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1. National Geographic Debuts Exhibit With Chinese Dragon, Tented Lounge

2. Obama's First State Dinner Calls on Marcus Samuelsson, Jennifer Hudson

3. 8 New Venues for Washington Holiday Parties That Won't Break the Bank

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FROM NEW YORK

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FROM LOS ANGELES

American Music Awards Begin With Redesigned Arrivals, End With Downsized After-Party

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News Archive for Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History

EVENT REPORT 09.29.08 2:19 PM

Sant Ocean Hall Opening Attracts 1,200 Guests, 11-Foot Jellyfish

The Sant Ocean Hall opening reception
Photo: Bill Fitz-Patrick

At Thursday evening’s black-tie reception for the opening of the Sant Ocean Hall, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History rotundas got a large-scale 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea-style makeover. The Smithsonian invited more than 1,200 major donors to the gala, making it the largest event ever held at the museum. Five years in the making, the $49 million Sant Ocean Hall, which opened to the public on Saturday, seeks to educate visitors about the diversity of sealife and acts as a call to action to protect the planet’s oceans. “It’s a big celebration with a big, serious message, but we like to have fun, too,” explained the museum's director of special events, Ted Anderson.

In an unprecedented move, the museum closed at 4 p.m. in order to accommodate the evening's production elements, which included hanging three 11-foot-wide, white fabric jellyfish and mobiles of tropical fish from the hall's ceiling and projecting fish on the walls and fabric seaweed curtains. The giant jellyfish moved on wires across the hall while ocean sounds played over the sound system before a curtain dropped, unveiling the exhibition. The evening’s soundtrack had a sense of playfulness as well, with songs like “Octopus Garden,” “Beyond the Sea,” and “Sitting by the Dock of the Bay” playing in the rotunda throughout the night. MORE >>

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Sony

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