AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Events March 22-24: Flying Lessons, the Garrison Dam and Dream Folk-Rock

This weekend, have your kids learn the science of flight, hear the history of a displaced North Dakota tribe and listen to local folk-rockers Kindlewood

Paul Bisceglio

March 21, 2013

The Garrison Dam, whose construction displaced the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in the 1950s. See a documentary on the dam’s effects on American Indians on Saturday. Feedloader (Limelight Networks)

Friday, March 22: Professor Wingnut Wants to Fly

Actor and educator Oran Sandel has a whole philosophy about the importance of playing with children, but his stage performances are all about making learning fun. Today, he teams up with puppeteer Dan Mori to make the duo Professor Wingnut and Seymour Seagull, an eccentric pair that teaches kids about the science of flight through song and dance. $8 adults, $6 children, $5 adult and child members, $3 children under 2. 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 a.m. Air and Space Museum.

Saturday, March 23: Waterbuster

The construction of North Dakota’s Garrison Dam in the 1950s submerged 156,000 acres of fertile land and displaced the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Filmmaker J. Carlos Peinado, a descendent of relocated tribes, revisits his ancestral homeland in Waterbuster (2006) to study the dam’s history and the effects of the government’s relocation policies on sovereign American Indian nations. Check out a short trailer for the film here. Free. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. American Indian Museum.

Sunday, March 24: Luce Unplugged, with Kindlewood

Kindlewood is a Washington, DC-based trio that plays what its members call “dream folk-rock.” Don’t worry about labels, though — just listen to the music! The band’s gorgeous vocals and lush instrumentations will fill the Luce Foundation Center this afternoon following an art talk on a piece selected by the group. Free. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. American Art Museum.

Also, check out our Visitors Guide App. Get the most out of your trip to Washington, D.C. and the National Mall with this selection of custom-built tours, based on your available time and passions. From the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the app is packed with handy navigational tools, maps, museum floor plans and museum information including ‘Greatest Hits’ for each Smithsonian museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.