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New: Portraiture Now: Communities
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November 6, 2009 - July 5, 2010
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How do we define community today? Through new electronic networking, our connections are increasingly widespread; yet, we are still drawn to the idea of small communities and face-to-face interaction. Three artists -- Rose Frantzen, Jim Torok, and Rebecca Westcott -- explore the idea of community in portraits of friends, neighbors, or family. On view are portraits of people from Frantzen's hometown Maquoketa, Iowa, that were created over a 12-month period; Torok's meticulous small-scale panel portraits of fellow New York artists and a series documenting three generations of a single family; and full-length images of Westcott's peers, often Philadelphians in their 20s.
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New: Faces of the Frontier: Photographic Portraits from the American West, 1845-1924
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September 25, 2009 - January 24, 2010
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Through more than 100 portrait photographs, this exhibition tells the story of the changes that occurred in the American West during the 80 years between the Mexican War and passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. It chronicles such events as the completion of the transcontinental railroad, ongoing conflicts between Native Americans and non-Natives, the emergence of the national parks movement, and the admittance of 19 new states west of the Mississippi. Visitors encounter those who explored, fought over, developed, and represented this vast territory. Such individuals who contributed to the transformation of this region's nature and identity include Albert Bierstadt, Kit Carson, Geronimo, John Fremont, Annie Oakley, and Brigham Young.
Web: www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/frontier/
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New: One Life: Thomas Paine, The Radical Founding Father
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August 7, 2009 - November 29, 2009
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The One Life gallery within the museum is devoted to the exploration of the life of one individual. This exhibition features Thomas Paine (1737-1809), whose pamphlet Common Sense fired up Americans to get on with a declaration of independence and whose exhortation, "These are the times that try men's souls," was read by General Washington to his dispirited troops. His story begins in Philadelphia when he arrived in 1774; continues through his tumultuous years in England, where his anti-monarchy diatribe -- Rights of Man -- brought charges of seditious libel; and ends in revolutionary France, where he barely escaped the guillotine. Paine, also the author of The Age of Reason -- a bold attack on organized religion -- returned to America in 1802 to find himself scorned by his old associates and much of the public. He died in poverty, his bones were later stolen and dispersed, but his words have resounded down through the ages. Featured in the exhibition is the museum's recently acquired portrait of Paine depicted by the French artist Laurant Dabos around 1792.
Web: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/paine/
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Lunder Conservation Center
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- Permanent
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The Lunder Conservation Center -- shared with the Smithsonian American Art Museum -- is the first facility that provides a unique opportunity for the public to view through glass walls conservators at work in several labs examining, treating, and preserving art.
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Twentieth-Century Americans
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- Permanent
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Six galleries focus on 20th-century Americans: 3rd Floor, south side: Four galleries showcase the major cultural, scientific, and political figures of the 20th century. The exhibition also traces the unceasing struggle to achieve the American goal of justice for all from the reform movement of the first two decades to the social justice and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and from World War I through the Persian Gulf War. 3rd Floor, mezzanines: Two additional exhibitions relating to the 20th century are featured:
• BRAVO! showcases individuals who have brought the performing arts to life, beginning with P.T. Barnum, who raised the curtain on modern entertainment in the late 19th century and continuing to the present.
• Champions showcases American sports figures whose impact has extended beyond the ring, the court, and the field to become a part of the larger story of the life and culture of our nation.
Note: A lively combination of portraits, artifacts, memorabilia, and videos enhances both exhibitions.
Web: www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/ex20.html
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Future Exhibition: One Life: Echoes of Elvis
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Upcoming: January 8, 2010 - August 29, 2010
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The One Life gallery within the museum is devoted to the exploration of the life of one individual. This exhibition will feature Elvis Presley and will celebrate the 75th anniversary of his birth. Although Elvis died more than thirty years ago, the world remains fascinated with his image and music. His records have continued to sell by the millions and public interest in his music, career, and life has yet to subside. During the last half century, Elvis became part of the artistic discourse as well. Early in Elvis's career, Andy Warhol illuminated the role he played in the new and youth-powered popular American culture; later, Ralph Wolfe Cowan, Red Grooms, and others created mythical, spiritual, and earthly images of the man whose legacy includes multiple superlative moments in music, entertainment, life, and afterlife. To this day, both the historical Elvis Presley and the fantasy-based vision of Elvis are the subject of poetry, literature, music, film, and the visual arts.
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Last update: November 5, 2009, 15:11
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