Bonus: Happy Birthday to Us

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

Museum, Air And Space, Society & Culture, National Museum, Tony Cohn, Sidedoor, Natural History, African American History And Culture, Postal Museum, History, American History, History Of The World, Exhibits, Art19, Pop Culture, Smithsonian, The Smithsonian, Science, Washington, National Zoo, Zoo, Dc, Exhibit

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2021

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The “Men of Progress” painting, from 1862, shows the first Secretary of the Smithsonian surrounded by a group of scientists and inventors credited with “altering the course of contemporary civilization.” But what may be most remarkable about this tableau is who’s not there. To mark the 175th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s founding, the National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits podcast takes us back in time – to trace how the concept of progress has evolved, and who current Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III would put in his “portrait of progress.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, side-door listeners, we're working on some exciting new episodes for Season 7,
0:04.1	which is coming out this fall, but in the meantime, we wanted to share a birthday surprise.
0:10.4	Who's birthday, you ask? Our birthday!
0:14.9	On August 10, 2021, the Smithsonian Institution turned 175 years old,
0:21.7	which puts us in the elite category of things that live for 175 years along with,
0:26.6	bowhead whales, giant tortoises, and deep sea tube worms.
0:32.3	While a lot can happen in the lifespan of a tube worm, and to get a sense of what has changed
0:37.3	since the Smithsonian's founding in 1846, we're turning the mic over to Kim Seyat,
0:42.3	director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, to take us back in time through a single
0:47.8	portrait that reveals a lot about who we were and who we are becoming. We have that episode coming
0:55.1	up for you right after a quick break.
1:03.1	Hey, side-door bulls, Lizzie here. How would you like to help us with an upcoming episode of Side-door?
1:08.4	As you may have heard, all three pandas at the National Zoo are heading for China in just a few weeks.
1:14.0	That's what we're going to talk about with Brandy Smith, the National Zoo's director,
1:17.7	on a special episode of Side-door. So we want to know what do you want to know about why the
1:23.0	pandas are leaving and what comes next. Send us your questions and we'll try to get answers.
1:28.0	You can email us at sidedoor.si.edu. You could also feel free to share a memory with us if you
1:34.6	have a personal connection to the pandas. And if you want to get really fancy, record your question
1:40.0	using the Voice Memo app and email us the audio. The address again is sidedoor.si.edu.
1:48.0	This is Washington, DC. Washington is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
1:56.2	It is named after a man who never told a lie. Now it's filled with men who seldom tell the truth.
2:08.3	Welcome to Portraits. I'm Kim Sayette, director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
	...

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