 |
 |
|
Museum Launches E-mail
Newsletter
Welcome to the inaugural issue of the
National Museum of American History e-mail newsletter. This
monthly e-mail is designed to keep you informed about all the
exciting things happening at the museum and on our Web site.
It’s a great way to stay in touch with the Museum where
history comes alive!
The newsletter can be customized
so that you only receive the information that interests you
most-whether it’s news of upcoming or closing exhibitions,
announcements about public events, resources for educators, or
activities for kids and families. Click
here to customize your monthly newsletter.
I hope
you will enjoy receiving our newsletter at the beginning of
each month. We welcome your feedback
on this and all subsequent mailings.
-Brent D.
Glass, director
Note: You have been subscribed to this
free newsletter because you have previously indicated an
interest in being contacted via e-mail about news and events
at the Museum. If you do not wish to receive this monthly
message, click
here to unsubscribe.
|
|
|
|
|
NEWS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Ray
Charles: “The Genius”
Transcending poverty, racism
and blindness, the Ray Charles story is that of the American
dream. From hard beginnings, he rose to become one of the most
influential musicians of his time. The display, Ray
Charles: “The Genius” features items from Charles and his
long-time business manager and emcee Joe Adams. Highlights
include Charles’s signature Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Yamaha
KX-88 keyboard with Braille markings. Listen
to music and see photos from the collections.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Fire
and Water: The CIGNA Firefighting and Maritime
Collection
A special behind-the-scenes look at the
newly acquired 4,000-piece firefighting and maritime
collection from CIGNA Corp. dating back more than 250 years.
Visitors are invited to observe staff processing the
collection, which includes an 1850 firefighter’s parade hat
and many maritime and firefighting paintings. Tuesdays through
Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Holiday
Hours
The Museum will be open for the Veterans Day
holiday on Friday, November 11. With the exception of the
"Lift Every Voice" activity, no tours or demonstrations are
offered. The Museum is also open on Thanksgiving, Thursday,
November 24; no tours or activities are scheduled for that
day.
|
|
|
|
|
EVENTS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Hands-on
Activity: Lift Every Voice
Explore the history of
slavery in the Carolina Low Country in a distinctive way.
Experts in Communities
in a Changing Nation answer your questions and invite
you to examine a sweetgrass basket, learn how to harvest rice,
or speak a phrase in the Gullah language.
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 1-3p.m. and
3:30-5 p.m.
November 9-12, 16-19, 23,
25-26, 30
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Star-Spangled
Banner Gallery Talks
Members of the Museum's
Star-Spangled Banner preservation project team discuss the
history and conservation of the flag that inspired the
national anthem.
Thursdays, November 10 and 17, 11
a.m.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Book
Signing: N is for our Nation’s Capital
Author Marie
Smith signs her book, N is for our Nation's Capital,
which features the stories behind the monuments and museums
and is written for 4-8 year-olds. Four selections,
including the Star-Spangled Banner, are at the Smithsonian.
Saturday, November 12, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
|
|
 See all events and programs
|
|
|
EXHIBITIONS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Commemorate
Veteran’s Day by Visiting The Price of Freedom: Americans
at War
Visit this 18,000-square-foot exhibition
surveying the history of the U.S. military from the Colonial
era to the present, exploring ways that wars have been
defining episodes in American History.
New object: A
19th-century ambulance used by Clara Barton and the American
National Red Cross. Commissioned and sent to Camp Thomas
in Georgia right before the outbreak of the Spanish-American
war, the ambulance was used to care for U.S. Army soldiers
before their deployment to Cuba. Later, Barton used the
ambulance at her Maryland home, which served as the Red Cross
headquarters, storehouse, and distribution center.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
¡Azúcar!
The Life and Music of Celia Cruz
Over the course of
a career that spanned six decades and took her from humble
beginnings in Havana, Cuba, to her life as a world-renowned
artist, Celia Cruz became the undisputed Queen of Latin Music.
The exhibition features a companion
Web site with examples of her music at different periods
of her career and several costumes on display in the
show.
|
|
See all exhibitions
|
|
|
ON THE WEB |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Have you seen our new
Web site?
Earlier this year the Museum unveiled a
redesigned Web site with new content, a fresh new look, and
easier searching. Find information on artifacts,
plan
your visit, or learn about an upcoming event.
Special features for kids
and parents include fun things to do at home or in the
Museum. The new site has been recognized for excellence with
an American Association of Museums Muse Award.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
New Web
site: "America on Stone" 19th Century
Lithographs
The Harry T. Peters “America on Stone”
lithograph collection provides a distinctive view of
19th-century American life as depicted in prints. This new Web
site allows you to search the collection by keyword for
specific terms or browse by selected subjects.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Featured
Object: Helen Keller’s Watch
This unusual watch,
originally made to tell time in the dark, was a valuable gift
to Helen Keller. Learn
more about this object and other artifacts in the Museum’s
collections.
|
|
|
|
|
FOR
EDUCATORS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Visit the
Educators Page
Access our online classroom
resources, lean about visiting the Museum with your students,
and see frequently asked questions. You can download teaching
materials for exhibitions such as Separate Is Not Equal:
Brown v. Board of Education and American on the
Move, and give us your feedback on future
projects.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
On
the Water Educator Survey
The Museum is developing
a new exhibition, On the Water, which will replace the
existing Hall of American Maritime Enterprise. As part of the
development process for On the Water, we are conducting a
Web-based survey of elementary, middle, and high school social
studies educators across the country. Its purpose is to ensure
that the exhibition’s associated education resources meet the
needs of classroom teachers. Take
the survey
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Got
Ramps?
Designed as a companion to the Whatever
Happened to Polio? exhibition, this activity illustrates
the changes in architectural barriers between 1955 and 2005,
before and after the Architectural Barriers Act (1968) and the
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). Visitors are invited
to negotiate obstacles and challenges from a wheelchair.
Grade: 1-12
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
School
Tour Requests
Programs are offered free of charge
Tuesday through Friday mornings by pre-registration only. All
tour requests must be submitted in writing, either by mail,
fax, or online. Register now for the 2005-2006
season.
|
|
Educators page
|
|
|
FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
To
Do in the Museum
Hands
On Science Center
Kids can touch, hear, and even smell in the Museum! In
the Hands On Science Center, explore the connections between
science and history as you perform lab experiments with the
help of trained staff.
Open Tuesday-Friday, 12:30 p.m.-3
p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hunt
for History
These free guides take you through the
Museum on a tour of highlights from the Museum's collections.
Download one now or pick one up on your next visit.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
To Do
at Home
Who
Am I? A History Mystery
Select a mystery character
from the Civil War and examine objects that hold the key to
their identity. Are you up for a challenge?
History
Explorer
Explore this interactive timeline of
objects from our collections.
|
|
Kids page
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright ©
National Museum of American History. All Rights
Reserved.
14th Street and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington
DC 20560
Brent D. Glass, director
Map
& Directions
Admission to the National Museum of
American History is FREE.
CONTACT US
General
Smithsonian Visitor Information: 202-633-1000
or see our Contact
List
Frequently
Asked Questions
Media inquiries: 202-633-3129 or
visit our Press
room |
|
