Shakespeare’s Sisters: Voices of English and European Women Writers, 1500-1700 - Click to enlarge
The Folger Shakespeare Library will exhibit Shakespeare’s Sisters: Voices of English and European Women Writers, 1500-1700, February 3–May 20. The exhibition will showcase “the emerging diversity of early women authors and suggests how this rich legacy has shaped subsequent writing and scholarship.” It is known that many women of Shakespeare’s time wrote on various topics. However, many of the works by early female authors have only been found in libraries, archives and elsewhere in the last 50 years. The exhibition features early printed and manuscript works of over fifty women writers and literary patrons from England, France, and Italy, plus portraits and other artwork. Highlights include writing by Catherine Parr, the final wife of Henry VIII and poetry by the Italian courtesan Veronica Franco, whose life inspired the film Dangerous Beauty. The exhibition’s curator, Georgianna Ziegler, has commented that “The first wave of feminist scholarship rooted in the archives to search for works by women writers. Now there is biographical and critical research on specific women writers and an ongoing attempt to include them in the canon.” The exhibition title, Shakespeare’s Sisters, was inspired in part by an essay by Virginia Woolf in which she imagined a sister for Shakespeare who also wanted to be a playwright like her brother, but could not become a professional writer because of her gender.
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series at the Folger Shakespeare Library will present Readings From Shakespeare’s Sisters on Thursday, February 16. Writers Rita Dove, Linda Gregerson, Elizabeth Nunez, Linda Pastan, and Jane Smiley will read their commissioned poems and essays from the Shakespeare’s Sisters chapbook, which is published in conjunction with the Folger exhibition of the same name.
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indianis exhibiting Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of Quileute Wolves through May 9, 2012 in the Sealaska Gallery. The exhibition will bring together rare works of art as a counterpoint to the supernatural storyline of the popular Twilightfilms. The Quileute tribe's artwork and wolf creation stories are central to their world view. The exhibition includes two wolf headdresses from different regions, plus replicas of items used on the Twilight film set; a paddle necklace symbolizing the "canoe culture," and a necklace made from 3,000-year-old Olivella shells.
The American Indian Museum is exhibiting A Song for the Horse Nation, through January 7, 2013. The exhibition presents the epic story of the horse's influence on American Indian tribes from the 1600s to the present. The role of horses in shaping the social, economic, cultural, and spiritual foundations of American Indian life, particularly on the Great Plains, is shown through 112 works from the museum’s collection. Historical ledger drawings are shown, plus beaded bags, hide robes, paintings, and new works by contemporary Native artists.
From "A Song for the Horse Nation" - For Horse Nation at the American Indian Museum: Glass horse mask, 2008. Made by Marcus Amerman (Choctaw, b. 1959). New Mexico. Multicolored glass. (26/7193) - Photo: Ernest Amoroso - Click to enlarge
Capitol Building - Main elevation of Capitol competition entry by James Diamond, 1792. Many entries to the design competition for the “Congress House” were by amateurs, including this one notable for its crudely drawn weathercock. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, 1976.88.51 - Click to enlarge
The National Building Museum is displaying an exhibit titled Unbuilt Washington through May 28. The exhibition features rejected proposals for architectural and urban design projects in D.C., dating from the 1790s to the present. The exhibition includes original drawings, full-size reproductions, computer renderings, and models for projects. The exhibition explores how the city might be different today if some of these projects had been built, and addresses the political, economic, cultural, and/or technical reasons that they were never executed. The exhibition includes “recent unbuilt proposals that reflect the city’s increasingly cosmopolitan culture, the growing importance of private development, and the rise of sustainable design.” The Museum “hopes to encourage thoughtful discussion about the future development of Washington and other cities by interpreting proposed architectural and urban design projects from the past.”
Proposal for the Lincoln Memorial by John Russell Pope, 1912. Courtesy of the National Archives - Click to enlarge
From "Investigating Where We Live" - Photo by Elise Lowery - Courtesy of The National Building Museum - Click to enlarge
The National Building Museum is exhibiting Investigating Where We Live, which showcases Teens’ Views of D.C., through May 28, 2012. The annual teen-produced exhibition is developed and curated by local middle and high school students and showcases their fresh outlook on the city. Visitors can see new perspectives of D.C. neighborhoods through the original photographs, writings, and artwork of young people.
From "Investigating Where We Live" - Photo by Camilla Obasiolu - Courtesy of The National Building Museum - Click to enlarge
An image from “Big Cats, Vanishing Icons” - Courtesy of The National Geographic Museum - Click to enlarge
National Geographic Museum is displaying two new exhibits focusing on wildlife photography and conservation. “Big Cats, Vanishing Icons” is on display in the outdoor portico light boxes on 17th Street, N.W., through April 2012. The exhibit showcases photographs of eight different species of big cats. “Ocean Soul, Photographs by Brian Skerry,” featuring underwater photography from oceans around the world, is being exhibited in the M Street gallery until February 12, 2012.
“Big Cats, Vanishing Icons” features 41 photographs of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards and mountain lions. “Ocean Soul, Photographs by Brian Skerry” showcases 50 of his underwater images taken over 30 years. The exhibition also includes slide shows with Skerry recounting his experiences photographing whales, harp seals, sharks and leatherback turtles. Skerry aims to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans and ways to save them.
An image from “Ocean Soul, Photographs by Brian Skerry” - Courtesy of The National Geographic Museum - Click to enlarge
The cover of "Lost Gold of the Dark Ages" by Caroline Alexander - Courtesy of The National Geographic - Click to enlarge
The National Geographic Museum is exhibiting Anglo-Saxon Hoard: Gold from England's Dark Ages, through March 4. The exhibition features pieces from the Staffordshire Hoard, which is the largest and most valuable collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered. The collection includes silver, gold and garnet-encrusted artifacts believed to be seventh and eighth-century buried treasure from a battlefield in the ancient kingdom of Mercia. The hoard was discovered in 2009 and has never before been displayed in the U.S. The National Geographic will feature the hoard and its discovery in a new book, ‘Lost Gold: War, Treasure, and the Mystery of the Saxons.’
German engraving of the landing of French general Rochambeau’s army at Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1780 (published in 1783). The Society of the Cincinnati. Click to enlarge
The Society of the Cincinnati, which is located in historic Anderson House near DuPont Circle on Massachusetts Avenue, is displaying an exhibition titled France in the American Revolution, through April 14, 2012. The alliance between France and the U.S. was formalized in a treaty in 1778, and French shipments of arms and equipment sustained the Continental Army. French officers provided expertise in engineering, artillery, and fortification, and the French navy played a major role in the Yorktown campaign, which dealt the final blow to Great Britain’s hold on the American colonies. The exhibition features about forty rare artifacts, works of art, and documents related to the French role in the American Revolution.
Portrait of Claude, chevalier de Chavagnac, a French naval officer who became an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati (painted ca. 1784-1785). The Society of the Cincinnati. Click to enlarge
Photo of visitor interacting with the issues and exploring carbon dioxide emissions in the Koshland Science Museum's new Earth Lab - Click to enlarge
Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences opened a new exhibition titled Earth Lab: Degrees of Change, in September. The exhibit's visualizations “allow visitors to explore the impacts of climate change and take on the role of decision makers who identify priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, and decide how to respond to climate change.” Richard Alley, Ph.D., Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at the Pennsylvania State University and chair of the committee that developed the exhibit has commented that "The Earth Lab presents a visual journey through the best science on climate change. The exhibit opens your mind to the impacts, possibilities, and decisions related to climate. We want people to engage with the best science on the issue and think it through. Then, it’s up to you to decide what to do about it." The exhibition features “a simulation game where visitors employ strategies to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to a level that will significantly reduce the impact of climate change.”
Hands-On Science: Feel the Energy! - Click to enlarge
The National Postal Museum introduced a new permanent exhibition titled Mail Call on November 10. The exhibition tells the history of military mail from the American Revolution to 2010. The display explores the great lengths taken to set up and operate postal services under extraordinary circumstances and features letters that reveal the expressions, emotions, and events of the time. Mail provides a vital communication link between military service personnel, their communities, and their loved ones.
Woodrow Wilson House is displaying a new exhibition entitled, Woodrow Wilson, President Electric: Harnessing the Power of Innovation in the Progressive Era, through October 2012. The exhibition addresses President Wilson’s leadership role in fostering scientific and technological innovation and collaboration during his administration (1913-1921). Many advances in science and technology took place during his lifetime, particularly during his presidency. Using multimedia, hands-on interactive experiences, and artifacts, the exhibition will explore scientific and technological advancements during the era as they might have been seen through the eyes of the Wilson family. Interactive components include: a period telephone; audio recordings of the President’s speeches; a Victrola player and records of the era; a film showing inventions at work; a period radio set and much more. An historic electric car—the same make and model driven by the Wilsons and their secret service agents in the White House—is on view in the historic garage on S Street during the exhibition. The car is on loan from the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. The exhibition marks the Centennial of Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency (2012-2021) and will travel to venues throughout the U.S.
President Electric Logo by Mike Jenkins at Capital Artworks - Click to enlarge
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens will present a special exhibition titled The Style that Ruled the Empires: Russia, Napoleon and 1812, February 14-June 2. The defeat of Napoleon in 1812 is still a cause of celebration in Russia, and the exhibition will explore the national pride that led to the production of exquisite decorative arts commemorating the great military victory.
From "Pictures of the Year" at the Newseum - Athit Perawongmetha - An anti-government "red shirt" protester throws a tire toward a burning truck in Bangkok during the violent clashes between protesters and the military in May 2010. Credit: Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images - Click to enlarge
The Newseum in downtown DC is exhibiting First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Pets through 2012. The exhibition showcases some of the top dogs who have resided at The White House. Images of dogs that have belonged to 23 presidents are displayed, including the newest addition, Bo, who was a gift to the Obamas from the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
The Newseum is exhibiting G-Men and Journalists - Top News Stories of the FBI's First Century, through 2012. The exhibit has been updated to include The War on Terror: The FBI's New Focus. The agency’s efforts to fight crime and its role in popular culture are examined in the exhibit. The 200 artifacts shown include the Unabomber’s cabin, Patty Hearst’s coat and gun and the electric chair that killed the Lindbergh baby kidnapper. There are also nearly 300 photographs, dozens of historic newspapers and interactive displays. The exhibit reflects “the sometimes cooperative, sometimes combative relationship between the FBI and the news media.”
The Newseum is exhibiting Pictures of the Year, which spotlights award-winning images that bring the museum's visitors close to the events, issues and people “who shaped our world in 2010.” The exhibit showcases the year's best news images from Pictures of the Year International, the oldest photojournalism contest in the world.
The Newseum is displaying Inside Time Russert's Office: If It's Sunday, It's 'Meet the Press' through 2012. The exhibit recreates Russert's NBC Washington office much as it looked when he died of a heart attack in June 2008 while preparing for his next show. His desk is shown stacked with research material, books and handwritten notes, illustrating the rigorous preparation he put into each show. Russert’s favorite books, family photos and mementos of his beloved Buffalo Bills line his office. A Newseum-produced video features some of his more memorable interviews and remembrances of him.
From Inside Tim Russet's Office - Photo by Maria Bryk/Newseum - Click to enlarge
The National Museum of African American History and Culture, in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, is exhibiting Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty at The American History Museum.The exhibition explores "how the paradox of slavery in Jefferson’s world, and at Monticello, is relevant for generations beyond Jefferson’s lifetime." It provides a glimpse into the lives of six slave families living at Monticello through a variety of museum objects, works of art, documents and artifacts found through archaeological excavations there. Visitors can see enslaved people as individuals with names, family connections, values and achievements. Visitors can also observe “deep marital and family connections, religious faith, efforts to gain literacy and education and tenacity in the pursuit of freedom.” The family stories will be updated via Monticello’s Getting Word oral history project, which interviewed 170 descendants of those who lived in slavery on Jefferson’s plantation.
Photo from "The Jefferson Bible" exhibition - Courtesy of the National Museum of American History - Click to enlarge
The American History Museum will exhibit You Must Remember This, February 1- Summer 2012 (The closing date will be announced later.) The exhibition will coincide with the grand opening of the museum's new Warner Bros. Theater and will include a display case featuring Hollywood memorabilia, including costumes worn by Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Clint Eastwood, along with Harry Potter’s robe. Historical objects from Warner Bros. Studio will also be displayed, including Jack Warner’s silver telephone and Bugs Bunny animation drawings. Please see the FILM column for more information about the Warner Bros. Theater.
The American History Museum will exhibit Snowboarding in a History Highlight case, February 3 - TBA (The closing date will be announced later.) The exhibit will examine the history of snowboarding, which first appeared in the 1960s through the efforts of a few American surfing, skateboarding, and skiing enthusiasts. The showcase will display the Snurfer, one of the earliest snowboard prototypes; a Backhill snowboard made by Burton; and objects from recent Olympians Shaun White and Hannah Teter.
The American History Museum (NMAH) is exhibiting Jefferson's Bible, through May 28, 2012. Thomas Jefferson completed assembling his “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,” at age 77 after he retired from the Presidency. He compiled his Bible somewhat like a scrapbook, with select passages from the four Gospels of the New Testament, glued to the pages. He arranged the text to tell a chronological and edited story of Jesus’ life, distilling his moral teachings while omitting all mention of miracles and those aspects which appeared to him "contrary to reason." He had his Bible professionally bound in Moroccan leather with gold tooling and had no intention of sharing the work with the public. The Smithsonian’s librarian purchased it from Carona Randolph, Jefferson’s great-granddaughter, in 1895. In 1904, authorized lithographic reproductions of the volume were created for distribution to members of Congress. The exhibition features the newly-conserved Jefferson bible, plus two English editions of the New Testament from which Jefferson clipped passages - and an original copy of the 1904 printing.
The NMAH is undergoing renovations of its West exhibition wing. To prepare for construction, the Museum closed the First Ladies exhibition in October, 2011 and opened a new gallery featuring gowns from The First Ladies Collection in November. The new gallery will be on display for an indefinite period and will offer a look at the ways first ladies “have shaped their roles as the roles of women in society evolved.” The new display features more than two dozen gowns, including gowns worn by Michelle Obama, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy. Four cases feature in-depth looks at Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband’s presidential administrations.
First Lady Michelle Obama's Dress for the Inaugural Ball - Courtesy of the NMAH - Click to enlarge
For XRay vision at the Natural History Museum: Dhiho’s Seahorse, radiograph and fish photograph by Sandra J. Raredon, Division of Fishes, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Click to enlarge
The Natural History Museum (NMNH) will exhibit X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, February 4-August 5. The latest digital X-radiographs of the museum's collection of fish specimens enable scientists to understand evolutionary development by studying fish skeletons, fin spines, teeth, and other physical structures. The images reveal delicate and exquisite details and “tell these sea creatures’ unforgettable story.” The exhibition is based on the work being done by the Natural History Museum's scientists.
The NMNHis exhibiting The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji, through January 6, 2013.The Congolese photographer and videographer explores the era when hardworking Congolese built a flourishing copper mining industry in what is now the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Following independence in the 1960s, the copper mining industry was severely mismanaged by corrupt governments. Baloji’s collages and photographs “bring together images from the past and the present day to interrogate the meaning of memory.”
An image from The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji - Courtesy of the Natural History Museum - Click to enlarge
From "The Evolving Universe" - The Center of the Milky Way Galaxie - Courtesy of the Natural History Museum - Click to enlarge
The NMNH is exhibiting The Evolving Universe, through January 20, 2013. The exhibition features full-color images, made with high-powered terrestrial and orbiting telescopes. Visitors can “explore how stars and galaxies — even the universe itself — change from birth to maturity to death, much like living things on Earth.” Presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
The NMNH exhibiting More Than Meets the Eye through November 4, 2012. The exhibition features the special tools, skills, and technologies that scientists at the museum use to examine the world’s diversity of life and culture up close and in great detail. Visitors can “explore the world alongside the museum’s scientists as they use their super-powered vision to observe, document, and analyze the natural world and global cultures.”
The Air & Space Museum is exhibiting Jet as Art: A Photographic Typology of Modern Flight by Jeffrey Milstein, through December 2012. Photographer, graphic designer, and architect Jeffery Milstein “reveals the power and elegance of aircraft in flight and transforms aviation technology into fine art.” The exhibition presents a collection of 33 his photographs which focus attention on aircrafts’ design, color, and symmetry. His supersized prints “seem to pull viewers into the air, as though they are along for the ride.”
The Air & Space Museumwill exhibit Fly Marines! The Centennial of Marine Corps Aviation: 1912-2012, January 14-January 7, 2013.Artworks and artifacts on view will tell the story of the United States Marine Corps aviation over the past 100 years. Artworks shown will include oils, watercolors, drawings, and poster art from such artists as Paul Arlt, Colonel H. Every Chenowith, Keith McConnell, R.G. Smith, and contemporary combat artists. Artifacts may include patches, uniforms, and other small objects.
Helo Relief in Fly Marines! - Credit: Col. Peter Michael Gish, USMCR - Copyright: National Museum of the Marine Corps - Click to enlarge
From "Lasting Impressions: Body Art in the Ancient Americas" Copyright Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University: Jaina Figurine, Maya (Mexico), 650-900 CE.; Gold Forearm, Lambayeque (Peru), 650-1000 CE.; Standing Figurine, Olmec (Mexico), 900-300 BCE. and Eagle-Serpent Labret, Mixteca-Puebla (Mexico), 900-1520 CE. - Click to enlarge
Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Georgetown is exhibiting Lasting Impressions: Body Art in the Ancient Americas, through March 4, 2012. The exhibition presents highlights from three thousand years of body art practices, including piercings, tattoos, scarification, and more in Pre-Columbian cultures. Permanent changes “were thought to make the body beautiful, strong, and powerful. Often steeped in ceremony, body transformations were associated with lasting changes in the identity of the wearer.” The exhibition includes over sixty objects from the Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Collection and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Human portraits and figurines “offer a glimpse of ancient ideals of beauty and power, while jewelry and personal ornaments illustrate some of the many ways in which Pre-Columbian people adorned themselves.”
Mount Vernon will honor Black History Month, February 1-29, when interpreters will highlight the contributions of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. A daily Slave Life at Mount Vernon tour will explore the lives and contributions of the slaves who lived there. There will be a daily wreath-laying and presentation at the slave memorial site throughout the month. The refurbished slave quarters are now open after years of research, and reproduction clothing, tools, furniture, cookware, ceramics, toys, and personal accessories are featured in the space. They “emphasize the living conditions and experiences of enslaved people as skilled craftsmen, house slaves, and laborers on the Mansion House Farm.”
Mount Vernon will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons’ kitchen through the new exhibition, Hoecakes & Hospitality: Cooking with Martha Washington, on view inside the Donald W. Reynolds Museum, February 18-Summer 2013. The exhibition will celebrate food at Mount Vernon and Martha Washington’s role as early America’s premier hostess. Visitors will see recipes and cookbooks that Martha treasured, pots that simmered in her kitchen, and fine tableware that made Mount Vernon’s dining room “fit for a president.” Visitors to the Museum will experience scents of cinnamon, coffee, herbs, warm bread and more! In addition, George Washington’s account of the food staples used by the household will be displayed. Guests at the Washingtons’ dinner table included foreign dignitaries such as the Marquis de Lafayette, distinguished Americans such as Abigail Adams, artists including Charles Willson Peale and many others. Recipe cards featuring the modern versions of Washington favorites will be available for visitors to try at home. Even though Martha Washington oversaw food production and service at Mount Vernon, it was the slaves who toiled in the fields and kitchen to provide the meals. The dinner tables would have been empty without their labor. The exhibition takes into account the slaves who worked in Mount Vernon’s kitchen and includes a detailed timeline of the cooks’ 16-hour days. The display will include a reproduction livery coat, waistcoat, and breeches that Mount Vernon’s enslaved waiters wore when serving dinner. Curator Susan P. Schoelwer has commented that “Unlike the anonymous pots and pans found in most historic houses, this exhibit offers a rare, intimate look at a specific 18th-century kitchen, thanks to the actual pots and pans, kettles and canisters lovingly preserved by several generations of Martha Washington descendants.”
