Culture Vulture

A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.

By: Gwendolyn Purdom

Monday, November 2
The Cabral/Truth Circle hosts “Stories of Hope and Struggle,” a film and panel discussion about the plight of Haitian women, at Busboys and Poets at 14th and V streets, Northwest. The film Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy profiles five Haitian women whose stories shed light on their country’s hardships. York College assistant professor of African American studies and anthropology Mark Schuller, who produced and co-directed the film, will lead a panel discussion. Event starts at 6.

Tuesday, November 3
In Mexican culture, the souls of the dead visit their living friends and family in the beginning of November. National Geographic Live! (1600 M St., NW; 202-857-7700) will screen La Ofrenda: Days of the Dead, a 50-minute film that shows the runs of Mitla, the gateway to the underworld, according to Mexican Indians. Produced by Lourdes Portillo and Susana Muñoz, the 1989 movie also explores the Latino community’s Day of the Dead traditions in California. Noon.

Wednesday, November 4
Crafty culture seekers can learn about traditional Mayan weaving as part of American Indian Heritage Month at the National Museum of the American Indian. Master weaver Juanita Velasco will lead a demonstration on a back-strap loom and explain the story her weaving tells. Demonstration runs from 10:30 to 12:30 and 2 to 4.

Thursday, November 5
Slovenian puppeteer Andrej Rozman Roza will tell the strangely familiar-sounding story Balon Velikon, or the Gigantic Balloon, as part of the Kids Euro Festival at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage . The tale of six-year-old Oscar, whose neighbors want him to behave like a grown up, will start at 6.

Friday, November 6
Rutgers University assistant professor of art history Tatiana Flores, a specialist in Latin American and contemporary art, will lead the Hirshhorn Museum’s Friday gallery talk. Attendees can meet at the museum’s information desk. 12:30 to 1.

Saturday, November 7
The National Museum of American History will host the Hot Spots of Invention symposium. The event, part of the “New Perspectives on Invention and Innovation” series, will bring together inventors, scholars, and curious guests to discuss and explore all facets of inventions. Topics include “The Role of Place in Thomas Edison’s Inventive Career,” “The Architecture of Healing: Re-envisioning Medical Innovation at Johns Hopkins, NIH, and Stony Brook,” and “Hollywood: A Place for Dreams.” The symposium runs from 9:30 to 6 in the museum’s Carmichael Auditorium.

Sunday, November 8
Dr. Richard Cooke of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, will give a lecture entitled “Tropical Archaeology in Panama: Reconstructing the Indigenous Past” at the National Museum of Natural History. Cooke will discuss his work uncovering the history of indigenous people in Panama and Central America. Seating is on a first come, first served basis and starts at 1 in the Baird Auditorium.

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