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2015 Annual Smithsonian Weekend Program
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Friday, May 8 |
| 11:00 am – 1:00 pm |
Planned Giving Open House
Freer Conference Room
Freer Gallery of Art
Please stop by to meet the staff and ask questions in an informal setting. Informational materials will be available.
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1:00 – 1:45 pm |
Welcome Address by Acting Secretary Albert G. Horvath
Meyer Auditorium
Freer Gallery of Art
Click here to watch Welcome Address.
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2:00 – 3:00 pm
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Afternoon Tours in Smithsonian Museums
Members may choose from the following tours:
America's Presidents
National Portrait Gallery
Tour the outstanding America’s Presidents exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery with historian David Ward, where you will have the opportunity to view the portraits that evoke the history of the nation’s highest office and the individuals who have occupied it.
 At the Hub of Things
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Join curator Evelyn Hankins for a special tour of At the Hub of Things, an exciting exhibition celebrating the Hirshhorn Museum’s 40th anniversary with fresh perspectives on the museum’s world-class holdings of modern and contemporary art installed in the newly renovated galleries.
Behind-the-Scenes at the Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Castle
Enjoy a unique tour of the historic rooms in the Smithsonian Castle with docents specializing in the Castle Collection. Visit several non-public locations including the Regents' Room and the Castle Library.
Elaine de Kooning: Portraits
National Portrait Gallery
Tour the new exhibition Elaine de Kooning: Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery with exhibition curator Brandon Fortune. Members will get a glimpse into the fantastic work and amazing life of well-known portraitist Elaine de Kooning.
 Exploring Artists' Books through Smithsonian Libraries
National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum Libraries
Explore the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library and learn more about Artists’ Books, the special collection of limited editions and unique artworks in book form.
Freedom Just Around the Corner:
Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights
National Postal Museum
Tour the National Postal Museum’s new exhibition, Freedom Just Around the Corner, with curator Calvin Mitchell. The exhibition includes letters carried by enslaved Americans, mail sent by and to leaders of the civil rights movement and original artwork for numerous stamps issued by the United States Postal Service.
 Hear My Voice
National Museum of American History
Join curator Carlene Stephens for an exclusive members only tour of Hear My Voice at the National Museum of American History, a new exhibition about the early history of sound recording featuring recently extracted sounds created by Alexander Graham Bell.
Highlights of American History
National Museum of American History
Gain a new perspective on America's history during a private docent-led tour featuring highlights of the National Museum of American History, including the Star-Spangled Banner, American Stories exhibition, and more.
Nation to Nation
National Museum of the American Indian
The exhibition Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations opened last September, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C. One of the Museum’s Cultural Interpreters will lead the special tour of this fascinating exhibition.
Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity
National Air and Space Museum
Join the National Air and Space Museum’s Associate Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Roger Launius, for an insider’s look into NASM’s newest and extremely popular exhibition, Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity.
 The Last American Dinosaurs
National Museum of Natural History
The Last American Dinosaurs, a brand-new exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, tells the story of the final days of dinosaurs, 66 million years ago. Explore this world from the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, just before an enormous asteroid impact drastically altered Earth’s flora and fauna forever.
The Traveler's Eye: Scenes of Asia
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Enjoy a private viewing of the captivating exhibition The Traveler’s Eye: Scenes of Asia at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Featuring more than 100 works created over the past five centuries, The Traveler’s Eye provides glimpses of travels across the Asian continent, from pilgrimages and research trips to expeditions for trade and tourism.
Tour of ARTLAB+
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Explore ARTLAB+ at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden with Director of Digital Learning Ryan Hill and learn more about the radically inclusive digital media studio and programming of ARTLAB+, a safe space for local youth to explore and create new art.
 Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Join Joann Moser, deputy chief curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, for a special tour of The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Kuniyoshi was one of the finest early American modernists. This exhibition is the first overview of Kuniyoshi’s work in more than twenty-five years and presents a highly selective survey of nearly seventy of the artist’s best paintings and drawings.
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3:30 – 4:30 pm
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Afternoon Tours in Smithsonian Museums*
Members may choose from the following tours:
Arts of China
Freer Gallery of Art
Explore the world-renowned holdings of Chinese art and artifacts at the Freer-Sackler Galleries during a special tour of the Arts of China. Members will have the opportunity to travel through time as they view the jades and bronzes of ancient China, as well as imperial and religious objects from more recent periods.
Behind-the-Scenes at the Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Castle
Enjoy a unique tour of the historic rooms in the Smithsonian Castle with docents specializing in the Castle Collection. Visit several non-public locations including the Regents' Room and the Castle Library.
Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria
National Museum of African Art
Go on a special tour of exhibition Chief S.O. Alonge: Photographer to the Royal Court of Benin, Nigeria. Solomon Osagie Alonge (1911–1994) was one of Nigeria’s premiere photographers and the first official photographer of the royal court of Benin, Nigeria. Chief Alonge’s legacy includes 60 years of photography — an archive of over 3,000 images that represents an unprecedented visual history of Benin royalty and society in the 20th century.
 Highlights of American History
National Museum of American History
Gain a new perspective on America's history during a private docent-led tour featuring highlights of the National Museum of American History, including the Star-Spangled Banner, American Stories exhibition, and more.
Landscape Architecture in Smithsonian Gardens
Various Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens has created several beautiful spaces around the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. All have been designed to complement the museums they border and to enhance the overall museum experience. Bill Donnelly, Smithsonian Gardens’ Landscape Architect will guide tour participants through various Smithsonian Gardens.
*Watch for additional tours to be added on the Registration Site.
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6:30 – 9:00 pm |
 Recognition Dinner with the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History, Kirk Johnson*
National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
*This event recognizes annual giving donors of $10,000 and above and James Smithson Society Endowed Life Members.
Complimentary valet parking
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Saturday, May 9
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| 8:00 – 8:45 am |
Morning Coffee
Mitsitam Café
National Museum of the American Indian
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9:00 – 10:15 am |
 Smithsonian Now + Next
Rasmuson Theater
National Museum of the American Indian
Smithsonian Now + Next is a multimedia production with scholars and scientists from across the Institution who are transforming our understanding of art, history, science and culture.
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10:30 – 11:30 am |
Morning Tours in Smithsonian Museums
Members may choose from the following tours:
Arts of Japan
Freer Gallery of Art
Travel to Japan by examining the Freer Gallery of Art’s unparalleled collection of Japanese paintings, lacquerware, prints, ceramics and sculpture in this special tour of the Arts of Japan. Learn about the imortance of these works in Japanese culture, past and present.
 Behind-the-Scenes at the Smithsonian Castle
Smithsonian Castle
Enjoy a unique tour of the historic rooms in the Smithsonian Castle with docents specializing in the Castle Collection. Visit several non-public locations including the Regents' Room and the Castle Library.
Collections and Conservation Tour
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
 Join sculpture conservator Gwynne Ryan on a behind-the-scenes tour and learn about the challenges and considerations that conservators of 20th and 21st century artworks face on a daily basis. Witness the process of intervening in the work of art so that it continues to reflect the artist’s intention.
Freedom Just Around the Corner:
Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights
National Postal Museum
Tour the National Postal Museum’s new exhibition, Freedom Just Around the Corner, with curator Calvin Mitchell. The exhibition includes letters carried by enslaved Americans, mail sent by and to leaders of the civil rights movement and original artwork for numerous stamps issued by the United States Postal Service.
 Highlights of the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
Enjoy a fascinating tour of the amazing artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum that tell the story of humankind’s incredible journey from the first flight at Kitty Hawk to Neil Armstrong’s ‘giant step’ on the Moon.
Nation to Nation
National Museum of the American Indian
The exhibition Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations opened last September, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C. One of the Museum’s Cultural Interpreters will lead the special tour of this fascinating exhibition.
 Q?rius
National Museum of Natural History
Enjoy a hands-on experience at the National Museum of Natural History as you explore Q?rius, the new state-of-the-art, interactive science learning center. Opened in 2013,
Q?rius is a first-of-its-kind experimental environment that brings the unique assets of the museum — including science, scientists, and collections — out from behind the scenes and into the public space.
 Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection Highlights
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience. Discover how the collection captures the American experience across four centuries, revealing diverse aspects of America’s rich artistic and cultural history from the colonial history to the present.
The Struggle for Justice
National Portrait Gallery
Tour the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition The Struggle for Justice, and view the portraits of major cultural and political figures, including women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton and cultural icon Jackie Robinson.
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11:00 am – 12:00 pm |
Morning Tours at the National Zoo
Members may choose from the following tours:
 Amazonia
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Join a Zoo curator for an exclusive tour of the captivating Amazonia exhibition at the National Zoo. Learn about rainforest biodiversity and the fish, birds, monkeys and other species that inhabit one of the most intriguing places on earth.
American Trail
 Smithsonian National Zoological Park
The American Trail showcases species that are gems of North American wildlife, and treasures to us all, the majority of which have survived conservation threats. Discover how these animals represent the triumph of the American spirit and conservation success stories.
Cheetah Conservation Station
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Come and visit the Cheetah Conservation Station. Learn more about how to improve management and husbandry in a zoo setting with special focus on the endangered cheetah. Speak with animal keepers and aids to learn more about cheetahs and what needs to be done to help save these endangered cats from extinction.
 Elephant Trail
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Visit the newly renovated Elephant Trail, home to the National Zoo’s herd of seven elephants, three of which recently arrived from the Calgary Zoo. The new expanded home fosters the development of a thriving, reproducing and multigenerational herd. Speak with elephant keepers and aids to learn more about how the Zoo is studying Asian elephant health, reproduction and social behaviors.
Lions and Tigers
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Learn about the Zoo’s programs in lion and tiger conservation, breeding and animal management and discover what goes into caring for these great cats. Explore how Zoo conservation biologists are working with colleagues on lions' home ground in Africa, and tigers' in Asia, to develop the scientific understanding necessary for effective conservation.
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12:30 – 2:30 pm |
Luncheon for Smithsonian Legacy Society Members with Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Director, Steve Monfort*
Picnic Pavilion
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
Join Dr. Steve Monfort, Director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), as he shares examples of how SCBI scientists are conducting research to understand and sustain biodiversity.
*This event is for all Smithsonian Legacy Society Members
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7:00 – 10:00 pm |
The 39th Annual James Smithson Reception and Dinner*
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
National Air and Space Museum
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA
 The culmination of the Annual Smithsonian Weekend is the Annual James Smithson Reception and Dinner. Co-hosted by the Acting Secretary and the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum, the event is an opportunity to hear from Smithsonian leaders about current initiatives and future programs and exhibititions.
*Black Tie
Complimentary self-parking
Invitation is for two and is not transferable
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Hotel Accommodations
The Grand Hyatt Washington has reserved a limited number of rooms at the discounted rate of $199 a night, May 8-9, 2015. Please contact the hotel directly at 888-421-1442 (refer to the Smithsonian room block.) Make your arrangements before
April 16 to take advantage of this special offer.
For more information call
202-633-2040 or toll-free 877-577-1775.
You may also email us at annualsmithsonianweekend@si.edu.
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