Deep Time & Dinosaurs : Exhibition Spotlight

What, exactly, is “deep time?” Deep time, as a concept, dates back two centuries; a revelatory period when scientists and geologists began to posit that the Earth was much, much older than conventional wisdom which had it dated only to about 6,000 years. Deep time is a way to talk about the vast, almost unfathomable epochs and eras of Earth’s development before humans. It’s a an acknowledgement that humans have existed for just a tiny fraction of a fraction of a fraction of our planet’s history. To study and learn about deep time, we have to allow ourselves to think in units of time that go far beyond the average human lifespan. Millions of years. Billions of years.

This is the charge of the new exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History entitled Hall of Fossils - Deep Time. Yes, this marks the return of the dinosaur & fossil hall. The dinosaur fossils are the main attraction. Even with a temporary exhibition open the past few years, the museum hasn’t been the same without the dinos. Well, they’re back!

The exhibition incorporates the most exciting parts of the previous dino hall —fossils, bones, and archaeology— with the latest science about the effects of human industry, technology, and habits on our changing world. . At 31,000 square feet with 700 fossils on display, the exhibition is large, but broken up into several galleries so visitors can experience takes on the major themes in manageable segments . The major themes are: 1) all life is connected, 2) evolution, 3) ecosystems change, 4) earth processes, 5) extinction, and 6) the age of humans and global change.

The Hall of Fossils - Deep Time opens June 8, 2019 and is a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History.

Georgetown Waterfront

The Lockkeeper's House

One of DC's oldest surviving buildings has just been restored. The 181 year old Lockkeeper's House is located just west of the Washington Monument, near 17th St and Constitution Ave NW.

The 350 square foot house was the home and workplace of lockkeepers who collected tolls and kept records of boats traveling through the Washington City Canal. The canal, which was filled in during the 1970s, ran along what is now Constitution Avenue.

The house recently underwent a $6 million renovation and slight relocation (of a few feet). It will reopen permanently later in 2018. This is a small, but fascinating part of Washington's history!

Exhibition Spotlight: Americans

Americans is a new, long term exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian. I was floored by this exhibition. In a good way! It's on my must-see list for Washington, DC museum-goers for this summer.

Americans features 300 objects, still images, moving image clips, and historical artifacts across a 9,000 square foot gallery. There are interactive digital touch tables and a reflection room with excellent questions to get you thinking and writing. In addition to the images and objects, three mini-galleries trace the long lasting impacts of the legacy of Pocahontas, our changing memories regarding Battle of Little Bighorn, and the implementation of Indian Removal Act.

The exhibition highlights the ways in which American Indians, and specifically Indian imagery have been part of our national identity from 1600s until the present. Some of the images are difficult to look at, some complex, some took me by surprise, and some were very familiar.

From vehicle names, to fashion, to machines of war, to sports, we've co-opted American Indian imagery for commercial, political, and propagandic purposes. Often times we have done this in prejudicial, careless, and harmful ways. Other images were seemingly benign or sought to honor or pay homage. Seeing it all presented here in mostly a matter-of-fact manner was affecting and educational. I was moved and reflective after the experience.

Americans is located on the 3rd floor of the National Museum of the American Indian (4th St and Independence Ave SW). It will be on display until the year 2022.

Learn more:

Americans exhibition interactive website (FYI - has sound).
National Museum of the American Indian official website.
The Invention of Thanksgiving short film/video (featured in the exhibition).
Exhibition review by the Washington Post.
 

Exhibition Spotlight: City of Hope

Model of Resurrection City

This is the first in a series of posts marking 50 years since 1968. For the District of Columbia, many other cities & towns --and indeed the nation-- 1968 marks a significant moment of truth; a crucial year in our history that helped shape the half century of American life after it.

Fortunately, DC has several museums and cultural institutions up to the task of offering thoughtful interpretation and reflection on events of that year.

City of Hope: Resurrection City & the 1968 Poor People's Campaign is a new exhibition by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and hosted at the National Museum of American History. The exhibition focuses on the extraordinary execution of a community space created in Washington, DC. The community was part of the Poor People's Campaign, a highly organized, multifaceted campaign to fulfill Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of ending poverty in America.

The exhibition follows a time linear narrative with four main sections starting with President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty," and ending with first person oral history-filled video kiosk exploring the impact of Resurrection City and the Poor People's campaign.  In the intermediate sections we're presented with photographs, music, videos, paper ephemera, built structures, and other artifacts specific to Resurrection City. The exhibition looks at the motivations for building the city, underlying ideals of the larger campagh, the actual layout and other built environment details, and  on valuable insight into daily life in the community.

This is a just deep enough dive into a three month stretch that will open your eyes on 1968. It wasn't just about assassinations and riots. It was about everything after.

City of Hope: Resurrection City & the 1968 Poor People's Campaign is on display indefinitely at the National Museum of American History. Level 2, East Wing. 1300 Constitution Ave NW.