“The real beauty of the human body, as it turns out, has little to do with outward appearance. It is displayed in and beneath the skin in a remarkable demonstration of economy and efficiency.”
— David Macaulay from The Way We Work
“David Macaulay: Author Talk & Book Signing”
When: Friday, June 12, 2009 (1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Saturday, June 13, 2009 (10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine
What: Join David Macaulay for an interactive and lively discussion about his new book, “The Way We Work,” as he illuminates the most important machine of all -- the human body. Your body is made up of various complex systems, and Macaulay is a master at making the complex understandable. He shows how the parts of the body work together, from the mechanics of a hand, to the process by which the heart pumps blood, to the chemical exchanges necessary to sustain life. A book signing will follow the discussion.
Cost: FREE!
Bring your kids along! This is a great opportunity to teach children about the human body.
Photo ID required.
Information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2200
David Macaulay bio: Born on December 2, 1946, Macaulay was eleven when his family moved from England to the United States. An early fascination with simple technology and a love of model-making and drawing ultimately led him to study architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He received his degree in 1969 after spending his fifth year with RISD’s European Honors Program in Rome. Macaulay is probably best known for a very thick book called “The Way Things Work” (1988), an exhaustively researched compendium of the intricate workings involved in almost anything that functions. It was followed by “Black and White,” winner of the 1991 Caldecott Medal. Over the next decade, Macaulay published eight additional books, and in 2003 he began a volume about the workings of the human body—the results of which comprise this exhibition. In 2006, Macaulay was named a MacArthur fellow.
