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Smithsonian American Art Museum
On a recent evening, 100 museum professionals gathered in Washington, D.C., to hear a lecture — not about funding, or curatorial responsibility — but about games. Museum directors are hoping alternate reality games will get visitors of all ages engaged with their collections. ()
Time magazine's Callie Shell has been snapping intimate photos of Obama since 2006. ()
As recession pains hit the museum world, one institution violates a cardinal rule of stewardship. ()
December 31, 2008 · Six photographers spent a year cataloging their lives with daily photos taken at 7:15 p.m. The online yearlong gallery project, sametime715.com, concludes Dec. 31. The photos document the mundanity of life: yoga, playing pool, traveling and sunsets. ()
December 29, 2008 · Immersion and interaction are the name of the game at children's museums around the country. NPR's Neda Ulaby visited WaterWays in San Jose and the Dinosphere in Indianapolis to see the next generation of kids' museums firsthand. ()
December 29, 2008 · Henri Matisse made drawings of her, with spare, pure lines. Aristide Maillol sculpted her in bronze. Now, Dina Vierny, the muse of those 20th-century artists, is 89 years old; she still speaks of them with affection and clarity. ()
December 26, 2008 · Fritz Scholder was only part Native American so when he created his "Indian" series in the 1960s, he made a lot of people mad. Now, Scholder is the subject of three exhibitions across the country — including "Fritz Scholder: Indian / Not Indian," at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. ()
December 26, 2008 · Frank Miller, who became known for bringing new depth to Batman in the '80s and expanding the audience for graphic novels, has directed The Spirit, created by comic-book pioneer Will Eisner. Miller says the key to keeping the movie dark is its tone. ()
December 13, 2008 · Reza Deghati is considered among the world's great photojournalists. He has traveled the globe for nearly 30 years, bearing witness to wars, unrest, great leaders and the courage of ordinary people trapped by history. ()
December 13, 2008 · A group of teens in Los Angeles took cameras to tell stories of immigrants in America. For some students of first-generation immigrant families, this meant looking inward. ()
December 4, 2008 · Art Basel Miami is sister of the large annual show in Switzerland. The Miami show has been growing in both size and prominence as an international market for art, but will be put to the test in this year's economic slide. ()
December 3, 2008 · Sol LeWitt was one of the pioneers of conceptual art. He saw it in his mind, then communicated it to others to complete. Dozens of people have done just that with his ideas for his famous Wall Drawings, which are now at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. ()
December 1, 2008 · Alex Nyerges is no stranger to working 16-hour days and wearing multiple hats. As director of the VMFA, his domain ranges from the art blogosphere to the museum's $130 million construction site — with countless travel obligations, fundraising opportunities and donor visits thrown in for good measure. ()
November 24, 2008 · Each year, 850 million people visit America's museums. That's more than six times the annual attendance of all major-league sporting events combined. Bob Mondello kicks off an NPR series about museums in the 21st century. ()
November 20, 2008 · Washington's National Mall will regain a star attraction Friday, when the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History reopens after a two-year renovation. It took $85 million and a horde of curators, builders, architects and advisers to reframe space for the museum's 3 million historic objects. ()
