February 28, 2009 - August 23, 2009: Daidō Moriyama is one of the most important and exciting Japanese photographers of our time, having made prolific, often experimental pictures of modern urban life since the 1960s. This exhibition showcases a group of approximately 45 photographs made in and around Tokyo in the 1980s, when Moriyama focused his mature aesthetic on the city with renewed intensity.
February 21, 2009 - Spring 2010: Artists have been inspired by the inner and outer beauty of the pomegranate since biblical times. The objects on view in this exhibition represent a cross-section of textiles from the Museum’s collection that feature this richly symbolic fruit.
WASHINGTON (Feb. 9, 2009)—Award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert have spent nearly three decades researching and documenting the lives of lions and leopards in Africa. Based in Botswana and working out of a tent or truck, they spend months at a time observing and learning about these top predators. "Lions and Leopards: The Work of Dereck & Beverly Joubert," a new exhibition celebrating their films and photography, will go on display at the National Geographic Museum from Feb. 18 to Oct. 4, 2009.
The Jouberts' coverage of predator behavior has resulted in 20 films, six books and several National Geographic magazine articles. They regularly present their work to local communities and government officials in Africa and around the world to spread the message of the importance of protecting big cats. In 2008 the Jouberts, with National Geographic, helped raise emergency funds to save the rapidly declining lion populations in and around Kenya's Amboseli National Park.
The Jouberts have won five Emmys; two Chris awards from the Columbus International Film and Video Festival; the Grand Teton award from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival; a George Foster Peabody award; and the World Ecology Award from the World Ecology Center. They co-produce all their films — Dereck directs, films and writes the scripts; Beverly produces and records the sound.
"We decided on the life we wanted to have, and then found a way to make it work for us," Dereck said. "We're equal partners in an adventure of a lifetime, and we have a view of the world that for most people exists only in documentaries on television."
In addition to nearly 50 photographs, "Lions and Leopards" will feature a 15-minute film about the Jouberts' work in the field and four other short-form films, all created specifically for the exhibition.
The National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For information on the "Lions and Leopards" exhibit, the public should call (202) 857-7588 or visit www.ngmuseum.org.
