Smithsonian Associates Presents October Program Highlights

The October issue of the Smithsonian Associates’ program guide features a variety of educational and cultural programs, including seminars, lectures, studio arts classes, performances for adults and children and local and regional study tours. Highlights this month include:

Smithsonian Discovery Theater Presents Retratos: My People, Myself
Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10; 11:30 a.m.
Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and presented in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, this joyous theatrical gallery of the many faces of Latin America is rooted in the writings of Washington, D.C., school students. Their vibrant words and images infuse this interactive play with intensely personal reflections on themes of identity and heritage—and a new generation’s dreams for America’s future. Ages 6 to 12.

Thinking Like an Historian: A Practical Guide
Saturday, Oct. 19; 10 a.m.
Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center
How do professional historians work? In a unique workshop, Christopher Hamner, an associate professor of American history at George Mason University, demystifies the process by guiding participants in how to think about and interpret the past.

La Cocina: The Power of Food
Tuesday, Oct. 22; 6:45 p.m.
Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center
La Cocina, a nonprofit small-business incubator in the Mission District of San Francisco, is turning home cooks into businesswomen. Alumna of La Cocina and owner and chef of the San Francisco restaurant, Besharam, Heena Patel joins La Cocina’s executive director Caleb Zigas and Washington Post food and dining editor, Joe Yonan, to discuss the incubator program and La Cocina’s new cookbook that collects the personal stories and recipes of more than 50 of its successful entrepreneurs.

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease and the Dementias: What We Know, What We Can Do
Thursday, Oct. 24; 6:45 p.m.
Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center
Alzheimer’s disease, and the dementias in general, are among the most-feared consequences of older age. Barry Gordon, a nationally recognized expert on memory and memory disorders, discusses these debilitating conditions and gives guidance on steps to take if people are faced with them.

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