2010 Smithsonian Affiliations Year in Review

Smithsonian Affiliations

2010 Year in Review

Inside:

overview 2

artifacts 4

exhibitions 6

learning 8

events 10

travels 12

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… inspiring generations through knowledge and discovery

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AFFILIATES

“From Bellingham to

Baltimore, from Greensboro

to Omaha, from Long Island

to Las Vegas, and from

Peoria to Panama, there are

few places currently

untouched by the magical

presence of a Smithsonian

artifact, exhibition, or

speaker.”

- Harold Closter, Director, Smithsonian Affiliations

ove

rvie

w

* fans, followers or subscribers to

Affiliations’ pages on Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube and blog

458,142*

STATES PLUS

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Panama

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welcome! 7 new Affiliates

joined the network

Smithsonian Affiliations 2010 Year in Review

KUDOS!

2 Affiliates won National Medals for Museum Service

4 Affiliates opened new buildings or expansions

5 Affiliates received community grants for

programming from SITES for a total of $22,464 in

40

285 objects from Smithsonian

collections were loaned to Affiliates

The skeleton of the famous racehorse

Lexington, returned to his birthplace 160

years later, on view at the International

Museum of the Horse in Lexington, KY.

Lexington has been named the Official Horse

of Bluegrass Country. Photo: James Shambhu.

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1,198 SI artifacts

currently

on view at

Affiliates

across the

nation

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine vial, on view at the

National Museum of American Jewish History in

Philadelphia, PA, represents one of the 18

Jewish Americans spotlighted in the “Only in

America” gallery. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

arti

fact

s

Blackberry Woman by Richmond Barthé on view at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in Biloxi, MS. Photo: Smithsonian American Art Museum. Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.

The Pioneer, an 1851 locomotive, is currently being

restored by the B & O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, MD.

It will be on view in time for the museum’s Civil War

commemoration activities. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

This 5’ model shows the complete, two-astronaut Gemini spacecraft as it appeared in orbit. It’s now on view at the Challenger Learning Center in Peoria, AZ. Photo: NASM.


“We go the extra mile if we can do a loan to an Affiliate. We are happy to loan our gems if it helps people discover the jewels in their own backyards.” - Eleanor Harvey, Chief Curator Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion has over 800 parts, but no nails.

It took three conservators four days to assemble at Flushing Town Hall

in Flushing, NY, with the help of a Chinese maitre d’ from a restaurant

next door to translate. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

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One of 20 photographs from NASM

book Women and Flight. The images

were part of the Women’s Museum

exhibition Dreams of Flight: A Journey

through Air and Space in Dallas, TX,

which highlighted female pioneers in

flight, from early aviators to astronauts. Photo: NASM.

26 exhibitions opened at Affiliates

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14

came

from

SITES

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil, a major exhibition

about the complex world of dirt from NMNH,

is on view at The Durham Museum, Omaha,

NE, the only other venue to host it outside

the Smithsonian. Photo: NMNH.

Bittersweet Harvest opened at the

Mexican Heritage Plaza, San Jose,

CA, and traveled to two other

Affiliates, the Museo Alameda in

San Antonio, TX, and the Sonoma

County Museum, Santa Rosa, CA.

“Opportunities like this

exhibition are wonderful

venues to show off our

pieces to the public. [It]

allows other people to tell

different stories than we

would tell. And

sometimes, we learn a

few things about our

pieces that we didn’t

know before.”

- Jeff Post, Curator

National Museum of

Natural History

ex

hib

itio

ns

1934: A New Deal for Artists, an exhibition of more than 40 works of art from the American Art Museum, celebrates the

75th anniversary of the Public Works of Art Project, on view at the Whatcom Museum of History and Art in Bellingham,

WA. Photo: Kenjiro Nomura, The Farm, 1934. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor.

SITES exhibitions Freedom’s Sisters,

Let Your Motto Be Resistance, and

381 Days: The Montgomery Bus

Boycott were exhibited at Affiliates

across the country, from Birmingham,

AL, to Philadelphia, PA, and from

Dallas, TX, to Baltimore, MD. Photo: State Archives of Florida, NPG, and AP/Wide

World Photos.

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In Plane View, an exhibition of 56

large-format photographs, show-

case the aesthetic beauty of

some of NASM’s awesome air-

craft. It was on view at the Col-

lege Park Aviation Museum, MD,

from January - June. Photo: Carolyn Russo, NASM.

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24 Affiliates served as host sites for a

Universal Design webinar

in collaboration with

the American Association of Museums

“During the course of my

program, I met over thirty

people at the Smithsonian...and

was able to learn something

from each of them. The time I

spent with those individuals,

each one knowledgeable,

enthusiastic, and warmly

receptive of my presence, was a

tremendous benefit to me and

my institution.”

- Eric Stanley, Sonoma

County Museum

(Visiting Professional)

58 SI scholars spoke

at 36 Affiliates Range of topics: Julia Child’s

kitchen, bird plumage, Native

American beading, Apollo 13,

coastal ecosystems, Buffalo Bill,

jazz masterworks, museum

management, World War II

posters, prohibition……...

le

arn

ing

SI’s Jazz Masterworks Orchestra perform a tribute concert to jazz master Johnny Hodges at The

Durham Museum in Omaha, NE. Photo: The Durham Museum.

6 Affiliates sent students to D.C. and participated in the

Smithsonian Latino Center’s Young Ambassadors Program.

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5 visiting professionals &

9 interns worked in

11 SI museums & libraries

for a combined total of

48 weeks

SI experts Richard Efthim (left) and Don Williams (top) work with the

public on inquiry-based teaching techniques and how to conserve

home collections, at the York County Culture and Heritage Museums in

Rock Hill, SC, and at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Photos: York County Museums and Don Williams, Museum Conservation Institute.

Juan Carlos López, curator from the

Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, spent

two weeks researching art collections

at the Smithsonian, on a grant from the

Smithsonian Latino Center. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.


Founding director of NMAI’s Film and Video Center, Elizabeth Weatherford

(2nd from left), served as guest programmer for the Festival of Native Film &

Culture at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Springs, CA. Photo: Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.

17

Capitol Hill staff

and members

attended the

Congressional

Reception with

Affiliates

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67 colleagues (from)

49 Affiliates (in)

29 states __________________________________________

2010 Affiliations

National Conference

eve

nts

75 Smithsonian and Affiliate staff participated as speakers at the conference

26 organizations celebrated

10 years as an Affiliate

of the Smithsonian (including

the Japanese American Nat’l

Museum in Los Angeles, CA)

Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

21 SI units

talked with

Affiliates at the

Resource Fair Photo: Walter Larri-

more, Smithsonian

Institution.

“The conference has a powerful collegiality. Everyone was great at sharing information. You could meet someone with the experience you need and then repay that information with your own experience.” – Richard Pickering, Deputy Executive Director, Plimoth Plantation

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participated in Smithsonian Museum Day

David Cowen, Director of the Museum of American Finance

(left) in New York, NY, chats with jeweler Sidney Mobell

after his win in the museum’s Monopoly tournament. The

tournament celebrated the arrival of his solid gold,

jeweled Monopoly set, on loan from the Smithsonian.

Photos: Museum of American Finance and Smithsonian Affiliations.


Secretary Clough lectured on his

vision for the future of the

Smithsonian at the Frost Art Mu-

seum in Miami, FL. At the invita-

tion of museum Director Carol

Damian, he spoke on the impor-

tance of new technologies, the

environment, and other priorities. Photo: Frost Art Museum, © Gary Mercer.

Patty Stonesifer, Chair, Smithsonian Board of

Regents, welcomed new Affiliate, the Museum of

History and Industry, Seattle, WA. Photo: Museum of History and Industry.

60 Affiliate staff members came

to SI for meetings & visits with

colleagues

A community

gathers to

celebrate the

Affiliation

announcement

at the Institute

for Texan

Cultures in San

Antonio, TX. Photo: Institute of

Texan Cultures.

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Affiliations staff visited 49 Affiliates in 17 states

“Bringing Whatcom

board members and

patrons to Smithsonian

museums in New York

City gave us the

opportunity to network

with staff and inspired

us to think creatively

about future

collaborations.”

- Patricia Leach,

Executive Director,

Whatcom Museum of

History and Art

trav

els

The Miami Science Museum hosted GirlsRISE, a seminar

to train museum and science educators on engaging girls

in the sciences, in collaboration with the National Science

Foundation, and hosted by NMNH. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

Carmen Ruiz de Fischler, Director of the Museo at the

Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico, explores

indigenous Taino collections with an NMAI curator. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

Denny Mecham,

Director, with

Outreach Manager

Caroline Mah at the

opening of the Ohr-

O’Keefe Museum in

Biloxi, MS. Photo: Ohr-O’Keefe Museum.

The Museo del Canal, Panama City, Panama,

collaborated with SI’s Discovery Theater to present

“Tremendous Encounter,” a bilingual puppet show

about 16th century Panama. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

Page 13


Affiliations Director

Harold Closter with

David Baker, Director

of the Center for the

History of Psychol-

ogy, at the grand

opening of their new

facility in Akron, OH. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

Anne Lane, Collections Manager at Charlotte

Museum of History, Charlotte, NC, consults

with NMAI staff to learn about mount-making

techniques. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

Courtney Wilson, Director of the B & O Railroad Museum in Baltimore,

MD, talks trains with a former NMAH curator at the SI Folklife Festival. Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.

MRC 942

P.O. Box 37012

Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Phone: 202.633.5300

Fax: 202.633.5313

E-mail: [email protected]

www.affiliations.si.edu

The vast collections of the Smithsonian

document the heritage of humanity and

unlock the secrets of the world around us.

Smithsonian Affiliations develops long-term

partnerships with museums and educational

organizations to make these collections and

related resources widely available.

The Smithsonian is an endless place of

discovery and inspiration. We want to

share it with you.

Is the Smithsonian in

your neighborhood?

Title Page Collage, clockwise from top left:

The director and chief curator of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum, Hershey, PA tour America on the Move with NMAH educators

(Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.) ● A visitor enjoys SITES’ exhibition Native Words Native Warriors at the Montana Historical Society in Helena (Photo: Montana Historical

Society.) ● Don Jose Mas Ferrer, a painting by legendary 18th century painter José Campeche is now on view at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.

The loan represents the first time this Smithsonian collection has been shown in Puerto Rico (Photo: American Art Museum.) ● Dr. David Baker, conductor of

the Smithsonian’s Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, autographs jazz posters as part of the Indiana Festival at Conner Prairie in Fishers (Photo: Conner Prairie.)

● Students in the Museum Management week-long workshop at the Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico (Photo: Smithsonian Affiliations.) ● The Buccellati

Cup, on loan from NMNH to the Lizzadro Museum, Elmhurst, IL (Photo: Lizzadro Museum.) ● The Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan unpacks a

rocket from NASM’s collection which they will help restore. (Photo: Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.) ●

OUR COLLEAGUES

SI: Smithsonian Institution; NASM: National Air and Space Museum; NMAH: National Museum of American History; NMAI: National Museum of American Indian; NMNH: National Museum of Natural History;

SITES: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Affiliations Staff

Shuruner Bodin Management Support Specialist [email protected], 202.633.5301 Jennifer Brundage National Outreach Manager [email protected], 202.633.5306 Elizabeth Bugbee External Affairs Coordinator [email protected], 202.633.5304 Harold Closter Director [email protected], 202.633.5321 Alma Douglas National Outreach Manager [email protected], 202.633.5305

Aaron Glavas National Outreach Manager [email protected], 202.633.5309 Laura Hansen National Outreach Manager [email protected], 202.633.5307 Christina Di Meglio Lopez Business & External Affairs Manager [email protected], 202.633.5303 Caroline Mah National Outreach Manager [email protected], 202.633.5308 Gertrude Ross Financial Manager [email protected], 202.633.5302

Documents

2010 Smithsonian Affiliations Year in Review