The Smithsonian Institution was based on a gift of James Smithson, a British scientist, who left his entire estate to the United States of America in 1827.  His gift of over 100,000 gold sovereigns, or $500,000, (just under $9.5 million in today’s dollars) required the government to establish the Smithsonian Institution, to “increase and diffusion of knowledge."

An act of Congress in 1846 expanded the growth of collection into the world’s largest museum complex (16 museums) with over 140 million objects and the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

The Smithsonian museums include:

• Anacostia Community Museum
• Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
• Arts and Industries Building
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of African Art
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of the American Indian
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Postal Museum
• S. Dillon Ripley Center
• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Smithsonian Institution Building
• Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo)
• The National Gallery of Art (affiliated)

Happy Birthday Smithsonian!!

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The new pavilion will open today, with over 300 live butterflies.  

In the adjacent gallery, Partners in Evolution teaches how animals and plants co-exist through depending on each other for food, protection and pollination.

This is the second butterfly park or habitat in the Washington, DC area, the other is located at Brookside Gardens in suburban Wheaton, MD.

The new Pavilion at the Natural History will open on Friday, February 15th, but it’s probably best to wait a week or two until the initial rush slacks off.

Butterfly Pavilion & Partners in Evolution 
National Museum of Natural History
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20560 (map it)
202-633-1000

Hours – Daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., last entrance to the butterfly pavilion at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets – Admission to the museum is free, but there is a fee to visit the butterfly pavilion and tickets are required.

Adults – $6.00, Seniors – $5.50 and kids $4.50. buying your timed-entry tickets in advance is recommended. Tickets will be available online or at the museum after the pavilion opens on a first-come, first-served basis (best to get there early on weekends). Admission on Tuesdays is FREE.

Purchase tickets online to avoid sold out time-slots. They are also available at the Museum on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are timed-entry at 30-minute intervals.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Smithsonian Station (use the Mall exit) – Blue and Orange lines or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street parking is available in the area.

Images – personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The current movie is the comedy, Night at the Museum staring Ben Stiller.  In this fantasy pic, Stiller takes a job as a night watchman at New York’s Museum of Natural History…and things come alive. While the critic’s have given the move only average  reviews, it would make for a great family theme night or theme date. 
 
 

The schedule of musical performers is available online and a special Latin Jazz night is scheduled on Friday, March 2nd.

National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Jazz Café
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20560
 
Day and Hours – Every Friday 5:50 to 10:00 p.m.
- Live Jazz from 6:00 –10:00 p.m.
- Cash bar 5:30 –10:00 p.m.
- Food served 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.
- Movie starts at 5:30 or 7:30 – advanced tickets recommended.

Tickets – $10 music cover charge, children 12 and under free, movies $10.00, advanced movie tickets are available online. 

Nearest Metro subway station – Federal Triangle or Smithsonian – Blue and Orange Lines

Parking – Free street parking is available after 6:30 p.m.

Photo credits: all photos courtesy of flickr.
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Post from: The DC Traveler

Last week, I wrote about a great photographic exhibit of award-winning nature photographs on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

In the gallery next door, is a rather unique exhibit of stunning photographic(?) images of flowers.  The reason for the question mark is that these images are not taken with a camera, but with a digital desktop scanner.

Transitions: Photographs by Robert Creamer is an exhibit of 39 photographs and a brief video presentation on how he creates these dramatic and one-of-a-kind images.

Creamer, a professional photographer for over 30 years, set down his camera and brought his subjects – flowers, plants and other fauna into his office to capture them using a high-end, high-resolution oversized Epson desktop scanner.  About 4 years ago, he started to play with his scanner after he found a dead humming bird near his home and scanned it. After experimenting with plants from his garden, he kept honing his newly found photographic technique to develop the fantastic images on display.

He creates the images by suspending the flowers over the scanner using string connected to a box frame around the scanner. Then he tents the scanner and subject area in black fabric.  After scanning the arrangements, he prints the images using a high-quality archival printer to achieve the final print.

The resulting photos are unusually life-like and perfectly detailed as the lighting from the scanner provides virtually shadow free images.  Some of the set-ups take up to 6 hours with continual adjustment and manipulation of the subject’s distance from the scanner glass.

Among some of his photos are fresh-cut lotuses, lilies, dried flowers, and even dried leaves just as they are set afire (don’t try this at home). 

I chatted with a woman who was at the exhibit with her children while watching the artist’s video on how he creates these images.  As we watched how Creamer created a photo of dried flowers with smoke and flames, she mentioned that a friend of hers once tried to scan hot wax and wine using his scanner. The key word “once”.  He destroyed his scanner.  In contrast, Creamer places a separate piece of glass over his $2,500 scanner before any trying anything involving fire or liquid. 

Transitions: Photographs by Robert Creamer
National Museum of Natural History 
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20560

Admission – all Smithsonian museums are free

Hours – Daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through June 2007

Nearest Metro subway station – Smithsonian Station (use the Mall exit) – Blue and Orange lines or use the DC Circulator.

Photo credits: photos 1 and 2 courtesy of Robert Creamer/The Smithsonian Institution

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Post from: The DC Traveler

But one of the often overlooked gemstone is the vibrant 23 carat Burmese red ruby called the Carmen Lúcia ruby.

Rubies of this type are rarely over 20 carets and this one is one of the best examples in the world.

Donated to the Smithsonian by a wealthy businessman in memory of his wife, Carmen Lúcia, this rare stone is set in a platinum ring setting with diamonds.

Mined in the 1930s from the ruby mines of Burma (Union of Myanmar), the Carmen Lúcia ruby is on display as part of the permanent collection in the museum’s National Gem Collection and has been part of the collection since 2004.

Location
National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20560

Hours
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily

Tickets
Admission to all Smithsonian museums is free.

Nearest Metro subway station
Smithsonian Station (use the Mall exit) – Blue and Orange lines. 

Photo credit: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Chip Clark

Post from: The DC Traveler