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Crystal skulls and Kermit: Museums no relic of past

By Kelly Jane Torrance (Contact) | Wednesday, July 16, 2008

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When British scientist James Smithson died in 1829, he left his fortune to the United States, a country he had never visited, for an "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge."

Smithsonian Institution museums have taught the public about quantum physics and Asian art, planetary geology and global warming, Indiana Jones and Kermit the Frog.

Wait a minute. What were those last two?

Last week, the National Museum of Natural History opened "The Truth about Crystal Skulls," inspired by the blockbuster summer film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." And the Smithsonian's International Gallery opened "Jim Henson's Fantastic World," an exploration of the work of the man who gave us "The Muppet Show."

Was this, um, what Smithson had in mind for the "increase & diffusion of Knowledge?"

These shows follow February's "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" at the National Portrait Gallery, in which LL Cool J and Ice T took their places on the august institution's walls, alongside the likes of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

This is clearly not your father's stodgy old Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian museums on the Mall and elsewhere across the District have always been among the prime tourist attractions in the nation's capital. The diverse array of museums, including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Gallery of Art, send visitors home knowing more than they did when they arrived. Perhaps an even bigger enticement is their free admission.

As Washington has attracted more tourists, though, it also has attracted more informational entrepreneurs. The number of new museums has exploded in the past few years, and many of them aim to provide more entertainment than education.

There's the International Spy Museum, which allows patrons to pretend they're James Bond, and Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The Newseum, a high-tech and perhaps self-indulgent paean to a vocation, is just a couple of blocks from the Mall. The most recent addition is the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, which also houses a television studio for Fox's crime-solving series "America's Most Wanted." These have all become popular destinations, despite admission charges of up to $20.