Calendar of Events and Exhibitions: January 2019

A young woman stands in front of kitchen appliances in an apron, preparing food
Editor’s Note: All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Visitors should be prepared for a security check upon entrance to the museum. Program attendees should arrive 30 minutes in advance. For a complete schedule of activities check: https://americanhistory.si.edu.
 
Events:
 
Cooking Up History: Georgia Gilmore and the Civil Rights Movement
Saturday, Jan. 18; 12:30 p.m.
Wallace H. Coulter Plaza Demonstration Kitchen
First Floor, West
 
The museum will showcase a guest chef, to be announced, and Smithsonian food historian Ashley Rose Young as they prepare a recipe and discuss the history and traditions behind it. This conversation will focus on the grassroots efforts of women like Georgia Gilmore (1920-1990) who raised awareness and funds for the Montgomery County Bus Boycott by cooking, baking, and selling food. For additional announcements and updates, please see our Cooking Up History page: https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/cooking-history.
 
Performances:
 
Stradivarius Series
The Axelrod Quartet with the Omer Quartet
Jan. 26 and Jan. 27; talk at 6:30 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m.
Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
Third Floor, West
 
The Omer Quartet Mason Yu and Erica Tursi, violins; Jinsung Hong, viola; Alexander Cox, violoncello joins the Axelrod Quartet Marc Destrubé, violin; Marilyn McDonald, violin; James Dunham, viola; and Kenneth Slowik, violoncello for a performance of Felix Mendelssohns Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. The Axelrod Quartet will also present Joseph Haydns Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2 and Bela Bartoks Quartet No. 2, Op. 17. For more information, please visit: http://smithsonian-chamber-music.org.
 
Masterworks of Five Centuries Series
The Smithsonian Consort of Viols
Jan. 5 and 6; talk at 6:30 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m.
Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
Third Floor, West
 
The Smithsonian Consort of Viols Kenneth Slowik, Lucine Musaelian, Zoe Weiss, Catherine Slowik and Arnie Tanimoto, viols; and Thomas MacCracken, organ present the consort music of Richard Mico and William Lawes. For more information, please visit: http://smithsonian-chamber-music.org.
 
Masterworks of Five Centuries
Smithsonian Chamber Players
Jan. 20; talk at 6:30 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m.
Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
Third Floor, West
 
The Smithsonian Chamber Players Marc Destrubé, violin; and Kenneth Slowik, harpsichord and fortepiano present J. S. Bachs Suite in A Minor, BWV 807 and Sonata in C Minor, BWV 1017, Joseph Haydns Sonata in E Minor, Hob. XVI: 34 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts Sonata in D Major, K306. For more information, please visit: http://smithsonian-chamber-music.org.
 
History Alive! Theater Programs:
Womens History Theater Programs
Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.;
Friday and Saturday at noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
 
Justice Must be Done
"Within These Walls" exhibition
Second Floor, West
 
Meet Lucy Caldwell at her Ipswich, Mass., home and attend an 1840 meeting of the Ipswich Female Anti-Slavery Society.
 
Votes for Women
Gateway (outside "American Democracy" exhibition)
Second Floor, West
 
Meet a suffragist and learn about the fight for the 19th Amendment which granted most women the right to vote.
 
Meet the Wheelwoman
First Floor, West
 
Meet wheelwoman Louise Gibson as she takes her bicycle on a journey to discover opportunities for women in the 1890s.
 
Join the Student Sit-Ins
Friday, Saturday and Sunday; 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Greensboro Lunch Counter
Wallace H Coulter Unity Square
Second Floor, West
 
This 30-minute play features two actors who explore race, civic activism and religious inspiration through song and discussion at nonviolent protest training session, a few weeks after the Feb. 1, 1960 sit-in at the F.W. Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina. The play takes place a few feet away from the original Greensboro lunch counter, which is on display in the museum.
 
Daily Programs:
 
Wegmans Wonderplace and Spark!Lab will be open on New Years Day.
 
"Wegmans Wonderplace"
Open daily, 10 a.m. 4 p.m., closed Tuesdays except for Jan. 1
First Floor, West
 
The museums early learning gallery combines age-appropriate activities for children 06 with museum collections and touchable objects.
 
"Spark!Lab"
Open daily, 10 a.m. 4 p.m.; closed Tuesdays except for Jan. 1
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 museums Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Spark!Labs interdisciplinary activities appeal to varied learning styles and abilities and combine traditional STEM with art and creativity.
 
The activities of Spark!Lab change quarterly. For details about current Spark!Lab activities, please visit http://invention.si.edu/current-sparklab-activities.
 
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 chocolates 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.
 
FILM:
 
"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 museums 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.
 
Media only:
Rebecca Seel
(202) 633-3129;
 
Valeska Hilbig
(202) 633-3129;