The DC Traveler

Close to 200 unforgettable photographic images from 50 photographers, reflect the cause, struggle and changes the nation faced during the civil rights movement the tumultuous 12-year period of the 1950s and 1960s at the Smithsonian International Gallery through March 9, 2009.
The collection chronicles from the historic event of Rosa Parks being arrested for not giving up her bus seat, to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968.
The Road to Freedom – Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement – 1954-1968, offers historic mages that capture the non-violent civil rights movement movement through non-violent awareness raising, the events surrounding the …read more

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The National Museum of American History, is reopening after a two year, $85 million renovation project.
 
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 …read more

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The works of three outstanding American nature photographers from different generations, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams and Robert Adams, each capture the essence of nature, in images of clouds, surf and rivers.

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 …read more

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Enjoy live music surrounded by priceless pieces of art, every Sunday evening, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
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 9th 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, …read more

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Washington, DC’s latest American pop art addition is called “Modern Head”, by famed American pop artist, Roy Lichtenstein.
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.  …read more

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Join members of the Victorian Dance Ensemble, dressed in period costumes and familiar with the customs of the times as they recreate the style, grace and grandeur of Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 Inaugural Ball. Learn a few steps and join in the party.

 The ball was held at a large hall at the US Patent Office at 8th and F Streets, NW. Tickets to the event were $10 with the proceeds going to support the Union was effort.
A brass band played music in the foyer, welcoming the 4,000 guests, while upstairs, a string ensemble played popular dance music from …read more

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This week in Washington, DC, the Smithsonian turned 162 years old.
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. …read more

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Today marks the the 39th anniversary of Apollo 11, the first manned space mission to land, walk on and safely return from the moon. 
About a month before the historic moon landing, I met the three Apollo 10 astronauts, John Young, Thomas  Stafford and Eugene Cernan on their national tour. They had just completed the final rehearsal for the moon landing.  Their mission was to circle the moon’s surface in both the Command Module and the Lunar Landing module (LEM), and conduct photographic surveys for a good landing site for the Apollo 11 mission.
Just two months later, on July 16th, …read more

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Muppets and Sesame Street creator Jim Henson was a visionary in creating puppets and entertainment for children.
In a new exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, get a rare  look at over 100 original pieces of art, including drawings, cartoons and storyboards from different productions.

Along with the collection are movie and television props, photos of Jim and his Muppets characters, as well as three 5-minute videos, including clips form early in his career and some experimental works.
Plus, several of the Muppets, including the loveable Kermit the Frog,  Bert and Ernie, Rowlf and Nutty Bird.
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World …read more

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By definition, the word ballyhoo means flamboyant or sensational advertising or promotion. Today’s infomercial might fall into that category, or perhaps anything promoted by Donald Trump.
Around the same time as the word was coined, in the late 1800s, the walls of Paris streets began to be plastered with colorful art nouveau advertising posters.  Since then, the promotional poster has become as mainstream as the 30-second TV spot.
Examples of how these posters have influenced society as part of the collection on exhibit in Ballyhoo! Posters As Portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
The 61 classic posters were created …read more

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