Why’d They Put That In A Museum?
Show Notes
Artist: unknown maker, China
Item: Fish kite, c. 1876
Details: Paper, bamboo, and paint, approx. 36 x 18 in. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/image/fish-kitejpg
Fish kite, circa 1976
artist unknown
Why does a fragile paper kite made in China 150 years ago belong in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum?
Hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss why this fragile old kite deserves a spot on display near high-tech aircraft and rockets. This kite isn’t just a flimsy kids’ toy. China brought it to the US in1876 to represent its culture in the Philadelphia World’s Fair.
So why not put it in the natural history museum or even an art museum (after all, it is quite beautiful)? To answer that, Sarah explains that kites are also a form of technology and engineering, used for things other than recreation.
For example, they can be used for measuring distance (in one case, during a military campaign). And when you think about it, the Air and Space Museum’s mission is to preserve the history of flight, so why not include the earliest type of heavier-than-air flying machine, a kite (shaped like a fish)!
Contact Us
Say helloAbout the Podcasters
Sarah Lees
Sarah is a museum curator and researcher who has worked in organizations both large and small, and who remembers her first assignment for an art history class – to look into Rembrandt’s eyes and describe what she saw there. She believes everyone can find those kinds of connections to some form of creative expression, whether it’s a painting, a grandmother’s quilt, or a perfectly formed pen-stroke in a manuscript.
Beth Bacon
In addition to being an avid museum-goer, Beth Bacon is an author for young readers. Her books empower today’s kids to learn about themselves and the world through reading. She is also a teacher and branding consultant and a volunteer at the Missouri History Museum. Beth holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Communication Arts from NYU, and a BA in Literature from Harvard University.
Music Credit
The music you hear in the intro and outro was composed by Edward Whelan. We appreciate his contribution to our podcast.
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