Downtown, Special Events, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: October 2011

Demon Fish; photo courtesy National Geographic

The National Geographic Live series is back for the fall and we here at WeLoveDC want to share their great lineup of programming with you once again. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at NatGeo, we’ll be again offering two pairs of tickets for our readers to go and experience some great talks, lectures, and programs over at the National Geographic Museum.

For October, there’s some amazing photography programs, authors, and speakers – some of whom you’ll see interviewed here on the site in the coming weeks. If you’d like to win a pair of tickets to an October program, simply list the two events you’d like to attend in comments before noon Friday, September 30. Make sure you use a legitimate email address and your first name. We’ll contact two winners (as determined by random.org) on Friday afternoon. Note that not all programs are eligible for the drawing.

If you’re interested in attending one of these events, visit NatGeo’s website or their box office (800-647-5463), located at 17th and M Street, NW. Keep in mind that parking in NatGeo’s underground lot is free for any programs beginning after 6 pm.

Here’s October’s offerings… Continue reading

Special Events, We Love Arts

2011 All Roads Film Festival at NatGeo

Photo courtesy of
‘National Archives Film Canisters’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Starting tomorrow, the National Geographic Museum hosts the 2011 All Roads Film Festival. The five-day festival showcases nearly 40 films in 24 countries, created to provide an international platform for indigenous and under-represented minority-culture artists to share cultures, stories and perspectives through the power of film and photography. This year’s theme is “Stories That Shape Our World” and National Geographic is giving WeLoveDC readers a chance to win a pair of all-access passes to the festival.

The five-day event also will include a “Global Groove: DJ Dance Party,” hosted by DJ Dave Nada and DJ Underdog, panel discussions by a number of the filmmakers and two photography exhibits. One photography exhibit will feature works from three provocative voices in the photography medium, each at different points in their careers; the second is an exclusive view into two cultures where photography by outsiders has been severely restricted. Several filmmakers will participate in two panel discussions, “Latinos in Modern Media” and “Indigenous Communities, Film and the Environment,” as well as discussions following their film screenings where they will talk about their careers and the continuing innovation of indigenous filmmaking.

If you’d like to win a pair of festival passes, simply drop a comment below (using an email address we can use to contact you). We’ll randomly select a winner at noon tomorrow (Wednesday 9/14). Continue reading

Downtown, History

National Geographic Museum: The Etruscans – An Italian Civilization


‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 01 – 06-09-11’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

I love history. And for me, the older the history, the more I love it. There’s something that fascinates me about seeing how the first people of a given culture tried to figure out the concept of civilization. And for the first couple of millenniums of human history the difference between civilized and true barbarism was incredibly fine. But sadly, DC doesn’t have a large selection of museums that cater to ancient history nerds like me. The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum has an exhibit which hasn’t been updated since I was in elementary school; and Dumbarton Oaks Museum has a nice collection on the Byzantine Empire, but that is more medieval history than ancient. There isn’t much else without going to another city.

Imagine my excitement to find out that the National Geographic Museum was holding exhibit on the ancient Etruscan Civilization! For the non-history buffs out there, the Etruscan Civilization was an Italian peoples which inhabited roughly the area of modern day Tuscany (which is where we get the name). That area is, roughly speaking, bound by the Tiber River (and Rome) to the south, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, and the Apennine Mountains to the north and east. The Etruscans were an important culture in Italy from about 750 BC to around 500 BC, and were an significant influence on Roman culture and history. Continue reading

Downtown, History

National Geographic Museum: Race to the End of the Earth

Photo courtesy of
‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 01’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

What would you do, what would you go through, to be the first explorers to the South Pole? Would you go through months of trekking through -40F degree cold, on a strict ration of food, constantly freezing and wet, and risking death every day? If that sounds like a great time, the National Geographic has the exhibit for you!

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first men to reach the South Pole, the National Geographic Museum is hosting an exhibition entitled Race to the End of the Earth. It recounts the challenges of two explorers during their race to reach the South Pole. On a 1,800-mile journey through Antarctica in 1911, explorers Roald Amundsen of Norway and Robert Falcon Scott of Britain fought the elements and raced each other to gain the honor. The exhibit is well suited for the National Geographic, because it adds the adventure and exploration elements to a fascinating and not well known historical story.

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Downtown, Education, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: May 2011

©Sunny Khalsa; courtesy National Geographic

May winds down the Spring 2011 National Geographic Live series of programs. If you’re looking for something to do in the evenings, we highly suggest you check out some of their offerings this season. And to provide further incentive, we are providing two lucky readers with a pair of tickets to an event of their choice this coming month!

To enter the drawing, simply comment below using your first name and a legit email address, listing the two events from the following program list you’d like to attend. (Note that there is one event not eligible and we’ve noted it for you.) Sometime after noon on Wednesday (May 4) we’ll randomly select two winners to receive a pair of tickets (each) to one of their selections.

(For ticket information, visit online or call the box office at (800) 647-5463.)

Music On…Photography Moby ($18) (SOLD OUT)
May 9, 7:30 pm
Moby has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, played over 3,000 concerts in his career, and has had his music included in hundreds of films, such as Heat and The Beach. He has been taking photographs for as long as he’s been making music. See his riveting images and be among the first to learn about his much-anticipated new project.

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Downtown, Education, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: April 2011

Hidden Alaska, ©Michael Melford; used with permission by National Geographic

April brings another full month of programs at NatGeo for their popular National Geographic Live! series. If you’re looking for something to do in the evenings, we highly suggest you check out some of their offerings this season. And to provide further incentive, we are providing two lucky readers with a pair of tickets to an event of their choice this coming month!

To enter the drawing, simply comment below using your first name and a legit email address, listing the two events from the following program list you’d like to attend. (Note that there is one event not eligible and we’ve noted it for you.) Sometime after noon on Friday (April 1) we’ll randomly select two winners to receive a pair of tickets (each) to one of their selections. You’ve got until 11 am on Friday to enter!

(For ticket information, visit online or call the box office at (800) 647-5463.)

Hidden Alaska ($18)
April 5, 7:30 pm
Michael Melford, veteran National Geographic photographer, has documented some of the world’s most pristine places. For a magazine story and new National Geographic book Hidden Alaska, he traveled to Bristol Bay, Alaska—both an important salmon breeding ground and location of enormous copper and gold deposits—where residents are being forced to choose between incompatible futures.
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The Daily Feed

Win NatGeoLive Tickets Today!

Courtesy of Carol Black, used with permission by National Geographic

Just a quick reminder: you still have time to register for our ticket giveaway to a March National Geographic Live event! We’ll be closing the entry window at 1 pm today and selecting two winners this afternoon. Winners will receive a pair of tickets to a NatGeoLive event of their choice – so make sure you check out the list of programs and sign up this morning!

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Spoken Word: Rollins @ 50 @ Grosvenor Auditorium, 2/13/11


courtesy of Henry Rollins.

Henry Rollins turned 50 years old on Sunday. To celebrate he performed two spoken word concerts at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium. I went to the late show that kicked off around 9:45 and ended at about midnight. The two and hours in between were filled with words; thousands of words; flying out of Henry Rollins’ mouth at a manic rate of fire. Some of the words were funny, some were serious, some could be considered challenging, while most should be called inspirational.

It was a highly entertaining evening of high-energy storytelling from one of society’s most interesting misfits. A tag that Rollins would probably embrace if his self-deprecating humor and admitted outsider attitude are any indication. In fact one of the points Rollins made over and over again during his set was that his audiences are probably his favorite people to spend time with; he certainly stressed that he can’t stand being at home with himself. So what better way to spend your birthday than surrounded by a room full of your favorite folks in your hometown?

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Fun & Games, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: December 2010

Ben Folds, by Ben Folds, courtesy National Geographic

Ben Folds, by Ben Folds, courtesy National Geographic

National Geographic concludes their 2010 NatGeo Live season with eight more programs to ring in the holidays. Because all of their events wrap up before mid-December, we’re giving you a chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to any of the programs below (except the sold-out Irish Christmas Celebration). To enter, simply comment below (using your first name and a legit email address) with which two events you’d most like to attend, using your first name and a legit email address; we’ll randomly draw two winners sometime after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24.

We at WeLoveDC would like to thank National Geographic for bringing our readers the opportunity to attend these events all year long. It’s been quite the diverse line-up this year and we can only look forward to another great year in 2011!

If you’re interested in attending one of these events, visit NatGeo’s website or their box office, located at 17th and M Street, NW. Keep in mind that parking in NatGeo’s underground lot is free for all programs beginning after 6 p.m.

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History, Interviews, Life in the Capital, Media, Scribblings, Special Events, The Features, They Shoot DC, We Love Arts

Photographing the President

Lyndon B. Johnson’s photographer Yoichi Okamoto disappeared behind the President to make this image. Okamoto would have been below the eye line of almost all of the reporters in the room. (LBJ Library/Yoichi Okamoto, p. 118); courtesy National Geographic

Photographs. They’re a common form of expression in media today; they’re everywhere. To many, none are more relevant or as communicative as those taken of the President of the United States. We see them every day in the paper, on websites, on television. “Pictures are worth a thousand words,” says the old adage; none more so true than those of the most powerful and important position in these United States.

But what about the men and women behind those shots? Ever wonder about them – who they are, how they do what they do, what it takes to get “that shot”? John Bredar recently published The President’s Photographer: 50 Years Inside the Oval Office. Bredar primarily chronicles Pete Souza, President Obama’s chief photographer (and former photographer for President Ronald Reagan), through the book while discussing the unique ins and outs of the position with past photographers. We managed – with National Geographic’s help (and a review copy of Brader’s book)- to catch former Presidential photographers Eric Draper and David Hume Kennerly and find out a little bit more about who some of these special and unique individuals are behind the lens.

Access to the President “behind the scenes” by photographers is, in the sense of Presidential history, only a recent development. “Do we really need someone following the President of the United States around every day with a camera?” Bredar asks in his book. When photographer Edward Steichen approached President Lyndon Johnson about it, he posed a simple question: “Just think what it would mean if we had such a photographic record of Lincoln’s presidency?” Continue reading

Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: November 2010

Courtesy White House Photographic Office and National Geographic

It’s just about November and National Geographic continues their great Fall lineup of NatGeo Live events. And once again, the folks at the National Geographic Museum are making available another two pairs of tickets to any of the listed events below, with the exception of the sold out “Sharing Tea with Greg Mortenson”. To enter, simply comment below with which two events you’d most like to attend, using your first name and a legit email address; we’ll randomly draw two winners sometime after noon on Friday, Oct 29.

If you’re interested in attending one of these events, visit NatGeo’s website or their box office, located at 17th and M Street, NW. Keep in mind that parking in NatGeo’s underground lot is free for any programs beginning after 6 p.m. Continue reading

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Night Life, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: October 2010

Diving Bahamas Caves by Wes C. Skiles; courtesy National Geographic

It’s fall and the National Geographic Museum has one heavy lineup ready for DC. National Geographic Live! is a series of dynamic lectures, live concerts, and compelling films presented at the Society’s headquarters on M Street between 16th and 17th Streets. We present to you the complete October lineup AND a chance to win a pair of tickets to one of the listed events!

National Geographic has provided us two pairs of tickets to give away; all you need to do for a chance to win our random drawing is comment with what two events you’d most like to see, using your first name and a legitimate email address by noon on Monday, Oct 4. We’ll draw the winners that afternoon!

NOTE: All programs will be at Grosvenor Auditorium at 1600 M Street, NW. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (202) 857-7700, or in person at the National Geographic ticket office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Free parking is available in the National Geographic underground garage for all programs that begin after 6 p.m.

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Downtown, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Features

Geckos: The New Cuteness?

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0015’
courtesy of ‘RomeTheWorld’

Opening today and running through the first week of January is a new exhibit at National Geographic. “Geckos: Tails to Toepads” features just over 15 species of live geckos of different colors, stripes, shapes, and sizes. While there are also interactive displays and a kids-oriented area, the main attraction are the self-contained terrarium-style displays with all sorts of geckos.

Some of them are pretty tough to spot, like the Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko. (There are four in the enclosure, of which I found only two.) Some are pretty “obvious” geckos, similar in appearance to the animated one on television shilling insurance. And some are just downright ugly. But all in all, they are fascinating to watch and most (if not all) are pretty darn cute – for a reptile.

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Special Events, The Daily Feed

Win Free Film Festival Passes!

Photo courtesy of
‘Running Dry #8’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Remember the All Roads Film Festival we featured yesterday? Well, National Geographic has graciously provided WeLoveDC with two free festival passes to give away!

The pass includes admission from Tuesday 9/28 through Sunday 10/3 to all film screenings, the photo exhibits, panels, and Saturday’s Basement Bhangra Dance Party. Want to go? Simply comment below, using your first name and a legit email address. We’ll randomly draw two winners (one pass per winner) tomorrow (Friday) at noon, so tell your friends and sign up!

Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

The African Diaspora Film Festival at National Geographic

Freedom Riders, courtesy the filmmaker and the National Geographic Society

Beginning tomorrow, the fifth annual African Diaspora Film Festival kicks off at the National Geographic headquarters here in Washington, DC. Showcasing a selection of independent films from around the world, the festival runs through Sunday and is presented in collaboration with the National Geographic All Roads Film Project and TransAfrica Forum. The festival will exhibit 10 films, eight of which are premiering in the DC area.

The ADFF presents to Washingtonians an eclectic mix of foreign, independent, classic, and urban films representing the global Black experience through an extraordinary range of subjects and artistic approaches. Created in 1993 in New York City, ADFF has long been delighting audiences with U.S. and world premieres of independent films, including features, documentaries, animation, and shorts.

The opening film, Freedom Riders, is the first feature-length film about the civil rights activists who risked their lives to bring the American people and government face-to-face with the civil rights inequalities that plagued our nation. The film was a Sundance Film Festival 2010 Official Selection made by Stanley Nelson. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, Nelson chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds. Continue reading

Downtown, History, Special Events, We Love Arts

NatGeo Opens Up Da Vinci’s Mind

DSC_6845

If I say the name “Leonardo da Vinci,” what’s the first thing to pop into your mind? Most likely, thoughts of paintings such as the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper, or perhaps illustrations of his flying machine concepts. Maybe in some cases, the idea of a “Renaissance Man.” And you’d be right with all of those answers – but you’d also only be scratching the surface.

The National Geographic Museum’s latest exhibit, “Da Vinci-The Genius,” attempts to broaden that answer for you. This comprehensive traveling exhibition details the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci and will be on display from June 18 through September 12, 2010 and is made available by Grande Exhibitions, Fondazione Anthropos of Italy, and the French engineer Pascal Cotte.

“We have all heard of Leonardo da Vinci; most people think of him as the artist that painted the Mona Lisa, or maybe they heard he did flying machine drawings,” said National Geographic Museum Director Susan Norton. “But here, you can come to see full-sized models of what he designed in the 15th Century to address what he thought of as challenges, issues, and problems, and I think people will be fascinated when they come.”

She’s not wrong. Continue reading

Entertainment, Essential DC, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

National Geographic Live: May 2010

Adventures Among Ants, by Mark Moffett

©Mark Moffett, courtesy National Geographic

The 2010 National Geographic Live series continues in May with a mix of lectures, authors, and food. The National Geographic Museum is offering up another two pairs of tickets for WeLoveDC readers, unless otherwise noted. Simply comment below (PLEASE use a legit email address and your first name) with what two events – in preferred order – you’d like to attend. We’ll do a random drawing on Monday, May 3 at 2 pm and get the winners set up with their first (or second, if your first choice is full) selection. Keep in mind that tickets are for single events only; both food events are unfortunately not eligible for the free tickets.

In the Empire of Ice ($18)
May 4, 7:30 pm

For a National Geographic-supported expedition, writer Gretel Ehrlich circumnavigated the Arctic Circle to document the indigenous cultures inhabiting its starkly beautiful landscapes, as advancing climate change threatens traditional ways of life. In her new book, Empire of Ice: Encounters in a Changing Landscape, and in this presentation, she tells the story of her journey to explore the “ecology of culture.”

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The Daily Feed

Extended Final Hours for Terra Cotta Warriors

Photo courtesy of
‘Assembly Line’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

The National Geographic Museum has announced it will extend hours for the closing weeks of “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor” from March 19-31, making an additional 16,800 tickets available. These tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 19 – 25, and from 9 a.m. – Midnight from March 26 – 31. The new exhibit “Sacred Waters: Photography by John Stanmeyer” will also be open during the extended hours in the M Street Gallery.

Tickets are available for purchase online, by phone at 202-857-7700, or in person at the box office. Anyone purchasing day-of tickets must do so at the box office or over the phone, as they will not be available online.

Don’t miss this excellent exhibit before it packs up and heads back to China!

The Daily Feed

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Terra Cotta

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_4447’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

The National Geographic Museum will welcome Chinese New Year a week early with a free family festival on Feb. 6, celebrating in conjunction with its popular Terra Cotta Warriors exhibition. The festival, sponsored by PF Chang’s China Bistro, will include free food from the restaurant (while supplies last), film screenings, kids’ activities, table tennis, raffles, live performances (including martial arts demonstrations), and more! Guests will also have the opportunity to win free same-day tickets for the exhibition.

Raffles will be held every half hour during the festival beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the chance to win tickets for the 3 p.m. viewing that day.

Additional tickets will be distributed by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro via Facebook and Twitter.

And coming February 20? A kung-fu film festival, featuring Hero, Lao Tou Ho, and Legendary Weapons of China.

News, Special Events, The Daily Feed

NatGeo Closed, Warriors Open

Photo courtesy of
‘National Geographic Terra Cotta Warriors – Eternal Faces – 11-18-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Some important information NatGeo wanted us to pass along:

Though the National Geographic Society and its employees will be closed Monday, the National Geographic Museum and its popular exhibition “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor” will reopen to the public for regular operating hours from 10-6 p.m. Only ticket holders for Monday, Dec. 21 will be permitted during their designated time.

Exhibition tickets for Saturday, Dec. 19 will be automatically refunded minus the ticket-processing fee. Previously announced alternate viewing hours have been cancelled due to predicted icy road conditions in the evening. People interested in attending the exhibition at a later date should contact the ticket office by phone at 202.857.7700 so that further processing fees can be waived. Due to system limitations we are unable to waive fees for tickets re-purchased online. Continue reading