Calendar of Exhibitions and Events: November 2018

FEATURED EVENTS:
 
Smithsonian Food History Weekend
 
The fourth annual Smithsonian Food History Weekend from Nov. 1-3 will include cooking demonstrations, conversations, hands-on activities, book signings and displays. This year’s theme, Regions Reimagined, will explore the history and changing dynamics of regional food culture in the U.S. Chefs, farmers, fishers, entrepreneurs, cookbook authors and historians will look at how regions define themselves, shape communities and evolve through food. More information is available at http://s.si.edu/SmithsonianFood
 
Roundtables
Nov. 2; 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Warner Bros. Theater
First Floor, Center
 
The Roundtables will feature historians, writers, chefs, entrepreneurs, activists and practitioners in four sessions of moderated conversations about region, foodways and the dynamics of change. After each session, select participants will sign copies of their books (books will be available for purchase onsite). Seating will be on a first come/first served basis.
  • The Power of Place: Why do regions matter?
    • 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
  • Selling Regions: When does region become industry?
    • 11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
  • Reclaiming the Pacific Northwest: What does it mean to reclaim a region?
    • 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Remixing the South: What is the South?
    • 3 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend/roundtables
 
Food History Weekend Festival
Nov. 3; 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Museum-wide
 
The Food History Festival will feature a full day of free activities for all visitors, including live cooking demonstrations, film screenings, exhibition and garden tours, hands-on activities and rarely exhibited objects on display. Note: There will be no tastings. The museum’s Eat at America’s Table Cafe will be open from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
 
Deep Dish Dialogues
Nov. 3; 10:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center
Seating is on a first come/first served basis. Free registration: https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend/festival
 
Curators, authors and experts will dig deep into how food and regions are connected. Participants will sign copies of their books after their presentations.
  • “Past, Present, and Place in Mexican Cuisine” with Chef Aáron Sánchez and museum curator Stephen Velasquez
    • 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
  • “Meet the Women Who Won the 2018 Julia Child Award” with Francis Lam, Chef Susan Feniger and Chef Mary Sue Milliken
    • 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
  • “Edna Lewis and the Taste of Place” with Sara B. Franklin, Michael Twitty, Nina Williams-Mbengue and Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture curator Joanne Hyppolite
    • 2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
"Cooking Up History: Smithsonian Food History Weekend"
Nov. 3; 11:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West Wing
 
Smithsonian Food Historian Ashley Rose Young will explore the cuisine of America with chefs during cooking demonstrations. Book signings by the chefs will follow each cooking demonstration. The following chefs will be cooking and discussing regional foods:
  • "Oklahoma—Bringing the Outdoors In" with Chef Jason Flores
    • 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
  • "Mexican Regional Cuisine in the U.S." with Chef Aarόn Sánchez
    • 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
  • "Punjabi Traditions Meet Mexican Flavors in California" with Chef Maneet Chauhan
    • 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
  • "Expressing the South in Seattle" with Chef Edouardo Jordan and special host Francis Lam
    • 2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • "Creating Food and Community on Smith Island, Chesapeake Bay" with Janice Marshall
    • 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • "Indigenous Foodways of the Midwest" with Chef Sean Sherman
    • 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Talks and Hands-On Activities
Nov. 1-3; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Museum-wide
Talk: Heritage Baking and Revitalizing the Local Grain Economy
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, First Floor, West Wing
 
Ellen King, author and co-owner of Hewn Bakery in Evanston, Illinois, will discuss her research on historic grains, finding viable seeds and partnering with farmers to create something new and unique to that region with Katherine Mead, Smithsonian Program Manager. After the talk, King will sign copies of her book Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Baked with Artisanal Flour from Hewn Bakery.
 
The Grain Elevator
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
First Floor, West Wing
 
Explore grains across America with farmers, millers, bakers, brewers, cooks and historians in our pop-up exhibition.
 
Baking with Regional Grains and Flours
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
First Floor, West Wing
 
Join Ellen King after her talk in the Grain Elevator to continue the conversation on historic grains in baking.
 
Sounds of Faith: Punjabi-Mexican Dance
12:30 and 2:15 p.m.
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
 
Performances reflecting the story of the Punjabi-Mexican community that formed in the farmland of California's central valley by dance companies Ensembles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco and Duniya Dance and Drum Company.
 
Hands-on Activities
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West Wing
 
Food history will be available for visitors of all ages in the museum’s activity spaces: At The Kids Table, budding chefs will be able to participate alongside the cooking demonstrations with objects to touch, smell and see. In Wegmans Wonderplace, children ages 0–6 and their adults will explore a miniature Julia Child’s kitchen and practice planting the farm. Spark!Lab will allow curious minds ages 6–12 to create, collaborate and invent.
 
Talk: Heritage Baking and Revitalizing the Local Grain Economy
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza,
First Floor, West Wing
 
Ellen King, author and co-owner of Hewn Bakery in Evanston, Illinois, will discuss her research on historic grains, finding viable seeds and partnering with farmers to create something new and unique to that region with Katherine Mead, Smithsonian Program Manager. After the talk, King will sign copies of her book Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Baked with Artisanal Flour from Hewn Bakery.
 
Last Call: The Great History of American Brewing
Nov. 3, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West Wing
Tickets required: $45, visit https://s.si.edu/LastCall
 
The Food History Weekend will culminate with a conversation among brewers, historians and other experts led by the museum's brewing historian, Theresa McCulla, about the importance of region in beer. Following the talk, participating breweries including Bow and Arrow Brewing Company from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cajun Fire Brewing Company from New Orleans, Louisiana, New Glarus Brewing Company from New Glarus, Wisconsin and Scratch Brewing Company from Ava, Illinois, will pour sample craft beers. Brewing-inspired activities and historical objects from the museum’s collections will also be available.
 
"Remembering WWI" Centennial Anniversary Commemoration
 
Nov. 11, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Museum-wide
 
A daylong centennial commemoration marking the end of World War I. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/world-war-i/pages/remembering-world-war-i
 
Moment of Remembrance
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
 
Visitors will mark the moment when World War I ended, 100 years ago at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, with a presentation of colors and playing of Taps. The bugle that sounded the end of the war in 1918 will be on view after this ceremony only.
 
Lightning Talks
1:30 – 4 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West Wing
 
Smithsonian experts will explore the surprising ways World War I continues to impact everyday American lives—from words to wristwatches to your backyard garden.
 
World War I Objects Out of Storage
11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Third Floor, East Wing
 
Explore World War I artifacts out of storage including World War I-era helmets, captured German pigeon “Kaiser” (now a taxidermy specimen), battlefield medical treatments, and diaries describing the end of the war.
 
Costumed World War I Reenactors
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Throughout museum
 
Visitors may chat with men and women in historic costume portraying uniformed members of the military and volunteer organizations of World War I from the U.S. and Europe.
 
Hands-on Interactive carts
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Throughout museum
 
Five interactive carts explore the following themes: the soldier’s experience, the role of animals, recorded music, stereo-photographs of the war and cotton as a strategic commodity.
 
Activity Tables
Nov. 11; 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
First Floor, West Wing
  • American Red Cross
    • Learn about Red Cross support efforts both before and after the World War I, talk to Vietnam-era Red Cross volunteers and take home a World War I-era knitting pattern used by Knit Your Bit volunteers at the home-front.
  • National Museum of Natural History
    • The 1918 flu pandemic claimed more lives than the entirety of World War I. Learn how flu treatment and prevention has changed in the last 100 years with the educators from the National Museum of Natural History’s infectious diseases exhibition Outbreak.
  • National Park Service, National Capital Region
    • Visitors may learn about local Washington, D.C., connections to World War I history, including the parks that served as training fields for the war.
  • National Postal Museum
    • Mail was the primary means to stay in contact during World War I and played an important role in shaping morale and emotional well-being on the frontline and home front. Visitors will be able to pose with a period postcard and to experience mail censorship necessary for security of deployed soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen.
  • Smithsonian Gardens
    • Explore the historic connections between plants, gardening and veteran rehabilitation programs. Make your own tissue paper poppy and learn how the flower became the symbol of remembrance of the Great War.
  • Smithsonian Latino Center
    • Hear the stories of Latino patriots and their contributions to the World War I effort.
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
    • The conditions and demands of a worldwide war inspired innovation throughout the country. Visitors can hear the stories of American inventors (some of them World War I soldiers) who found clever solutions to the challenges of the Great War.
Additionally, a selection of films will be screened in the Warner Bros. Theater. For more information on films and showtimes, please visit: https://www.si.edu/theaters/warnerbrostheater
 
Innovative Lives: "The Pioneers of Spacewar!"
Nov. 29; 7 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West Wing
 
The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is bringing together the original group of contributors of the wildly popular retro game Spacewar! for the first time since the 1960s. Join us for Innovative Lives: The Pioneers of Spacewar! on Thursday, Nov. 29 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. for a panel discussion and audience Q&A with the six inventors of the world’s first distributed video game. For more information: http://invention.si.edu/about/events/innovative-lives-pioneers-spacewar
 
OPENING DISPLAY:
 
"Superheroes" Holiday Display
Opens Nov. 15
First Floor, East Wing
 
This showcase display presents artifacts from the museums collections that relate to Superheroes, including comic books, original comic art, movie and television costumes, as well as props and memorabilia. This display is part of the museum’s Holiday Festival programming. For more information, please visit https://americanhistory.si.edu
 
PERFORMANCES:
 
"A Silent Night: A World War I Memorial in Song"
Nov. 10; 7 pm
Hall of Music
Third Floor, West Wing
Free, tickets required (link forthcoming)
 
In a musical tribute to WWI, baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan will perform pieces from a variety of composers who lived through, fought, and died in the war, including George Butterworth, Carl Orff, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Charles Ives. The performance will explore the way that WWI changed the face of music, song and poetry. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.
 
The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Nov. 17 and 18; 7:30 p.m.
Nicholas F. and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
Third Floor, West
 
Kenneth Slowik (piano and direction) and Dutch actress Katja Herbers (known to American television audiences for her work in Manhattan, The Leftovers, The Americans and Westworld) will perform "Im wunderschönen Monat Mai: Three times seven Lieder after Schumann and Schubert," Dutch composer Reinbert de Leeuw's 2004 ode to two song cycles, Schubert's Winterreise and Schumann's Dichterliebe. For more information, please visit: http://www.smithsonianchambermusic.org
 
DAILY PROGRAMS:
 
"Spark!Lab"
Open daily, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; closed Tuesdays
First Floor, West
 
Spark!Lab reveals the real story behind inventors’ work through hands-on activities infused with historical content that help kids ages 6-12 explore the history and process of invention. Hosted by the museum’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Spark!Lab’s interdisciplinary activities appeal to varied learning styles and abilities and combine traditional STEM with art and creativity.
 
The activities of Spark!Lab change quarterly. The new activities theme "CONNECT" invites children and families to invent ways to connect people, places and things while they explore the history and process of invention. For details about CONNECT and current Spark!Lab activities, please visit http://invention.si.edu/current-sparklab-activities
 
"Wegmans Wonderplace"
Open daily, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., closed Tuesdays
First Floor, West
 
The museum’s early learning gallery combines age-appropriate activities for children 0–6 with museum collections and touchable objects.
 
"The Nation We Build Together" theater performance
Saturday and Sunday; 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Unity Square
Second Floor, West
 
On Feb. 1, 1960, four African American college students sat down at a “whites only” lunch counter at the Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, N.C., and politely asked for service. Their request was refused, and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest. Participate in a 30 minute interactive play around the Greensboro Lunch Counter, a section of the historic eatery, which transports audiences back to the civil rights movement.
 
"Justice Must be Done" theater performance
Tuesday and Thursday; 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
"Within These Walls" exhibition
Second Floor, West
 
Visitors to the Ipswich, Mass., home of the Caldwell family may join Lucy Caldwell in an 1830s anti-slavery society meeting. The program will return from hiatus for the fall season on Sept. 10.
 
"Votes for Women"
Friday and Saturday; Noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
"American Democracy" exhibition entrance
Second Floor, West
 
Meet suffragist Rebecca Gibson-McMurray and explore the fight for the 19th Amendment which granted most women the right to vote. The program will be on hiatus until the fall season begins on Sept. 10.
 
Flag Folding
Tuesdays – Thursdays; times vary
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
 
Take part in folding a true-to-size replica of the Star-Spangled Banner while exploring the history of the flag that inspired the national anthem.
 
Hands-On Activities
Daily; times vary
Wallace H Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West
  • The Business of Chocolate: Explore chocolate’s impact on American history through hands-on colonial chocolate-making demonstrations.
  • Game On: Board Games on the Plaza: Play classic games and explore the surprising stories behind these everyday innovations.
  • Harvest for the Table: How have food and farming changed over the years? Explore how wheat was made into flour over 100 years ago.
  • Preservation for the Table: Explore how foods were harvested and preserved all year long and why these methods changed over time.
 
FILMS:
 
"We the People: Making a More Perfect Union, One Generation at a Time"
Daily; 10:30 a.m.*
Warner Bros. Theater
First Floor, Center
Free, no tickets required
 
The museum’s signature film “We the People” is a 20-minute celebration of the national ideals of democracy, opportunity and freedom. Stunning footage and a soaring soundtrack take viewers on a journey from past to present, honoring the visionary ideas, significant sacrifices and remarkable fortitude of the people who built our country, one generation at a time. Produced by Smithsonian Channel. For more information, please visit https://www.si.edu/theaters/warnerbrostheater
 
*Subject to change
 
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
 
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history. It helps people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. The museum is located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For more information, visit https://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.
 
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Media only:
Rebecca Seel
(202) 633-3129
 
Valeska Hilbig
(202) 633-3129