Latest news with #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum
NBC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
These NYC Pride photos from the 1970s depict quintessential queer joy
NBC Out & Proud The Hispanic Society Museum and Library is featuring decades-old Kodachrome photographs of New York City Pride marches taken by artist Francisco Alvarado-Juárez. May 24, 2025, 7:15 AM EDT By Kaitlyn Schwanemann There are a few Pride march staples you're likely to find every June, dating to the first such events in 1970: massive handheld fans, ornate gowns, voluminous wigs and loving embraces. But at the ' Out of the Closets! Into the Streets! ' exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in New York, there's one thing missing — rainbow flags. The photography collection, featuring 18 photographs taken by artist Francisco Alvarado-Juárez, depicts scenes from New York City Pride marches in 1975 and 1976 — just a few years before the LGBTQ flag was created in 1978. Alvarado-Juárez's collection is a time portal in more than one way, though: The photos were all captured on Kodachrome film, an early type of color film that is now discontinued. The exhibition is on display and will run until Aug. 31. It serves as the second installment of the museum's 'Arte en el Alto Manhattan' series, which highlights upper Manhattan artists. Born in Honduras and raised in New York City, Alvarado-Juárez said 'Out of the Closets! Into the Streets!' is not just the name of the collection but a call to action. 'Especially as we got to areas where there were residential buildings, the people in the march would chant, would call out the people in the buildings to come down, you know, out of the closets into the street, to come down and join us, which was a very effective way to communicate with different people who were not part of the parade,' Alvarado-Juárez said in an interview. Back then, in New York City, it wasn't called a Pride march; it was the Christopher Street Liberation Day March or the Gay Liberation Parade. It began on June 28, 1970 — exactly one year after the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Alvarado-Juárez, a painter, photographer and mixed media artist whose work has appeared in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Brooklyn Museum, hadn't anticipated the photos' being shown in a museum 50 years later. 'I was taking it for myself,' Alvarado-Juárez said. 'I was looking at the experience and taking photos as art for art, for the pleasure of doing art.' The photos depict march participants donned in feather boas, floral fascinators and fringe metallic vests, posing throughout lower Manhattan with red, white and blue party balloons and banners behind them. The exhibition is the Hispanic Society Museum and Library's first LGBTQ initiative, according to its website. While the full exhibit ends in August, selected works from Alvarado will be shown on the museum's outdoor terrace through next spring. Alvarado-Juárez said he lives just a few blocks from the museum, which is in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, and has been going there for nearly 30 years. 'It is quite, quite different to be able to see my work at the museum, as opposed to just visiting and looking at those masterpieces on the walls in the halls,' he said. Alvarado-Juárez said Pride Month, which is celebrated in June, has evolved over the years, with '70s marches functioning more like parades and parties and marches during the AIDS epidemic functioning more like protests against the government for failing to respond to the crisis. 'As we get into this very dark period of our history with this new administration,' Alvarado-Juárez said, referring to the Trump administration's policies targeting LGBTQ people, 'maybe people can draw some good energy from these images and enjoy them for what they were back then but also enjoy them for the energy they still communicate.' Kaitlyn Schwanemann Kaitlyn Schwanemann is an intern for NBC News.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Sightlines' art exhibit highlights Asian-American influence in the DC experience
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — An exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum gives a new perspective on the rich history and influence of Asian-Americans in the District and beyond. Prominent pastor notified books loaned to African American museum may be returned amid review Moving through time, space and place, the 'Sightlines' exhibit sits just steps away from the iconic Friendship Archway in Chinatown, it's a reminder that Asian-American history in the DMV goes far beyond what can be seen from the street. 'It just seemed so perfect to mount an exhibition talking not just about Chinatown, but just the ways that Asian Americans have contributed to the built and cultural environment of our nation's capital,' said Yao-Fen You, the acting director of the Asian Pacific American Center. She helped bring the exhibit to life before its opening last fall. 'For us it's about unearthing those facts that, really, people haven't known about. I just like to think of it as telling a more fuller history,' said You. Sightlines is designed to give a different perspective and something new to look at from every angle, highlighting the intersectionality of the city experience and the impact of Asian-American culture in the District. The exhibit is home to three main stories: Making Place, Transforming Tradition and Visualizing Identity. A lot of the highlighted history is very recent, with some pieces from the 21st century, and others back to the 1960s and 1970s. 'I think what's great is that we had people come in and they're so excited, not only to see themselves, but to see their friends,' said You of some of the photographs included in the exhibit. It also celebrates artists like Alfred H. Liu, who designed the iconic Friendship Arch, and takes a closer look at what could have been. A sketch shows a design for an unrealized project called the Far East Trade Center. 'This is something that was never built,' said You, walking through the exhibit. 'He wanted it to be built on top of the Chinatown Metro station.' The drawings, sculptures and artwork highlighted in Sightlines go far beyond what's on display within the exhibit's walls. It includes a map of street art and murals by Javanese-American artist MISS CHELOVE, Cita Sadeli, and how to find them across the District. 'I think with each exhibition, you can never explore something to the depth that a curator ever wants to,' said You. 'There's only so much visitors can handle. The idea is that you are invited to explore more to whet your appetite. Right. We're just so excited that we have had this opportunity to introduce, not only the DMV audience, but also tourists coming from all over America to sort of just looking at DC in a very different way.' She and her team are also looking forward to another exhibit opening up at the American History Museum this fall, specifically highlighting the Filipino-American experience. 'Sightlines' is expected to stay on display through Nov. 30, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
03-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Seeing the Invisible World
The company that I run, Motivational Maps, has a slogan: 'Making the invisible, visible.' Now that's something, isn't it? At some intuitive level, we all know what 'motivation' is, but what actually is it? Our company trades on the basis that we can accurately describe and measure motivation; by doing so, we make it visible. What before was a gut feeling, now is something much more substantial. Many other things are invisible: our personalities, our psyches, the past, the future, all our values, and even abstract nouns like love. We don't doubt that love exists, though we don't see love itself; we experience it through actions, our own and others'. In fact, the most important things in this world are all invisible, and yet everything depends on them. To put it another way, the material, visible world depends upon the immaterial invisible one. One of the great Chinese philosophers expressed it this way, in the ' Those who in ancient times were competent as Masters Were one with the invisible forces of the hidden. They were deep so that one cannot know them. Because one cannot know them Therefore one can only painfully describe their exterior. (Translation by Richard Wilhelm) The Power of Invisibles In his wonderful book, 'Beauty, Spirit, Matter: Icons in the Modern World,' Aidan Hart commented on this ancient painting technique: 'One task of iconography is to unveil this logoi [explanation/meaning] hidden within creation to make the invisible visible. ... Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of icons is the virtual absence of shadow. This is because the icon reveals all things as living and moving and having their being in God. As God is light, there can be no shadow.' "Inspiration Chretienne," by Pierre Cecile Puvis De Chavannes. Monks painting icons on the wall of an abbey in France. Smithsonian American Art Museum/CC0 This invisible world is the powerful one. As British author Karen Armstrong Related Stories 4/9/2025 2/8/2025 This powerful reality is a major source of hope and comfort to us; it is also a source of terror and admonishment—a warning, if you will. Disregarding the invisible world is a calamitous mistake. There are two wonderful and dramatic examples of this in the 'Mahabharata,' the ancient Indian epic, and the Bible, which seem to me in parallel. According to Donald A. Mackenzie's 'Indian Myth and Legend,' in the 'Mahabharata' epic, the evil cousin, Duryodhana, decides to capture and imprison the god Krishna, who is present in his earthly, incarnate form. Duryodhana wants to do this to prevent Krishna from deciding to support Duryodhana's cousin, Arjuna, in the forthcoming war. But the god perceives his intentions and 'Ah! thou of little understanding, is it thy desire to take me captive? Know now that I am not alone here, for all the gods and holy beings are with me. Having spoken ... Krishna suddenly revealed himself in divine splendour. His body was transformed into a tongue of flame; gods and divine beings appeared about him; fire issued from his mouth and eyes and ears; sparks broke from his skin, which became as radiant as the sun. All the rajas closed their eyes; they trembled when an earthquake shook the palace. But Duryodhana remained defiant.' Notice the phrase 'I am not alone here' and the manifestation of divine beings. Similarly, in the Old Testament, the king of Aram, enraged by the prophet Elisha's revealing his plans to the king of Israel, sends an army to capture him. Elisha's servant is terrified by the army, but Elisha ''Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.' Then Elisha prayed and said, 'Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see.' And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.' But how does this knowledge influence our lives, our decision-making? Will we see these angelic beings and their hosts even if we pray to do so? Well, both the 'Mahabharata' and the Bible have two other stories which take this concept to the next level. Trusting in the Invisible Duryodhana and Arjuna both seek Krishna's help for the impending war. Duryodhana arrives first and chooses to sit near Krishna's head as he sleeps, while Arjuna arrives later and sits near Krishna's feet. Upon awakening, Krishna sees Arjuna first and offers him the first choice between two options: either Krishna's personal involvement on his side, with the condition that he will not wield any weapons, or use of Krishna's mighty Narayani Sena (army). Arjuna opts for Krishna's personal, albeit unarmed, support, and Duryodhana gleefully accepts the vast Narayani Sena army. Clearly, Duryodhana believes that Arjuna has made a dreadful mistake. But this choice underscores Arjuna's devotion and strategic insight, valuing Krishna's counsel over sheer military might. In other words, he valued the invisible over the visible, and, because of this, prevails against Duryodhana. Krishna and Arjun in the chariot, "Mahabharata," 18th–19th century, India. Public Domain Belief in the invisible—in the invisible world—has tremendous ramifications, and ultimately becomes a matter of life and death, or more accurately: life or death. So where is the key moment in the Bible that shows the importance of decision making on this epic scale? It is of course Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane ( We make decisions on the basis of only what we know or think we know; oftentimes, what we know is only what we see—a speck of reality. The greatest of us in this world see far more than what can be seen materially, because they look to the invisible. As the Irish poet, priest, and philosopher John O' Donohue expressed it: 'You cannot see your thoughts, which shape your mind and the world, and you have never seen the inner world hidden behind the faces of those closest to you. You cannot see the future that is already claiming you and you cannot see the divine, so the invisible world holds our deepest treasures and it is only through the gift of the imagination that we can sense these adjacent worlds and cross over their thresholds. The imagination is the great friend of possibility. For the alert and awakened imagination, possibilities always beckon towards new pathways of creativity, belonging and love. Each of us has been created by the Divine Artist, made in the image and likeness of the Divine Imagination. … The imagination knows that it is at these thresholds that new worlds rise into view.' New worlds rise into view? Exactly—seeing the invisible—surely, a mission for our whole lives. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
As History Erasure Intensifies, Independent Internet Archives Are Helping Fortify ‘Digital Preservation Infrastructure'
Despite Donald Trump's disavowal of Project 2025, his administration began enforcing that initiative's agenda immediately after his second inauguration. This includes efforts to erase history through education cuts, classroom and book censorship, website scrubbing, and the silencing of media outlets and institutions like PBS, NPR, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. One week after Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025, in a post on the online platform Free Government Information, data services librarian emeritus from the University of California, San Diego, James A. Jacobs wrote, 'There is a difference between the government changing a policy and the government erasing information, but the line between those two has blurred in the digital age… In the digital age, government publishing has shifted from the distribution of unalterable printed books to digital posts on government websites. Such digital publications can be moved, altered, and withdrawn at the flick of a switch. Publishing agencies are not required to preserve their own information, nor to provide free access to it.' While noting that 'digital government information was being lost before President Trump,' Jacobs stressed that '[t]he scale of loss and alteration of information under Trump may prove to be unprecedented' and that 'librarians, archivists, and citizens' must create a 'new distributed digital preservation infrastructure.' Organisations like the Freedom Archives in Berkeley, California, have been working for decades to preserve online information on history, social issues, and activism. Established in 1999, this nonprofit educational facility houses audio, video, and print materials that 'chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements for liberation and social justice,' according to the organisation's website. Its digital collection of content on progressive movements, culture, and activism includes materials on subjects like Black liberation, gender and sexuality, and Indigenous struggles. The Freedom Archives' co-director and co-founder, Claude Marks, notes that conservative extremists 'are purposefully rewriting history to eliminate references to slavery of Blacks from Africa and genocide against Indigenous people, and the purpose of that is to reify and reinforce white supremacy. Oftentimes, the truth lies more with the resisters who may have been defeated in various struggles with their colonisers. If that's your shared point of view, you want to protect access to material that gives voice to those people who were engaged in liberatory struggles and were fighting for justice and human rights.' For instance, nearly 37 states in the U.S. have measures in place 'that limit how America's undeniable history of racism—from chattel slavery to Jim Crow—can be discussed in public school classrooms,' according to a 2023 article in the Conversation. Many fear this attempt to rewrite history, especially under the Trump administration, might have far-reaching consequences. 'The danger isn't just that they'll purge accurate data from the past but that if and when that data is ever reposted that some of it will be modified with false information,' said Charles Gaba, a health care policy data analyst and web developer, according to a February 2025 Salon article. As an independent organisation, the Freedom Archives is largely funded through grassroots efforts. 'We're not vulnerable to: 'Oh, we didn't get that big grant through the Department of Education,' which will no longer exist [soon],' Marks says. The Freedom Archives' staff has collaborated with archives and organisations like the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, and the Los Angeles-based Southern California Library, which 'documents and makes accessible histories of struggles that challenge racism and other systems of oppression so we can all imagine and sustain possibilities for freedom.' It has also worked with Interference Archive, a Brooklyn, New York-based organisation that curates in-person and online exhibits of 'cultural ephemera' such as posters, books, zines, and flyers created by activists and participants in social movements. Interference Archive uses these materials 'to animate histories of people mobilising for social transformation' and to preserve and honor 'histories and material culture that is often marginalised in mainstream institutions,' its website states. Highlighting the importance of these efforts to archive information, the New England Archivists state, 'Archives are the foundation of a democratic society. They exist to safeguard the rights of individuals, ensure transparency, and hold public servants accountable.' Another notable online library is the Internet Archive, whose Wayback Machine contains 'more than 928 billion web pages saved over time,' the site explains. In March 2025, the Wayback Machine's director, Mark Graham, told NPR that the Internet Archive was the only place to find an 'interactive timeline' of the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol and that 'it's in the public's interest to save such records.' More people have been referring to the information on the Internet Archive website since Trump took office. In April 2025, the San Francisco Standard reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had cut funding for the Internet Archive while the organisation 'was halfway through an NEH [National Endowment for the Humanities] grant of $345,960.' Jefferson Bailey, the Internet Archive's director of archiving and data services, said that funding from other sources would help the organisation stay afloat, but he worried about the impact of the cuts on smaller nonprofits. One such nonprofit is the HathiTrust Digital Library, which contains digital copies of more than 18 million items from research libraries. The universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (formerly known as the Committee on Institutional Cooperation) and the 11 libraries of the University of California launched the archive in 2008 'to ensure that those digitised collections—and the libraries that steward them—remain strong and serve scholarship into the future,' the website explains. 'Our reach now includes members outside of the United States. Over 18 million digitised library items are currently available, and our mission to expand the collective record of human knowledge is always evolving.' Meanwhile, the Zinn Education Project (ZEP) provides educational materials for middle and high school teachers. 'Based on the approach to history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book A People's History of the United States, our teaching materials emphasise the role of working people, women, people of color, and organised social movements in shaping history,' the site states. Free downloadable lessons and articles are categorised by theme, time period, and reading level. A worldwide network of volunteers curates the Marxist Internet Archive, a storehouse of writings by nearly 1,000 authors 'representing a complete spectrum of political, philosophical, and scientific thought.' The site's content comprises more than 180,000 documents published in 83 languages. Its founders' primary motivation for starting this archive was to dispel misinformation and misconceptions about Marxism, the site explains. Open Culture consolidates, curates, and provides free access to culture and educational media, including history, politics, education, life, and current affairs. 'Web 2.0 has given us great amounts of intelligent audio and video,' the archive's website states. 'It's all free. It's all enriching. But it's also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. Our whole mission is to centralise this content… and give you access to this high-quality content whenever and wherever you want it.' The Public Domain Review's archives cover subjects like culture, history, politics, and war. 'It's our belief that the public domain is an invaluable and indispensable good, which—like our natural environment and our physical heritage—deserves to be explicitly recognised, protected, and appreciated,' the nonprofit's website notes. Many of these organisations' ties to progressive movements extend far beyond archiving. For example, Marks says that 'as participants in a broader struggle for liberation, justice, and global values that are liberatory instead of oppressive and colonial,' the Freedom Archives' staff participates in local and national activism and stays conscious of 'the importance of causes like international solidarity—defending the right for Cuba to exist without an embargo, the right of the Palestinians to survive the genocide, and the right to their own identity and state. As long as we're doing that, I have faith that all these movements will survive the brutality and the willingness of the powers of the empire to try to destroy them and snuff them out.' Author Bio: Damon Orion is a writer, journalist, musician, artist, and teacher in Santa Cruz, California. His work has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Spirituality + Health, Classic Rock, and other publications. Read more of his work at
Axios
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your D.C. weekend: Smithsonian Craft Show, Georgetown French Market
Feelin' crafty? Lucky you — it's the Smithsonian's annual craft show this weekend. The big picture: The gathering is all about artisanal, contemporary American craftsmanship and showcases 120 artists picked by a jury. And when we say crafts, we mean work like handcrafted furniture, ceramics, jewelry, wearable art or basketry (not pipe cleaners and googly eyes). This year's theme is "Visionaries," with artists creating pieces about what they think "might be" as they craft raw elements into new objects. State of play: The craft show runs through Sunday at the National Building Museum. It's part exhibit, part market, with the artists showcasing their crafts in booths. (Tickets are $25 for a single day, $35 for unlimited.) Tix are currently sold out for Thursday's conversation with the artist Nick Cave, who's this year's recipient of the 2025 Smithsonian Visionary Award — but fear not! You can get your Cave fix at his upcoming exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. More weekend fun: 📖 Local celeb chef José Andrés will discuss his new memoir, "Change the Recipe," with "How I Built This" podcaster Guy Raz at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Thursday. (Tickets start at $45.) 🌻 Drool over Pinterest-worthy backyards during Virginia's Historic Garden Week kicking off Saturday and running through May 3. Local spots on this weekend's lineup include Old Town and Middleburg. (Ticket prices vary.) 🎶 Get groovy at Petworth PorchFest on Saturday. Hop between jam seshes hosted on neighborhood porches from 2-6pm, then head to the main stage by the Petworth Rec Center for tunes from 5-8pm. (Free.) 😋 Come hungry to Saturday's New Kitchens on the Block, which lets attendees sample menus from several buzzy restaurants soon opening in D.C. On the list: Concepts from the likes of Moon Rabbit's Kevin Tien and celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson. (General admission tickets are $119.)
