WHAT: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will open its new
Culture Wing.
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 7
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture
Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts
National Museum of American History
Enter at Constitution Avenue, between 12th and 14th streets N.W.
WHO: Anthea M. Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, National Museum of American History
Exhibition curators
The museum’s collection of entertainment objects take center stage in its new Culture Wing’s two galleries. The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture, to the south, will feature “Entertainment Nation”/“Nación del espectáculo,” the Institution’s largest long-term fully bilingual exhibition devoted to music, theater, television, film and sports. The Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts, to the north, will house a changing gallery with the inaugural exhibition, “(re)Framing Conversations: Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-1965,” featuring 20 iconic black-and-white images in a space that invite conversation about how post-World War II American culture continues to resonate today. The wing and its exhibitions and displays open to the public Dec. 9.
The two galleries are flanked by a pair of changing new acquisitions showcases that on opening will feature noted author Maya Angelou’s typewriter and a basketball jersey worn by a teenage Giannis Antetokounmpo. Visitors can refresh at the “Pause + Replay” video installation on gaming history.
The wing will showcase more than 200 objects, from the enduring magic of the Ruby Slippers and R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars to objects from culture makers Muhammad Ali, Ali Wong and Selena.
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Media only:
Laura Duff
(202) 633-3129
duffl@si.edu
Melinda Machado
(202) 633-3129
machadom@si.edu