Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service's Blog

Clemente Touches Them All

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory was rocking on October 21, as our Latino-themed Free Family Day kicked-off the opening of Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente. Over 1200 people flocked here to be a part of the lively festivities. From salsa lessons with our live band, to Latino food, to arts and crafts, we truly had something for everyone, even a clinic in our batting cages.

During the event, I chatted with several Puerto Rico natives who now call Louisville home. They were so thrilled--and moved--to see their homeland's flag displayed in the exhibition. I told them we got the biggest one we could find, and at 6' x 10', they believed it!  We also discussed how much Clemente still means to them and what a wonderful opportunity this exhibition provides for people of all cultures to come together.

When the good folks at the Smithsonian first approached us about hosting a Roberto Clemente exhibition, I will admit that I flashed back to the bedroom I had growing up and the Clemente poster that was prominently displayed on my wall. It was a shot of him at bat. I've loved learning so much more about a ballplayer I already admired, and I know thousands of others will feel the same way as this show travels around the country. As the first stop on the tour, what an honor it is for Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory to "bat lead off" for the Smithsonian on this!

-Anne Jewell, Guest Author, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

Amazing Canyon Photographers

As a writer/editor for the Smithsonian, I get to learn about myriad topics that had, quite literally, never ever occurred to me. Someone with a master's degree in art history may have never considered the impact of soils on the health of our planet or the influence a Latino baseball player on underprivileged children. (I'm talking about Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates' favorite son.) Just think, while I was engulfed with Maya ceremonial cocoa vessels and early American architecture, there was actually other research going on, discoveries being made by the Hubble Space Telescope, new data being unearthed by Smithsonian scientists, curators, and archivists.

What's the point, you say? Well, I'm currently reading about yet another topic that blows my already-stretched mind: a crew of 26 salt-of-the-earth photographers who have physically pushed the limits of their medium. These are the passionate artists who will be featured in Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography. It's not that I'm completely unfamiliar with the Canyon; in fact, the Southwestern United States happens to be my favorite corner of the Earth (I've almost perished here several times). What I am amazed by is the sheer tenacity of these photographers, willing to go to superhuman lengths to get the shot, whether of the Canyon rim, an unexpected waterfall, a bitter snowstorm, or a simple desert flower. These pictures, folks, are things of rare beauty.

-Heather Foster Shelton, SITES writer/editor

Lasting Light Kicks Off

Plans are really coming together for our new Grand Canyon exhibition, Lasting Light, which opens in February 2009. Recently I sat down with collaborator Richard Jackson of Hance Partners, the Flagstaff studio that printed the stunning photographs included in the exhibition.

Mr. Jackson shared with me the background story of the exhibition, and his enthusiasm for the subject was evident.

Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography grew out of a conversation Mr. Jackson had with staff at the Grand Canyon Association. As a fine-art printer, Mr. Jackson has extensive experience working with landscape photographers, and thought that in addition to the images themselves, a bigger story could be told: that of the photographers themselves.

"Pictures are only part of the story," Mr. Jackson says. "The stories of the photographers are also amazing. Think of the dedication they have, the effort to go day after day, year after year, sometimes to the same place time after time just to find the right weather, the right conditions to take the picture that truly expresses the place. They're carrying 80-pound backpacks into the canyon, and then there is the artistry and skill to be able to communicate their vision to those who don't make the trek."

SITES is pleased to be able to bring these stories and the resulting photographs to the public through this new traveling exhibition. Stay tuned for more updates on Lasting Light!

--Devra Wexler
Exhibition Project Director

Earth from Space Wins Communications Award

In the beginning, it was tough to bring the content in Earth from Space down to a level that most of us could understand. Let's face it, the hard science of what makes space satellites tick isn't exactly the kind of thing most people study on a daily basis. But what everyone can appreciate are the images that those machines zip back to Earth. I mean who wouldn't find a picture of New York City from 500 miles above the planet as least as cool (or more so) as an image of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie walking down the red carpet? How about the perfect geometry of the Great Pyramids as viewed from hundreds of miles above the Earth? In a word, "awesome."

You can imagine that we were elated when we heard that Earth from Space, an exhibition that almost didn't happen, received the 2007 Shoemaker Award for Communications Product Excellence. The award recognizes materials that effectively "communicate complex scientific concepts and discoveries into words and pictures that capture the interests and imaginations of the American public." The judges included writers, designers, and scientists from the both the public and private sectors. Dirk Kempthorne, the current Secretary of the Interior, presented the award to the project team, which included Devra Wexler, Jennifer Schommer, Andrew Johnston (NASM exhibition curator), Frederic Williams, Miriam Keegan, Ron Beck (USGS), and Marissa Hoechsetter.

The whole group had a fantastic time working on this exhibition. Most of all, we were thrilled with the help that NASA, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, and USGS provided to make it all come to life. Check it out in your corner of the world!

-Heather Foster Shelton, SITES writer/editor