In a country where most students are just lectured towards all day and do endless amounts of busywork, the Smithsonian Institution is going against the norm. They are having visitors ask questions, wonder and be creative. Many of the Smithsonian's previous visitors believe that the museum is dull, but a new ad campaign is trying to change their minds. This 1.4 million dollar campaign includes a new website design http://seriouslyamazing.si.edu/ which features questions and answers geared towards adolescents and teens. The Smithsonian is not launching these new features because they are running low on money, in fact their sales have been up in the past few years, but they are trying to raise money for research and to maintain all of their buildings. Many people don't know that the Smithsonian also has a magazine and a TV channel. Some of the questions featured on their new colorful website include:
What is a laufmaschine?
How far did John Wilkes Booth get on his broken leg after assassinating President Lincoln?
How many armored guards accompanied the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian?
What do a Dead drummer and an astorphysicist have in common?
What was a hot hairstyle for the founding fathers?
The
most expensive piece of artwork ever sold at an auction was one version of
Munch’s “The Scream”. It sold for 120 million dollars this past May at
Sotheby’s. The owner is lending it to the Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA, on
October 24th. It will be on display for duration of six months. This
painting is a symbol for anguish and terror. The four versions of the scream
were painted from 1893-1910. The other three are located in Norwegian museums.
This particular painting, going on display, is the most colorful and has a
frame with a poem painted on by the artist, Munch. You can view this painting
from October 24th- April 29th on the museum’s fifth
floor.
The survival of Madagascar’s unique species and one of the world’s only biodiversity locations is at risk. The country of Madagascar is an island off of the South eastern coast of Africa. Since its ecosystem is isolated from the rest of the world, 90% of Madagascar’s wildlife can only be found there. One of the well known species that calls Madagascar home is the Baobab tree. Also known as “the upside down tree”, because its branches look more like roots, this tree has many uses. The extract from the leaves are used for medicine, its rare fruit is a high source of vitamins, the bark makes homes, and their excavated trunks are used for water storage. Since Madagascar is one of the poorest countries (the average person lives on $2 a day), agriculture is the main source of income. This causes deforestation and a severe risk for the ecosystem of Madagascar.
Prejudice people still exist in United States today and the
arts is no exception. As the ballet performing season is approaching, the
calendars of dance companies around the country are being announced. Of course there
are the typical ballets such as the “Nutcracker”, “Giselle”, and “Swan Lake”;
but there are a few new ballets that are raising some red flags. “Raymonda” and
“Le Corsaire” both depict people from the Middle East as “fools”. While “Firebird”
highlights the Aryan-ideal racial look. Even though dance companies are
consisted of people with varied backgrounds, a comment on the New York Times
article Stereotypes in Toeshoes,
points out that most dancers tend to be, “guided toward companies that ‘match’
their perceived cultural attributes.” An example of one of these companies is
the well know Alvin Ailey Dance Company.
