Calendar of Exhibitions and Events: July 2018
June 13, 2018
Opening Exhibitions and Displays:
"The American Revolution: A World at War"
Opens June 26
The Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Gallery
Second Floor, West
Explore the American Revolution through a global lens in “The American Revolution: A World War,” which looks at the 1781 culminating victory at Yorktown through the Franco-American partnership that made it possible. This one-year exhibition will captivate visitors with compelling objects including two paintings created by Louis Nicolas van Blarenberghe as copies of those presented to King Louis XVI. The Siege of Yorktown and The Surrender of Yorktown, both painted in 1786 and the Washington’s 1782 portrait by Charles Willson Peale are united for the first time in a national museum since they were displayed together in the 1700s in General Rochambeau’s chamber as a reminder of his partnership with the American General. The support of France and Spain during the Revolution not only secured an American victory, but had consequences that echoed far beyond American shores. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
“Special Olympics at 50”
Opens July 10
Of Note Case
Second Floor Center
This display case commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first International Special Olympics Games with a look at how the competition uses sports to fight against the stigma and discrimination faced by people with intellectual disabilities. The display highlights the lives of four athletes who participated in the games over the years as well as Eunice Kennedy Shriver who began Camp Shriver in 1962 and grew it into the Special Olympics by 1968. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
“The Case of Luisa Moreno”
Opens July 19
New Perspectives Case in the “American Enterprise” exhibition
First Floor, West
A new temporary display, “The Case of Luisa Moreno,” in the permanent “American Enterprise” exhibition will examine the lasting legacy of Moreno, the Guatemala-born labor organizer, who brought together more than 100 groups in 1938 for El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española, the Spanish-Speaking People’s Congress. The display will feature objects representing Moreno’s work as a civil rights activist and labor organizer with union pins, her shawl and a pamphlet used to rally national attention in attempts to halt her deportation in the 1950s. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
“Let’s Get it Right: Work Incentives Posters of the 1920s”
Opens July 27
Archives Center Gallery
First Floor, West
“Let’s Get It Right: Work Incentive Posters of the 1920s” will explore how employers encouraged their workforce. The display will feature 16 posters from the early 20th century including a WWI poster and posters from Mather and Co. and the Parker-Holladay Co. with images and sayings designed to influence attitudes, reduce conflict and increase efficiency. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
Closing Display:
"Precision Farming"
Last chance to see: July 15
New Perspectives Case in the “American Enterprise” exhibition
First Floor, West
In the late 1990s, farming began to change dramatically, as location tracking technology like GPS allowed farmers to “see” their farms beyond the fields in front of them. Key objects and images will be on display that illustrate new ways farmers anticipate and manage their production.
Featured Events:
All-Star Baseball Film Festival, Reception and Panel
July 12-15
Warner Bros. Theater
First Floor, Center
Movies about the American pastime will be shown during a four day film festival. On July 13, the films "The Perfect Game" and "42" will be screened, followed by a themed reception and a panel exploring the impact baseball has had on communities with
- Luis Tiant: retired MLB right-handed starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox.
- Omar Minaya: Special Assistant to the Mets' General Manager, Sandy Alderson.
- Adrian Burgos: associate professor of US Latino history at the University of Illinois.
Films and tickets will be announced soon. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
“Cooking Up History: Exploring the Northeast”
July 13; 1 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, Demonstration Kitchen
First Floor, West
Baseball parks are serving up more than just peanuts, popcorn, and hotdogs. Food vendors are featuring regional favorites: lobster rolls and baked beans at Fenway Park in Boston, kielbasa and pierogis at PNC stadium in Pittsburgh, sushi rolls and sashimi at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Join guest chef Brian Patterson and our resident Smithsonian food historian Ashley Rose Young as they talk about regional foodways of baseball, and those of the Northeast, in particular. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
Performances:
Star-Spangled American Music Series:
Making American Music Interns
July 5 and 12; Noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
U.S. Navy Country Current
July 19; Noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
U.S. Marine Corps Brass Quintet
July 26; Noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
Flag Hall
Second Floor, Center
The 2018 Star-Spangled American Music series, with the theme “The Nation We Build Together,” presents performances by the Making American Music Interns on July 5 and 12 (Dom Flemons, Grammy Award winning Folk Artist and Musician, will sit in for the latter date), by the U.S. Navy Country Current on July 19 and by the U.S. Marine Corps Brass Quintet on July 26. For more information, please visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/
Daily Programs:
"The Nation We Build Together" theater performance
Wallace H. Coulter Unity Square
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
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
Tuesdays and Thursdays; Noon, 1 and 2 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.
"Votes for Women"
Saturdays; Noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
Gateway (near "American Democracy" exhibition)
Second Floor, West
Meet suffragist Rebecca Gibson-McMurray and learn about the fight for the 19th Amendment which granted most women the right to vote.
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
Hands-On Activities
Daily; times vary
Wallace H Coulter Performance Plaza
First Floor, West
- The Business of Chocolate: Learn chocolate’s impact on American history through hands-on colonial chocolate-making demonstrations.
- Game On: Board Games on the Plaza: Play classic games and learn the surprising stories behind these everyday innovations.
- Harvest for the Table: How have food and farming changed over the years? Learn how wheat was made into flour over 100 years ago.
- Preservation for the Table: Learn how foods were harvested and preserved all year long and why these methods changed over time.
