OKAY, BOOKWORMS. This is your day. In a world of non-stop audio-visual stimulation, of iPods and Blackberries and inescapable noise, the National Book Festival is for those of us who still read those timeless tomes they call books.
Of course, it's, um, all gotten very high-tech over the past couple of years (you can listen to podcasts of featured authors on the Web site), but still, at its heart, this festival is about the written word.
The something-for-everyone label certainly applies here — along with tents featuring books of every genre, 70 authors (including Salman Rushdie, pictured, and Tiki Barber — see? something for everyone) will be on hand to discuss their work. And, for parents: There will be tons of kid-oriented activities that will not only keep the tots busy, but will help you be sure they aren't only literate in, or enthusiastic about, the language of computers.
» Between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, Sat., Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free; 202-707-5000. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Cate Gillon/Getty Images
IT'S ALWAYS exciting when a new Smithsonian exhibit opens. This one happens to coincide with the National Book Festival, which is inconvenient. But a rainy forecast means that when it starts to drizzle, you can flee inside and check out the Museum of Natural History's new Ocean Hall. Turns out that what's under the sea is fascinating — also there's a giant whale hanging over the whole thing, which is pretty awesome. It'll be family- and geek-friendly.
» National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; opens Sat., free; 202-633-1000. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
LATE 1960S AND early 1970s "Light and Space" works, recently acquired from internationally renowned collector Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, are going on display at the Hirshhorn.
These conceptual works by Sol LeWitt, Robert Irwin and others defy the traditional categories of paintings and sculpture. In the next-door gallery, Panza and his wife curate the second in the Hirshhorn's "Ways of Seeing" series.
» Hirshhorn Museum, 1300 Independence Ave. SW; Oct. 23-Jan. 11; 202-633-1000. (Smithsonian/L'Enfant Plaza)
Photo by A. Zambianchi-Simply.it, Milan.
THE NATIONAL MALL is a place for big parties, and this weekend the party is the Black Family Reunion. It was established in 1986 as a celebration of the African-American community in the U.S., and it's been going strong ever since.
The two-day festival will feature performances from Fantasia, Tank and Jason Champion, among others.
» The National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial; Sat. and Sun., 12 p.m.-8 p.m., free; 202-737-0476. (Smithsonian)
Image courtesy Black Family Reunion
ALL SUMMER, the National Park Service has kept the Washington Monument open till 10 p.m., allowing people to see the city at night from 500 feet in the air.
You can get tickets earlier in the day from the Monument Lodge, then return at night to see Washington laid out at your feet and all lit up like a postcard. The extended hours end on Labor Day.
What are you waiting for? It's free. It's a great spot for a date — but make sure to ascertain whether your inamorato has acrophobia first. Otherwise, well, you might look back and laugh on your fifth anniversary, but no promises on that.
» Washington Monument, 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; through Monday, free, 202-426-6841. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Jill Karnicki/The Washington Post
IN ALL THE buzz about China, Russia and Georgia, did you forget about Afghanistan?
Well, the National Gallery didn't! They're showing "Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame," a film about an Afghan girl trying desperately to get an education. The saddest part is that our first response is "Yeah, good luck with that."
Did I mention that this girl is SIX YEARS OLD?
Not that I'm advocating U.S. involvement abroad, but isn't there something we can do about educating women in Third World countries? And child marriage, and all that other stuff we ignore under the guise of respecting someone else's culture, when we'll actually go in and destroy infrastructure only when we're getting oil out of it?
» National Gallery, 600 Constitution Ave. NW; Sat., 12 p.m., Sun., 11:30 a.m., free; 202-737-4215. (Smithsonian)
ABOUT A YEAR ago, the world of film lost one of its most prolific and most well-named film directors: Michelangelo Antonioni. Told you he had a good name. He also had a knack for all things cinematic, and the National Gallery of Art is celebrating his accomplishments with the "Italian Treasures" film series.
On Saturday, you can take in Antonioni's naughty, powerful "La Notte," the tale of a husband and wife dealing with love, sexuality and loss. Then you can go home and appreciate the relative normalcy with which you live.
» The National Gallery of Art (East Building Concourse), 600 Constitution Ave. NW; Sat., Aug. 16, 4:30 p.m., free; 202-737-4215. (Smithsonian)
Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Art
THE SMITHSONIAN'S STEVEN ECKERD acknowledges the importance of "Pokemon," "Cowboy Bebop," "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and other famous series in the worlds of manga and anime, but he says it's just as critical to understand the classic Japanese art that preceded them.
So for the past few years, Eckerd has made his summer project teaching children and teenagers about the traditions — such as the Edo period of Japanese art, or the work of painter and printmaker Hokusai — that are integral to understanding modern manga and anime. With the "Anime: Young Artists Residency" program, local 8- to 14-year-olds can learn about the development of manga drawing and anime films, as well as work with artists and educators to develop their own skills as illustrators. This year, the program runs from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14 in the Sackler Gallery.
"It turns out that anime is starting with a contemporary art tradition in Japan, which is extremely popular among a segment of young people in the United States, who in many cases have no other knowledge or interest in Japanese culture," Eckerd says. "It forms a bridge that brings them into the museum, and allows them to start appreciating Japanese art and culture beyond anime."
Continue Reading "Beyond Pokemon: Anime for Young Artists" »
IF YOU'VE BEEN meaning to go to Screen on the Green, make that desire a reality at the very last installment tonight. What is worthy of season-finale status? Why, "Superman," of course.
You can head down to the Mall as early as 5 p.m. and set up blankets and chairs, or even gorge on a picnic until the movie starts (this usually happens around 8:30 or 9 p.m.). Then, for the affordable price of free, watch the late, great Christopher Reeve sprint, jump and fly around in a tight blue and red suit as the quintessential American superhero.
For those of you who live outside the District, this might be one worth coming into town for. There's no experience as unique (or as D.C.) as taking in Clark Kent and kryptonite amidst some of the greatest monuments, memorials and museums on Earth.
» National Mall between 4th and 7th streets; Mon., Aug. 11, 8:30 p.m., free; 877-262-5866. (Smithsonian)
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
MARJORIE BURNS' ACADEMIC specialty is the 19th century British novel — your old university friends Dickens and those guys.
So how is it that she comes to the S. Dillon Ripley Center on Aug. 7 to talk about Thor, Loki, Odin and those guys?
It was a circuitous route that led to Middle-Earth, to British translator and design icon William Morris, to Narnia and to Norway, where Burns was a Fulbright Professor.
Now the Portland State University, Ore., professor, who teaches courses on J.R.R. Tolkien, Celtic and Norse mythology, and even 19th century British literature, will discuss "Journey to Valhalla: The Lasting Influence of the Old Norse World."
Expect plenty of visual aids and some surprises.
» EXPRESS: Is the influence of the sagas the doing of Pre-Raphaelites such as Morris?
» BURNS: Actually, it goes back further. But with the 19th century of Romantics, it took on this romantic aura, you can imagine. The idea of categorizing and collecting and saving and organizing, and philology — which we now call linguistics — all of those things were actually going on a little in the 17th century, moving up in the 18th century and then it sort of filtered through the Romantics. I have a lot of illustrations from that time, some early figures of gods carved on stone and then some sort of sweeping themes featuring bosomy women.
Continue Reading "Oh, Valhalla! Marjorie Burns on the Old Norse World" »
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