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Wednesday, June 25
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 | 11 AM-5:30 PM
42nd Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Annual Event |
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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
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Special Smithsonian Sponsored
Location: National Mall near Smithsonian Museums
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 | 12 Noon
Out of the Solar System the Journey of Pioneer 11
Ask an Expert Lecture |
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Andy Johnston, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, discusses Pioneer 11's journey out of the solar system.
Free
Continues most Wednesdays
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National Air and Space Museum
Location: Meet at the Museum Seal
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 | 1:30 PM
Art + Coffee
Luce Foundation Center Activity |
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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
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby
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 | 2 PM
Dan Kwean: A "Traditional" Pottery-Making Community in
Thailand; Lecture, with video |
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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
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Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
Location: Freer, Meyer Auditorium
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 | 3-3:30 PM
Behind-the-Scenes Program
Lunder Conservation Center Activity |
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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
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: 3rd floor, west, Lunder Conservation Center
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 | 6 PM
NASA: Fifty Years and Beyond
Performance, with projected images and film clips |
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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
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National Museum of the American Indian
Location: 1st Level, Potomac Atrium (use main entrance)
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 | 6-8:30 PM ***See Note***
Evening Picnic at the Zoo
Members-Only Event |
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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

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Resident Associate Program
Location: National Zoo, 3000 block of Connecticut Ave., NW
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 | 6:45-9 PM
A Traveler's Guide to Worldwide Cruises
Illustrated Lecture, with book signing |
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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

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Resident Associate Program
Location: Location on ticket
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 | 7 PM
Bhutan Traditions: Kunzang Choden
Lecture |
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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
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Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
Location: Freer, Meyer Auditorium
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Last update: July 1, 2008, 08:44 |
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