Hello Associates Volunteers!
I hope you enjoy reading this blog issue, there's lots of good cheer here. I've also noticed all the smiling faces and helpfulness at our programs recently. One of the perks of my work schedule is I get to see Rep volunteers "on the job" as well as office volunteers too. Thank you for all that you do to ensure that our staff gets the volunteer support needed, and that our participants feel welcomed and enjoy their experience with Smithsonian Associates. This Thanksgiving I am especially thankful for the privilege (and it is!) of getting to know each of you and seeing how you keep the Associates operations top-notch! On behalf of all our staff, I want to convey how much we appreciate each and every one of you volunteers. Happy Thanksgiving!
Warm regards,
Jenna Jones, CVA
Volunteer Coordinator for Smithsonian Associates
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Attitudes of Gratitude
By Janet Hewitt, Guest Blogger
Volunteers for the Smithsonian Associates' programs clearly aren't in it for the money. They don't log many extra hours a year to get a good performance review or a raise. So why exactly do they do it? Why do so many of them keep coming back year after year, decade after decade? And what makes them just plain grateful to be a part of the whole Smithsonian Associates' experience?
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we asked the volunteers what makes them thankful to be a part of the special community at the Associates. But we also wanted to know what they are thankful for on a broader scale, as we near the end of 2018. We got a wide range of answers about friendship, good health, personal growth, and the life-long love of learning.
Let's start with this answer from Bus Rep Sharon Boyle. It was the first reply that came in and it about perfectly sums up what many of us feel. Sharon wrote:
"I am thankful for the opportunity to explore the diversity of our world through the lens of an institution that inspires us all to think, and the chance to learn alongside people with the passion to discover every day."
That's beautiful, right? It encapsulates what the Smithsonian is all about. And how lucky and thankful we can all be, that we live so close by that we can waltz into the doors of this institution any day of the week.
Another volunteer, Art Rep Susan Nikseresht wrote this:
"I am thankful for having met Denise, another volunteer from the Smithsonian, who introduced me to the Smithsonian volunteer program and raised my vibration to a higher place, so I can have one day a week at Ripley when I can be passionate about helping artists."
After hearing that, I say let's hope that in 2019, we can all have our vibrations raised to a higher place.
We received this thoughtful submission from Event Rep Jo Ann Van Beusichem:
"I'm thankful for all the trials and tribulations I've had in my life, since they've shaped me into who I've become (which is much better than who I would have been without them.)"
And from Linda Koepnick, another Event Rep, we heard this hopeful note:
"I am thankful that my husband's health has improved so much. I am particularly grateful to our family and friends for their support during a very difficult time."
Finally, Concessions/Event Rep Kay Gilley shared this:
"I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of the great Smithsonian Associates programs and to help people learn about so many different educational topics. I am also grateful to have made so many friends among the other volunteers and to get to attend these programs as well."
So altogether, this is a sampling of what these volunteers are thankful for as the end of 2018 draws near. It also partly explains why Associates volunteers willingly donate many hours year after year. Simply put, they get more than they give. And for that, both Smithsonian Associates and they are truly thankful.
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A Gift That Gives Year Long
By Joann Stevens, Guest Blogger
The pressure is on. December is nearly here and the desire to wow friends, family, and co-workers at holiday gatherings with perfect creative gifts and stocking stuffers is growing stronger. Yes, most will smile and politely proclaim "It's not the gift but the thought that counts." But no one wants to get that "What were they thinking?" look. So here's some help: Show that you've really thought about what inspires them by giving the gift of eclectic, insightful, informative and entertaining discovery – a Smithsonian Associates Gift Certificate!
A Smithsonian Associates Gift Certificate allows your recipient to choose to obtain tickets from an enormous variety of outstanding, high-quality programs, trips, courses and concerts and more. They can also choose to use your gift certificate towards an annual membership, thus giving them access to member discount prices and other valuable benefits such as:
- a monthly Associates program guide mailed to their homes
- museum shop and restaurant discounts
- access to behind-the-scenes tours and special receptions with world-class speakers
- advance notice about some 750 up-close and personal Smithsonian adventures with world-class curators and subject matter experts.
Smithsonian Associate Gift Certificates are available in amounts from $25, $50, $75 or $100 and up. They offer knowledge for every age, every interest, every curiosity. You may purchase gift certificates online or by calling our customer service staff at 202-633-3030. The lucky recipient of your gift certificate will receive a congratulatory notice (by email and/or U.S. mail) with instructions on how to redeem it. They will get a special code, and links to our website's upcoming program descriptions.
Want to wow a Chamber music lover? A Smithsonian Associates Gift Certificate can be used to purchase tickets to Smithsonian Chamber Music Society concerts featuring performances on Stradivarius instruments from the Smithsonian's music collection might be the ticket. Or Foodies can meet and bond over culture events such as the popular Tudor Christmas Feast (Dec. 12), which sells out fast annually, or the "spirited" Toast to the Rat Pack (Jan 28, 2019) evening of cocktails and music history.
A Smithsonian Associates Gift Certificate can allow creative children 10-15 to discover The Stories Behind Harry Potter's Magic (Jan. 16, 2019) with a New York Historical Society curator who connects lessons from Hogwarts School with real historical objects such as a 1699 celestial globe or a 16th century alchemical scroll.
Hands-on, artsy types can enjoy Studio Arts Workshops or courses, such as Mosaics in the Pique Assiette Tradition (Eight sessions, Jan. 29-March 19, 2019), creating art from broken dishes.
Media hounds can engage with news makers in a Voices From the Fourth Estate discussion.
So stop sweating. You've got this with Smithsonian Associates! The gift that gives both thought and substance.
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Holiday Season Events Across the Smithsonian!
By Kiren Jahangeer, Guest Blogger
This December you can get in the holiday spirit at these Smithsonian festivities and events:
ZooLights! This annual free event runs from Friday, November 23, 2018 – Tuesday, January 1, 2019 between the hours of 5 pm - 9 pm. New this year is the Gingerbread Village (complete with lollipops, frosted cookies and a gingerbread throne), Reindeer Games Fun Zone (rides, an obstacle course, and inflatable slides), and a Symphony of Lights (an interactive light canopy that responds to music).
The Smithsonian’s Annual Holiday Festival will take place Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2 from 10 am - 5:30 pm on the National Mall.
Check out these events at participating museums:
Holiday Film Festival at NMAH on Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2 (there is a fee for these films)
At SAAM on Saturday, December 1 from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, you can celebrate the holidays with a free performance by The Washington Ballet. Dancers will perform excerpts from The Nutcracker in the Courtyard Café. Tasty treats, holiday crafts and a scavenger hunt complete this event.
At the Sackler Gallery (level B2, ImaginAsia Studio) on Saturday, December 1 from 12:00 pm -4:00 pm you can partake in a tour and learn how artists depict the natural world in the Sackler’s permanent collections. You will also have the opportunity to make your own holiday decorations. This event is free.
Cooking Up History at the Holiday Festival - At NMAH on from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 1, in the Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. This free event showcases a guest chef preparing a recipe while discussing the history and traditions behind the ingredients and culinary techniques.
The weekend after the Holiday Festival, The Postal Museum’s annual card making workshop will take place on Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9 from 10 am-4 pm in the lower level atrium. This event is free.
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Where Am I?
By Janet Hewitt, Guest Blogger
It's probably unlikely you can guess where this Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula resides today. Just be glad it's not in your house, especially if you have a pet parakeet.
While this one's no longer alive (sigh), it rests somewhere pretty special. Its display case card carries its full Latin moniker: Theraphosa blondi, which carries a fair degree of respect on its own. But it's the size of the thing that truly impresses. It's the heaviest spider in the world, with a leg span of 11 inches. Its fangs measure ¾ of an inch and its body measures up to 4.5 inches. It has 8 eyes, but still did not see that well; it relied on other sensations to detect prey.
And while its name implies some ornithological feasting, experts say it doesn't eat birds very often. Frogs, mice, lizards and insects are more likely to be lunch. It can rear up on its hind legs to show its large fangs and has eight legs altogether. The lifespan of these tarantulas ranges from 10 to 15 years in human captivity. There's a bit of gender inequality exists in the species' lifespan, too: females can live up to 20 years, while males average just 3-6 years. The egg sacs of females are almost the size of tennis balls, carrying around 70 spiderlings.
The natural habitat is in the deep rain forests of northern South America, but you can see this one here in Washington, D.C. But which Smithsonian building is it in?
Here are a few hints:
Hint One: The building where it resides today was originally designed to be built in white marble, then in yellow sandstone, but ended up being built in some other material.
Hint Two: The original wooden floors of the Great Hall were replaced with terrazzo.
Hint Three: Two well-known owls (known by first names only, like Beyonce) lived in the ceiling of the West Tower of this building.
So make a guess and let us know where you think this very large tarantula resides.
ANSWERS TO LAST ISSUE'S Where Am I?
The location of last issue’s mystery object was the Peacock Room in the Freer Gallery of Art. Congratulations to Carol Farris for guessing correctly!
