AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Events May 4-6: Cool off with IMAX, Fly a kite at the Sackler and celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Smithsonian

May 3, 2012

This Saturday, you can make a Korean kite just like this one at the Sackler Gallery. Image courtesy of the Freer and Sackler Galleries

When you find yourself complaining about D.C.’s humidity, imagine trekking across the Arctic wilderness with a set of seven-month-old twins. Picture the melting ice, immense glaciers, gushing waterfalls and larger-than-life snow peaks. It might sound like a cooler alternative to the city heat, but it certainly wouldn’t be an easier experience.

This Friday, take a remarkable journey to the top of the world with a group of unlikely adventurers: a mother polar bear and her twin cubs. In the exciting documentary To the Arctic 3D narrated by Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, become a part of the action as this family struggles to survive in the frigid wilderness they call home. Advance tickets available online. Shown daily at 3:35 p.m. Samuel C. Johnson IMAX theater, National Museum of Natural History.

Saturday, May 5 Kite making

Perhaps Dick Van Dyke said it best in the classic film Mary Poppins: “Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height.” For a pleasantly blustery day, what better activity than kite-flying? This Saturday, grab the kids and explore the Freer and Sackler Galleries as a part of the ImaginAsia series and make your own Korean kites to fly around on the Mall. Free. 2:00 p.m. level 2, Sackler Gallery.

Sunday, May 6 Celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month and this Sunday Smithsonian will kick off the celebration with a day of fun for the whole family. Enjoy music, dance and spoken word performances, arts-and-crafts activities, video interviews by the Hirshhorn’s Artlab+ teen videographers and much more. (If you enjoy the activities at the National Portrait Gallery this weekend, be sure to check out the exhibit, Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter which displays the diversity of contemporary Asian American identity through the works of seven visual artists through October 14, 2012.) The kickoff event is free. 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Kogod Courtyard, National Portrait Gallery.

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