Category Archives: Smithsonian.com

How an Indigenous Weaver’s Mastery of Color Infuses Her Tapestries With a Life Force

Posted on 01/04/2025 by alicia

October 16, 2024 A red tapestry is edged with indigo at the top and bottom and features an undulating line of the same color across the top quarter. The work is a flat rectangle of wool, but the vibrancy of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Crafts, Culture, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Golden Peacocks on a Dining Room Wall Destroyed a Longstanding Friendship in Victorian Society

Posted on 01/04/2025 by alicia

July 19, 2024 When James McNeill Whistler put the final, defiant flourishes upon two golden peacocks on art collector Frederick Leyland’s dining room wall, it was an act that would lead to the end of a long and lucrative friendship, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Kiss?

Posted on 07/03/2016 by alicia

Love snuggling up to a sweetie and smooching? That’s romantic, but—spoiler alert—kissing can be a disgusting and dangerous activity.  While kissing, couples exchange 9 milliliters of water, 0.7 milligrams of protein, 0.18 mg of organic compounds, 0.71 mg of fats, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Science, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Is Bertsolaritza And Who Are The Basque Poets Who Know It

Posted on 07/03/2016 by alicia

Part poetry-slam, part hip-hop freestyling, part a cappella singing and 100 percent improvisational, the tradition of bertsolaritza has become a cultural signifier for the Basque diaspora. Read More.

Posted in Culture, Music, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Artist Chakaia Booker Gives Tires a Powerful Retread

Posted on 11/24/2015 by alicia

The first thing you notice is the smell. It’s a bit industrial, but also, maybe a tiny bit pleasant. The odor encapsulates Chakaia Booker’s latest massive sculptural work, displayed as part of the “Wonder” exhibition at the recently reopened Renwick … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Thousands of Dead Bugs Become a Mesmerizing Work of Extraordinary Beauty

Posted on 11/06/2015 by alicia

Jennifer Angus’ artwork is startling, especially when it dawns on you that what is on view is not beautifully drawn, patterned wallpaper. Depending on your mindset, it’s either a nightmarishly freakish, or beautifully mesmerizing assemblage, of insects Beyond the visceral gut … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Science, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Journey to Mingering Mike’s Magical, Musical World

Posted on 03/26/2015 by alicia

Lots of kids create their own fantasy worlds, populating them with monsters or superheroes—representations of friends and family, persecutors and allies, foils and alter-egos. For some, it’s a way of getting by when they don’t fit in, or of escaping … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Smithsonian.com | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment