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New: Smithsonian Information Center
Open - Permanent
Highlights include:

• 2 information desks, serving the public and Smithsonian Associate members, which are staffed by volunteers from 8:30 AM-4 PM daily.
• 1 orientation theater (northeast wall) featuring an 18-minute video overview of the Institution (runs continuously, beginning at approximately 9 AM).
• 2 interactive "touch-screen" programs on the Smithsonian Institution in 6 languages.
• 1 scale model of Washington's monumental core.
• Smithson's Gift showcase (provides information on the history of the Institution).
• A tactile map of the Washington's monumental core with Braille labels.

web Web: smithsonian.org/visit/infocenter

New: Cases: Scientific Illustrators: Artists in Residence in the Castle
October 30, 2008 - TBA
Note: This area is open to the public during regular building hours except when a special event has been scheduled for the space.

Scientific illustration is one aspect of what makes a museum collection important; it enhances and supports scientific research by showing minute details and distinguishing characteristics of the specimens being studied. Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, established a program to publish scientific research -- with detailed scientific illustrations -- in 1848, a mere two years after the founding of the Smithsonian.

On view in these cases are works by four scientific illustrators who worked in the Smithsonian Institution Building between 1852 and 1898: William Stimpson (1832-1872), John H. Richard (1807-1881), Robert Ridgway (1850-1929), and his brother John L. Ridgway (1859-1947). These illustrations offer a glimpse of their lifetime devotion to the study of science and nature. Also on view are several plaster casts of fish painted by John H. Richard.

New: Eyes on the World: Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
July 1, 2008 - January 15, 2009
From thousands of photographs submitted to Smithsonian magazine's 5th Annual Photo Contest from the United States and around the world, the judges selected 50 finalists. Of these, 36 are on view, including the grand prize winner and the winners in the following 5 categories: The Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, and Altered Images (photographs that have been manipulated).

See July 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp.42-47

web Web: www.Smithsonian.com

Garden: Folger Rose Garden, including the Keith Fountain (seasonal)
- Permanent
The garden features roses, annuals, perennials, and woody plants chosen for year-round interest, and was donated by the Folger family in honor of their mother, Kathrine Dulin Folger.
Garden: Enid A. Haupt Garden
- Permanent
A 4.2-acre rooftop park, named for its donor, features an embroidered parterre in a geometric design of plants and flowers rotated seasonally. Other features include an Asian-influenced garden adjacent to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, a Moorish-influenced garden adjacent to the National Museum of African Art, and garden furnishings from the Horticulture Services Division's Garden Furniture Collection.
The Smithsonian Institution: America's Treasure Chest
- Permanent
In display cases framing the walls of this historic room are selected objects representing all of the museums that offer a tantalizing sample of the breadth and depth of the Smithsonian's vast collections.

Note: The room is open to the public during regular hours except when it has been booked for a special event.

Last update: January 13, 2009, 19:24

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Smithsonian Castle
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