NEWLY ADDED FOR AUGUST
“Print-O-Rama: Protest for Change”
Objects out of Storage
Thursday, August 11; 1 – 4 p.m.
Coulter Plaza, First Floor, West
Located near the museum’s “Object Project” exhibition, this free event will celebrate printing history and collections related to the traditions of how people exercise their right to protest for change. Print-O-Rama will show protest posters and other objects related to American history. Printers will demonstrate printing presses to produce small protest signs. Visitors will be able to print their own protest signs using hands-on teaching presses and discuss protest posters from a variety of movements and events. Visitors are also encouraged to visit the “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.”
SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS
Hispanic Heritage Month Programming
Friday, Sept. 16 & Saturday, Sept. 17
Second Floor, East
The National Museum of the American Latino recently debuted the Molina Family Latino Gallery, located within the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian’s first gallery dedicated to the Latino experience. The inaugural exhibition “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States” illuminate U.S. Latinos’ historical and cultural legacies.
Two days of public events will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month in celebration of the gallery's opening and commemorate 25 years of Latinidad at the Smithsonian. The program will include an Evening Dance Party Friday, Sept. 16, a Latino Heritage Family Day Saturday, and a cooking demonstration (details below) Sept. 17, at the National Museum of American History. For more information, go to https://latino.si.edu/.
“Cooking Up History:
Celebrating Comida Chingona & the Low-Rider Lifestyle”
Saturday, September 17; 12 – 1 p.m.
Coulter Plaza, First Floor, West
The National Museum of American history continues its popular series of live cooking demonstrations for Hispanic Heritage Month. Guest Chef Silvana Salido Esparza made her mark on the U.S. food scene with the comida chingona, or “bad-ass food,” that she serves at her Phoenix-based restaurant, Barrio Café. Drawing inspiration from her Mexican heritage, the restaurant’s offerings honor her family’s 800-year-old gastronomic legacy with a twist. Chef Esparza is not only passionate about putting her own spin on Mexican food, but also cars, specifically low-riders. As Chef Esparza will explain the low-rider tradition during this cooking demonstration and conversation, and the food culture connected to the low-rider lifestyle in Phoenix. Chef Esparza will prepare a dish illuminating Mayan barbeque, providing insights into this important, but often overlooked, culinary tradition. Visitors are encouraged to view “Dave’s Dream,” a lowrider from Chimayo, NM.
This program is produced in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Latino.
EXHIBITIONS
“Dave’s Dream, Lowrider, 1992”
Ongoing
First Floor, Center
“Dave’s Dream,” is a modified 1969 Ford LTD known as a “lowrider” and named for David Jaramillo of Chimayo, New Mexico who began customizing this car in the 1970s. After his death, Jaramillo’s family and local artisans completed the modifications that he had planned, and the car often won “first” or “best in show” in area competitions. Lowriding is a family and community activity with parades, trophies, and other events celebrating cars and paying homage to their power and beauty. Artistic paint schemes and custom upholstery make each lowrider unique and culturally significant. Hydraulic lifts enable lowriders to hop, making them seem alive and animated.
CLOSING SOON
"¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues" / "En los barrios y las grandes ligas"
Albert H. Small Documents Gallery
Second Floor, East
This bilingual exhibition takes audiences on a journey into the heart of American baseball to understand how generations of Latinas/os have helped make the game what it is today. For nearly a century, baseball has been a social and cultural force in Latino communities across the United States. From hometown baseball teams to the Major Leagues, the exhibit shows how the game can bring people together and how Latino players have made a huge impact on the sport.
Explore the “¡Pleibol!” exhibition online: https://americanhistory.si.edu/latinos-and-baseball/pleibol-exhibit.
PK-12 VIRTUAL LEARNING
“We Built This: How Women Innovators Shaped the World”
Activity guide for the whole family
Developed by the Smithsonian Education Department and the American Women's History Initiative, “We Built This: How Women Innovators Shaped the World” this a printable guide, featuring stories, objects and activities for the whole family. Download the PDF online: https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/we-built-this-how-women-innovators-shaped-the-world/G6vNi9wDjTuZKOYx
“The Resplendent Quetzal Bird”
History Time video
How do people earn money? What is money made out of? Elementary school students can practice their “See, Think, Wonder” routine by observing the resplendent Quetzal bird, whose long tail feathers were used as money in Central America.
Watch the video here: The Resplendent Quetzal Bird | History Time
ONLINE RESOURCES
For more Latino history content, visit the museum’s bilingual Latino history webpage!
Access it here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/latino-history
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History seeks to empower people to create a more just and compassionate future by examining, preserving and sharing the complexity of our past. The museum, located on Constitution Avenue N.W., between 12th and 14th streets, is open Friday through Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and passes are not required. The doors of the museum are always open online and the virtual museum continues to expand its offerings, including online exhibitions, PK–12 educational materials and programs. The public can follow the museum on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information, go to https://americanhistory.si.edu. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.
# # #
Media only:
Clara de Pablo
(202) 633-3129
depabloc@si.edu
Valeska Hilbig
(202) 309-2151
hilbigv@si.edu