Throughout the month of March, the Smithsonian celebrates Women's History Month with a series of films, lectures and performances at various museums around the Institution. All programs are free, unless otherwise indicated.

"From the Ground Up: Renwick Craft Invitational 2007" features the work of Paula Bartron, Jocelyn Châteauvert, Beth Lipman and Beth Cavener Stichter. The exhibition, on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum from March 9 through July 22, celebrates the creativity of four contemporary artists whose innovative approach to traditional craft media-clay, glass, fiber-make them figures to watch in American art.

This summer, the Smithsonian Institution will celebrate cultural diversity with three distinct programs at its 41st annual Folklife Festival. The Festival will be held Wednesday, June 27 through Sunday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 4 through Sunday, July 8. The Festival will take place outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets, bound by the Smithsonian museums.

Artists Virgil Marti and Pae White, in their first museum collaboration, transform the Hirshhorn's lobby into an immersive environment of color, light and texture. The exhibition includes sculptures in the form of functional couches covered by rich tapestries that employ the technique of tromp l'oeil; bright, ornate chandeliers; a boldly patterned window treatment; and a dramatic gold "bone curtain."

The Smithsonian Institution launched a new Web site designed to help travelers maximize their time and enhance their experience in the nation's capital by developing a personalized itinerary to suit their own interests and schedules. goSmithsonian.com is the only site that aggregates and organizes information about the 19 Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo and the downtown Washington, D.C., area.

"East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art," on view Feb. 24 through May 13, at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, highlights the rich visual culture of garden imagery in Asia. Drawn primarily from the permanent collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries, some 65 works are incorporated in this exhibition, including hand scrolls, hanging scrolls, folding screens, manuscript paintings, lacquer objects, ceramics and textiles created in South, West and East Asia from the 12th century through the present.

From traditional kimono to trendy fashion, classical origami art to high-tech robot design, the Japanese culture, both past and present, continues to intrigue the American public. Washington area residents and visitors can learn more about this fascinating culture in the public programs series "Japan WOW! From Traditions to Trends" presented by The Smithsonian Associates March 31 to early June.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) today received an $8 million grant from HSBC to fund the world's largest field experiment on the long-term effects of global change on forest dynamics. A new Global Earth Observatory system will compare climate change and forest carbon data from 17 countries around the world.

Smithsonian researchers and colleagues report that across the Americas, chili peppers (Capsicum species) were cultivated and traded as early as 6,000 years ago-predating the invention of pottery in some areas of the Americas. The researchers analyzed starch grains to trace the history of chili peppers in the Americas. Their findings contribute significantly to the current understanding of ancient agricultural practices in the Americas.