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NEWS |
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David
McCullough Joins Museum Board
Award-winning author
and historian David McCullough was recently elected to the
Museum’s board. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, McCullough
joins the 28-member board that advises the director on
programs, exhibitions, facilities, development, and
finance.
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Boxing
Gloves from 1936 Historic Fight Join
Collection
World heavyweight champion boxer Joe
Louis’s boxing gloves that he wore in his historic first fight
against German boxer Max Shmeling have been donated to the
Museum. The gloves join items already in the collection
pertaining to Louis’s 1938 rematch with Shmeling, often
considered one of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th
century.
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Curator
Pete Daniel Receives Research Grant
Pete Daniel,
curator in the Division of Work and Industry, has received a
Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Award to continue his research
on African American farmers and civil rights.
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TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM |
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See
into the Future
Take a peek at what the Museum will
look like when it reopens in the summer of 2008. View
renderings of the completed Museum and discover the new
features and improvements being made right now. You can help
us move into the future--support the transformation!
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EVENTS |
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Listen
to a Sound Invention
Woody Norris’s inventions
range from personal recording devices to a personal
helicopter. Norris shares how he developed many of his
fascinating inventions in this program designed to inspire
young people and families to think creatively. Saturday, March
10, 2:00 p.m., Arlington County Central Library,
Virginia.
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Concert:
Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra
Conductor Kenneth
Slowik and the Orchestra present Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Große
Fuge” Op. 133 and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony Op.
73bis and 83bis. Sunday, March 11, 7:30 p.m., Grand Salon,
Renwick Gallery. Preconcert lecture, 6:30 p.m. Ticket purchase
required.
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Tour:
Amelia Walker and “Jailed for Freedom”
Lisa
Kathleen Graddy leads a talk about Amelia Walker’s “Jailed for
Freedom” pin on display in “Treasures of American History.” In
January 1917, members of the National Woman's Party became the
first to picket the White House as they protested the
government's failure to pass a constitutional amendment giving
women the right to vote. Walker and 150 others were jailed for
their protests. Wednesday, March 14, noon, in the “Treasures
of American History” exhibition at the National Air and Space
Museum.
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EXHIBITIONS |
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“Jamestown,
Quebec, Santa Fe: Three North American Beginnings” opens March
17
Empires clash. Cultures collide. The English at
Jamestown in 1607. The French at Quebec in 1608. The Spanish
at Santa Fe in 1609. In this exhibition, the dramatic, often
violent, story of European settlement in the new world is told
in three languages and through the eyes of the powerful, the
dispossessed and the enslaved. The exhibition is co-curated by
the Virginia Historical Society and the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History, and opens March 17 at the Virginia
Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. The exhibition will
travel to the Smithsonian's International Gallery in May
2009.
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Don’t
Miss “Treasures of American History”
More than 150
icons from the Museum’s collections are presented in this
exhibition while our building is closed for renovation,
including Dorothy's ruby slippers and the scarecrow costume
from "The Wizard of Oz," George Washington's uniform, Thomas
Edison's light bulb, Helen Keller's watch, and Jacqueline
Kennedy's inaugural ball gown. On view at the National Air and
Space Museum.
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Traveling:
"Diana Walker: Photojournalist" Opens in Georgia March
27
Diana Walker covered White House life as a
freelance photographer and for Time magazine from the Ford to
Clinton administrations. This exhibition comprises 82 color
and black-and-white photographs of Walker’s White House work,
as well as portraits of other noteworthy people and events.
“Diana Walker” is on view at the Frazier International History
Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, through March 4. The
exhibition opens at the Southern Museum of Civil War and
Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, on March
27.
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Traveling:
“Produce for Victory” in Hilo, Hawaii, through April
10
World War II posters helped mobilize a nation.
Inexpensive, accessible, and ever-present, the poster was an
ideal agent for making war aims the personal mission of every
American. Twenty-six of the Smithsonian's best wartime posters
are reproduced in this exhibition. The exhibition is now on
view at the Lyman House Memorial Museum, Hilo,
Hawaii.
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ON THE WEB |
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Setting
the Precedent: Four Women Who Excelled in
Business
Meet four American women in this online
exhibition who succeeded in business in the twentieth century.
An influential industrial designer, a prolific magazine
publisher, a prominent department store retailer, and a
top-ranking business executive, each achieved a degree of
visibility in her field enjoyed by few other women. Read about
their lives and accomplishments, and learn about their careers
through interactive games.
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Costume
Collection: Women's Dresses
The Museum’s Costume
Collection contains over 30,000 garments and accessories
representing the changing appearance of Americans from the
17th century to the present. The collection illustrates many
of the social, cultural, technological, and economic
influences affecting clothing made or worn in America. Over 70
women’s dresses are featured on this Web site, with stories
about the women who wore them.
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Podcast: Jules
Olitski, Innovative Abstract Artist
n the Museum’s
latest podcast, Jules Olitski, an influential painter and
prominent figure of the Color Field art movement of the
fifties and sixties, talks about his work and his approach to
using color. Olitski passed away on February 4, 2007. He was
84. 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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FOR
EDUCATORS |
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Object of History:
There is Still Time to Submit Your Questions
Sign
up to submit questions from your students about this month’s
featured object, the Greensboro lunch counter, site of a 1960
civil rights sit-in. Student questions will be answered by
curators and historians to answer during the live audiocasts
in the month of March. Smithsonian curators, Fath Davis
Ruffins and William Yeingst, and Historian of the Civil Rights
Movement, Steven Lawson, will answer student questions on
March 2 at 9:10 am ET, March 9 at 10:10 am ET, March 16 at
1:10 pm ET, and March 23 at 2:10 pm ET.
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Online
Activity: Tracking the Buffalo
For centuries, the
American bison has been revered by various Native American
peoples. Stories passed from generation to generation--by
spoken word and by pictures painted on animal hides--record
the history of American Indians and the buffalo. In this
activity, your students will explore the role of the buffalo
in the lives of the American Indians of the northern plains by
interpreting the imagery of a buffalo hide painting.
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Lesson
Plan: How Do Historians Find Out About People, Events, and
Places from the Past?
The 40th anniversary of the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) provides an
excellent opportunity to introduce students to the methods
historians use to discover and document American history and
the role that individuals can play in the preservation of the
past. The lesson plan for middle and high school students was
developed by Museum staff and is featured on the History
Channel “Save Our History” Web site. Activities include
“Learning How to Use Public Records as a Research Tool” and
“House Detective: Finding History in Your Home.”
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FOR KIDS & FAMILIES |
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Featured
Family Object: “It’s Smart to Dress the
Part!”
March is Women’s History Month—take a look
at this object to learn a little bit more about how women have
contributed to American history during wartime. This poster is
from World War II, and was hung in a manufacturing plant. Take
a look at what the two women are wearing. What’s the
difference? Why is one outfit better for working on the
production line? Why do you think the company would make a
poster like this?
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House
Detective
Your house has a story to tell—can you
find the clues? Download our House Detective brochure to learn
more about your house’s history.
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SHOPPING |
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Get
Your Copy of “Smithsonian Treasures of American
History”
A merchandise kiosk just outside the
“Treasures of American History” exhibition (on view at the
National Air and Space Museum) has a wonderful selection of
toys, gifts, and books. A perfect souvenir is “Smithsonian
Treasures of American History,” a wonderfully illustrated book
about the exhibition, which can also be purchased
online.
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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
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