Smithsonian Events - One Time

Connected Cultures: Religious Traditions of the Middle East Postponed

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 6:30 PM

This panel discussion explores the cultural connections between the three largest monotheistic traditions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. All three traditions originated in the Middle East and are all inextricably linked, as they have infl?uenced each other over centuries. The evening interfaith panel aims to foster a better understanding of human diversity and cultural change through the lenses of these three religions.

Panelists are Imam Yahya Hendi (Muslim chaplain, Georgetown University), Dr. Marc Gopin (director, Center on Religion, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution [CRDC] at George Mason University), and Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine (executive director, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington [[IFC]). The panel is moderated by Najeeba Syeed-Miller (executive director, Center for Civic Engagement and Dialogue, Los Angeles).

This program is related to the IMAX film Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta, shown in the museum's Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater.

More info: www.mnh.si.edu…

CANCELED - Neon Light Sculpture

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 6:30 PM

CANCELED - DISCOVERY THEATER, Petit Fete: A Discovery Theater Mardis Gras

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 10:15 AM

CANCELED - DISCOVERY THEATER, Petit Fete: A Discovery Theater Mardis Gras

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 11:30 AM

Ask an Expert: Eugene Bullard, The First African American Military Pilot

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 12 – 12:15 PM

In this lecture series, a museum staff member talks about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the museum.

Today's presentation is by Dom Pisano, in the museum's Aeronautics Division.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

CANCELED - Blitzkrieg

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 6:45 – 9 PM

African Americans in Mexico--Historical Linkages

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7 PM

Ben Vinson, director of the Center for Africana Studies at John Hopkins University, examines the history of African American migration to Mexico and discusses the commonalities between African American and Latinos in contemporary society.

CANCELED - Ibn Battuta's Marvelous Travels

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7 PM

The Museum Support Center

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 9 AM

The Smithsonian has one of the largest collections in the world, from giant whale skulls to tiny insects. See first-hand where these research and exhibition specimens are kept, at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the vast number of artifacts with staff who work at the facility.

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DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 10:15 AM

Ages 6 and up
Meet the Museum at American History: The Story of the Student Sit-Ins, Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Artful Animals Workshop

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 10:30 AM – 12 PM

(for ages 6 and up) Art educator Karen O. Brown introduces young audiences to African art forms. Bring home a masterpiece!

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 11:30 AM

Ages 6 and up
Meet the Museum at American History: The Story of the Student Sit-Ins, Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Meet Our Museum: Duke Ellington--Scurlock Family Friend

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 12:15 PM

Duke Ellington and his family were close friends and neighbors of the Scurlock family in Washington, D.C., and were often photographed. One of Ellington’s portraits is included in the exhibition The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise. Photographic history associate Michelle Delaney leads the talk.

Every Thursday, at a Meet Our Museum talk, a staff member shares stories about objects in the Museum's collections and discusses the Museum's efforts to collect, preserve, research, interpret, and present our nation's history.

Ask an Expert: The Gemini VIII Thruster

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 12:30 – 12:45 PM

In this lecture series, a museum staff member talks about the history, collection, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the museum.

Today's presentation is by Margaret Weitekamp, in the museum's Space History Division.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

Lena Horne: Face-to-Face Portrait Talk

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 6 – 6:30 PM

The weekly portrait talk highlights a portrait selected by a National Portrait Gallery staff member or guest speaker.

Today, curator Ann Shumard talks about a photograph of Lena Horne by Florence Meyer Homolka.

Framing the West Film Series: 3:10 to Yuma

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 6:30 PM

(1957, 92 min., directed by Delmer Daves) In this tense thriller, a rancher reluctantly escorts a ruthless, captive outlaw to a nearby town to await the train that will take him to Yuma for trial. Starring Glen Ford and Van Heflin.

More info: www.americanart.si.edu…

Standing Guard: The Terra-Cotta Warriors

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 6:45 – 8:45 PM

Robert DeCaroli explores the legacy created for the first emperor of China, the world-famous life-size terra-cotta army from Xi'an buried in formation by the thousands, poised for battle. Tonight, explore the legacy these soldiers reveal about early China.
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Africa in Reel Time: Nollywood Film Festival: Arugba

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7 – 9 PM

Nigerian cinema, or “Nollywood,” has become one of the largest film industries in the world. Documentaries and feature films highlight the production values and narrative content of this cinema on the rise. Discussion with director Tunde Kelani follows screening.

Arugba (2008, 97 min, Yoruba with English subtitles, directed by Tunde Kelani) is set against the backdrop of a corrupt society seeking cleansing, rebirth, and nationhood, with all its attendant intrigues, and presents a world in which modernity and tradition exist alongside each other but seldom in equilibrium. Watch as the king of a small town in southwestern Nigeria makes much publicized statements against corruption while instituting economic reforms and embracing foreign investors. The reforms, however, don’t appear to be trickling down to the people, and the king trusts no one and has a weakness for women, which compromises his leadership. Meanwhile, preparations are being made for a traditional ritual in which a young virgin—the arugba—carries a sacrificial calabash.

The Brass Letters of Citizenship: Lincoln, African Americans and Military Service

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7 – 8:30 PM

Join moderator Tom Bowman, Pentagon correspondent for National Public Radio, along with a panel of noted scholars for a discussion of the expansion of the military to include African Americans under President Abraham Lincoln. The distinguished panel includes Dr. Ira Berlin of the University of Maryland and Dr. Chandra Manning of Georgetown University, both experts on the African American military experience in the mid-19th century.

The program also includes Dr. Nathaniel Frank, Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of Unfriendly Fire, who will compare arguments surrounding the issue of the makeup of the United States military in the 19th century with modern arguments around the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Part of the Lincoln Lecture Series and related to our current exhibition Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life.

More info: americanhistory.si.edu…

Nicolas Fox Weber on Josef Albers and Joseph Hirshhorn

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7 – 8 PM

On the opening night of Josef Albers: Innovation and Inspiration, Nicolas Fox Weber, executive director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, discusses the artist’s life and work, as well as Albers’ close relationship with Joseph Hirshhorn.

More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Friday, February 12, 2010, 10:15 AM

Ages 6 and up
Meet the Museum at American History: The Story of the Student Sit-Ins, Greensboro, North Carolina.
View more details

Sounds of Africa

Friday, February 12, 2010, 10:30 – 11:30 AM

(for ages 6 and up) Young audiences play a variety of African instruments with Ugandan musician Daniel Ssuuna as they learn about African polyrhythms and syncopation.

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Friday, February 12, 2010, 11:30 AM

Ages 6 and up
Meet the Museum at American History: The Story of the Student Sit-Ins, Greensboro, North Carolina.
View more details

George Norfleet and Colonel Charles McGee: Book Signings

Friday, February 12, 2010, 12 – 5 PM

George Norfleet signs copies of his book A Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and Colonel Charles McGee signs copies of his book Tuskegee Airman.

Josef Albers: Friday Gallery Talk

Friday, February 12, 2010, 12:30 – 1 PM

D.C.-area designer Judith Seligson talks about the related exhibition.

Note: Topic and speaker subject to last-minute change.

More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings

Friday, February 12, 2010, 1 – 4 PM

Robert F. Dorr signs copies of his books Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht and Air Force One.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

Niloofar (Iranian Film Festival 2010)

Friday, February 12, 2010, 7 PM

Niloofar is a twelve-year-old girl whose dream is to read and write in a village where education is for boys only. While assisting her mother during a delivery, Niloofar meets a wise woman who allows her to study secretly. Niloofar's father, however, has other plans and arranges for her to marry an older man. Set on the Iraq-Iran border, this film by Sabine El Gemayel provides a sensitive look at rural Iranian culture.
2008 / 82 min.

Battle of Monmouth

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 7 AM

The Battle of Monmouth was the longest sustained battle of the Revolutionary War. Join historian Ed Bearss as he walks in the footsteps of Gen. George Washington and others who stood tall on that last major engagement in the northern theater.
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Family Day: African American Pioneers in Aviation

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10 AM – 3 PM

Meet some of the original Tuskegee Airmen, try hands-on activities, and enjoy a story time. Celebrates Black History Month.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

Von Hardesty: Book Signings

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10 AM – 12 PM

Von Hardesty signs copies of his books Black Wings, Milestones of Aviation, and Epic Rivalry.

Mark James's Christopher's Little Airplane : Book Signings

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10 AM – 5:30 PM

Mark James signs copies of his children's book and coloring book Christopher's Little Airplane.

The Power of Chocolate
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM

The Latin botanical name Theobroma cacao -- translated "food of the gods" -- for the cocoa tree was aptly named, as the Maya and and Aztec peoples considered chocolate a "food of the gods." Today, learn about the culture of chocolate, its history, and its place in contemporary society through hands-on activities that include drawing the Mayan glyph for "cacao," embroidering a Kuna mola, and grinding your own cacao beans to froth hot chocolate.

See Web site below for 10% discount coupon at the Mitsitam Cafe (valid Feb. 13-14).

More info: www.nmai.si.edu…

Traditional Afro-Mexican Dance
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10:30 AM

Noted Washington, D.C., dancer and choreographer Carol Foster (founder of the D.C. Youth Ensemble) leads a workshop on traditional dances performed in the Veracruz and Costa Chica regions of Mexico. These dances were inspired by African cultural legacy.

Family Day: Presidents Day
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 11:30 AM – 3 PM

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery host their 5th annual Presidential Family Day! Celebrate Presidents Day with music, storytelling, hands-on art projects, a scavenger hunt, and encounters with several “special guests.”

George Norfleet and Charles Herbert Flowers Jr.: Book Signings
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 12 – 5 PM

George Norfleet signs copies of his book A Pilot's Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and Charles Herbert Flowers Jr. signs copies of his children's book Training the Best.

Phil Bildner and John Holyfield: Halleluja Flight : Book Signings
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 3 PM

Phil Bildner and John Holyfield sign copies of their children's book Halleluja Flight.

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 4 PM

Robert F. Dorr signs copies of his books Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht and Air Force One.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

Art a la Cart: Family Program
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 4 PM

(for ages 7-12) Travel through the galleries and handle brushes, palettes, bison hide, and bottle caps at interactive carts.

More info: www.americanart.si.edu…

Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford: Book Signings
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 3 PM

Helen Thomas, veteran reporter who has covered six administrations at the White House, will sign copies of her new book with co-author Craig Crawford Listen Up, Mr. President! Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do. The book provides advice and cautionary examples from recent and historic presidents. Thomas also signs copies of her children's book The Great White House Breakout.

ImaginAsia: Heart-to-Heart
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 3 PM

(Open house for all ages) While listening to traditional love songs from Asia, create origami hearts to give to family and special friends on Valentine’s Day.

Make a Photo Valentine for the Ocean!
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1 – 3 PM

Take of photograph of yourself and something you love about the ocean. Take a Valentine’s Day heart and strike a pose in The Sant Ocean Hall. Share your pictures with others by uploading it to our Facebook Page.

More info: facebook.com…

Kem Knapp Sawyer: Book Signing
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 2 – 4 PM

Kem Knapp Sawyer signs her children’s books on Harriet Tubman, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lucretia Mott.

Reel Portraits: Edward Biberman and Lena Horne
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 2 PM

2 PM: The documentary Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman (2008, 85 min, directed by Jeff Kaufman) recounts the career of Edward Biberman, a pillar of the mid-century art scene in Los Angeles, whose art addressed issues of race, labor, and social justice. His portraits of Lena Horne and Dashiell Hammett are in the gallery’s collection. A conversation with director Jeff Kaufman follows.

4:30 PM: The early African American film classic Stormy Weather (1943, 78 min, directed by Andrew L. Stone) is about a WWI veteran's efforts to launch his dancing career and win the love of Selina Rogers. Starring Lena Horne, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and Cab Calloway, the film also showcases performances by Fats Waller, Katherine Dunham, and Ada Brown.

Note: A photograph of Lena Horne is on view in the exhibition New Arrivals (first floor)

Picturing the Promise: Reading Memories
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 4 PM

Paul Gardullo, curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, discusses visitor responses to the exhibition The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise, which were left at the interactive station within the exhibition. Local writers Brian Gilmore, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Holly Bass read posts to the museum's interactive Web site.

Battle of the Wilderness
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 8 AM

Included in this tour led by Civil War historian Ed Bearss are sites of significant activity, such as the Germanna Ford on the Rapidan River and along the Plank Road, where some of the worst fighting took place. Combined casualties in this battle are estimated at about 29,800 killed.
View more details

The Power of Chocolate
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM

The Latin botanical name Theobroma cacao -- translated "food of the gods" -- for the cocoa tree was aptly named, as the Maya and and Aztec peoples considered chocolate a "food of the gods." Today, learn about the culture of chocolate, its history, and its place in contemporary society through hands-on activities that include drawing the Mayan glyph for "cacao," embroidering a Kuna mola, and grinding your own cacao beans to froth hot chocolate.

See Web site below for 10% discount coupon at the Mitsitam Cafe (valid Feb. 13-14).

More info: www.nmai.si.edu…

The Legacy of the Tenor Saxophone: From Coleman Hawkins to the Present
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 11 AM

Willard Jenkins of WPFW 89.3 FM discusses this remarkable instrument. The Paul Carr Quartet performs.

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 1 – 4 PM

Robert F. Dorr signs copies of his books Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht and Air Force One.

More info: www.nasm.si.edu…

Art a la Cart: Family Program
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 1 – 4 PM

(for ages 7-12) Travel through the galleries and handle brushes, palettes, bison hide, and bottle caps at interactive carts.

More info: www.americanart.si.edu…

ImaginAsia: Heart-to-Heart
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 1 – 3 PM

(Open house for all ages) While listening to traditional love songs from Asia, create origami hearts to give to family and special friends on Valentine’s Day.

Smithsonian Events - One Time

Connected Cultures: Religious Traditions of the Middle East ***Postponed***

CANCELED - Neon Light Sculpture

CANCELED - DISCOVERY THEATER, Petit Fete: A Discovery Theater Mardis Gras

CANCELED - DISCOVERY THEATER, Petit Fete: A Discovery Theater Mardis Gras

Ask an Expert: Eugene Bullard, The First African American Military Pilot

CANCELED - Blitzkrieg

African Americans in Mexico--Historical Linkages

CANCELED - Ibn Battuta's Marvelous Travels

The Museum Support Center

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Artful Animals Workshop

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Meet Our Museum: Duke Ellington--Scurlock Family Friend

Ask an Expert: The Gemini VIII Thruster

Lena Horne: Face-to-Face Portrait Talk

Framing the West Film Series: 3:10 to Yuma

Standing Guard: The Terra-Cotta Warriors

Africa in Reel Time: Nollywood Film Festival: Arugba

The Brass Letters of Citizenship: Lincoln, African Americans and Military Service

Nicolas Fox Weber on Josef Albers and Joseph Hirshhorn

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

Sounds of Africa

DISCOVERY THEATER Sit Down. Stand Up!

George Norfleet and Colonel Charles McGee: Book Signings

Josef Albers: Friday Gallery Talk

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings

Niloofar (Iranian Film Festival 2010)

Battle of Monmouth

Family Day: African American Pioneers in Aviation

Von Hardesty: Book Signings

Mark James's Christopher's Little Airplane : Book Signings

The Power of Chocolate

Traditional Afro-Mexican Dance

Family Day: Presidents Day

George Norfleet and Charles Herbert Flowers Jr.: Book Signings

Phil Bildner and John Holyfield: Halleluja Flight : Book Signings

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings

Art a la Cart: Family Program

Helen Thomas and Craig Crawford: Book Signings

ImaginAsia: Heart-to-Heart

Make a Photo Valentine for the Ocean!

Kem Knapp Sawyer: Book Signing

Reel Portraits: Edward Biberman and Lena Horne

Picturing the Promise: Reading Memories

Battle of the Wilderness

The Power of Chocolate

The Legacy of the Tenor Saxophone: From Coleman Hawkins to the Present

Robert F. Dorr's Hell Hawks! and Air Force One : Book Signings

Art a la Cart: Family Program

ImaginAsia: Heart-to-Heart

Connected Cultures: Religious Traditions of the Middle East Postponed