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Smithsonian
scholars visit 23 schools in Long Beach
By
Lauren Nelson
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
In
celebration of Smithsonian Week 2005, three
scholars from the Smithsonian Institution
are currently in Long Beach offering free
educational presentations, workshops, lectures
and community events focusing on fashion,
folklore and fault lines.
The
only Smithsonian Institution affiliate city
in the nation, Long Beach brings the Public
Corporation for the Arts (CPA), also known
as Long Beach Arts Council, together with
various venues to present educational ideas.
In
addition to giving interactive evening presentations,
the scholars will visit 23 schools throughout
Long Beach, giving assembly lectures and
leading community programs.
The
three scholars are not typical history majors
or museum junkies. From the National Museum
of American History, Claudia Brush Kidwell
studies clothing and costume in America,
from the ready-to-wear industry to how fashion
reveals social issues. She will present
"You Are What You Wear," "Dressing
the Part" and "Lipstick is Essential."
Not
only is Jim Garry known as a folklore scholar,
but cowboy, horse wrangler, wilderness guide,
political consultant, biologist and river-runner
are also some of the job titles he claims.
This
freelance lecturer, writer and storyteller
will present "Growl? Family Festival"
to highlight the folklore surrounding growling
beasts and "Life As A Cowboy: Vaqueros,
Gauchos & Other Caballeros."
From
the National Museum of Natural History,
volcanologist William Melson—who has
done it all, studying eruptions, tsunamis,
volcanic hazards and the deep-sea floor—will
segment "Landscapes, Rocks and Earthquakes:
Comparisons Between Southern California
and Costa Rica" and "Shake, Rattle
and Roll: Volcanoes and Earthquakes Along
the Pacific."
Online
events are taking place at V20 The Venue,
Utopia Restaurant, the Long Beach Museum
of Art, the Museum of Latin American Art,
the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific
and Whaley Park.
"We
try to involve as many [community members]
as possible," Long Beach Arts Council
representative Karen Gee said.
According
to CPA officials, Smithsonian Week is an
advantage offered to people in the Long
Beach area that is not offered to any other
city in the United States. After a timely
process, Long Beach organizations involved
with the arts were happy to hear that they
are finally affiliated with the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington D.C.
"We
had to jump through a lot of hoops [to become
an affiliate]," said Susan Golden of
the Museum of Latin American Art.
Many
Long Beach museums now have access to the
displays and artifacts held at the original
Smithsonian Institution, which is the world's
largest museum complex.
CPA
staff and teachers from participating schools
have prepared for this week by making curriculum
connections and sharing information to make
each student's experience unforgettable.
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