The museum upgraded many of the environmental and physical facilities (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, fire and security systems, elevators, heating, etc., along with a 600-seat cafe), but will also feature several major upgrades and visitor enhancements, including:

• A new state-of-the-art gallery for the giant Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became The National Anthem.
• 10-foot-high artifact walls on the 1st and 2nd floors displaying 400 of the museum’s 3 million historical objects
• A Visitor Welcome Center
• Hall of Invention and Spark Lab, a hands-on science and invention center

The major exhibits, favorites of visitors, such as America on the Move, The American Presidency and The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, will all be reopening.

Other favorite items will be on display, including:

• Mohammad Ali’s boxing gloves and robe 
• Dorothy’s Ruby Red Shoe and the Scarecrow costume from “The Wizard of Oz”
• Babe Ruth autographed baseball
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt NBC Fireside chat microphone
• Several First Lady’s Inaugural Ball gowns
• R2-D2 and C-3PO from "Return of the Jedi"
• White House copy of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, penned by Lincoln himself (on display through January 4, 2009).

National Museum of American History
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. (map it)

Dates and Times – Reopening starting November 21, 2008 – 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (until 7:30 p.m. on 11/21/08)

Admission – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Federal Triangle and Smithsonian, Blue and Orange lines, then a 2-4 block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Limited metered street parking is available. 

Images – building from personal collection – ©2008, Jon Rochetti, all others courtesy of the NMOAH.   _________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Sculpture Garden Ice-Skating Rink
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Constitution Avenue, NW at 7th Street NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-289-3360

Dates and Times – November 15 through mid-March, 2009

• Monday – Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday -10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
• Sunday – 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The rink is Closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Admission - The fee covers two-hours of skating.  Adults – $7.00, Seniors, students with ID and kids under 13 – $6.00. Sessions begin on the hour.

In the evening, use the Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive entrance at 9th Street entrance. 

Skate Rentals – $3.00 with ID and rental lockers are just 50¢ with a $5.00 required deposit.

The National Gallery of Art is open Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Images – mom & daughter, at night 
_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Throughout the week of November 15-22, 2008, Washington, DC will celebrate the art of photography, with a gathering of the best in the DC photographic community, with series of exhibits, lectures, competitions, and celebration of all things photographic.

FotoWeek DC brings together photographic talent and a collection of images ranging from artistic to business, political to editorial. Events include:

• Exhibitions at over 60 galleries and public spaces around DC
• Juried exhibitions of some of Washington, DC’s most gifted photographers
• Lectures and book signings by well-known photographers
• Talks from representatives who manage institutional and museum photo collections 
• Workshops and lectures for both the new and expert photographer
• Personal portfolio reviews by professional photographers

One highlight will be the world premiere giant outdoor high-definition (HD) digital image slide show, presented in a large multi-story format, of selected photos from some of Washington DC’s most popular institutions, including the Newseum, American Art Museum, National Museum of American History, Corcoran Gallery of Art and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The slide presentation will run at the following locations (all between 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. unless noted):

• National Museum of the American Indian — 10/13-15
• FotoWeek DC Central – 3337 M Street, NW –10/14-15
• Smithsonian Photography Initiative – 3333 M Street, NW – 10/14–22
• Newseum – 10/14/16
• U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum – 10/14-16
• Corcoran Gallery of Art – 10/14-15
• American Art Museum – Kogod Courtyard 10/18-19 (5-7 p.m.), 10/20 (5-8 p.m.)
• Museum of American History – 10/20-22

FotoWeek DC
Various locations around Washington, DC

Dates and Times – November 10-22, 2008. Check the events calendar for events and details.

Admission – Registration is required for all free events. Register online or at the site. Some events, workshops require paid tickets.

Images – all public domain – D-Day, Hindenburg, Aldrin on the Moon _________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

The collection on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC showcases 21 images, including:

• Stieglitz’s series of ten photos of clouds over Lake George, New York, a collection which has not been shown in its entirety since a 1923. 
• Ansel Adams’ photos of the coastline and surf along San Mateo’s coast, south of San Francisco.
• Robert Adams’ images of the Columbia River emptying into the Pacific in Oregon. 

Oceans, Rivers, and Skies: Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, and Alfred Stieglitz
National Gallery of Art
4th and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20565 (map it)

Dates and Times  – Daily, October 12, 2008 through March 15, 2009. Hours – Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sundays 11:00 – 6:00.

Admission – FREE.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Archives – Yellow and Green lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.

Image – With permission from the National Gallery of Art, Ansel Adams, Surf Sequence 3, San Mateo County Coast, California, 1940, gelatin silver print, 1982, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Virginia B. Adams. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.

___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

These free public concerts include both classical music by famous composers, such as Beethoven, Bach and Haydn, as well as holiday and live film scores.

One notable concert is on Sunday, November 9^th that includes the screening of the 1914 silent film, In the Land of the Head Hunters, together with a live orchestra to accompany the film.

The fictional documentary film entitled In the Land of the Head Hunters tells the story of the Kwakwaka’wakw people of British Columbia, Canada. Motana, the chief’s son, is in love with Naida, but she has been promised to the evil head-hunting Sorcerer. Motana and his father attempt to rid the region of the head-hunters, killing the Sorcerer, but his true love is eventually captured during an attack on their village, and Motana is left for dead. But he must try to rescue his love from the clutches of the Sorcerer brother.

The film captures the Kwakwaka’wakw art, dances, costumes, architecture and a banned custom — the re-distribution of wealth and property called potlatch, which was outlawed in Canada.  It was also the first full-length film staring only Native Americans and predates the famous, but also mostly staged, Nanook of the North.

Check the museum’s schedule for additional details, Here’s the list for the remained of the year.

• Oct. 12, 2008 – Pianist Gilles Vonsattel plays Bach, Liszt, Schubert and more
• Oct. 19 – Festival Strings Lucerne play Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Sarasate
• Oct. 26 – Vienna Piano Trio play Haydn, Schubert, and Smetana
• Nov. 2 – National Gallery Vocal Arts Ensemble featuring music by 17th century composers
• Nov. 9 – The Coast Orchestra plays live music to the silent film, In the Land of the Head Hunters
• Nov. 16 – Euclid String Quartet plays Ades, Beethoven, and Chernin
• Nov. 23 – The Singers’ Companye perform works bv American composers
• Nov. 30 – Verge Ensemble New play works by American composers
• Dec. 7 – Pianist Till Fellner plays Beethoven Sonata Cycle
• Dec. 14 – New York Opera Society plays a Norwegian Christmas Festival
• Dec. 21 – Alessandra Marc with National Gallery Strings present their Christmas concert
• Dec. 28 – National Gallery Orchestra welcome in 2009 with their New Years concert

National Gallery of Art
West Building Main Floor, West Garden Court
6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-842-6941

The museum closes at 6:00 on Sundays. Use the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW entrance, which remains open until 6:30 p.m. There is no entry after 6:30 or late seating.

Dates and Time – Sundays through June 29, 2009, 6:30 p.m. Seating is opened at 6:00, until 6:30 or all seats are taken.

Tickets – Admission is FREE, but first-come, first-seated seating is limited.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Gallery Place – Chinatown, Red, Green and Yellow lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.

Images – Flickr – piano 

_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

This blue painted stainless steel, 31-foot tall sculpture was installed at the corner of Ninth and F Streets in late August, on the grounds of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

First installed in 1996, just one block from the World Trade Center, in Battery Park in New York City, it survived the September 11th attack with only minor scratches.  A month later, it was moved to another gallery in Nassau County, New York, then to a botanic garden in Coral Gables, Florida. 

The piece is part of a series of four sculptures by Lichtenstein that created sculptures of human figures that look like machines.

Roy Lichtenstein is most widely know for his giant pop art comics Ben-day Dots paintings, such as his most famous piece “Wham”. The National Gallery of Art is the largest collector of Lichtenstein’s work, after he donated over 150 prints to the museum a year before his death.

“Modern Head” by Roy Lichtenstein.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Ninth and F Streets 
Washington, DC  (map it)

Dates and Times – Viewable 24 hours-a-day. The museum is open daily 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Admission – FREE to view the statute or enter the museum.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Gallery Place – Chinatown, Red, Green and Yellow lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.

Images – from personal collection; ©2008, Jon Rochetti

____________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

The inside of the building holds in rather unique museum with very eclectic pieces of freemason history from presidents to actors, G-men to generals.

The museum includes:

• 36 original still life oil paintings of the various Rite elements by Robert H. White.
• The official collection of memorabilia from FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover.
• A letter from former President Harry S. Truman.
• A life mask of President Abraham Lincoln.
• A large collection of memorabilia from the actor Burl Ives, known for his roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Big Country and his narration of the Christmas movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• Painting of several famous members, including Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Gene Autry, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. 
• Collection of fine porcelains from around the world.
• A large collection of histories, documents and information about the Rite.

Scottish Rite of Freemasonry – Museum and Library
1733 16th Street, at S Street, NW
Washington DC 20009   (map it)

Dates and Times – Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 – 2:30. Tours are available stating at 9:00 a.m. weekdays and 11:00 on first Saturdays.

Tickets – Admission is FREE.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Dupont Circle – Red line, then a 7-block walk.

Parking – Limited free parking in the rear of the building, as well as 2-hour limit street parking.

Images – from personal collection

_______________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

The exhibit catapulted these eight independent American artists and a new artistic movement. The artists, called The Eight, were a group of American painters who united to oppose academic traditions held by the established art world.

Their style advanced modernism, incorporating realist artistic movement, was dubbed the Ashcan style, (or the Ash Can school); named for its gritty portrayal of people living in the crowded tenements of New York’s working class and poorer neighborhoods.

The show toured the U.S. after becoming a New York sensation.

The styles and subject matter of The Eight vary greatly, but the original exhibit paved the way for future modern art shows. The Eight included Robert Henri, George Luks, William Glackens, John Sloan, Everett Shinn, Maurice Prendergast, Ernest Lawson and Arthur Bowen Davies.

The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC remembers the exhibit’s centennial with a special installation of 20 Ashcan works.

American Art Rebels – The Eight
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW, between Q and R Streets
Washington, DC 20009 (map it)

Dates and Times - September 27, 2008 – January 11, 2009. Hours – Saturday 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m., Thursdays until 8:30 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Tickets – Are available online and are $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors (62+) and students, free for 18 and under.  Tickets include admission to the museum as well.

Nearest Metro subway station - Dupont Circle – Red line, use the Q Street exit. Then a

Parking – Metered street parking is available, but can be a bit challenging to find. Paid parking garages are available nearby.

Images – public domain – Bellows, Shinn,

_________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

George Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone in 1793 and since it opened in 1800, it’s been the center of American power and government. 

The building needed to be partially rebuild after the British burned parts of Washington, DC in 1814.  In the 1850s, the Capitol building was expanded, with the massive dome top statue, Freedom being put in place in 1863, after he dome rebuilding was complete.  Finally, the front of the Capitol (east end) was rebuilt in 1904 to balance the two sides. 

The most recent construction project, started in 2001, involved the same east end of the building, for the addition of the new underground visitors complex.  It’s due to open December 2, 2008, 145 years to the day after the Freedom statue was placed on the top of the  Capitol Building. 

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society offers 2-hour walking tours of the exterior of the building every Monday morning, through November.

Spectacular Tour to Remember – US Capitol Exterior Walk
U.S. Capitol Historical Society
200 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

Meet point – Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Dates and Times – Mondays only, May 19, – November 24, 2008 10:00 a.m.

Tickets – No reservations required, $10.00 (cash only) collected by the tour guide. Contact tours@uschs.org or 202-543-8919, ext. 17, for additional information or to arrange a private walk.

Meet-up point is at Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Union Station – Red line, meeting point is outside the station or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Paid parking is available at Union Station, as well as limited and time-restricted street parking in the area.

Images – from personal collection   ©2008, Jon Rochetti  ___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Using technology first developed by Charles F. Richter, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in 1935, scientists track and record every earthquake and seismic event that occurs around  the world.

And volcanic eruptions, major earthquakes and deadly tsunamis have dominated the recent news.

While they can’t predict earthquakes, they do build models that estimate the probability of an earthquake occurring in specific regions of the world. 

Besides measuring earthquakes, the U.S. Geological Survey is the governmental science organization responsible for providing reliable scientific information to help the government, businesses and the public understand the earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage natural resources water such as biological, energy and mineral resources; as well as enhance and protect our quality of life. 

This type of research and study requires scientists that specialize in biology, geography, geology, and geospatial sciences, as well as other earth, life and water sciences.

Daily self-guided and guided tours of the USGS headquarters in suburban Reston, Virginia are offered to the public and school groups.

Guided tours, available by appointment only during non-summer months, begin with a brief slide or video presentation on subjects such as disaster preparedness, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or water issues (floods or pollution) are also available. Then the tour moves to the hands-on room with computers, microscopes and other hands-on activities.  Your tour may visit the map printing plant or perhaps an active laboratory (upon advanced request).

The self-guided tour (available year-round) of this small visitor’s area (plan on no more than 15-30 minutes in total) allows visitors to tour the first floor of the USGS National Center which has several showcases, including: 

• Dinosaur footprints and biology exhibits
• Earth science in the news and a seismograph
• Weather station
• Water monitoring resources
• Land measurement
• Emerging biology issues, as well as others.

Additionally, you can take a self-guided rock garden walk (about 30-45 minutes), which includes samples of over a dozen types of rocks and minerals.

U.S. Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192 (map it)
703-648-4000 – ext. 4748 (visitor’s center)

Dates and Times – Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Guided Tour Times – Non-summer months only, and by appointment only. Mondays – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. To schedule a guided tour, call 703-64-VISIT.

Admission – Admission and tours are free.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Vienna/Fairfax-GMU – Orange Line, then a 20-minute cab ride.

Parking – Free parking is available.

Images – Paso Robles,

_______________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler