbiter missions that led up to Apollo 11, as well as glass stereographs taken on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The exhibit includes some 50 images ranging from the 19th century to the space age.
National Gallery of Art, West Building, July 14, 2019-January 5, 2020. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. FREE

TAE EUN AHN: OPEN SITE @ KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER

The Korean Cultural Center on Embassy Row presents the first U.S. solo exhibition of work by a Korean artist who “seeks to expand our perception of the world by examining the role of the body as a bridge between internal and external existence.” Open Site features work in a variety of media including videos, installations, paintings, sculpture, and, finally, a live performance by the artist herself. Titled “You Walk Wrong,” the piece will feature Ahn navigating a balance beam covered in clay.
Korean Cultural Center, July 12-August 7. Hours Monday-Friday 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-6 p.m. FREE. Opening reception and performance July 12 at 6 p.m. RSVP

CULTURAL RESCUE INITIATIVE @ HIRSHHORN

News of the much covered-up vault fire at Universal Studios Hollywood reminds us that even (or especially) under the auspices of major corporations, our cultural heritage can go up in smoke just like that. What might happen to archives that have much fewer resources at hand? The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative responds to natural and other disasters around the world in order to help preserve endangered cultural heritage. This session gives you a chance to learn about recent SCRI projects that range from rescue work in Haiti, Syria, and Iraq to disaster training for first responders and military personnel. Director Corine Wegener will talk about the center’s mission.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, July 12 from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. FREE.

SOUSA ON THE REZ: NATIVE AMERICAN BRASS BANDS AND BEYOND @ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

Native American musicians were long taken from their indigenous culture and forced to assimilate through participation in marching bands. This program, led by Yup’ik archivist Erin Fehr and Smithsonian American Music curator John Troutman addresses the experiences of Native American musicians in the first half of the 20th century. The lecture will be followed by a screening of the documentary short, Sousa on the Rez: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum, which celebrates the continuing popularity of marching bands in Native American communities. The event is part of the Smithsonian Year of Music.
National Museum of the American Indian Rasmuson Theater, July 18 from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. FREE. follow the live webcast here.

GEORGIA SAXELBY: LULLABY @ AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY

D.C.-based artist Georgia Saxelby, who created the To Future Women time capsule project, premieres a two-channel immersive video installation documenting performances staged at a series of area monuments. Lullaby explores “the relationship between architecture, gender and ritual within the monumental landscape of Washington, D.C.”
Embassy of Australia, July 10-October 18. Monday- Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. FREE. Opening night reception July 9 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., with remarks by Hirshhorn Museum director Melissa Chiu.