Welcome to the first Digital Digest of 2025-Smithsonian Associates' 60th anniversary year. Each month you'll find a special group of offerings linked to the celebration's theme, Sparking Curiosity, Conversations, and Connections, and chosen as representative of the breadth of celebratory programming. This edition gathers a few of these, reflecting the wide range of topics that have been planned for you. Get ready to become part of some fascinating conversations.
And, as always, this lively monthly collection is designed to make sure you continue to enjoy what you've come to value from Smithsonian Associates: programs and experiences that are entertaining, informative, eclectic, and insightful.
Brutalism in Washington, D.C.
60th Anniversary Program
Hubert H. Humphrey Building (Photo: Courtesy of Ty Cole)
Amid the Cold War, urban renewal efforts ushered in a Brutalist phenomenon that reshaped Washington, D.C., in the mid-20th century. Many high-profile public buildings were designed and constructed with exposed structural elements and building materials, including concrete, brick, steel, and glass. They were viewed as cost-effective and efficient, but many haven't aged well, and public reaction continues to debate their architectural significance.
Architecture professor Angela Person and photographer Ty Cole are curators of "Capital Brutalism," currently on view at the National Building Museum. On Monday, February 3, they provide an overview of the exhibition, which explores the history, current state, and future of seven polarizing buildings and the Metro system. Person and Cole highlight archival documents, drawings, construction photographs, architectural models, and contemporary photographs to provide context and shed light on the buildings' stories. The program is presented in collaboration with the National Building Museum.
Register for the Program
Costume Design in Film: The First 60 Years
60th Anniversary Program
Audrey Hepburn on the set of My Fair Lady
Film historian Max Alvarez leads a stylish journey through six decades of cinematic costume design on Thursday, February 20, from the earliest days of Hollywood in the 1910s to groundbreaking work from the 1970s and beyond. Through rare archival material, including remarkable preliminary costume sketches from the hands of the greatest costume artists in history, film fashionistas can find a greater understanding of the process of designing clothes for actors from sketchpad to soundstage.
Consider how costume artistry throughout movie history has enhanced our memories of unforgettable films: the gray suit designed by Edith Head for Kim Novak in Vertigo; Irene Sharaff's massive hoop-skirted dress for Deborah Kerr in The King and I; William Travilla's pink gown and gloves for a diamond-bedecked Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Cecil Beaton's spectacular "Ascot Gavotte" fashion show in My Fair Lady; and the Montmartre chic of Walter Plunkett's black-and-white outfits for the Beaux Arts Ball in An American in Paris. You know the costumes. Now get to know the creators behind them.
Register for the Program
Indoor Gardening: Houseplants Galore
60th Anniversary Program
In Person Program
Smithsonian horticulturist Alexandra Thompson's indoor garden (Photo: Alexandra Thompson)
The pandemic-spurred houseplant craze shows no sign of weakening. Neither does the demand for reliable information on how best to care for the plants that enhance our daily life. Join staff members of the Interiors team of Smithsonian Gardens on Tuesday, February 25 or Thursday, February 27 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center as the pros help you sift through the overwhelming amount of houseplant care dos and dont's. Learn to decide what's right for you and your plants as they cover everything from plant selection to design, ongoing care, and the newest varieties on the scene.
The program also includes a tour of the Smithsonian Gardens exhibit "Human/Nature: Why People Are Drawn to Living Things" in the Ripley Center's concourse. Get insights into our innate need to be surrounded by nature and learn why adding plants to your living space-and taking good care of them-can make you smile.
Register for the Program
The Space Shuttle's Legacy
60th Anniversary Program
Space shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The space shuttle was America's iconic spaceship for 30 years, lifting 355 astronauts into orbit and teaching NASA how to work confidently and expertly in space. The shuttles spent 1,323 days in orbit; deployed 180 satellites, payloads, and space station components; and returned 52 of them to Earth. Thirty-seven shuttle missions built and supplied the International Space Station (ISS), and nine docked at the Russian Mir station. Using the Spacelab and SPACEHAB modules, the shuttles paved the way for full-time research at the ISS. The orbiters launched three Great Observatories into orbit and repeatedly repaired and upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope.
On Wednesday, February 26, four-time NASA astronaut, planetary scientist, and author Tom Jones looks at the shuttle's legacy through the eyes of the more than 130 fellow space fliers he interviewed for his most recent book, Space Shuttle Stories, published by Smithsonian Books. Jones shares the shuttle's triumphs and tragedies through spectacular images and heartfelt tales from the astronauts who flew it into history.
Register for the Program
1965: Moments of Change
60th Anniversary Program
Portrait of Congressman John Lewis by Michael Shane Neal (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Jeffery and Cindy Loring in memory of Congressman John Lewis © Michael Shane Neal)
The year 1965 was a pivotal moment in history, marked by consequential social, political, and cultural developments. In the United States, the civil rights movement gained momentum, culminating in the Selma to Montgomery marches, which highlighted the struggle for voting rights and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. The assassination of Malcolm X, a former Nation of Islam leader, shocked the nation, underscoring the tensions within the civil rights movement and the broader struggle for African American empowerment.
On Thursday, February 27, panel of three Smithsonian curators delves into objects that symbolize these events. Kevin Strait of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the pen used by Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act into law; Daniel Piazza of the National Postal Museum, showcases a postage stamp issued to memorialize Malcolm X; and Taina Caragol of the National Portrait Gallery shares its painting of the late Congressman John Lewis, one of the leaders of the civil rights march on "Bloody Sunday." After their individual talks, Strait, Piazza, and Caragol discuss the significance of these events and objects to the Smithsonian collection.
Register for the Program
View Past Issues
Select a past issue to view: