Where Cultural and Sociل Forces Converged, the Music Emerged

H^ Smithsonian Institution NO. 104 SPRING 2001 Research Reports

CULTURAL HISTORY on the five other jukeboxes scattered Brooks' place," he says of one source, "we throughout the exhibition and listen to found two screen doors labeled 'White' hundreds of songs from the 1930s to the and 'Colored.' " Strategically placed in the Where cultural and sociá forces 1970s. exhibition, the doors help convey the real-

The fans 'Rock 'n Soul, ' continued on Page 6 converged, the music emerged "The kids and the fans are a huge part of this story," McGovern says. "They're the By Colleen Hershberger ones who went to the big rock 'n' roll Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs shows in the mid-1950s. These were often the first integrated public events." ere class, society work together as field hands. When taking People who witnessed these events, he nd race have divi- a rest, "someone might start playing an says, have a hard time seeing themselves as ded Americans, instrument, and other folks would join a part of the history. But the researcher, music has united in," he says. "They picked up each others' McGovern adds, gleans a critical perspec- So it was in the country and blues licks. tive by interviewing those who were kids ith in the early "And everyone, black or white," Daniel when rock 'n' roll and soul music were Wpart of the 20th century. continues, "grew up with church music. popular. White folks and black folks, high-rollers They may have sung the hymns a little bit "When talking to the grown-up and paupers, do"wnto"wn dwellers, country differently, but everyone could pick up on fans," he explains, "we put their farmers and field hands set aside their dif- 'Old Rugged Cross.' " stories within a larger frame- ferences to play and enjoy music together. The researchers spent years interviewing work, and all of a sudden, they The sounds of blues, country and gospel and recording more than 70 individuals, can see that they're part and eventually converged at the urban cross- including singers, producers, engineers, parcel of the movements that roads of Memphis, being reborn, first as record shop owners, disc jockeys, factory changed ideas about race in rock 'n' roll and, later, as soul music. workers, sharecroppers and others. this country, about how we This blending of cultures and the results "We asked them about their lives, not see ourselves as a society are presented in a Smithsonian exhibition just about the music," explains John Mec- and about where we should

titled "Rock 'n' Soul: Social Crossroads," han, audio-visual production specialist for be going as a society." '• < '''' curated by historians Charlie McGovern Smithsonian Productions, who accompa- and Pete Daniel of the Smithsonian's nied Daniel and McGovern on these trips. Finding objects ' .*r.yy...... v-.-- National Museum of American History, "We asked about their childhood, music Daniel traveled * : ••:•«••:•.•' • . • Behring Center. The exhibition, scheduled teachers and their religious experiences." throughout the • I . •••;•.•.•.•.*. • - • '. ••"•••• •• • to run indefinitely, is on view at the Mem- Excerpts from the interviews can be seen Southeast, pickin; ... :;:•••'*'X- -.V;::: phis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, located in the in the three videos in the exhibition. In through barns and ...:: ...... -...; Gibson Guitar Factory in Memphis, Tenn. one interview, rock 'n' roll legend Carl old buildings for The show examines the people and Perkins recalled growing up as a share- objects. "At Mr. social forces that created the music•from cropper, "working alongside hundreds of the blues, country and gospel of the 1930s black people." The same man who taught to the emergence of rock 'n' roll in the him to "crop" also taught him his first gui- 1950s to the soul tunes of the 1960s and tar chords. •••r?^ • ' -..- -v '*'^S\ 1970s. Conversely, the exhibition consid- It was critical to interview not only the : . f •••••••••••••;.;... '...;.• ' . ;i"'-* • .«%»•••••••#,^' v ers how music affected social and cultural artists and musicians but the "middle peo- •••••••••••. '• Í ' ' - • . » f^-T movements such as urban migration, ple" as well, McGovern says. "Without the •7 *• ••*•••••*...' i\ »\ youth culture and civil rights. managers, agents, bookers and jukebox • il. :;:::::.;: :*IM^ "Many of the most important artists and dealers, none of this would have been pos- ''•'•-••I ••••«••••• *w developments of rock 'n' roll and soul sible," he says of the development of rock I •• •••••*•••« rr * •• ' •••••««» 1> music emerged from Memphis," McGov- 'n' roll and soul music. ern says. Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, B.B. McGovern tells the story of George •••••• -.'«ktl ••»•»»•• ••• ••«• King, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Al Sammons, a small-businessman w^ho sold <•»••••• •«•••••• V*', Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Redding and jukeboxes. "Those boxes represented a • ••"• . «•••-^•'^ «f **î.i *»»t... • • « • • **^t¿^^r4 *^4 others all came from Memphis. "But what considerable amount of capital. As a dis- • •••••• .«• é t f'^Ml if *'\J happened in Memphis happened in a lot tributor, Sammons co-signed notes with •«•••r* 9 4% of places. Wherever you look, rock 'n' roll African American owners of honky-tonks, ••I«* •••« . • • • • • t • . came out of mixed, or racially commingled, cafés, filling stations and juke joints," he Rufus Thomas, a renowned .«•• ••••, *.^\' ••• • •• --Í^Á neighborhoods. Many people involved says. "Sammons was a white man who Memphis musician, ««•»• *••&««- -'-^-^J with the music were transracial; that is, extended credit to African Americans, just performs at the opening • • ' ' • • • •! • • •••••»I they could operate in different worlds." as someone had extended credit to him." gala for the "Rock 'n' Daniel, an expert on the rural South One of Sammons' 1930s red juke boxes Soul" exhibition. (Photo during the Depression era, adds that it was is in the exhibition. Using the interactive by Terry McCrea) common for white and black people to audio tour, visitors can play songs virtually

Profiles in Research, 2 • Satellite imaging, 2 • Paint-by-number, 3 • Canoe building, 4 • Zoo education, 5 Research Highlights, Series, Books & Recordings, 7 • Off the Shelf, 8 Proflies in Research

African cultures • Studio art was the first love of Mary Jo Arnoldi, curator of Afi-ican ethnology and art in the Anthropology Department of the Smithsonian's National

Museum of Natural History. After receiving her bachelor of fine arts degree from Bowl- ing Green State University in Ohio, however, she realized she was "much better at think- ing and writing about art than actually creating it."

Following college, she was accepted into a graduate program in Northern European

Renaissance art history, but then decided to take a break to work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal. That decision influenced the course of the rest of her life and ultimately led to the recent redesign of the Africa Hall at the Museum of Natural History.

On her return to the United States, Arnoldi decided to pursue a doctorate in African art history with a minor in anthropology and spent two years in Mali researching her dissertation. Before coming to the Smithsonian in 1985, she served on the faculty of the With a Global Positioning receiver jutting out of his backpack, Andrew Johnston walks on Nevado Mismi in Peru. (Photo courtesy of National Geographic) University of Missouri in Kansas City and was a curator at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY

Arnoldi tries to spend at least four to six weeks each year in Africa. One of her major research projects, which she began in Mali in 1978 and expanded throughout the next Satellite imagery provides scientists 15 years, was an in-depth study of puppet

masquerade theater. She is now studying with a close-up view of the Earth

urban arts in ^Äfest Africa and is conducting By Topper Sherwood a project on the history of Malian national Special to Research Reports

arts festivals, as well as a study of monu- Understanding how the Earth is point in the river's drainage basin from ments in Bamako. changing through time is an "which water runs year-round, or the fur- important goal for scientists thest point from which "water could possi- Although she has worked a great deal in around the wôrld. Geographer bly flow to the Atlantic. Nevado Mismi both Senegal and Gambia, Arnoldi consid- Andrew Johnston, who "works in the Cen- fits both of these definitions." ter for Earth and Planetary Studies at the The Global Positioning System equip- ^^^ ers Mali her second home. She has no Smithsonian's National Air and Space ment used by Johnston on the expedition í¡^ 1 I ^B children of her own, but has "a lot of Museum, uses aerospace technologies such is considered accurate to within 1 to 5 as satellite imagery to better understand meters. It's the first time such high-preci- H ^k '•^^^ I • children in Mali who belong to friends of the Earth. sion equipment is known to have been mine," she laughs. "I started working in Finding new ways to chart the environ- used in this remote area. mental effects of human activity on the Mali in 1978 and have grown older with the women in that same community. Over the Earth, including industrial development, 'Satellite imaging, ' continued on Page 5 last 20 years, our conversations have changed as these friends have become mothers and deforestation and urban growth, is "probably the largest single issue driving interest then grandmothers," she says. in remote-sensing technology right now," ^ -CiwXkMÛit TA^>«"lt*»t Arnoldi has a personal and scholarly interest in the way conversation and dialogue Johnston says. can convey information on a very personal level, she says, and in a way that will, in turn, Utilizing the technology EesearchR^)orts Most of his work is done at the museum. stimulate more conversation and dialogue. No. 104 Spring 2001 Frequently, however, his expertise takes As a result, putting a human face on the story of Africa and promoting dialogue are him to spots on the Earth that are about as Published quarterly by the Smithsonian Office key elements in the recent redesign of the Africa Hall. The dynamic exhibition, "African far from civilization as one can get. Last of Public Affairs, Smithsonian Institution Build- summer, for example, 32-year-old John- ing, Room 354, Washington, D.C. 20560-0033, Voices," which opened in December 1999, is vastly different from the exhibition on ston served as chief scientist on a National for Smithsonian Contributing Members, scholars, Africa that preceded it. In "African Voices," African culture and society are represented Geographic Society expedition to Peru educators, museum personnel, libraries, journal- that precisely confirmed the ultimate ists and others. To request this publication in an by individual stories, and some of the individuals featured are people whom Arnoldi has source of the Amazon as a stream begin- accessible format, call (202) 357-2627, ext. 124 known for decades; others she met in the course of developing this exhibition. ning on Nevado Mismi, an 18,363-foot- (voice) or (202) 357-1729 (TTY). high mountain in southern Peru. "The Museum of Natural History has a very well-informed public," Arnoldi says, "so David Umansky, Communications Director Johnston used advanced navigation tech- Kathryn Lindeman, Associate Director nology known as the Global Positioning the museum's exhibit team and our extended team of advisers wanted this to be a gallery Jo Ann Webb, Editor System to gather data on the stream so it where people would have conversations about what they were seeing. We wanted it to be Colleen Hershberger, Assistant Editor could be mapped. The system employs a a learning experience and a destination for local and regional audiences. "We also constellation of satellites that communicate Telephone: (202) 357-2627 wîth hand-held receivers to identify, with E-mail: [email protected] wanted it to be a place that would evoke memories for newly arrived African families." great accuracy, specific points on the Earth. Internet: w"ww.si.edu/researchreports "People have been writing and arguing Arnoldi is very aware of the power that her knowledge of West African culture and Contributing Members who seek information about [the source of the Amazon] for her experience and study of performance art have given to this vibrant exhibition. She is about the Smithsonian or about their member- years," Johnston says. "The main goal of ships may write to The Contributing Member- the trip was to collect the data necessary adamant in emphasizing the connection between research and exhibitions and empha- ship, Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Jefferson to bring this discussion to conclusion, and sizes that "African Voices" is just the beginning of a larger project to which the museum Drive S.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. "we were able to do that. The source of the 20560-0038, or call 1 (800) 931-32CM. has committed itself•the study and exhibition of African cultures. Amazon can be defined as the most distant

2 • Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 CULTURAL HISTORY Paint-by-number: A phenomenon that made everyone a 'Rembrandt'

By Angela CervettI Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs

The prow of the majestic saihng they were doing or, as one critic called ship cuts through an angry sea them, 'morons.' that gives way in frothy peaks of White No. 1. High atop the An idea Is born rugged mast, a tiny Red No. 3 pennant In 1950, Dan Robbins, a package designer flaps against a sky of Azure 4. "Before the at the Palmer Paint Co. in Detroit, Wind" and other paint-by-number works approached its owner. Max Klein, with a like it held an honored placed on the liv- concept: A paint-by-number kit containing ing room w^alls of Ameri- a brush, a canvas of can homes in the 1950s. line art with num- But was it art? bers on it and Larry Bird, curator of paint to match up the exhibition "Paint by "with the numbers. Number: Accounting for Klein turned Rob- This painting, "Before the Wind," is on view in the exhibition "Paint by Number." Taste in the 1950s," bins' idea into a w^hich opened at the nationwide phe- the exhibition and the show's catalog. He butions of paint-by-number pictures to the Smithsonian's nomenon. decided to divide the show into three parts do-it-yourself aesthetic of "domestic art." National Museum of A year later, and an epilogue. "The first part, 'Every The show closes with the epilogue, "The American History on Early paint sets, such as this one manu- in 1951, Palmer Man a Rembrandt,' talks specifically about Unfinished Work." Bird says: "It shows April 6 and will con- factured by Picture Craft in 1953, typically Paint began dis- paint-by-number as a Detroit product," how the ideas associated with paint-by- tinue through Dec. included a pair of paint brushes, oil paints tributing paint- Bird says. number played out, but also ho"w they 31, does not think so. in gelatin capsules and a rolled canvas. by-number kits The second section, "The New Leisure," were re-interpreted by artists like Andy ' It is a compromise to department looks at social class in the 1950s, when Warhol and Paul Bridgewater. " between genuine creativity and the day-to- stores such as Macy's. By 1954, the com- more Americans than ever before had free day pressures of raising a family and earn- pany had sold some 12 million kits. time, and social critics told Gathering materials ing a living. The people doing it knew that them they were not spend- To disseminate information about the it was not art, how could they not kno"w?" Surprising interest ing it quite as they sho"w within the museum and to poten- For $2.50 per kit and hours of meticu- Bird's interest in the paint-by-number phe- should. tial lenders. Bird designed and launched lous coloring "within the lines, mailmen, nomenon began in 1995, when he got a The third section, a Web site. He then quickly turned his housewives, accountants and even presi- call from the museum's Archives Center. "The Picture's Place," attention to arranging loans of paintings. dential cabinet members participated in an "Klein's daughter "wanted to donate a cou- discusses the contri- For that, he had to travel. ple of trunks full of company scrapbooks, Over a period of six months and trade materials and photographs her father with a budget of $3,500, Bird left when he died in 1993," he recalls. As "went to Toronto, Chicago, New soon as he saw the material, he kne"w \brk, Miami and Boston, it "would make a great exhibition. "where he met with collec- But before going forward with tors, photographed paint- exhibition plans. Bird had to present ings and tentatively the idea to the museum's Exhibit arranged for loans. and Program Committee. Initially, "I needed more than the committee was somewhat skepti- 200 figures for the cat- cal, he admits. "When you say alog, so I borro"wed an 'paint-by-number,' you always get average of 30 paintings raised eyebro"ws," Bird says. "Person- per collector," Bird says. ally, I enjoy looking at the finished "For the show, we chose paintings." about 40 pieces that were the Part of Bird's proposal was a public- most expressive." ity idea to put a giant paint-by-num- In gathering the material. ber canvas outside the museum and Bird hoped to find one item in then paint a few numbers a day. "It particular: a paint-by-number "would be the only place "where people portrait of President Eisen- could see the process taking place," ho"wer. At the Eisenho"wer Bird says. Library in Abilene, Kansas, Paint-by-number influenced fine artists, But what painting should it be? "I Curator Dennis Medina told providing source material for the pop art asked the Smithsonian's Office of Pol- Bird he had never seen such a movement. Andy Warhol created this crayon- icy and Analysis (then the Institu- painting but had something on-paper, "Do-It-Yourself (Flowers)," in 1962. tional Studies Office) to conduct a else that might interest him. survey of our visitors to find out "what "It turns out that Eisen- artlike experience guaranteed to produce a their favorite picture "was," he says. ho"wer's appointment secretary, perfect picture every time. The survey of visitors showed their Thomas E. Stephens, decided But not everyone was happy to see its favorite image was a landscape or to mount a White House advent. "It became a sport among social seascape. "We chose a lighthouse scene critics to denounce it," explains Bird, also "with the surf crashing against the 'Paint, ' continued on Page 6 curator of the political history campaign rocks," Bird says. collection at the museum. "Critics sa"w it Dan Robbins is credited with as part of the increasing mechanization of Planning the exhibition devising the paint-by-number culture, and those who engage in it as With the committee's approval. Bird concept more than 50 years ago. either poor souls who didn't know what immediately began work on the content of (Photo by Jeff Carter)

Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 • 3 ETHNOGRAPHY newer film are displayed together in the Milwaukee Public Museum.

An age-old tradition becomes A master at work Age-old technology and tradition drive the action in "Earl's Canoe." The film starts the action in an award-winning film with Nyholm searching for a suitable birch tree. "For every one good tree," he says, By Michael Lipske "you've got to look at at least 100." Carry- Special to Research Reports ing a walking staff, he rambles through the Madeline Island forest. The canoe maker Earl Nyholm knows that it is much he has made, he says, "eight or 10 ethno- runs his hands over the white-and-black easier to go to a sporting-goods graphic films" on subjects as diverse as skin of a promising tree and studies the shop and buy an aluminum or drum making, Finnish American winter shape of its trunk. fiberglass canoe than to make one festivals, Paiute Indian tule-reed technol- Shedding his jacket, he begins slicing by hand. "But I learned to make canoes ogy and the folk puppetry of Rajasthan, through the tree's bark with a knife. The the old way, and I feel good about that," India. first cut circles the trunk near the ground, he says. With Mickey Hart, a drummer who and after Nyholm climbs a ladder, a simi- By "the old way," Nyholm means mak- played with the Grateful Dead, Vennum lar circular incision is made 20 feet up the ing a canoe by hand•firom sheets of also has produced award-winning albums trunk. Nyholm next carves a long vertical birch bark, lengths of pine root and other of American Indian music. But do not cut in the bark down the length of the natural materials gathered from the north- expect to hear music in "Earl's Canoe." tree. With great care, he and a helper then ern forest. In "Earl's Canoe," an a'ward- Vennum insists: "I didn't want any of this pry free the birch bark in one large sheet. winning film from the Smithsonian's New Age Indian flute music in the back- Although the bark does not replenish Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, ground." itself, the tree itself is unharmed. the Ojibwe Indian demonstrates the "Quiet as the North Woods," the film's Nyholm leaves a gift of some tobacco to ancient craft of canoe making, creating a low-key soundtrack, offers the crunch of thank the spirit that guards the tree. He 14-foot boat, with the help of family and footsteps on fallen leaves, cries of flickers then tucks fern leaves in with the bark to friends. and other forest birds, tapping and scrap- keep it moist, while rolling the sheet up Although the film's viewers may not feel ing sounds from hand tools, and the like a carpet for transportation. prepared to construct their o"wn canoes, splashing of waves on an island beach. At lakeside, the bark is spread flat on a they will have acquired a new benchmark These sounds provide the backdrop for bed of sand. Contrary to most artistic con- for aquatic elegance after watching Nyholm's voice as he guides his helpers • ceptions of birch canoes, the white outer Nyholm and his 84-year-old mother pad- and the film's audience•through the bark faces the inside of the boat. The tree's dle their graceful, gold-colored, home- hundreds of steps in birch-bark canoe yellow inner bark, placed face down on made boat into a Great Lakes sunset. making. the sand, becomes the canoe's exterior. Filmed in the summer of 1997 on "Earl doesn't talk an awful lot," Vennum A temporary wooden form is positioned Madeline Island, Wis., at the western end says. To produce enough narration for the on top of the bark sheet; weighted down of Lake Superior, "Earl's Canoe" is a pro- film, Vennum interviewed Nyholm while with rocks, the form is used to shape the ject of Smithsonian Ethnomusicologist the two watched 50-year-old, silent film bottom of the canoe. Stakes driven into Thomas \fennum. "I've known Earl for a footage of a bark canoe being made by the sand prop up the left and right sides of good 30 years," Vennum says, "and I'd Bob Pine, the Wisconsin Ojibwe Indian the bark sheet, forming the sides of the guess he's probably made 30 or 40 canoes who taught canoe making to Nyholm. canoe. Extra sections of bark are stitched in his lifetime." More than a master canoe "That generated enough of Earl's conver- to the sides to increase the height of the maker, Nyholm also is a linguist, who sation about the technology that we were gunwales. teaches at Bemidji State University, in able to pick and choose and cut it in as a In the fllm, Nyholm explains that, in the Minnesota, and the author of an Ojibwe voice-over," Vennum says. old days, canoe making was a family pro- dictionary. The canoe that Pine made in the early ject and that, on this canoe, he is helped In this image from "Earl's Canoe," Earl Vennum, too, has varied work interests. film and the one Nyholm made for the out by cousins who live in the area. "I sup- Nyholm, bottom, holds a sheet of birch bark Since coming to the Smithsonian in 1975, pose you could call it nepotism," he says. as it is removed from a tree. His mother assists in sewing together the pieces of birch bark. The thread used is the film. The "old way" has scant sympa- jack pine root, dug up from trees along the thy for deadlines. On the other hand, beach and then soaked in lake water and Nyholm, his mother, and his cousins and scraped by hand. Pushing and pulling friends have built one beautiful bark boat lengths of stiff pine root through tree bark on the shore of Lake Superior. is laborious sewing. "When you do this As the sun sinks and the film nears its kind of work, your hands don't get to be end, the canoe is carried to the water. ladies' hands anymore," Earl's mother says Nyholm paddles in the stern. In a voice- with a chuckle. over, he notes that Madeline Island once When the last hand-molded cedar canoe was the capital of the Ojibwe Nation. He rib is in place and the wooden form for says it pleases him that the bark to make the hull has been removed and all the bark the canoe was cut from a tree growing on is sewn tight, Nyholm visits a black spruce the island. "It makes a link there, a spiri- swamp to collect nuggets of pitch. Back at tual link," Nyholm says, as the canoe bobs the beach, he melts the pitch in a kettle on the surface of the lake. "We hope that over a wood fire. He adds finely ground those that lived here on the island years charcoal to the bubbling pitch, to blacken ago, at least spirit-wise, are here looking at it, and tosses in lumps of deer tallow for this here canoe." flexibility. Then the dark tarry mixture is Smithsonian Productions Audio-Visual spread as a waterproof sealant along the Production Specialist John Paulson served seams on the outside of the completed as cinematographer for "Earl's Canoe." canoe. Smithsonian Productions soundman Mark Griswold played an important role in the Time and honor film's taped interviews, and Charlie Web- Earl Nyholm, left, splits the roots of a jack pine tree, which will be used as "thread" to sew Two months passed during the making of ber, audio-visual specialist at the Center together the components of the canoe. Helper Charlie Ashman, center, and Nyholm's the canoe, not the three weeks that an for Folklife Programs and Cultural Her- mother, Julia, watch the tedious process. optimistic Vennum budgeted for shooting itage, served as film editor.

4 • Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 especially with the volunteer program," opportunity to see ho"w different zoo pro- EDUCATION Manning adds. "And we rely on the volun- fessions interact. teers to be the ones who run 'How Do Y)u "If the kids do the handouts and differ- Zoo?' " ent activities in-depth, they can see how Hands-on exhibit teaches kids about Volunteers help "with the flow of children these three areas link up with each other from area to area and also ans"wer ques- and that the Zoo is one big community tions from children and parents. There is that needs all its parts to "work," says Lois behind-the-scenes jobs in a real zoo an adult volunteer program year-round Phoebus, program supervisor in the Edu- and a volunteer program for teen-agers cation and Volunteer Services Department. By Heather Friesen during the summer. "The children absolutely love it," Phoe- Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs Volunteers must attend a four-day train- bus adds. "The main problem we encounter ing program, during "which they meet "with is that parents want to get out into the Imagine a room full of 5- to 10-year- "Duties in this area are similar to those of National Zoo employees "who perform the Zoo and see other exhibits, while the kids old kids acting like zookeepers taking a zoo keeper maintaining an animal duties mirrored in the exhibit. just get into an imaginary "world and want care of animals. They're playing. exhibit," Manning explains. The children "The training part was...intense," recalls to stay." They're laughing. They're in constant put on brown smocks, grab walkie-talkies, 16-year-old volunteer Ghislaine Hanner. "How Do Y)u Zoo?" is located in the motion. hide food, trap animals and, of course, "We went all throughout the Zoo. We got National Zoo's Visitor Center and is open That is the idea behind the interactive take fecal samples. deep into it." Monday through Friday, from 1 to 3 p.m., exhibit "Ho"w Do %u Zoo?" at the "The scope of a zoo keeper's job goes far Through the extensive training process during the summer and on Saturdays and Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, beyond daily animal care," Manning adds. and the different activities of the "How Do Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., year- and kids seem to love all of it•at least, In the keeper's office, children perform \bu Zoo?" exhibit, volunteers and exhibit- round. For more on volunteer opportuni- almost all of it. clerical duties, such as record keeping, goers•no matter what age•get the ties, call Lois Phoebus at (202) 673-4671. "The only thing I didn't like was when I researching and setting up talks about the had to scoop the poop," says 7-year-old animals. A computer (not turned on), ref- Ngalla Barry, cringing. Her 10-year-old erence books and a research project aid the cousin, Patricia Long, agreed that playing children's imaginations. zoo keeper "was fun, but she had doubts Then the brown smocks come off and about becoming one later in life, because aprons go on, so that children can start "then the poop is real!" their careers as nutritionists in the com- Even though the poop isn't real in the missary. The children prepare the animal "Ho"w Do You Zoo?" interactive exhibit, diets by referring to menu cards for differ- the learning experience certainly is. ent species. They handle realistic-looking plastic vegetables and grains in glue-sealed Exhibit components containers. "We don't want rice all over the The exhibit consists of four learning areas: floor," Manning explains. the Small Mammal House, the zoo keeper's Finally, the children put on scrubs in the office, the commissary and the animal hos- animal hospital to become veterinarians. pital. Each is decorated in exact detail, from Using the operating table, they examine a lifelike tropical trees in the mammal house plush tiger and check a real X-ray. In the to a fake splatter on the commissary floor. intensive care unit, children observe the In each section, children can participate progress of a plush infant owl. Other activ- in five to six activities based on the real ities, such as ordering medicines and giv- duties of animal keepers, veterinarians and ing a diagnosis based on symptoms, also nutritionists. Worksheets, checklists and are featured. "We tried to include as much handouts help guide the children through realism as possible in this exhibit," Man- each section and accentuate learning. ning says. The exhibit was designed by members of the National Zoo and Friends of the Developing the exhibit National Zoo's Department of Education In preparation for the exhibit, staff in the and Volunteer Services. "The kids are Department of Education and Volunteer actually doing real work, but they're using Services accompanied zoo keepers, nutri- a lot of imagination, a lot of playing and a tionists and veterinarians as they walked lot of pretend," says Judy Manning, educa- through their daily schedules and gave tion manager in the department. behind-the-scenes tours, supplying perti- The first area is the Small Mammal nent information. A stuffed tiger receives an injection and checl< up from a young veterinarian, while her House, "which is based on the National "All the staff in these three areas of the "colleague" discusses the animal's symptoms on the telephone in the "How Do You Zoo?" Zoo's Brazilian tropical rain-forest exhibit. Zoo continue to help us with the exhibit. hospital at the National Zoological Park. (Photo by Jessie Cohen)

'Satellite imaging, ' continued from Page 2 characteristics [of ground features] we see dian forests to images of the semi-arid planet we call 'home,' so, naturally, "we on other planets. Because we can't actually savanna bushland in central Kenya. have a lot of interest in it." Understanding the data go to other planets, we examine our ow^n Johnston also has helped develop meth- Back in his office, Johnston organizes large instead. ods for mapping land cover changes in quantities of data collected during his trips "New remote-sensing technology is urban areas. "If you look at satellite images around the globe, using a collection of changing the way we view the surface of of the Earth from one year to another," he Corrections hard drives, laptops, monitors and CD- the Earth," Johnston adds. "The newest explains, "the differences don't seem to be Rutherford B. Hayes' "wife, Lucy, "was ROMs. sensors are able to return a higher quality that great. But when you compare images the first president's "wife to assume the Johnston, a 10-year veteran geographer of data. We are able to do things today "we of the past 10 or 20 years, the evidence of title "first lady" during his administra- at the National Air and Space Museum, could never do before. We're still figuring urban gro"wth is pretty incredible." tion, from 1877 to 1881. Vice Presi- also uses the Global Positioning System to out ho"w to use these images intelligently." The Center for Earth and Planetary dent Richard Nixon was the first to map and measure change on the Earth's Studies is one of very few organizations campaign in all 50 states during his surface, from the movement of lava flows The results using the remote-sensing technology in unsuccessful bid for the presidency to the effects of flooded rivers and the The ongoing outcome, however, is a robust scientific field"work as part of its mission to against John E Kennedy in the I960 annual expansion of asphalt and concrete. archive of ne"w images of the Earth. John- monitor terrestrial transformation, John- election. Both items were incorrectly "One of the things we do here is com- ston's contributions to this archive range ston says. reported in the winter issue of Research parative planetology," he explains. "Then from his work on biomass maps of Cana- "We're looking at how the Earth is Reports. "we can make assumptions about similar changing through time," he adds. "It's the

Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 • 5 'Rock 'n Soul, ' continued from Page 1 "They had to find the stuff, and they had institutions and government organizations to trust you "with it. for daily operations. ity of segregation. "It was also at Mr. "There have been collectors coming in Brooks' home," he says, "that "we found the and out of Memphis for 40 years," he Establishing trust "weigh-up scales that field hands used to adds. "Promises "were made, but many Ernest Withers had been a photographer "weigh the cotton picked each day. Along things were loaned out and never returned. since the late 1940s and had taken many "with other agricultural objects at the The Smithsonian was just a bunch of pictures that became extremely valuable, including one of B.B. King and Elvis Pres- ley. "Over the years, Mr. Withers had been ripped off for his photography," McGovern explains. "So, when I first contacted him, he was embittered. He thought I "was just another "white boy who "wanted his photos of B.B. King." As a result, McGovern backed off from his requests for images and implored Withers to tell about his experiences. "He had been one of the first African American police officers in Memphis, as well as a photographer," McGovern says. "He was a 'witness' to this community." "Son, you "want a historian. \bu don't need me. I'm not sure I can help you," Withers had said. Finally, after 15 minutes of coaxing Withers to talk about his o"wn experiences living and working in Memphis, McGov- ern took a different tack. "Look, Mr. Withers," McGovern recalls saying, "the "world knows B.B. King. I'm here because "we've started learning about Bill Harvey. "I knew that Harvey was a local Mem- phis musician," McGovern continues, "He put together B.B. King's first band, staffing it with local musicians. He sent them on the road and promoted B.B.'s records. I told Mr. Withers that the community had taught us about Harvey and that I "wanted to share that with the exhibi- Charlie McGovern shows off a 1947 tion audience." Wurlitzer jukebox from the National "Boy, are you reading from a script?" Museum of American History collections. Withers responded. (Photo by Jeff Tinsley) "No, sir, just telling you the truth," McGovern answered. U.S. Society, 1930 -1977- He invites people This exhibition case contains a shirt, jacl

Paint, ' continued from Page 3 Robbins, began to paint the 18-foot-wide- by-21-foot-high image placed on a banner gallery," Bird says. "He didn't have any facing the National Mall. "We painted for paintings, so he distributed about 20 about three hours a day until it "was done," paint-by-number kits to cabinet secretaries Bird says. "It took about 10 days." and Oval Office visitors who did them, Riding the "wave of retro interest in the assuming it was the president's "wish. " paint-by-number phenomenon, the show Thus, there are paintings by FBI Director has already received significant attention J. Edgar Hoover, Special Assistant to the from The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit President Nelson Rockefeller, singer Ethel News, The Boston Globe and Esquire Merman and an original amateur work by Magazine, among others. author and ambassador Clare Boothe Luce. Bird hopes that the exhibition sends a message to paint-by-number veterans. "It's A resurgence of interest okay to like this stuff. People can now The giant paint-by-number banner outside admit they did paint-by-number and the museum created the public interest enjoyed it. Bird says. "Ultimately, it helped that Bird had hoped for. Robbins, now 75 create a participatory audience for art. years old, provided the line art and the 35- And, for many, it lead to art or, at least, to color paint palette. a ne"w appreciation of the "world outside On April 4, a select group of Smithso- the frame." Larry Bird in front of a photo of typical 1950s tract housing that helped shape American nian staff and lenders, which included suburbia, the same culture that fueled the paint-by-number craze (Photo by Angela Cervetti)

6 • Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 ment of Biodiversity Program has recently Research Highlights been awarded a grant from the Shell Foun- dation to further investigate the link between industry, development and biodi- EVERY TONE A TESTIMONY Black holes. A research team led by Har- versity in environmentally sensitive areas. vard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics The goals of the initiative are to expand astronomers has used the Chandra X-ray the ability of the people of Gabon to con- Observatory to study some of the darkest serve biodiversity and to create strategic black holes yet observed. Their "work models to link conservation and develop- strongly confirms the reality of the "event ment. The first project, based near Shell's horizon," the one-way membrane around operation in Gabon in Central Africa, will black holes predicted by Einstein's theory explore these issues in the Gamba com- of relativity. With results that fundamen- plex. The complex is a coastal area in tally differ from earlier black hole studies, Gabon that consist of various land-manag- the scientists showed that some recently ment units, reserves and hunting domains. discovered black holes are not only ultra- Gabon, "which has 90 percent forest cover, dense but also actually possess event hori- is kno"wn for its exceptionally rich fauna, zons that "vacuum up" energy from their most notably, healthy populations of ele- surroundings. These results "were presented phants, gorillas and chimpanzees. at a recent meeting of the American Astro- nomical Society in San Diego. Rain-forest loss. As much as 42 percent of the Amazon River basin of Brazil will be Virtual gallery. The Smithsonian Center seriously damaged or lost altogether in the for Latino Initiatives has launched its first next two decades if that country's infra- online exhibition, "Revealing Personal structure development projects go forward Identity: The Indigenous Vision of Manuel as planned, according to a joint U.S.- This double compact disc draws upon the collection of the Smithsonian Folkways archives Carrillo." The show, curated by Melissa Brazilian team of biologists reporting in to create a history of African American life and culture in sound. Carrillo (no relation to the photographer), the Jan. 19, 2001, issue of the journal Sci- features 28 black-and-white images of the ence. The team, headed by William Lau- der relations and civil rights, the book's daily life of people on both sides of the rance, a scientist with the Smithsonian Series Publications contributors contend that, "while there was Mexican-U.S. border. Visitors can reach Tropical Research Institute in Panama, is little fundamentally ne"w about American the Latino Virtual Gallery by logging onto "working in Manaus, Brazil, where mem- culture in the Cold War era, the Cold War latino.si.edu/virtualgallery. The Carrillo bers conducted "what they characterize as The follo"wing publications on research in shaped and distorted virtually every aspect various fields were issued during the period of American life. Jan. 1 through Feb. 28, 2001, by Smith- sonian Institution Press in the regular Astrobiology, by Monica Grady (Smithso- Smithsonian series. Diane Tyler is manag- nian Institution Press, in association mth ing editor. Requests for series publications the Natural History Museum, London, should be addressed to Smithsonian Insti- 2001, $14.95). Beginning with the Big tution Press, Series Division, 750 Ninth St. Bang and formation of the universe, this N.W., Suite 4300, Washington, D.C. richly illustrated book explores the emer- 20560-0950. gence of life on Earth and beyond.

Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Coral Fish, by Linda Pitkin (Smithsonian • 91 Epidermal Features and Spikelet Institution Press, in association with the Micromorphology in Oryza and Related Gen- Natural History Museum, London, 2001, era (Poaceae: Oryzeae), by Edward E. Ter- $14.95). More than 100 photographs rell, Paul M. Peterson and William P Wer- gin, 50 pages, 33 figures, 3 tables.

Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology • 611 Lace Bug Genera of the World, II: Subfamily Tinginae: Tribes Litadeini and ^sotingini (Heteroptera: Tingidae), by Richard C. Froeschner, 28 pages, 20 figures, 2 tables. This photograph, "III woman on bench," taken by Manuel Carrillo in Guanajuato, IVIexico, is one of many that can be seen on the Latino Virtual Gallery Web site. exhibition is a collaboration between the the first systematic assessment of the Special Collections Department of the effects of development trends and projects Books & Recordings This image of a false clown anemonefish, Library at the University of Texas in El on the region. Amphiprion ocellaris, is one of the many Paso and the Center for Latino Initiatives. color images of coral fish photographed by Honor Wall. Plans are under way at the Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Linda Pitkin for her book Coral Fish. Pumpkins. Cynthia Ott, a Smithsonian Smithsonian's National Museum of the Perspectives on Food, Politics and Power, predoctoral fellow, is tracing the changing American Indian to launch a new fund- edited by Michael Dietler and Brian Hay- depict the variety of fish supported by coral form and function of pumpkins in Amer- raising project called the Honor Wall. The den (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001, reefs around the world. ica. Utilizing the collections of the "wall, to be located on the balconies over- $55 cloth; $29.95 paper). This collection Smithsonian's National Museum of Ameri- looking the central "welcoming area of the of 15 essays combines ethnographic and Environmental Effects on Volcanic Erup- can History, Behring Center and National museum, called the Potomac, will contain archaeological perspectives to examine the tions: From Deep Oceans to Deep Space, Museum of Natural History and the the names of museum supporters. The cost cultural, economic and political impor- edited by James R. Zimbelman and Tracy Smithsonian American Art Museum, Ott's to have your name or the name of some- tance of feasts, considering traditional and K.P. Gregg (Kluwer Academic/Plenum study includes examining the roles of one you wish to honor inscribed on the modern practices from several countries. Publishers, 2000, $89.50). This book repre- pumpkins as a food source, use in home "wall is $150. The museum expects to sents current research on the effect that décor and inclusion in other ephemera. launch the fund raiser sometime in June. Rethinking Cold War Culture, edited by environmental conditions have on volcanic For additional information, call Member Peter J. Kuznick and James Gilbert eruptions and the subsequent emplacement Central African rain-forests. The Smithso- Services at (202) 357-3164, or send e-mail (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001, of volcanic products. To order copies of the nian Institution Monitoring and Assess- requests to [email protected]. $39.95 cloth; $18.95 paper). By examining popular culture, politics, economics, gen- 'Books Ó" Recordings, ' continued on Page 8

Smithsonian Institution Research Reports • Spring 2001 • 7 throughout their careers: being scouted, 'Books Cr Recordings, ' continued fom Page 7 Off the Shelf becoming a rookie, moving through or staying in the minors, preparing mentally book, write to Kluwer Academic Publish- and physically to play day after day, coping ers, Customer Service Department, P.O. Inside Pitch: Life in "with slumps and successes, and facing Box 358, Accord Station, Hingham, Mass. retirement. He examines the players' rou- 02018-0358; or call (781) 871-6600; or Professioná Baseball tines and rituals, describes their joys and order online at ww"w."wkap.nl. Send e-mail frustrations, and investigates the roles of requests to [email protected]. By George Gmelch (Published by Smithsonian wives, fans and groupies in their lives. Institution Press, 2001, $21.95) "When I first began writing the book," *^

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W ftllit MflBJlil hiUliilIuix NO. 104 SPRING 2001