IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO today that Alan Bean became the fourth man to walk on the moon. During the Apollo 12 mission, he executed scientific experiments and collected rocks for study back on Earth, and everything the astronaut learned served to further NASA's understanding of the moon.
But that knowledge has also been invaluable to Bean's post-astronaut career: Since June 1981 he's been a full-time painter whose sole focus is capturing his experiences on, and knowledge of, the moon.
"My job is trying to tell as many of the stories that I know that I think will get lost if I don't tell them," Bean said on his paintings. "When I'm thinking of my life expectancy — I'm 77 now — I don't say, 'Gee, I hope I live a long time so I won't die.' I say, 'I hope I live a long time because I have a lot of these things to do before I'm gone.'"
The National Air and Space Museum's exhibition "Alan Bean: Painting Apollo, First Artist on Another World" displays more than 50 pieces, plus 18 NASA artifacts related to the mission, and it shows how the astronaut artist balances his right- and left-brain thinking to create images that are as striking visually as they are elucidating scientifically. [Click here to read our interview with curator Carolyn Russo.]
But despite the moon trip being a defining point in his life, Bean said he rarely thinks of the Earth's satellite outside of when he's working on a painting.
"I don't — I'm thinking art thoughts," he said. "I may be saying, 'Does this look like the surface of the moon?' ... So, from that point of view, I'm thinking about the moon. But when I say, 'This rock needs to be more three dimensional, it needs to set on this sloping surface.' That's an art problem."
That's not to say Bean is over the moon. He knows the importance of his space exploration, including commanding Skylab 3 in 1973, which is why he's so intent on sharing his experiences through art.
"This was a great human adventure — certainly one of the greatest of the 20th century," he said. "And here I am lucky enough, blessed enough, with interest and skills to tell this story in a way that no one else can do it. I feel that duty."
There's more of our conversation with Capt. Bean after the jump, including his revolutionary ideas about what he would do if he ran the space program. (Two words: Oprah Winfrey.)
Continue Reading "Not Over the Moon: Alan Bean, First Artist on Another World" »
MONDAY: We never needed the Nobel committee to tell us Orhan Pamuk was brilliant. But yes, the Turkish author did win the Literature prize two years ago.
He's back with a new novel, "The Museum of Innocence," and he'll tell you about his life and inspiration at the National Museum of Natural History.
» National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; Mon., Nov. 23, 6:45 p.m., $25, students $10; 202-633-3030, Residentassociates.org. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
SAVING THE DAY
Manga and anime fans are abuzz over the Freer Gallery's glittering showcase "Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime," celebrating the creator of the pint-size hero the Japanese call Mighty Atom but we know as Astro Boy. On Friday at 7 p.m., author of "The Astro Boy Essays" Frederik Schodt talks about Tezuka and his creation. On Saturday, Schodt appears alongside Helen McCarthy, author of many books about Tezuka and manga; and Ada Palmer, founder of Tezukainenglish.com, for a discussion after the 2 p.m. screening of "The Film Is Alive: Osamu Tezuka Filmography."
» Freer Gallery, Jefferson Drive & 12th Street SW; series runs through Dec. 13, free tickets distributed one hour before event time; 202-633-4880, Asia.si.edu (Smithsonian)
Continue Reading "Indies & Arties: The Superhero and the Outsider" »
WEDNESDAY: It has actually been a year since the day Barack Obama was elected president. We can't believe it either. Where are the flying cars? Where are the jetpacks? We were promised fingerpainting!
Anyway, a panel of experts, including White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and journalist Chuck Todd, will offer their insight into the changes of the past year tonight.
» National Museum of American History, Baird Auditorium, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW; Wed., Nov. 4, 6:45 p.m., $40; 202-633-3030. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
THURSDAY: The Freer Gallery hosts a screening of Chinese artist Sun Xun's video works, followed by a conversation with the artist, who will discuss the videos and his creative process. Xun combines China's past and present in his complex, evocative works, which are put together from various sources, drawn or painted and then filmed.
» Freer Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW; Thu., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., free; 202-633-1000, Asia.si.edu. (Smithsonian)
Photo courtesy the Freer Gallery
THE FREER GALLERY'S Meyer Auditorium hosts the mini film festival Bringing the World Home: The Global Film Initiative, beginning on Friday and running through Nov. 8.
The first presentation is the visually dazzling "Opera Jawa" at 7 p.m. on Friday; it's an adaptation of a story from the Hindu saga "The Ramayana" set in lush Indonesia. On Sunday, the down-to-earth Filipino film "The Bet Collector" screens at 2 p.m.
» Freer Gallery, 1050 Jefferson St. SW; opens Fri., Oct. 23, through Nov. 8, free tickets distributed one hour before showtime; tickets can be reserved for a cost at Ticketmaster, 800-551-7328. (Smithsonian)
"Opera Jawa" image courtesy the Freer Gallery
THE NATIONAL MALL has become a neighborhood of futuristic houses, at least for this weekend. It's playing host to the Solar Decathlon, in which 20 university teams from around the world bring solar-powered houses to the Mall to be judged.
Teams spend two years designing and building their structures. The Department of Energy gives research grants to the top 20 teams, which then compete (this weekend concludes the judging) in 10 categories including architecture, market viability, energy use and comfort level.
Real inventions and innovations come out of the contest. This year, Team Ontario is patenting an aluminum frame that holds up three layers of glass that conduct sunlight. Team California uses bamboo to make I-beam support posts for its house.
Continue Reading "The Mall Lets the Light In: Solar Decathlon" »
WEDNESDAY: This year, the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, is worth celebrating — and no one does that with more joy and more internal rhyme than Richard Milner.
His one-man show, "Charles Darwin: Live at the Smithsonian," brings the hero behind modern thought to singing, dancing life. Milner, a latter-day Tom Lehrer, certainly puts the fun in "fundamental theories of science."
» National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 10th & Constitution Ave. NW; Wed., Oct. 7, 7 p.m., $23; 202-633-3030, Residentassociates.org. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
SATURDAY: Whether you love books or just want to see Michelle Obama's sculpted arms in person, the ninth National Book Festival, hosted by the president and first lady, is the place to be this weekend.
Authors from all over the country will descend upon the National Mall on Saturday, reading and signing their works. Headliners include John Grisham, Junot Diaz and Judy Blume, but don't miss out on Douglas Brinkley, who once taught an art class on a bus tour of the U.S., or America's number one butter-lover, Paula Deen, who will be lending a bit of Southern charm (and a few thousand calories) to the Teens and Children Pavilion as well.
If you can't make it out to the Mall or just want to avoid the crowds, the Library of Congress will be posting live podcasts of the event on its Web site.
» National Mall, Sat., Sept. 26, 10 a.m., free; 888-714-4696. (Smithsonian)
Written by Express' Sarah Mimms
Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post
BIBLIOPHILES SHOULD HEAD down to the National Mall on Saturday for the ninth annual National Book Festival, which is bringing dozens of notable authors to D.C. From cookbook author and Food Network chef Paula Deen to novelist John Irving, readers of all ilks and tastes can find something to flip through at this year's festival.
While the format doesn't chang much from year to year, this year the festival is going high-tech — the Library of Congress will be disseminating information through Twitter and Facebook. If you follow the Library on Twitter, you can get day-of updates, or else join the Library's Facebook page. And you can also head over the festival's Web site, where you can find podcasts with interviews with festival authors.
Continue Reading "Read All About It: National Book Festival" »
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