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New: Archives Center Cases: Selections from The Lockwood Greene Engineering Records, 1871-2004
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January 19, 2010 - March 31, 2010
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In changing display cases, the Archives Center features items from the museum's archival collection that document America's history and its diverse cultures, ranging from correspondences, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. The following case is on view: • Selections from The Lockwood Greene Engineering Records, 1871-2004
On view are documents, including drawings, from the recently acquired Lockwood Greene Engineering Records. Founded by Amos Lockwood, who brought in Stephen Greene as his business partner, the firm first focused on the supervision of construction of textile mills and later expanded into factories and other commercial buildings. The company is still in operation today as a subsidiary of CH2M Hill Companies. Note/s:
• No photography permitted
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New: On the Water: Stories from Maritime America
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May 22, 2009 - Permanent
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Marine transportation and waterborne commerce underlie American history like a strong and steady ocean current. Maritime trade established major cities, created connections between people and places, and opened the continent. This exhibition traces American maritime history from 18th-century sailing ships, to 19th-century steamboats and fishing craft, to today's huge container ships. Items featured include rigged ship models, patent models, documents, and images from the Smithsonian's National Watercraft Collection. American maritime history is brought to life through the stories of whaling crews, fishermen, shipbuilders, merchant mariners, passengers, and many others who work on the nation's waterways. Audio and video components
Interactive stations
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater/
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New: First Ladies at the Smithsonian
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December 19, 2008 - Permanent
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This exhibition highlights the role of the first lady and features 14 First Ladies' gowns, as well as portraits, White House china, and personal possessions from the Smithsonian's collection. A section discussing the tradition of the First Ladies' inaugural gown answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the gown collection. The final section focuses on the contributions of the first ladies, the country's expectations of them, and the ways in which they have supported the most powerful office in the country. Gowns on view include those worn by Helen Taft, Martha Washington, Dolley Madison, Sarah Polk, Mary Todd Lincoln, Lucy Hayes, Frances Cleveland, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rosalyn Carter, and Laura Bush. Video (runs continuously)
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=1239
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New: The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem
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November 21, 2008 - Permanent
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After undergoing an 8-year conservation period, the nation's flag is the centerpiece of the museum. Soaring above the entrance to the gallery is an architectural representation of a waving flag -- approximately 40 feet long and up to 19 feet high and composed of 960 reflective tiles made of polycarbonate material. An introductory section in the entry corridor sets the scene for the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Around the corner, the 30-by-34-foot wool-and-cotton flag is on view in a new dramatic display behind a 35-foot-long, floor-to-ceiling glass wall in a climate-controlled gallery that re-creates the dawn's early light, similar to Francis Scott Key's experience the morning of September 14, 1814, when he saw the flag flying over Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, inspiring him to pen the famous lyrics. The first stanza of the national anthem is projected prominently on the wall above the flag. Sections in the exit corridor trace the flag's history, including its safekeeping by Major George Armistead and his descendants, the Smithsonian's efforts to preserve it for more than 100 years, and how both the flag and the national anthem have come to represent diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity. Also at the exit are an interactive table with a virtual, life-size image of the flag and a tactile panel with an outline of the flag and a full-size star for visitors who are visually impaired. No photography permitted
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner
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New: Artifact Walls: Constitution Ave. Entrance Corridor
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November 21, 2008 - Permanent
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On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls on both sides of the Constitution Avenue entrance are objects highlighting the depth and breadth of the museum's permanent collection and our nation's rich and diverse history. The objects are organized around the following themes:
• Arts
• Popular Culture
• Business, Work, and the Economy
• Home and Family
• Community
• Land and Natural Resources
• Peopling America
• Politics and Reform
• Science
• Medicine
• Technology
• America's Role in the World
On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls flanking the grand staircase near the Constitution Avenue entrance are five cases dedicated to the following themes:
• Fifty Years of Lasers
February 11, 2010-September 2010
During 1960, scientists in the U.S. invented three different types of lasers. Since then many other lasers have been developed and adopted for a range of uses. This case features objects from the inventors on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this important invention. Also displayed are objects representing both practical and entertaining uses of lasers, including a laser disc player. • Mobilizing Young American Minds, 1950-1970
November 21, 2008-February 3, 2010
This case examines the changes in math and science education during the Cold War, especially following the 1957 launch of the USSR's Sputnik satellite.
• Cameras Before Digital
October 28, 2009-TBA
This case features from the museum's collection 22 cameras -- from daguerreotype and view cameras to 20th-century military, aerial, digital, and promotional models -- that reveal the technological progress made from the camera's invention in 1839 to the advent of digital photography.
• Creating Hawai'i
August 21, 2009-August 2010
Objects from the museum's collection highlight Hawaii's unique culture and the extensive changes in tradition and diversity throughout its history -- from kingdom to republic, and from territory to state. Celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state (1959).
• Producing for the American Table
This case highlights how Mexican American food production has shaped the United States economy and culture. See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 27-30
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November 21, 2008 - TBA
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What do the inventors behind Post-it Notes, robotic ants, Kevlar, and the telephone have in common with children? Play! Created especially for families, this exhibition focuses on the similarities between the ways children and adults play and the creative skills and processes used by inventors. Through interactive and engaging activities, it encourages various playful habits of mind that underlie invention: curiosity, imagination, visual thinking, model building, and problem solving. It introduces inventors and innovators through compelling personal stories, photos, and artifacts. It even provides a chance to try learning to windsurf on the Sailboard Simulator, which is based on a design by sailboard inventor Newman Darby. This is the first exhibition in the new Lemelson Hall of Invention.
Web: inventionatplay.org
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New: National Treasures of Popular Culture
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November 21, 2008 - Permanent
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This exhibition displays iconic and well-loved artifacts -- Dorothy's ruby slippers, Muhammad Ali's and Joe Louis's boxing gloves, Minnie Pearl's hat, Warner Brothers cartoon animation cells, Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog, -- that mirror the ways music, sports, and entertainment have played major roles in American life, shaping our national memory and often defining what is American to the nation and to the world. - Rotation of Objects:
Added December 1, 2009:
-- Carol Burnett's "Went with the Wind" dress from her 1970s TV musical comedy show
-- Fonzie's jacket from the 1970s TV show Happy Days
-- Rafiki costume and Simba mask from the Tony Award-winning musical The Lion King To be added February 9 or 10, 2010:
-- Olympic objects (to replace the boxing objects)
-- a Greek amphora (jar) (to replace speed skater Apolo Ohno's objects)
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=1199
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New: Picturing Words: The Power of Book Illustration
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November 21, 2008 - April 11, 2010 (new closing date)
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Through 40 rare books from the Smithsonian Institution's libraries, as well as objects from the museum's Graphic Arts Division, this exhibition explores the power of pictures and book illustrations by answering the following questions: -- Why are pictures so powerful? Pictures influence, inform, and inspire us in many ways. They attract us, offering a feast for the eye as well as food for the mind. They explain complicated ideas at a glance and even teach those who cannot read. -- Why do books include pictures? Pictures reach audiences more directly than text alone. They add beauty, color, and life to the printed page. They communicate the author's tone and approach to the subject, and enhance our understanding and enjoyment of the text. They engage us, prompt our imagination, and appeal to readers and non-readers alike.
Web: www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/PicturingWords
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New: Lemelson Center Case: Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention
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November 21, 2008 - TBA
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This new changing exhibition case complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention on the first floor. • Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention
On view in this case are notebooks with sketches of toy ideas and examples of some of the toys Jerome Lemelson invented. Lemelson earned more than 600 patents; some 70 of them describe toys -- inflatable toys, jumping toys, toys with propellers, toys that run on tracks, target games, dolls, and more. In fact, Lemelson's first patent, issued in 1953, was for a new kind of propeller beanie.
Web: invention.smithsonian.org/home/
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American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, The
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- Permanent
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More than 900 objects related to the 43 men who have held the nation's highest office are used to explore the public, personal, ceremonial, and executive boundaries of the presidency. Composed of 11 thematic sections, the exhibition addresses such topics as inaugural celebrations, presidential roles, life at the White House, limits of presidential power, assassinations and mourning, the influence of the media, and life after the presidency.
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/presidency
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Price of Freedom: Americans at War, The
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- Permanent
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This exhibition surveys the history of America's military from the Colonial Era to the present conflict in Iraq, exploring how wars have been defining episodes in American history. Through more than 800 artifacts, images, and interactive stations, the exhibition reveals how Americans have fought to establish the nation's independence, determine its borders, shape its values of freedom and opportunity, and define its role in world affairs. It also explores the social impact of America's wars, presenting the link between military conflict and American political leadership, social values, technological innovation, and personal sacrifice.
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory
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- Permanent
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This exhibition tells the history of the re-created, 2 1/2-story, Georgian-style house that stood at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and 5 of the many families who occupied it from the mid-1760s through 1945. The exhibition explores some of the important ways ordinary people, in their daily lives, have been part of the great changes and events in American history. Walking around the exterior of the house, visitors can view -- through open walls, windows, and doorways -- settings played out against the backdrop of Colonial America, the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement, the industrial era, and World War II. Near the exit is a list of all the families who lived in the house through the 1960s.
Web: americanhistory.si.edu/house/
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Last update: January 29, 2010, 13:24
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