Smithsonian
Websites A-Z
Home | About | Exhibitions | Events | Visit  | Hours | Museums | Research | Membership | Giving | Shop | Press Room
Home › Events › Smithsonian Events for Wednesday, June 25
One Day
Events
film
performance
lecture/seminar
special tour
demonstration
workshop
cooking/dining
cooking/dining
family
evening
Join the Smithsonian
Wednesday, June 25
11 AM-5:30 PM
Performance Family 42nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Annual Event
The Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival brings together hundreds of performers, artists, storytellers, craftspeople, cooks, and workers to explain, demonstrate, and celebrate their cultural traditions. This year's themes include:

Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon: Situated in the eastern Himalayas and bordered by China and India, Bhutan is an agrarian society where approximately 95% of its people practice traditional farming. To celebrate their special approach to life in the 21st century, more than 100 Bhutanese artists, dancers, craftspeople, cooks, carpenters, farmers, weavers, and representatives of monastic life demonstrate their living traditions that define and sustain their culture.

NASA: Fifty Years and Beyond: To showcase the role NASA has played in broadening the horizons of American science and culture, a cross-section of its 18,000 employees and 40,000 contractors -- astronomers, astronauts, astrophysicists, educators, and engineers -- provide living presentations; hands-on educational activities; demonstrations of skills, techniques, and knowledge; narrative "oral history" sessions; and exhibits that explore the agency's spirit of innovation, discovery, and service.

Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food, and Wine: The Lone Star State shares its proud history and contemporary traditions through its music, dance, and food. Hear presentations of Texas blues, swing, country and western, gospel, and tejano music; see demonstrations of wine making; and enjoy diverse culinary traditions from barbeque to Vietnamese specialties.

Sponsored by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Program.


Free
Repeats June 26-29 & July 2-6

Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: National Mall near Smithsonian Museums
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
12 Noon
Lecture Out of the Solar System the Journey of Pioneer 11
Ask an Expert Lecture
Andy Johnston, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, discusses Pioneer 11's journey out of the solar system.
Free
Continues most Wednesdays
National Air and Space Museum
Location: Meet at the Museum Seal
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
1:30 PM
Special Tour Art + Coffee
Luce Foundation Center Activity
Discover the treasures of the Luce Foundation Center for American Art during a tour or talk. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary coffee or tea.
Free
Repeats Wednesday through Sunday
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
2 PM
Lecture Film Dan Kwean: A "Traditional" Pottery-Making Community in
Thailand; Lecture, with video
Funded by a Fulbright grant to document Thai traditional pottery from an artist's point of view, potter Louis Katz (associate professor of ceramics, Texas AandM University) spent a year in Dan Kwean, a village in northeast Thailand where stoneware production has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent decades. He narrates video filmed during that year and describes how Dan Kwean's production can be considered traditional, even as it has shifted from jars for local farmers to ceramics for an international market.
Free; first come, first served
Related Exhibition: Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
Location: Freer, Meyer Auditorium
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
3-3:30 PM
Lecture Behind-the-Scenes Program
Lunder Conservation Center Activity
Learn how artworks in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery collections are cleaned, conserved, and stabilized.
Note: Register in person at the Luce Foundation Center information desk before 3 PM.
Free, but registration required; see Note
Repeats every Wednesday
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: 3rd floor, west, Lunder Conservation Center
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
6 PM
Performance NASA: Fifty Years and Beyond
Performance, with projected images and film clips
The Space Philharmonic, conducted by Emil de Cou, performs The Planets by Gustav Holst with narration by Mae Jemison (astronaut, STS-47) and Justin Giles (Muscogee) while images and footage taken by NASA astronauts are projected onto the walls of the Potomac. A short preview of the new Disney-Pixar animated feature film WALL-E is also shown. Presented in conjunction with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Note: The Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe will remain open until 6:30 PM.
Free; first come, first served
See related 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival programs
National Museum of the American Indian
Location: 1st Level, Potomac Atrium (use main entrance)
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
6-8:30 PM ***See Note***
Cusine Family Evening Picnic at the Zoo
Members-Only Event
At this year's annual evening picnic, celebrate our country's amazing abundance and diversity of wildlife. Stroll around to see animals in their outdoor enclosures, visit animal houses, and take advantage of opportunities to meet some animals at close range as their keepers give informal talks. Take a respite and enjoy a barbecue buffet at Lion/Tiger Hill while listening to live country music by Slim Harrison and the Sunnyland Band.
Note: Register by June 20. No gate sales.
$25, members & staff;$15, children age 5-12; call 202-633-3030

Resident Associate Program
Location: National Zoo, 3000 block of Connecticut Ave., NW
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
6:45-9 PM
Lecture A Traveler's Guide to Worldwide Cruises
Illustrated Lecture, with book signing
Experience some of the world's most alluring destinations as an imaginary passenger on different cruise ships. This evening, travel writer Theodore Scull first shares information about some of the great ocean liners of the past and the changes that have taken place in cruise travel through the 20th century before discussing the variety of cruises available today and sharing tips on how to pick the right cruise. Book signing follows.
$40, general; $30, members; call 202-633-3030

Resident Associate Program
Location: Location on ticket
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
7 PM
Lecture Bhutan Traditions: Kunzang Choden
Lecture
As a leading authority on Bhutanese culture, Kunzang Choden shares her personal experiences growing up in the Himalayas, reads from her books, and offers insights into Bhutanese life and society, including its unusual matriarchal system. Part of the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Free; first come, first served
See related 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival programs
Related Exhibition: Arts of the India Subcontinent and the Himalayas
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
Location: Freer, Meyer Auditorium
iCalendar Add to Outlook/iCal Add to Google Calendar
Last update: July 1, 2008, 08:44
More Events
Resident Associate Program catalog
Your guide to more than 300 upcoming educational and cultural programs
Smithsonian IMAX Theaters
Learn about movies, tickets, and showtimes
Contacts | FAQ | Privacy | Copyright
Top  Top