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New: Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations
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Upcoming: September 29, 2010 - May 1, 2011
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The easternmost island of the Mediterranean has been a crossroads of civilizations for 11,000 years. Discover the history of Cyprus, its struggles, and achievements -- through a rich collection of antiquities, many of which are on view for the first time outside the country.
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- Permanent
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This exhibition examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa's peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment. Included are historical and contemporary objects from the museum's collections, as well as commissioned sculptures, textiles, and pottery. Video interactives and sound stations provide selections from contemporary interviews, literature, proverbs, prayers, folk tales, songs, and oral epics. Sections include:
• Wealth in Africa demonstrates how exchanges of objects build relationships between people; objects include an iron blade, a king's carved staff, a bridal veil, and a modern designer coffin (airplane).
• Market Crossroads re-creates the hustle and bustle of the downtown market in Accra, Ghana, and features a yam vendor, a kola-nut vendor, a cloth vendor, and a vendor of house wares.
• Working in Africa explores different types of work and how work is valued through ceremony and art.
• Living in Africa features an aqal (a portable Somali home) and a carved wood door from Zanzibar.
• Kongo Crossroads displays objects of reverence and remembrance used to honor ancestors, including Kongo power figures, Christian crosses, and grave memorials.
• Global Africa addresses the forced versus voluntary migrations of African peoples and includes the diaspora in America and Freedom Theater.
• History Pathway features displays of historical moments to create a walk through the millennia, including the pharaohs of ancient Nubia and the election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1994.
• Focus Gallery houses the temporary exhibition Discover Rastafari! (see separate listing).
Freedom Theater (two 15-minute videos run continuously)
Web: www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices
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Birds of the District of Columbia
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- Indefinitely
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Year-round and seasonal residents, migrants and vagrants--hundreds of bird species--are displayed. They all live in the region extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Allegheny Mountains. Learn where and when to look for a snowy owl or ruffed grouse, warbling vireo or orange-crowned warbler, chickadee or indigo bunting.
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- Indefinitely
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Soft-bodied and hard-shelled animals, tall sponges and algae offer a rare glimpse into the earliest explosion of animal life about 515 million years ago. This plethora of weird wonders was reconstructed based on fossils preserved in the rocks of the Burgess Shale. In 1909, Charles Wolcott, then Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, discovered the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in British Columbia, Canada. The museum houses more than 65,000 Burgess Shale fossils, many of which are still intensively studied by scientists around the world. Dozens are on display. See Smithsonian magazine: February 1983, p. 153, and August 2009, pp. 15-17.
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Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution
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- Permanent
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This exhibition shows how butterflies have evolved, adapted, and diversified with their plant partners over millions of years. Housed within this exhibition is a special Butterfly Pavilion, which looks like a cocoon, where visitors can walk among hundreds of live butterflies and pesticide-free plants to observe butterfly behaviors ranging from flying and sipping nectar at flowers to roosting and emerging from chrysalides. These butterflies will hatch from pupae raised on farms in Africa, Asia, and North and South America.
Note: To maintain an environment conducive for butterflies, the temperature inside the Pavilion will be 80-85 degrees with high humidity. For operating hours, visit the Web For ticketing information, visit the Web See Smithsonian magazine, Dec. 2007, "From the Secretary" (p. 28) and Feb. 2006 (p. 10). Photography permitted
Wheelchairs permitted in Pavilion, but no strollers allowed
Web: www.butterflies.si.edu
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Dinosaurs: Reptiles: Masters of Land
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- Permanent
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All of the old favorites are on view in the exhibition hall, including the gigantic 90-foot-long Diplodocus, horned Triceratops, and the Stegosaurus model. Other attractions include Quetzalcoatlus, a huge toothless pterosaur with a 40-foot wingspan, posed in flight; a nest of dinosaur eggs; and the meat-eating Allosaurus -- 8 feet tall and 20 feet long -- challenging newly re-mounted Stegosaurus. Additions include:
• Case: Dinosaurs in Our Backyard: April 28, 2010 (new opening date)
From 225 to 65 million years ago, dinosaurs lived everywhere on Earth -- including around Washington, D.C. This case explores how scientists piece together information about dinosaur biology, ecology, and evolution from fossil specimens and reveals the important contributions amateur collectors make to the museum's collections and knowledge. It features a unique skeleton impression of a baby dinosaur of a species new to science. See February 2010 Smithsonian magazine, p. 26 • Stegosaurus: June 2003
Originally discovered in 1887 and first exhibited in 1917, the museum's original Stegosaurus skeleton was replaced with a more dynamically posed cast, and now defends itself against the approaching predator Allosaurus. • Triceratops: May 2001
The museum's 65-million-year-old Triceratops -- named "Hatcher" in honor of John Bell Hatcher, who discovered the original fossil in Wyoming in 1891 -- has received a 21st-century overhaul. Through digital technology, this three-horned dinosaur has been re-mounted with a more accurate skeletal structure and posture. Positioned in a face-off with its rival T. rex, it is placed with related species to reveal the evolution and diversity of the ceratopsian dinosaur group. Nearby, an interactive video explains the conservation of the original fossil, how laser scanning created the first "digital dinosaur," the computer-aided creation of the new mount, and a digital animation of the new skeleton. See the related article in Smithsonian magazine: October 2000, p. 34. • T. rex, "King of the Tyrant Lizards": November 1999
This full-size cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is on loan indefinitely from Voyage Expanded Learning, Inc. The original specimen was 65% complete and was discovered in South Dakota. Also the following areas are featured nearby:
• FossiLab: This working preparation laboratory allows visitors an opportunity to watch museum technicians at work removing fossilized remains from blocks of sediment.
Note: There is no set schedule when staff are working in the lab, but visitors can always see the lab and examples of fossils at various stages of extraction. • Fossils and Flight (balcony, back part of Dinosaurs Hall): This exhibition provides an overview of airborne animals over the past 300 million years. These animals can be divided into two groups:
- Flapping fliers, which actively propel themselves through the air. These include flying reptiles (pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus), mammals (bats), birds (Archaeopteryx), and insects (dragonflies and cockroaches).
- Gliders, which soar or "fall" through the air from one place to another, using membranes to control and prolong their descent. Examples include gliding fishes, mammals (flying squirrel), amphibians (gliding frog), and reptiles (gliding lizard and snake). • Living Fossils (balcony, back part of Dinosaurs Hall): A phrase coined by Charles Darwin, "living fossils" are modern plants and animals that have remained similar in appearance to their fossil ancestors. Although primitive in appearance, they can be successful and diverse, ranging from stony sponges to the dawn redwood tree, and from horseshoe crabs to the tuatara (a lizard-like reptile). • Fossil Ray-fins and Sharks (ramp leading from balcony to 2nd floor): Fossils of ray-fin fishes dating from the Devonian Period (350 million years ago) to the Eocene (50 million years ago) are on view, including a complete Ananogmius within the body cavity of Xiphactinus (Late Cretaceous, 85 million years ago). The jaws of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) are shown next to an outline of the extinct giant white shark (Carcharodon megalodon).
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Fossil Mammals: Mammals in the Limelight
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- Permanent
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This exhibition focuses on the spectacular evolution of mammals as the dominant class of vertebrates following the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. Four huge murals -- painted by Jay Matternes, Robert Hynes, and John Gurche -- re-create scenes of animal and plant life in successive epochs of the Age of Mammals. The murals provide settings for fossil specimens, including mounted skeletons, many of them assembled from fossils unearthed in the American West by Smithsonian scientists.
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Fossils Galore: A Grand Opening
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- Permanent
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This exhibition documents the dramatic explosion of hard-shelled life at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era 570 million years ago. Rare 530-million-year-old fossilized soft-bodied animals of the Burgess Shale are on display here. These fossils, which are among the Smithsonian's greatest finds, were discovered in 1910 by the Institution's 4th Secretary, Charles D. Walcott.
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Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of
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- Permanent
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This hall features 2,500 minerals and gems, including the Hope Diamond, Hooker Emerald Brooch, and Star of Asia sapphire. It also explores the birth and evolution of the solar system and the earth's changing surface through computer interactives and video presentations and is divided into the following sections: • The Harry Winston Gallery houses the Hope Diamond, in a specially designed case.
Sept. 23, 2009-late 2010:
To mark the Hope Diamond's 50th anniversary at the museum, the museum held a contest to vote on one of three new temporary settings designed by Harry Winston, Inc. Through November 17, 2010 (tentative), while the winning design is being crafted, the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond is on view as a stand-alone gem, with no setting at all. Beginning November 18, 2010 (tentative), the diamond will be on view in its new setting through late 2010, when it returns to its historic setting.
• The National Gem Collection features:
- the Marie Antoinette diamond earrings
- a 263-carat diamond necklace and a diadem (tiara) given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise
- the Janet Annenberg Hooker fancy yellow diamonds
- 2 topaz crystals from Brazil, weighing 111 and 70 pounds respectively, and a 23,000-carat cut-and-polished topaz
- a 423-carat sapphire set in diamonds
- the DeYoung red and pink diamonds
- the 127-carat Portuguese diamond, the largest cut diamond in the collection
- the Rosser Reeves ruby
• The Minerals and Gems Gallery features some 2,000 specimens grouped by shape, color, growth, and other characteristics.
• The Mine Gallery features a re-creation of 4 mines showing crystal pockets and ore veins in created dioramas.
• The Plate Tectonics Gallery illustrates how earthquakes, mountain chains, and volcanoes result from the constantly shifting plates of the Earth's surface and features the "Plate Tectonics Theater" and interactive computer stations.
• The Moon, Meteorites, and Solar System Gallery explores the birth and evolution of our solar system through films, computer interactives, and specimens and features moon rocks, a touchable Mars rock, meteorites, and stardust.
• The Rocks Gallery focuses on how rocks record and verify the geological processes that have shaped our planet -- erosion and deposition, which destroy and create rocks on Earth's surface and heat and pressure, which transform and melt rocks within the Earth.
Additions include:
April 11, 2007:
• New Acquisitions (Rotating Case)
This case displays two gemstones acquired by the Tiffany and Co. Foundation Endowment (established in 2007).
-- a 40.10-carat Elbaite, a type of purple tourmaline
-- a 15.93-carat Grossular (variety tsavorite), a type of blue-green garnet Oct. 16, 2004:
• The Carmen Lucia Ruby, weighing 23.1-carats, is one of the largest faceted Burmese rubies known to exist. The stone is set in platinum and flanked by 2 triangular colorless diamonds measuring 1.1 and 1.27 carats. Note: Donated by Peter Buck, co-founder of the Subway sandwich chain.
See related article in Feb. 2005 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 40 and 43 Early December 2001:
• The Eberly Gallery features aquamarine, garnet, and tourmaline gemstones from Africa, including a 12.11-carat trillion-cut tanzanite in a platinum setting, 2 Nigerian tourmalines, a Malian grossular, a Nigerian spessartine, a Kenyan catseye alexandrite, and a Madagascan liddicoateite. See April 2005 Smithsonian magazine, p. 4.
September 1997 Smithsonian magazine, page 56.
May 1995 Smithsonian magazine, pages 18, 20, and 22.
March 1994 Smithsonian magazine, page 24. Related books:
• The National Gem Collection, $39.95 (cloth), $24.95 (paper)
• Blue Mystery: The Story of the Hope Diamond, $9.95 (paper)
Web: www.mnh.si.edu/earth
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Ice Age: Ice Age Mammals and the Emergence of Man
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- Permanent
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This hall provides a glimpse of the Ice Age, one of the most extraordinary times in earth's history. Mounted skeletons of some of the largest Ice Age mammals dominate the hall: a towering giant ground sloth, a woolly mammoth, an Irish elk, a long-tusked American mastodon, a saber-toothed cat, the mummified remains of a big horned bison, and dozens of other Ice Age animals are displayed. At the northeast entrance, is a life-sized diorama of a reconstructed Neanderthal burial site depicting a Neanderthal family burying a young man in a shallow grave, along with tools and food; the reconstructed diorama is based on a 70,000-year-old site found in the Regourdou cave in Dordogne, France. Mummies On View:
- Animal mummies on view in the hall include a naturally mummified (freeze-dried) big-horned bison and the rear lower leg and foot of a horse.
Note: For information on the Iceman and human mummies, see Origins of Western Cultures. Addition:
April 1998:
• Text panels on human evolution explain advances in the study of human evolution made since the exhibition hall opened in 1974.
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- Indefinitely
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To celebrate the country's distinctive art, culture, and 2,000-year history, on view are some 85 objects, including Korean ceramics, wooden furniture, stone and wooden sculptures, paintings, and textiles. The exhibition is divided into the following thematic sections:
• Korean Ceramics: A Tradition of Excellence
• Honoring Family
• The Korean Wedding
• Hangeul: Symbol of Pride, exploring Korean calligraphy and the Korean writing system
• Landscapes of Korea, exploring the country's natural history and built landscape
• Korea Beyond Borders, exploring the cultural identity of Koreans and their descendants living around the world
• Contemporary Korean Art, illustrating that modern Korea finds inspiration in the rich traditions of its past See related article in Smithsonian magazine: June 2007, p. 40.
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- Permanent
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Fantastic marine fossils tell the story of evolution and extinction in the seas in three acts: the Paleozoic Era (540 to 250 million years ago), when odd prehistoric creatures such as trilobites abounded; the Mesozoic Era (250 to 65 million years ago), when marine reptiles such as mososaurs appeared; and the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to today), when the numbers and kinds of shelled animals increased, and when the primitive whale took to the seas. Through sound and lighting, the hall gives the feeling of being underwater in the marine realm. Among the approximately 2,000 fossils on exhibit is the Zygorhiza fossil. To bring these creatures to life, the exhibition features a series of murals showing the fleshed-out animals these fossils once were and a full-scale diorama of a 250-million-year-old reef made of more than 100,000 models. Fossils added to the exhibition:
- Zygorhiza kochii, an early whale fossil, is currently on view and replaced Basilosaurus
- Squalicorax, a relative of today's great white shark
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Mammals, Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of
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- Permanent
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This hall showcases some 274 mammals and explores their diversity and how they originated and adapted to changing landscapes and environments over the last 225 million years -- from polar to desert regions and from dry to humid environments. The exhibition addresses such questions as: What is a mammal? Why do some mammals live in groups while others live alone? How many kinds of mammals are there and what are their habitat preferences? How are mammals related? How and why do scientists study mammals? The exhibition also shares information about the unusual -- the oddest specimens (including egg-laying mammals), the rarest specimens (an okapi from Africa), and the oldest known mammal (Morganucadon) from 210 million years ago. Highlights include:
• various habitats: Africa, North America, South America, and Australia
• an Evolution Theater with an 8-minute film. Seated on a bench in the theater is a bronze sculpture of a chimpanzee named Harriet.
• Discovery areas that include computer interactives, touchable objects, and educational question-and-answer stations for families
• A small area in the South America section highlights the work of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the history and background of Barro Colorado Island, Panama, where STRI scientists do research (added summer 2005). See related articles in Smithsonian magazine: Nov. 2003, p. 14 and pp. 41-44. Related book: $75 (cloth) Satellite Museum Store
Web: www.mnh.si.edu/mammals
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Outdoor Sculptures, including Sculptures from Nature
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- Permanent
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Near Constitution Avenue entrance: • Colossal Head: This replica of an Olmec "Colossal Head" (Monument #7) from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan in Veracruz, Mexico, was sculpted by Ignacio Perez Solano of Veracruz. Installed Oct. 19, 2001. • Triceratops Head: The bronze statue of a Triceratops head was installed on July 19, 2001. Near Madison Drive entrance: Sculptures from Nature: • Banded Iron Ore Boulder: On one plinth is a banded iron ore boulder, 7 x 5 feet in size and approximately 2.25 billion years old. One side is cut and polished. The boulder is from Ishpeming, Michigan. Installed March 16, 1985. • Petrified Logs: On the other plinth are two petrified logs, each 8 feet long x 3 feet in diameter and over 180 million years old. One end of each log is cut and polished. The logs are from Holbrook, Arizona. Installed March 16, 1985.
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- Permanent
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Life-size displays illustrate the eating habits, defenses, and locomotion of a variety of snakes and amphibians. Reptiles on view include a preserved king cobra, reticulated python, and boa constrictors from the Malayan and Amazonian jungles; sea turtles; crocodiles; and lizards.
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- Permanent
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Covering 71% of the Earth's surface and containing 97% of the planet's water, the ocean is a vast and complex ecosystem; it is intrinsically connected to other global ecosystems and is essential to all life, including our own. In this new hall, the importance and complexity of the ocean is revealed through a cross-disciplinary perspective -- biological, geological, and anthropological. Information on understanding and predicting changes to the Earth's environment and on how to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs is also highlighted. Highlights include a life-size model of a 45-foot North Atlantic right whale, based on the real female whale named Phoenix, the centerpiece of the exhibition; two giant squids; a set of 7-foot-tall jaws of the extinct great white shark (Carcharodon megalodon), the biggest shark that ever lived; and a 26-foot long Northwest Coast canoe, carved especially for the exhibition by a Tlingit master carver. The other 10 sections are as follows:
• Living on an Ocean Planet presents cutting-edge research and critical ocean-related issues and features interactive computer stations.
• Shores to Shallows highlights different kinds of coastal ecosystems around the world and how they are affected by humans.
• The Coral Reef, a 1,500-gallon aquarium featuring a living model of an Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystem with some 50 live, colorful specimens.
• The Poles demonstrates the differences between the North and South poles and how life thrives at both through extreme adaptations.
• Ocean Systems, featuring "Science on a Sphere," a large rotating 360-degree global display suspended from the ceiling with images and narration that explains many of the complex aspects of the ocean, including what the ocean produces, how it changes, and how it interacts with the atmosphere.
• Journey Through Time gives visitors the opportunity to compare fossils of a large number of ancient animals; some are more than 500 million years old.
• Deep Ocean Exploration, a 13-minute video shown continuously in the exhibit theater, takes visitors on a dive to the very bottom of the ocean's floor in a submersible with scientists as they uncover some of the her deepest mysteries.
• Collections, featuring a special showcase, displays the world's largest and most diverse collection of marine specimens and explains how this collection helps scientists make sense of ocean life.
• Ocean in the News: An "Ocean Today" kiosk provides interactive ocean news -- giving regular updates on ocean-related topics around the world.
• Focus Gallery featuring changing exhibitions (see separate listing).
Also, the exhibition uses modern technology to create the following:
• High Bay Media Experience: The main hall's upper walls are transformed into windows into the ocean through high definition underwater footage.
• The Ocean as a Laboratory The work of marine scientists around the world is revealed through 7 audio-visual stories, a large map, and photo essays. See related articles in Smithsonian magazine: April 2010, p. 25; September 2008; and December 2005, p. 10. Related Smithsonian publication Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World: $39.95 Small Shop, at the north entrance of the exhibition Created in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Web: ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/
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Western Cultures Hall: Origins of Western Culture
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- September 26, 2010 (new closing date)
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The institutions, traditions and ideals of North American cultures are deeply rooted in those of western Asia, northern Africa, and Europe. This hall explores some examples from various cultures in the western world including northern Iraq, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and the recent discovery of the Iceman, a Copper Age mummy found in an Italian glacier.
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Future Exhibition: Nature's Best 2010 Photography Awards: Windland Smith Rice International Awards
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Upcoming: April 16, 2011 - September 25, 2011
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On view are winners in various categories from the 2010 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, including the Grand Prize, Conservation Photographer of the Year, Youth Photographer of the Year, and selected Highly Honored images. The annual awards honor the best amateur and professional nature photographers from around the world.
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Last update: August 30, 2010, 19:15
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