Explore the playful side of invention and the inventive side of play in
Invention at Play. Learn how play connects to the creative impulse of both historic and contemporary inventors.
[more inside]
posted by netbros
on Jun 1, 2008 -
1 comment
The Luce Foundation Center in the recently renovated and reopened National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, is more like a smörgåsbord-cum-antique store, packed in an overflowing archive rather than a more traditional museum layout. The collection is comprised of varying American art styles and genres in intimate display cases, with little in the way of context or reference. (Though the same site in this link is available on computers scattered throughout the gallery for further detail.)
posted by Dave Faris
on Jan 12, 2007 -
12 comments
The Smithsonian's Sackler gallery opened a unique and wide-ranging
new exhibit yesterday featuring fragments of Bibles from before the year 1000.
"
Most of the manuscripts have never been seen outside the countries where they are stored. [Some Smithsonian-owned documents in the exhibition] have never been exhibited and two have not been shown since 1978." Fragments of the
Codex Sinaiticus are included in the exhibit.
Along with the
archaeological interest, these fragments can pose theological and historical challenges for Christians. Some, like UNC's Bart Ehrman, have
lost their faith as a result of studying early Bibles; some, like Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory, believing that Christianity is about a
common cultural and spiritual experience, are unmoved by the "
corruptions" and
differences in the New Testament over time; other Christians try to
refute (MeFi link) claims that the text has changed.
posted by ibmcginty
on Oct 22, 2006 -
36 comments
World Famous publicly founded
Smithsonian Institution recently
sold a
right-of-first-refusal on their collections to
Showtime Networks, allegedly because the Smithsonian badly needed cash for urgent works (previous Mefi
thread). Some poster on other blogs notes that if the
WIPO Broadcasting Treaty (links to second draft)
will be implemented that could grant Showtime a broadcast right over the documentaries produced with Smithsonian materials ;
this right would be similar yet separated from copyright , but with additional and increasingly chilling
effects [partially via
BoingBoing]
posted by elpapacito
on Apr 4, 2006 -
15 comments
Wade in the Water In 2004,
Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured the maritime cultures of the Mid-Atlantic region, from Long Island to North Carolina. Now, this site gives a home on the web to the cultural documentation gathered for the festival --
music,
recipes,
stories and oral history,
an interactive map,
the occupational folklore and natural history of regional fisheries,
photos, video, and more. The material, ably compiled by folklorists and educators, creates a lasting and very accessible archive of festival highlights as well as an excellent overview of the distinct coastal culture of the Mid-Atlantic. Don't miss the great menhaden net-hauling chantey
Help Me to Raise 'Em (links to mp3).
posted by Miko
on Mar 27, 2006 -
7 comments
Cover Art: The Time Collection [Flash] "In 1978
Time Magazine gave to the
National Portrait Gallery some 800 works of original art that had at one time or another appeared on its covers." The gallery has created an online-only exhibition of the covers (the museum is closed for renovation until July 4, 2006). "And while one may normally imagine ornately framed oils of distinguished luminaries when thinking of the NPG, the Time covers offer a much closer to 'street level' survey of the prominent figures of any specific period."
[via CSM]
posted by clgregor
on Dec 14, 2005 -
7 comments
Smithsonian's latest exhibit includes catastrophic leaks that are damaging
priceless treasures. Many items have been destroyed beyond repair and the problem seems to be getting worse. Will certain history be wiped out for good because officials lacked foresight?
posted by Guerilla
on Aug 25, 2005 -
17 comments
Chasing Venus Transits of Venus occur every 130 years or so when Venus can be observed passing across the face of the sun.
Chasing Venus is an online exhibition by Smithsonian Institution Libraries that tells the story of how the transit has been observed since the 17th century, with
early observations in England, illustrated accounts of
expeditions by 18th century astronomers to various parts of the world, and
early uses of photography to record observations in the 19th century. Includes links to
animations of transits reconstructed from Victorian photographs, and
details of a lecture series on Thursdays in April and May (first one April 8). The first transit since 1882 is this year.
posted by carter
on Apr 4, 2004 -
5 comments
Politics storms the museum Earlier this month, the National Museum of Natural History opened "Seasons of Life and Land," an exhibit of wildlife photographs by artist-naturalist Subhankar Banerjee. If you go to Washington, you'll find the show hung in the museum's Baird Ambulatory Gallery, essentially a basement hallway installed with lights. Just two months ago, however, it was prepared to run in a more complete form in a premiere gallery on the museum's main floor, alongside a major exhibit of botanical paintings. What happened?
posted by bas67
on May 18, 2003 -
15 comments
Celebrity caricature : the public web-presence of a small, non-public exhibit at the Smithsonian. This is an exhibit created by staff for staff, housed in one small display case outside the Catalog Management office in the main SI library. Some great material, and a loving presentation.
posted by SealWyf
on May 9, 2003 -
5 comments
Smithsonian Folkways shows the way? (NYT link, blah blah) "The major music companies may fret over falling revenue, but one label saw its business jump 33 percent last year — thanks in part to the recordable compact discs that the industry says are hurting its sales."
Smithsonian Folkways has been burning CD-Rs for customers ordering some of its obscure titles. Would this work on a larger scale? Why should any recording ever go out of print again?
posted by pmurray63
on Feb 16, 2003 -
5 comments
The Smithsonian offers an online sampling of its
Collection of Aeronautic Sheet Music. From the introduction: "...widespread fascination with flight has inspired an enormous output of historical drawings, paintings, advertisements and illustrations for publications. Some of the most colorful illustrations are those which adorn sheet music. In the Bella Landauer collection, you can find illustrations that range from the bizarre to the commonplace, from the humorous to the mundane. But most are colorful and interesting."
The collection is divided into categories such as "Ballooning", "Biplanes", and "Flying Machines". I love
this one from 1914, called "A Hundred Years From Now".
posted by taz
on Nov 12, 2002 -
9 comments
Happy birthday, Julia!! American cooking diva Julia Child turns 90 years of age today. She might be slowing, but she hasn't stopped ... and she certainly hasn't stopped eating
butter and cream.
Her contributions to American culinary arts, particularly in the area of home cooking, are nearly immeasurable. When you have a look at
the way we were cooking before "The French Chef" came along, you'll be doubly grateful for what she's taught us.
She's left her longtime home in Cambridge, Massachusetts for much smaller digs in Santa Barbara, California ... and subsequently donated her legendary kitchen and over 1,200 items from it to the Smithsonian Institution, who disassembled it and
painstakingly rebuilt it inside the museum. Julia's Kitchen at the Smithsonian opens to the public on Monday.
posted by chuq
on Aug 15, 2002 -
35 comments
Getting the Picture at the Smithsonian Archives. Sometimes a bit of doodling can make that note a little more special than the latest syrupy Hallmark design.
posted by Su
on Mar 12, 2002 -
4 comments
The Smithsonian takes a look at
Paint by Number kits and asks for submissions of your own memories.
posted by Su
on Dec 18, 2001 -
6 comments
History Wired is the new interactive web project from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, that lets you browse the various collections by topic, by timeline, or both. It's based on the SmartMoney "
Map of the Market".
posted by JParker
on Aug 22, 2001 -
5 comments
Great Philippe Halsman gallery at the Smithsonian Magazine site, including a couple of those strangely errie jump photographs. Nothing's scarier than a floating Nixon.
posted by skallas
on Aug 2, 2000 -
1 comment
