Reagan Library to Feature George Washington Exhibit

Approximately 100 original objects associated with George Washington – including the only surviving complete set of his famous dentures – will be on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum when Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon opens on Feb. 22.

The exhibition, which runs through May 18, goes beyond the iconic image on the dollar bill to reveal the real George Washington as not only a general and president but as a young land surveyor, experimental farmer, and savvy entrepreneur.Washington’s views on religion and slavery, and the influence of his wife, Martha, are also explored in this exhibition which features life-size figures ofWashingtondeveloped through a cutting-edge forensic investigation, engaging videos, original artifacts, intricate three-dimensional architectural models, and interactive displays. A dedicated web site (DiscoverGeorgeWashington.org) and extensive educational programming are designed to enhance the exhibition and visitor experience.

“Although over a million people come to walk inWashington’s footsteps atMount Vernoneach year, we know that not everyone will have a chance to visit his home,” said Jim Rees, executive director ofMount Vernon. “We wanted to bring the fascinating story ofWashington’s life to people around the country by showing a wide variety of compelling personal belongings and some intriguing elements from our new Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.”

The exhibition is presented in 11 sections, ranging fromWashington’s youth to his final days. In addition toWashington’s dentures, paintings, books, maps, and objects such as surveying equipment, Revolutionary War armaments, tools used by slaves, and presidential table settings are among the artifacts featured in the exhibition. Mrs.Washingtonis represented by original jewelry, pieces of her china, silver, and glassware, and reproductions of her gold wedding dress and purple satin slippers.

Three life-size models of George Washington were assembled from a two-year forensic study where computer scientists, art historians, 18th-century garment experts, and a forensic scientist used technology and research from primary sources to measure and analyze portraits, sculpture, and Washington’s dentures and clothing. The project employed proprietary age-progression and regression techniques to create three depictions ofWashingtonas a teenaged surveyor, commander-in-chief atop a white horse, and as the first president taking the oath of office. These lifelike wax figures, with real human hair that was implanted one strand at a time, are embedded in realistic settings – one even with animation – that re-create scenes in the woodsyOhioValleyterritory, wintryValley Forge, and on the balcony of Federal Hall.

The fascinating process of creating the figures is shown in a video by The History Channel, which also produced five other videos in the exhibition on religion, espionage, slavery,Washington’s dentures, and his state-of-the-art gristmill.

A full-size, functional replica ofWashington’s pew atPohickChurchand detailed models ofFortNecessityandWashington’s Mansion and estate, gristmill, and innovative 16-sided treading barn bring large structures to the exhibition in a scalable manner, while interactive touch screens encourage interactivity.

Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernonwas organized by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. The exhibition was designed by MFM Design, Inc. and fabricated by Explus, Inc. The forensic figures of George Washington were created by StudioEIS.

(www.reaganlibrary.com)

 

 

St. Louis Garden Awaits Chinese Lantern Spectacle

Elaborate, illuminated works of art from China will take center stage this summer at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night (May 26-Aug. 19) showcases Chinese culture through larger-than-life scenes crafted from colorful silks and molded steel. Ranging up to three stories tall, the sets will be lit for special evening viewing, giving visitors the opportunity to experience a cultural event that is rarely staged outside of Asia. The summer exhibitions highlights the garden’s “Year of China.”

The lantern festival will be among the first displays of its kind and size in the United States. A team of artisans from Zigong in the western province of Sichuan, the center of the lantern-making industry in China, will spend two months in residence at the Missouri Botanical Garden  to construct 26 lantern scenes from scratch. (www.mobot.org/lanternfestival)

Iowa Museum Plans Major 2012 Exhibits

The Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa, will unveil two major exhibits in March.

Dinosaurs Unearthed (March 3-July features 14 animatronics, 2 full-size skeletons, 22 fossils and a dig pit for children. In settings with giant wall graphics depicting naturalistic landscapes, guests will have a chance to experience what it’s like to stand near the crushing 10-foot leg of a roaring Tyrannosaurus rex and witness the thrashing tail of a feathered Velociraptor.

Through a partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, the exhibit Anne Frank: A History for Today will be at the Putnam Museum from March 31-May 28 as part of over two months of programming throughout the Quad Cities area promoting the lessons learned from Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

The story of Anne Frank and her family is juxtaposed against world events before, during and after the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. The exhibit includes photographs of the Frank family and the other occupants of the Secret Annex and shows how people were persecuted by political decisions and by the actions of individuals. Implicit in the exhibit are the themes of scapegoating, bullying, anti-Semitism, racism, ethnic cleansing and genocide. (www.putnam.org)

N.C. Museum Offers Behind-the-Scenes Tour

For the first time in 25 years of operation, the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer is offering a look behind the scenes.  Those taking advantage of the museum’s new “Behind the Scenes” tours can stroll through the enormous Back Shop, view the Roundhouse Restoration bays and tour a private rail car.

“Behind the Scenes” tours open new areas of the historic Spencer Shops while providing a look at museum artifacts and restoration projects.

A stroll through the Back Shop starts the “Behind the Scenes” tour. Visitors can marvel at how such a massive structure, three stories high and the equivalent of two football fields in length, was built in the waning years of the 1800s.

Visitors will also get an up-close look at the DC-3 Potomac Pacemaker, undergoing cosmetic restoration in the Back Shop. The WWII era airplane was used for passenger travel by Piedmont Airlines and still bears the company’s logo. The Potomac Pacemaker is an important piece of the history of the Winston-Salem-based airline, which became a part of US Air in 1989.

While the aircraft is usually seen through the windows of the Back Shop during the on-site train ride or from a distance on the Back Shop visitor access platform, “Behind the Scenes” visitors will be able to stand beside the aircraft and peek inside the windows. (nctrans.org)

Next Page »