Day 2 of my Washington Adventure-Newseum and the National Mueseum of the American Indian

I set my alarm this morning in order to have enough time to hit two museums today. First up was the "Newseum", a relatively new museum which was absolutely amazing! As a Mass Communication Instructor and just a pop-culture nut, there was a lot of items that attracted my attention. Which made the experience really exciting as it has soooo much to offer.

Even before entering, get an idea of the scope of their commitment. Lining the entrance were front pages from newspapers from each state. Star and Tribune's headlines today: "Mpls. Favors Metrodome Site for Vikings Stadium", "U.S. foreign policy to emphasize gay rights", "3M chemicals down sharply in east metro residents", "Futures soar for Rep. Walz's STOCK Act" and a common theme across most state's newspapers today, the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor; "Opening up 70 years after Pearl Harbor". The Newseum even tracks this online for you. But through their site online you can track 883 pages from 86 countries.

Once in side, you finally get the magnitude of this 6 story (7 floors if you count the concourse floor) museum as the entry way is an open atrium to the top floor. A large helicopter hovers above you and a large satellite also lingers in the air. Some of my favorite parts of the museum included the Pulitzer Prize Photograph Exhibit which not only included every single photograph that has won this prestigious award, but also displayed the background story of most of them (maybe even all); the 4D movie "I-Witness" that made journalism look and feel cool; G-Men and Journalist Exhibit with cool FBI and crime artifacts (Dillanger's, the Unabomber, Lindberg kidnapping, Patty Hearst, spy artifacts, Hoover's desk, Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, KKK robes and mafia artifacts) the News History Gallery with front page archives displaying such historic day documents as JFK's assassination, the Man on the Moon, and the Sinking of the Titanic; the 9-11 Gallery of archives and special artifacts, the Berlin Wall Gallery with the largest wall display outside of Germany and an actual watchtower from near Checkpoint Charley; and the Journalists Memorial honoring those that lost their lives in the pursuit of news.

There was a large scale map that identified every country and the classification of freedom of speech found there (free, partly free, not free). There were vehicles from actual journalist attacks (ie car bombings, warfare, including Bod Woodruff's body armor from when he was attacked). Many displays were interactive requiring you to touch, listen, move, or take part in news creation. You could even tape record yourself doing a live newsreport.

I wish we lived closer because I would bring my students here for sure. I could easily have spent the whole day here as I only took in one of the numerous films and videos that were continuously running. This museum was not free, but was well worth the money. If you are an educator, don't forget to ask for the educator discount.

After about 4 hours I decided I better move on to the next item on my agenda--the National Museum of the American Indian. This museum was beautiful! Here too, there was just so much to see.I again wished that I had more time in order to devote solely to this museum. It is the 18th building under the Smithsonian name which means it is also free. This too was a relatively new museum having been opened just in 2004.

I started by catching up with a tour that had started a few minutes earlier (the only one of the day according. We proceeded to the special exhibit titled "Our Universes" which was 8 "cultural philosophies" that as I understood it, were created by the selected communities. As described by the NMAI, "

Our Universes focuses on indigenous cosmologies—worldviews and philosophies related to the creation and order of the universe—and the spiritual relationship between humankind and the natural world. Organized around the solar year, the exhibition introduces visitors to indigenous peoples from across the Western Hemisphere who continue to express the wisdom of their ancestors in celebration, language, art, spirituality, and daily life." Another cool area was the "Our Lives" exhibit. "The main section of Our Lives centers on various layers of identity. For Native people, identity—who you are, how you dress, what you think, where you fit in, and how you see yourself in the world—has been shaped by language, place, community membership, social and political consciousness, and customs and beliefs. But Native identity has also been influenced by a legacy of legal policies that have sought to determine who is Indian and who is not. The issue of Native identity continues to resonate today, as Native people across the Americas seek to claim the future on their own terms." But one of the most memorable parts of this museum which I'll carry with me, is the architecture and design elements. It was truly amazing and visceral in its reflection of Native philosophy. There were no rectangles or straight walls. Displays flowed and moved through the use of circular and non-linear elements. The large entry was circular. Embedded in the wall were crystals which would cast rainbow prisms against the white interior walls. These also corresponded with the seasonal equinoxes. The space was truly a major element of my experience there. I was tweeting as much as I could here like I had also done at the previous museums today and yesterday. But before I knew it, they were announcing the museum's closing over the PA system. I'm glad that I was able to at least see most of both these tremendous Museums today. Watch for future blog posts with the tweet archives from each museum.

Our Universes focuses on indigenous cosmologies—worldviews and philosophies related to the creation and order of the universe—and the spiritual relationship between humankind and the natural world. Organized around the solar year, the exhibition introduces visitors to indigenous peoples from across the Western Hemisphere who continue to express the wisdom of their ancestors in celebration, language, art, spirituality, and daily life." Another cool area was the "Our Lives" exhibit. "The main section of Our Lives centers on various layers of identity. For Native people, identity—who you are, how you dress, what you think, where you fit in, and how you see yourself in the world—has been shaped by language, place, community membership, social and political consciousness, and customs and beliefs. But Native identity has also been influenced by a legacy of legal policies that have sought to determine who is Indian and who is not. The issue of Native identity continues to resonate today, as Native people across the Americas seek to claim the future on their own terms." But one of the most memorable parts of this museum which I'll carry with me, is the architecture and design elements. It was truly amazing and visceral in its reflection of Native philosophy. There were no rectangles or straight walls. Displays flowed and moved through the use of circular and non-linear elements. The large entry was circular. Embedded in the wall were crystals which would cast rainbow prisms against the white interior walls. These also corresponded with the seasonal equinoxes. The space was truly a major element of my experience there. I was tweeting as much as I could here like I had also done at the previous museums today and yesterday. But before I knew it, they were announcing the museum's closing over the PA system. I'm glad that I was able to at least see most of both these tremendous Museums today. Watch for future blog posts with the tweet archives from each museum.