Sculptor Alexander Calder designed "Gwenfritz" in 1965 after Washington philanthropist Gwendolyn Cafritz commissioned him to create a piece for the new Museum of History and Technology. Calder built the 40-foot tall metal stabile in France and…
French was a sculptor whose best-known work in Washington, DC, is the statue of President Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial. He also sculpted the statue of Victory which tops the First Division Monument in President’s Park. From 1910-1915,…
As soon as the Japanese cherry trees were planted, Washingtonians and tourists enjoyed the blossoms every spring. Although there were cherry blossom fetes in the 1920s, they were mostly held in Hains Point. The first Cherry Blossom Festival, which…
The National Powwows began in September 2002. They were organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in anticipation of the opening of the museum. The events were attended by thousands from the US and Canada to celebrate…
The First Annual Smithsonian Kite Carnival (later referred to as the Kite Festival) took place on the National Mall on March 25, 1967. Individuals could compete in contests with homemade kites as well as ready-made ones. The festival also included…
America’s Millennium Gala was the culminating event of a larger three-day project celebrating the millennium. The event was produced by Quincy Jones and George Stevens Jr., hosted by Will Smith, and premiered a film by Steven Spielberg. Festivities…
Tamaki Miura performed an aria from Madame Butterfly as part of the opening performance for the Sylvan Theatre on the Washington Monument grounds in June 1917. Miura was a Japanese opera singer who toured Europe and the United States in the 1910s and…
Since 1979, the National Symphony Orchestra has played a concert, called "A Capitol Fourth," on the west front of the Capitol, facing the National Mall. Fireworks are also launched from near the Washington Monument. This article describes the 1993…
Since 1979, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has performed on the west front of the Capitol on the fourth of July. The concert is aired by PBS stations as "A Capitol Fourth" and features musicians and vocalists as well as the NSO and the Marine…
This article from the Washington Post describes the first season of concerts at the Watergate steps near the Lincoln Memorial. Performances were generally classical music, both orchestral and featuring singers. Performers were on a specially…