Smithsonian Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
The Smithsonian invites the public to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15) with a series of vibrant performances, lectures, family activities and exhibitions at various museums around the Smithsonian. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated. For a full calendar of events, visit www.si.edu/Events/HeritageMonth.
Feature Weekend Celebrations
The Smithsonian will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with “Latinidad: Looking Into Latina Women’s American Experience” Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This all-day festival at the National Museum of American History will showcase how Latina women have contributed to American history. The festival will include Latin hip-hop DJs, hip-hop dance instructions, hands-on activities and a Cuban cooking demonstration and book signing by chef Ana Sofia Pelaez. Visitors also have the opportunity to engage with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert program series which is made possible, in part, by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. The Latindad program received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.
The National Zoo presents “ZooFiesta: Un día de diversión animal para toda la familia” Sunday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This annual free event includes fun-filled family activities, live music, authentic gourmet cuisine and educational activities about conservation in Central and South America. Animal keepers will host talks, feedings and demonstrations highlighting a variety of animals native to the region, including Andean bears, sloths, giant anteaters, golden lion tamarins, Panamanian golden frogs and more. This program, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert program series, is made possible, in part, by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.
The National Museum of the American Indian will host a weekend festival celebrating Maya cultural and artistic expression Sept. 16–18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Maya Creativity and Cultural Milieu” will take place at the Designers from the Indigenous Design Collective and will provide instruction in hands-on activities, while weavers from the Maya Traditions Foundation in Guatemala and Weaving for the Future in Washington, D.C., demonstrate traditional textile arts. Filmmakers from Unlocking Silent Histories, a non-profit dedicated to empowering Maya youth to document their stories, will screen short films.
Talks
The Anacostia Community Museum will host artist Alejandro Orengo and author Nicholas Vaca. Orengo is a Baltimore-based photographer and filmmaker who covered the riots following the death of Freddie Gray. He will present some of his work Saturday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m.; his work will also appear in the museum’s upcoming exhibition “Gateways.” Vaca will discuss his inspiration for his critically acclaimed book The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America Saturday, Oct. 1, at 2 p.m.
Films
The Anacostia Community Museum will screen Bananas Is My Business Friday, Sept. 23, at 11 a.m. This short film examines the life of Portuguese-Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda, the pop-culture icon whose most distinctive attribute was her tutti-frutti hat.
Bring the Kids
The whole family can visit the National Air and Space Museum for “Hispanic Heritage Family Day: Innovators in Aviation and Space,” Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will learn about the contributions of Latin Americans to aviation and space exploration, meet Hispanic scientists and engineers, and participate in bilingual activities. The day is presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert program series.
Young visitors and their families can drop into the National Portrait Gallery for the museum’s Portrait Story Day Series. They can participate in an art activity after listening to a story about a famous Hispanic athlete, activist or leader. This event is presented in partnership with D.C. Public Libraries.
Portrait Story Days: Dolores Huerta
Saturday, Sept. 24; 1–4 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 25; 2–5 p.m.
Portrait Story Days: Pedro Martinez
Saturday, Oct. 1; 1–4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 2; 2–5 p.m.
Portrait Story Days: Sonia Sotomayor
Saturday, Oct. 8; 1–4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 9; 2–5 p.m.
Portrait Story Days: Cesar Chavez
Sunday, Oct. 16; 2–5 p.m.
Tours
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will feature docent-led tours of artworks by a Latino artist or a work that depicts Hispanic culture. Tours are at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. daily.
Exhibitions
The National Museum of the American Indian’s exhibition “The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire” takes a look at the foundations of the Inka Road, and the legacy of the Inka Empire during the colonial period and in the present day.
The National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center in New York City presents “Cerámica de Los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed.” This bilingual exhibition illuminates Central America’s diverse and dynamic ancestral heritage with a selection of more than 150 objects in ceramic, gold, jade, shell and stone.
All Hispanic Heritage month programs at the Smithsonian are subject to change. Unless otherwise indicated, Smithsonian Heritage Month programs are free. For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month programs, visit www.si.edu/Events/HeritageMonth or email heritagemonths@si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call 202-633-1000.
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SI-424-2016
