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NEWS |
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Dr.
Jarvick Presents Artificial Hearts to the
Museum
Dr. Robert Jarvick and the Museum marked the
25th anniversary of the first authorized artificial heart
implantation surgery with a donation ceremony. Jarvik donated
the Jarvik 2000 Flow Maker to the Museum, and lent the Jarvik
7 artificial heart that had been implanted in dentist Barney
Clark in that historic first surgery. These history-making
artifical hearts will be on display for American Heart Month
in “Treasures of American History” at the National Air and
Space Museum beginning in early February.
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National
Accreditation Renewed
The Museum recently received
the highest national recognition for a museum when it was
reaccredited by the American Association of Museums
Accreditation Commission. Good for ten years, this award
recognizes the Museum’s commitment to excellence and its
continued work collecting, preserving, and displaying the
nation’s heritage for current and future
generations.
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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM |
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Now
It’s Easy to Support the Museum with an Online
Gift
The Museum has launched a new feature that
makes it simple for you to make a secure online gift to the
Star-Spangled Banner Capital Campaign. Giving a tax-deductible
contribution to the Museum has never been easier. Your support
will help the Museum preserve and display the treasures of
America’s past in a transformed building for all to enjoy.
Make an online gift today!
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We’re
Picking Up (Bad) Vibrations
Even though many
objects have been crated and/or moved out of the building,
millions more remain on site and must be protected against
vibrations, a side effect of construction. Read about how the
Museum will prevent its collections from “walking” all over
their storage units due to increased vibration activity caused
by the renovation.
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EVENTS |
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A
Cure for the Broken-Hearted: Artificial Hearts in
America
Judy Chelnick leads a Curator’s Choice talk
at the National Air and Space Museum. The discussion includes
the Liotta-Cooley artificial heart in the “Treasures of
American History” exhibition and the history of medical
efforts to extend and improve patients’ lives. The weekly
talks, which focus on the history, collection, or
personalities related to a specific artifact in exhibitions,
begin at the “Great Seal” in the Milestones of Flight, Gallery
100, first floor, and proceed to the “Treasures” exhibition.
Wednesday, February 14, 12 p.m.
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Trickster
Tales and Sea Island Songs: A Georgia Sea Island
Play-Party
Storyteller and singer Xavier Carnegie
introduces tales that were used to teach lessons to children
living on the Sea Island rice plantations of South Carolina
and Georgia. Sing along with children’s songs and touch
sea-grass baskets and other artifacts of the Gullah people.
The February 17 show includes a performance by the a capella
group “In Process.” Recommended for ages 5–9. Thursday–Friday,
February 15–16, 10:15 and 11:45 a.m.; Saturday, February 17,
Noon. Discovery Theater, S. Dillon Ripley Center. Tickets
required.
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“Miné,
A Name for Herself”: A Play About the Artist Miné
Okubo
This one-woman show depicts artist Miné
Okubo's life when she was interned as a Japanese American on
the West Coast during World War II. Playwright Mary Curtin met
Okubo before she died in 2001. Curtin was convinced Okubu’s
life should be portrayed on the stage and this play is the
extraordinary result. Presented in remembrance of Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the
suspension of many civil rights for Americans of Japanese
ancestry. Monday, February 19. Smithsonian Freer Gallery of
Art, Meyer Auditorium. 6:30 p.m.
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Benny
Carter Centennial Celebration: Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks
Orchestra
Composer, bandleader, and
multi-instrumentalist Benny Carter was a principal architect
of the big band swing style. He was one of the first African
Americans to achieve acceptance in Hollywood, writing music
for films and TV. This concert by SJMO includes some of his
most famous compositions, including “Blue Star,” “Symphony in
Riffs,” and “When Lights Are Low.” Saturday, February 24,
National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 7:30–10
p.m. Tickets required.
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EXHIBITIONS |
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How
Did the Museum Acquire the Greensboro Woolworth Lunch Counter?
Ask a “Treasures of American History” Curator
Last
month you asked about collecting the lunch counter, about what
Kermit the Frog is made of, and whether the Museum has a
silver bullet from Clayton Moore’s “The Lone Ranger” to
complement the mask. See answers to these and other questions
about the objects in the “Treasures of American History”
exhibition and submit your own question to the curators. The
exhibition is on view at the National Air and Space Museum and
is also available online.
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Traveling:
“Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers” Opens at the
Ohio Historical Center
This traveling exhibition
focuses on exceptional athletes and remarkable events, showing
how men and women athletes have helped shatter cultural and
political barriers for all Americans. Experience the
exhibition at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, Ohio,
starting February 8, or visit it online. The exhibition moves
to the Oregon Historical Society, Portland, in June.
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Traveling:
“First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image” Closes at the
Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History
Center
Featuring first ladies’ gowns and clothing,
personal belongings, White House furnishings, political
campaign materials, and other historical items, this traveling
exhibition examines the demanding roles of the presidential
partner and national hostess. This exhibition remains on view
at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
through February 18. The exhibition moves to the Ohio
Historical Center, Columbus, in March.
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ON THE WEB |
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Podcast:
Author Walter Isaacson
In the Museum’s latest
podcast, Walter Isaacson, author of “Benjamin Franklin: An
American Life”, and Professor Allen Weinstein, the Archivist
of the United States, discuss Benjamin Franklin's legacy and
the interplay between technology and democracy. This episode
is part of the Museum’s twice-monthly podcast series,
“Prototype Online: Inventive Voices,” from the Lemelson Center
for the Study of Invention and Innovation.
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Music
in the Museum
In the history of this vast and
changing nation, every culture has contributed its own music,
using it to maintain identity and sustain community. Yet music
also creates a miraculous bond, and a way to transform
differences into understanding and blend many diverse sounds
into a music that is purely American. At the Museum, music and
history are inseparable. In the new “Music in the Museum”
section of the Web site, learn about the music collections,
publications, and performances, and listen to audio clips
performed by the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, the
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and more.
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FOR
EDUCATORS |
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“Separate
Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education” Classroom Activity
Guide
This teacher guide covers the struggle for
African American equality from Reconstruction through the
civil rights movement of the 1960s to today. Each unit begins
with background information for the teacher based on the
Museum’s “Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education”
online exhibition. Following the narrative are suggested
lesson plans.
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FOR KIDS & FAMILIES |
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Featured
Family Object: Do You Have Presidential Hair?
No,
we’re not talking about a great haircut. Take a look at this
collection of locks taken from the heads of fourteen U.S.
presidents. Sounds weird, but hair was a common thing to
collect in the 18th century, much like autographs are today.
Ask your family members--someone might have a lock of your
hair from when you were a baby. Do you collect anything that
someone else might think is strange?
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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 |
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