goSmithsonian - June 2008 - (Page 5)

S M I T H S O N I A N I N S T I T U T I O N B U I L D I N G —T H E C A S T L E Smithsonian Institution Building—The Castle SMITHSONIAN INFORMATION CENTER Begin a Smithsonian visit at the Castle to get up-to-the-minute times and dates for programs, events and exhibitions in all 17 Washington, D.C.-area Smithsonian museums, as well as the American Indian Museum’s Heye Center and the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New Y City. Interactive touch-screen stations, free brochures ork in various languages and an 18-minute orientation video, plus a café and free public wireless Internet access are all available. Sign up for subscriptions to Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines at the Membership Desk and receive benefits to be enjoyed while visiting. Current members can pick up their welcome materials and sign up for a Castle tour. Visit www.smithsonian.org/visit; or call Monday to Friday from 9 to 5:15, Saturday 9 to 4, 202-633-1000 or 202-633-5285 (TTY). THE BASICS HOURS: 8:30 to 5:30; closed December 25. ADDRESS: 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW PHONE: 202.633.1000 (voice/tape) 202.633.5285 (TTY) WEB: www.smithsonian.org METRO: WHO WAS JAMES SMITHSON? The founder of the Smithsonian Institution, English scientist James Smithson (1765-1829) devoted his life to research in chemistry, mineralogy and geology. Although he never visited the United States, Smithson bequeathed his estate of $508,318, or $12 million in today’s dollars, to establish in Washington, D.C. an institution for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” CASTLE EXHIBITIONS “American Heroes of the Olympic Spirit,” through Oct. 12, Schermer Hall. “America’s Treasure Chest” permanent, Commons area. “Eyes on the World: Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest,” through Jan. 15, Great Hall. THE S. DILLON RIPLEY INTERNATIONAL GALLERY Enter through the copper-domed kiosk on Jefferson Drive next to the Castle. Exhibitions on view: “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” July 12 through Oct. 5. “Art for Our Nation’s Progress: The DIVEDCO Posters of Puerto Rico” opens Sept. 12. “VSA Arts 7th Annual National Juried Exhibit for Young Artists With Disabilities, Ages 16-25,” opens Sept. 17. “Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968” and “The Civil Rights Legacy and Contemporary Art,” opens Nov. 8. M metro ● ● Smithsonian ® Station (BLUE AND ORANGE LINES) Castle Café and Coffee Bar Featuring coffees, sandwiches, salads and desserts, the Castle Café and Coffee Bar is open daily from 8:30 to 5. The Castle, the Smithsonian’s original home, is a Medieval Revivalstyle building designed by James Renwick Jr. and completed in 1855. Its nine towers, battlements and chimneys make it an easy landmark to find on the National Mall. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; JEFF TINSLEY www.goSmithsonian.com 5 http://www.smithsonian.org http://www.smithsonian.org/visit http://www.goSmithsonian.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of goSmithsonian - June 2008

goSmithsonian - June 2008 Contents Visitor Information Smithsonian Institution Building—The Castle The S. Dillon Ripley International Gallery Dining Guide Donald W. Reynolds Center Smithsonian American Art Museum National Portrait Gallery National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Discovery Theater, SITES, Folklife Festival and more National Museum of American History Map of the National Mall National Museum of Natural History National Museum of the American Indian Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Asian Art Freer Gallery of Art/Asian and American Art Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden/Contemporary and Modern Art National Museum of African Art Renwick Gallery/American Art National Postal Museum Anacostia Community Museum National Zoological Park

goSmithsonian - June 2008

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