For the past eight years or so the National Air and Space Museum,1 the most popular Smithsonian site in DC, has been undergoing a major renovation. During that time the institution remained open to the public (except during the pandemic, of course) as they worked on the various galleries.
Earlier this summer, they took the wraps off the final five galleries and I got the chance to have an evening preview of the new exhibits, along with a far smaller crowd than in normal times. One of the benefits of membership.2
This post is not a review of the whole museum. You can find plenty of them online. These are just a couple of observations.
First, it’s important to understand that, despite the name, Air and Space is very much NOT a science museum. DC could use (and I think would support) a real, hands-on science museum similar to ones found in many large cities around the world.
No, Air and Space is a straight up history museum. They are documenting the timeline of man’s attempts to fly and travel into the heavens. Almost every exhibit features artifacts from the history with descriptive text nearby. Mixed with a occasional animation and video.
To their credit, the designers of this overhaul did include one interactive science gallery called How Things Fly. It’s actually very good and a lot of fun. The Smithsonian needs to investing in much more of that approach to educating their visitors.
Something else I noticed in visiting the new galleries is that the museum has a lot of branding going on, especially with the major defense contractors that dominate “advocacy” advertising in this city. Think Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, etc.
But that’s not the problem. I certainly understand that museums need outside support for their work, especially the Smithsonian which has no admission charge. Tax money only covers the building itself, not the ongoing programs and the people who make them possible.
What I noticed, however, is that those sponsorships are bleeding over into the content in the galleries.
For example, in Futures in Space, a piece of hardware from Blue Origin and its large logo, dominates the room. I didn’t see anything related to SpaceX or other competitors in the space launch business.
In the Living in the Space Age exhibit, you’ll find an interesting section about the relatively new broadband Internet services using low-earth orbiting communications satellites. Here we find mentions of Amazon’s Leo (which I was only vaguely aware of) but nothing about Starlink.3
Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin and a big chunk of Amazon, paid $200 million to put his name on the new Education Center, which is still under construction (replacing the old food court). I guess he received a little extra for his cash.
Compare those product placements to the prominent Star Spangled Banner exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It has been sponsored by Ralph Lauren since opening in 2008. But once inside, you certainly don’t see any polo ponies.
Anyway, if you’re visiting Washington DC, the newly-renovated Air and Space Museum is certainly worth a visit (free, timed tickets are still required), even if parts a little too commercial (not to mention militaristic) for my tastes.
I didn’t take any photos during my visit so the image at the top is borrowed from the Post article.
1. The Smithsonian also operates a second air and space museum called the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. But it’s pretty far from the city, out by Dulles Airport, so it doesn’t get the same kind of tourist traffic or attention.
2. Oddly, this was a benefit of my membership at the Smithsonian National Zoo. But I don’t quibble about these things. :)
3. I’m certainly not trying to stick up for Elon Musk in this. Just noting some obvious omissions.
You took NO pictures? I can’t wrap my head around this.
You want the image to tell a story and it’s hard to find a unique angle on static museum exhibits. When I take a photo in a space like that I want to include people in it who are doing something interesting.
Eight years is a long renovation for any building, let alone the most popular Smithsonian site in DC, so the final five galleries being unveiled this summer must feel like a real milestone. What strikes me is that the museum stayed open to the public through almost all of that work — the pandemic excepted — which means visitors have been walking through a construction project for the better part of a decade. An evening first look at the finished galleries is exactly the way I’d want to meet them; a gallery reads completely differently when it’s quiet. I hope you’ll write more about which of the new spaces stood out to you.