Fall 2010 - Smithsonian Affiliations

Fall 2010
the
affiliate
News about Smithsonian Affiliates
National Museum of Natural History
Loans Skeleton of Racehorse
Lexington
By Cara Seitchek
During the final weeks of August, the
skeleton of the racehorse Lexington
(1850 – 1875) arrived at the International
Museum of the Horse (IMH) in Lexington, Kentucky, returning him to his
birthplace 160 years later. Known as one
of the great racehorses, Lexington is the
symbol of the city of Lexington’s latest
marketing campaign, which named him
the Official Horse of Bluegrass Country.
Bill Cooke, IMH director, said, “More
than any human, Lexington established this
town as the site of thoroughbred breeding.
With the 2010 World Equestrian Games
being held here for the first time outside
Europe, it gave us another reason to pursue
this loan.”
When Cooke first contacted the
Smithsonian requesting a loan of the skeleton,
Lexington was featured in the National
Museum of Natural History’s (NMNH)
Osteology Hall as an example
of Equus caballus. “We couldn’t remove
continued page 7
International Museum of the Horse
Headley-Whitney Museum
1
www.imh.org
www.headley-whitney.org
the affiliate
Fall 2010
from the director
We extend a warm
welcome to our newest
Smithsonian Affiliate
Bringing It All Back Home
We delight in the many ways that Affili- History’s Bantam Jeep prototype, on
ates connect with the Smithsonian and
loan to the Senator John Heinz History
appreciate the work of every Affiliate
Center in Pittsburgh, highlights the
in bringing the Smithsonian into your
accomplishments of the Pennsylvaniacommunities. Each week sees another
based American Bantam Car Company
speaker, exhibition, or set of artifacts
and the Pittsburgh workers who built
heading off to appreciative audiences
this iconic vehicle of World War II.
Many original Wright Brothers artifacts,
across the country.
In this issue of The Affiliate we bring on loan from the National Air and
you the most unusual story of Lexington, Space Museum, can be seen at the
College Park Aviation Museum in
a legendary horse whose long journey
from racetrack star to museum specimen College Park, Maryland, the location of
the world’s oldest continually operating
recently culminated in his skeleton’s
airport, founded by Wilbur Wright in
long-term loan to the International
1909. Collections from the National
Museum of the Horse in Lexington,
Kentucky. Lexington is just one example Museum of the American Indian create
the foundation for the Historic Arkanof Smithsonian staff working hand-insas Museum’s tribute to the former
hand with Affiliate colleagues to bring
tribes of the region, and the Smithsoartifacts, artworks, and specimens back
nian American Art Museum recently
to their places of origin.
honored the heritage of western art by
Other examples abound — the
loaning Thomas Moran’s monumental
Peoria Falcon, a beautifully crafted
painting, The Grand Canyon of the
Native American copper ornament
from the Mississippian period is on loan Yellowstone, to the Buffalo Bill Historical
Center in Cody, Wyoming.
from the National Museum of Natural
The list continues. When an artifact
History to the Lakeview Museum of
returns home it stimulates local pride,
Arts and Sciences in Peoria, Illinois
creates unique learning opportunities,
where it has become a great source
restores context, and amplifies the long
of city pride and a symbol of renewal.
tradition of Smithsonian scholarship
The National Museum of American
and stewardship. Of course, we don’t
know how the artifact feels about all of
this, but I’ve heard that Lexington had
a small smile on his face when, after
more than a century, he caught his first
glimpse of the morning sun bouncing
off the surrounding fields of bluegrass.
Happy trails to all!
St. Augustine Lighthouse Museum
St. Augustine, FL
Colorado Historical Society
Denver, CO
Ellen Noël Art Museum
Odessa, TX
Editor Christina Di Meglio Lopez
Assistant Editor Elizabeth Bugbee
Writer Cara Seitchek
Designer Brad Ireland
Printing Chroma Graphics, Inc.
Affiliations Staff Directory
Harold A. Closter
[email protected]
Shuruner Bodin, Management Support Specialist
Jennifer Brundage, National Outreach Manager
Elizabeth Bugbee, External Affairs & Professional
Development Coordinator
Harold Closter, Director
Alma Douglas, National Outreach Manager
Aaron Glavas, National Outreach Manager
Laura Hansen, National Outreach Manager
Christina Di Meglio Lopez, Business & External
contents
Affairs Manager
Caroline Mah, National Outreach Manager
Gertrude Ross, Financial Manager
© 2010 Smithsonian Institution
The Affiliate is published by
Smithsonian Affiliations. All rights reserved.
For information
Smithsonian Affiliations
1
6
5
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012 MRC 942
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Telephone: 202.633.5300
1
National Museum of Natural
History Loans Skeleton of
Racehorse Lexington
3
Smithsonian Exhibition
Travels to the Indian Country
of Montana
2
the affiliate
Fall 2010
4
6
5
7
Smithsonian Affiliations
National Conference 2010
American History and
Buffalo Bill Center Showcase
Rare Photographs
All That Glitters Brings National
Gems to San Diego
Summer 2010 Interns and
Visiting Professionals
94 Affiliates participated in Smithsonian
Magazine’s Museum Day in September 2010.
Fax: 202.633.5313
http://affiliations.si.edu
history/culture
Smithsonian Exhibition
Travels to the Indian Country
of Montana
By Richard Sims
Top to bottom
Institution exhibition
Exhibition opening
Native Words, Native
at Montana Historical
Warriors, talks about
Society. (Photo
the importance of
courtesy Montana
Native American
Office of Governor
service to the nation
Brian Schweitzer)
and of saving native
languages at the
George Horse
opening of the
Capture (A’aninin
exhibition last
[Gros Ventre]),
summer at the
Montana Historical
Crow Reservation
Society Board of
in Montana. (Photo
Trustees member
courtesy of Montana
and the curator for
Historical Society)
the Smithsonian
Guest author and former director of the Montana
Historical Society describes the experience of
seeing Native Words, Native Warriors travel
through Montana’s Indian reservations.
Always are prayers spoken in the
languages of the First Peoples. A prayer
said under the massive uplift of the Mission
Mountains to bless the Salish, the Kootenai,
and the Pend d’Orielle; a prayer said in
a cottonwood grove near the Little
Bighorn River to bless the Crow Nation;
a prayer spoken indoors at the Blackfeet
Community College to bless all those
who went before and those now beginning
their journey.
This circle of prayer is exemplified in
the exhibition Native Words, Native Warriors,
which began at the Montana Historical
Society in April and reached the end of its
journey in November 2010.
After the prayers is drumming, singing,
and dancing. Drumming, because the
drum is the heart and the heartbeat of the
people; singing, because the high-volume
voices alert us all to the unbroken span of
time; and dancing because the feet must
move on the ground as all creatures
move — with grace, pattern, and intent.
With grace, because this exhibition is
designed to travel, is as easy to load, unload,
and set-up as hitching a travois to a horse
back in the buffalo days.
This exhibition, organized by the
National Museum of the American
Indian (NMAI) and the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition
Services (SITES), traveled through
Montana’s Indian country to the Northern
Cheyenne people of Lame Deer, Montana.
It honors the American Indian Code Talkers
of World War II, telling the remarkable story
of the American Indian soldiers from more
than a dozen tribes who used their Native
languages in the service of the U.S. military.
George Horse Capture (A’aninin [Gros
Ventre]), the exhibition’s curator, is now
retired and serves as a board member of the
Montana Historical Society. Horse Capture
Native Words, Native Warriors was displayed
in a large venue near the warriors’ park,
where the Mystic Warrior is honored and
where the oldest warrior today, 97-year-old
Joseph Medicine Crow, danced a victory
dance, leading Crow veterans of all modern
wars. At the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, home to the Assiniboine and the White
Clay (Gros Ventre) nations, the exhibition
was installed in the lobby of tribal headquarters and was discussed over the loudspeaker
at the powwow grounds, following the
grand entry of colorful dancers and uniformed flag-bearing veterans.
At Rocky Boy’s Reservation, home
to the Chippewa-Cree, the exhibition was
placed in the Senior Center where photographs of warriors of other times are placed
on the walls. In September, the exhibition
was installed in the “Greet the Dawn”
room at Fort Peck Community College,
which serves the people of the Sioux and
Assiniboine tribes. This exhibition has
touched all of Indian country in all states,
and will repose in the spacious tribal
council chamber of the Northern Cheyenne, to honor a people who fought to
come home, a people who leave home to
fight in other lands.
This exhibition moves with meaningful
intent around Big Sky country, just as a
has spoken to the opening night crowds
about intertribal conflicts of long ago and
about the high level of military service
among American Indian men and women
today. When they return to the Reservation, sometimes these veterans drift into
memory. This exhibition has enabled tribal
veterans throughout Montana to create
more awareness of the sacrifices made by
native warriors.
As the exhibition travels, it fits into the
patterns of life of each tribe that hosts it. In
the Flathead Lake country of northwestern
Montana, the exhibition added focus to the
work of the people, who premiered an
outdoor sculpture honoring their veterans.
With the Apsaalooke, or Crow people,
traditional dancer swirls with intent on the
dance grounds. The gathering of individual
American Indian veterans, of their stories,
their families, and their spirit of endurance
has made this Smithsonian exhibition
something larger than mere panels with
images and words.
To read more about Native Words,
Native Warriors visit www.nmai.si.edu/
education/codetalkers. A duplicate copy
of the exhibition is traveling under the
auspices of SITES. For more information,
visit http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/
exhibits/codetalkers/main.htm
the affiliate
Montana Historical Society
3
www,montanahistoricalsociety.org
the affiliate
Fall 2010
2010 conference
Photography:
Walter Larrimore,
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Affiliations
National Conference 2010
By Cara Seitchek
“Can Museums Save the World?” The
keynote for the 2010 Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference offered Affiliate
members a thought-provoking, insightful
opportunity to explore the numerous
contributions that museums make to their
visitors, their regions, and greater global
community. This theme permeated the
conference, which was attended by Affiliate
staff representing 70% of Affiliate locations.
National Museum of Natural
History Director Cristián Samper and
National Museum of African Art
Director Johnnetta B. Cole brought perspectives from the scientific, artistic,
anthropological, and natural worlds to this
question, both agreeing that museums can
and do save the world in myriad ways.
Complementing the keynote, the
Smithsonian’s new strategic plan was the
focus of roundtable discussions through
which Smithsonian experts suggested
potential collaborations derived from the
four grand challenges of the plan. These
strategic goals will provide new opportunities for Affiliates to become involved in
Smithsonian research and outreach.
Kathleen McCormick, director of
collections for the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, said that the roundtables were valuable. “I talked to other
Affiliates and Smithsonian personnel in
depth, which gave me a good overview of
what we can do with the Smithsonian and
how to go about it.”
Seasoned Affiliate staff told stories of
their successful partnerships in Partnering for
Success: Getting the Most from Your Affiliation.
Representatives from several long-term
Affiliates enumerated the many ways their
museums have benefited from an Affiliations membership — from loans to educational programming and from networking
opportunities to training.
Panelist Elise B. Misiorowski, guest
curator for the San Diego Natural
4
the affiliate
Fall 2010
History Museum, said, “To be invited to
share my experiences at the Conference was
a real delight. The Affiliations program is a
wonderful example of how museums can
work together.”
Angelica Docog, director of the Charlotte Museum of History, also found this
session helpful. “The Conference was my
first exposure to the resources of the Affiliations program. The sessions were beneficial
to me both professionally and personally.”
The behind-the-scenes tours also
received great reviews. The tour of the
Museum Conservation Institute was a
particular favorite of Kathleen McCormick.
“I have read and know the work of Smithsonian conservators, so it was very exciting
to meet them in person.”
Conference attendees also had many
informal opportunities to network and
exchange stories. The Congressional
Reception enabled Affiliates to see the new
Capitol Visitor Center and to mingle with
members of Congress, including Smithsonian Regent Representative Sam Johnson,
(R-3rd / T X), and Representative Shelley
Berkley, (D -1st / N V). Three interns
received certificates of merit at the reception for their participation in the Affiliations Internship Partnership Program.
Plimoth Plantation intern Shawn Pirelli
was accompanied by Richard Pickering,
deputy executive director,
a first-time attendee.
Pickering said it was moving to be at
the conference; he could see that Shawn’s
work on an exhibition about the history of
Thanksgiving helped break down barriers
between the institutions. He described the
conference as having 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.”
the affiliate
www.affiliations.si.edu
arts/history
The exhibition
gallery at Buffalo Bill
Historical Center.
(Photo courtesy
Michelle Delaney,
National Museum of
American History)
American History and Buffalo Bill
Center Showcase Rare Photographs
By Cara Seitchek
Above
Right
Detail from exhibition
Detail of Mother
panel depicting
and Child, platinum
William F. “Buffalo
photograph by
Bill” Cody. (Photo
Gertrude Käsebier.
courtesy Michelle
(Photo courtesy
Delaney, National
Michelle Delaney,
Museum of American
National Museum of
History)
American History)
In 2007, Curator Michelle Anne Delaney
saw her first book published — Buffalo Bill’s
Wild West Warriors: A Photographic History
by Gertrude Käsebier — but the temporary
closure of the National Museum of
American History (NMAH) halted any
plans for an accompanying exhibition.
A chance meeting at a Smithsonian Affiliations Conference not only led to the
exhibition, but also to a long-term relationship with the Buffalo Bill Historical
Center (BBHC).
“Affiliations promoted my book to the
network of Affiliates and the BBHC invited
me to apply for a Cody Fellowship. From
there the relationship blossomed,” said Delaney, now the director for the Consortium
for Understanding the American Experience. “I became a Fellow and conducted
more research, which led to co-sponsorship
and production of the exhibition, which
will become a traveling exhibition.”
The award of a Cody Institute for
Western American Studies Fellowship
enabled Delaney to spend a month in Cody,
Wyoming at BBHC, delving even further
into Käsebier, Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild
West Show, and the art and advertising
surrounding the show. The resulting
exhibition pairs Käsebier’s photographs
with pictograph drawings and select
artifacts from the Wild West Show.
“Michelle’s research fit so well into
what we do,” said Bruce Eldredge, BBHC
executive director. “The portraits of these
warriors show the spirit of the American
West and give a completely different insight
into the lives of the Sioux performers.”
The book and exhibition showcase the
portrait photography of Gertrude Käsebier, a
prominent photographer of the 19th century.
In 1898, Käsebier glanced out the window
of her New York City studio, saw the Wild
West Show performers parading by, and
quickly wrote a note to Cody inviting the
Lakota (Sioux) Indians to her studio. Several
accepted her offer, sitting for the studio
prints that are the core of the exhibition.
Donated to the Smithsonian Institution
in 1969 by Käsebier’s granddaughter, the
112 original platinum prints were initially
part of the National Museum of Natural
History’s Anthropological Archives,
but research revealed Käsebier’s stature
as a photographer and the prints were
transferred to NMAH.
“I became aware of the prints when
so many people requested access to them,”
said Delaney. “I realized I could bring an
interdisciplinary approach to the study of
the collection as they bring together the
history of photography, biography, the
beginning of art photography, American
history, and well-known figures like
Buffalo Bill.”
The idea for a co-sponsored exhibition
developed quickly during Delaney’s
Fellowship in summer 2009. BBHC offered
its John Bunker Sands Photograph Gallery,
an endowed gallery dedicated to photography, as the venue, and NMAH staff and
conservators came together to create the
exhibition, which opened April 8, 2010.
Delaney and Eldredge are now working on
a proposal to the National Endowment for
the Arts, to develop a second book on the
art of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors.
“The Affiliate connection usually starts
small,” said Eldredge. “You make contacts
at a conference and exchange ideas or
information. Then you develop an exhibition or borrow an object to bring something of the Smithsonian to your museum,
which then gives you the opportunity to
show a different perspective through your
own collections.”
BBHC is the third Affiliate for which
Eldredge has worked. “Smithsonian Affiliations enables smaller and medium-sized
museums to stand out from others in their
region, and allows the Smithsonian to use its
resources for the greater American public.”
the affiliate
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
5
www.bbhc.org
the affiliate
Fall 2010
arts/science
Below
Right
Natural mineral
Members’ Preview at
crystals in the
the San Diego Natural
exhibition All That
History Museum.
Glitters at the San
(Photo courtesy
Diego Natural History
Lollo Enstad)
Museum. (Photo
courtesy Lollo Enstad)
The National Museum
of Natural History
loaned this carved
emerald pendant
suspended from a
platinum and diamond
“sautoir” necklace for
the All that Glitters
exhibition. (Photo
courtesy Lollo Enstad)
All That Glitters Brings National
Gems to San Diego
By Cara Seitchek
A platinum crystal, a blue sapphire ring, and
an amethyst necklace are three of the nine
National Museum of Natural History
(NMNH) gems that are currently on loan to
the San Diego Natural History Museum
(SDNHM), now on display in All That
Glitters: The Splendor & Science of Gems &
Minerals. The exhibition combines natural
mineral crystals with jewelry and other
works of art to showcase both the science
and the artistry of gems and minerals.
“Opportunities like this exhibition are
wonderful venues to show off our pieces
to the public,” said Jeffrey E. Post, NMNH
curator and geologist. “When we loan a
piece to another museum, it has a chance
to star on its own, instead of competing
with the Hope Diamond.”
The exhibition also enables SDNHM
to display its own gem and mineral collections, which had been in storage during
building renovations and expansions.
“We brought in temporary exhibitions,” said Michael W. Hager, SDNHM
president and CEO, “but we decided to
devote that funding to an exhibition we
created, and to not only look at specimens
relevant to our region but also the larger
world of gems and minerals.”
Guest Curator Elise B. Misiorowski
brought her extensive background in jewelry
history to the exhibition. Four galleries bring
together objects as varied as meteorites
from outer space, the California state gem
benitoite, a carved Fabergé pig with
diamond eyes, and a hand-carved zebra.
“I wanted to contrast natural splendor
with man-made splendor, as well as look at
the art that follows nature,” she said. “This
information can be presented in so many
ways, but by combining familiar items like
jewelry with the science of crystal structures, I tried to make the exhibition both
accessible and fun.”
6
the affiliate
Fall 2010
Six Affiliates collaborated to bring students
to Washington, D.C. to participate in
the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Young
Ambassador’s Program in June 2010.
This sense of fun permeates the
exhibition, evidenced by a giant interactive
periodic table illustrating all the elements
comprising the gems. Animals are found
throughout the exhibition in the guise of
a jellyfish opal brooch, Cartier diamond
panthers and tigers, and a set of 13 butterfly
brooches set with alexandrite, rhodochrosite, and flame spinel. Another fun
element is the word — “SAN DIEGO”
spelled out in diamond-encrusted letters.
The letters, also on loan from NMNH,
were packed personally by SDNHM staff
member Chena Popper, who was assigned
to the project as an Affiliations Visiting
Professional during her residency in
April 2010.
“We had to take each letter off a special
mount and then pack them individually,”
she said. “It was a great training opportunity and I saw first-hand as the objects went
from the Smithsonian to San Diego.”
Post added, “The Visiting Professional
project was very beneficial; knowing there
was someone at the other end of the loan
who knew how we packed our items and
would unpack them just the way we like.”
In June, Misiorowski returned to the
Smithsonian, this time to speak about her
experience for the Smithsonian Affiliations
National Conference. In the session,
Partnering for Success: Getting the Most from
Your Affiliation, she described the exhibition.
Post emphasizes that the Affiliate
relationship is a collaboration and a partnership. “Showing our objects in different parts
of the country 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.”
the affiliate
San Diego Natural History Museum
www.sdnhm.org
history
Spring – Summer 2010 Intern Partners
and Visiting Professionals
continued from page 1
Congratulations to our spring – summer 2010 interns and visiting professionals!
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Affiliations offers opportunities for Affiliates to support ongoing initiatives at
Loans Skeleton of Race Horse Lexington
their organization through professional development programs across the Institution.
For information about these opportunities, please contact Elizabeth Bugbee,
[email protected], 202.633.5304
V isi t in g P r o f essi o na l
I n t e r n Pa r t ne r
Eric Stanley
Annette Shumway
A f f i l iat e
A f f i l iat e
Sonoma County Museum (Santa Rosa, California)
S I u ni t
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at
Florida International University (Miami, Florida)
Two weeks with the National Museum of
American History
S I u ni t
P r o j ec t
P r o j ec t
Exploring the philosophies, approaches, and
standards to creating quality history exhibitions.
V isi t in g P r o f essi o na l
Chena Popper
A f f i l iat e
San Diego Natural History Museum
(San Diego, California)
S I u ni t
Three weeks with the National Museum
of Natural History
P r o j ec t
An investigation into the care of mineralogy
collections and the policies and procedures
in preparing them for an exhibition loan.
Ten weeks with the National Postal Museum
Digitally archiving and cataloging the
Postmaster General Collection.
I n t e r n Pa r t ne r
David Kerr
A f f i l iat e
Frazier International History Museum
(Louisville, Kentucky)
S I u ni t
Ten weeks with the National Portrait Gallery
P r o j ec t
Collection and exhibition development research
relating to Kentucky and the Civil War.
I n t e r n Pa r t ne r
V isi t in g P r o f essi o na l
Lisa Falk
A f f i l iat e
Arizona State Museum (Tucson, Arizona)
SI unit
Four-week rotational assignment across
the Institution
P r o j ec t
Researching how technologies are being
used more effectively to engage diverse
museum audiences.
Shawn Pirelli
A f f i l iat e
Plimoth Plantation (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
S I u ni t
Ten weeks with a pan-Institutional
Smithsonian program
P r o j ec t
Refreshing the exhibition Thanksgiving: Myth,
Memory, and Meaning through collections and
public programming research.
a specimen that occupied such a prominent
place in the exhibition,” said NMNH’s
Division of Mammals Collection Manager
Linda Gordon.
In 1999, Lexington traveled across the
street to the National Museum of American History (NMAH), where he provided
context to the story of the first mass-produced stopwatch that split time into fractions
of seconds. While curators could not make
a direct connection between the stopwatch
and Lexington’s feats on the racetrack, “we
postulated that his racing successes were
foremost in people’s minds and could have
inspired a horse timing watch,” said Carlene E. Stephens, the exhibition’s curator.
When NMAH closed for renovations in
2006, Lexington was finally available for loan.
“His place in the Osteology Hall had
been filled with a zebra skeleton, so
Lexington’s skeleton was cleared for loan
requests,” said Gordon. “This was my first
big loan to an Affiliate, so the Affiliations
staff was very helpful in nudging me and
keeping me on track.”
What appeared to be a simple loan
became more challenging as Gordon lined
up a conservator, a bracket making specialist, and the packing and shipping company.
“At first, we thought the armature
running through the spine was damaging
the skull,” explained Gordon. “Our experts
examined the bones closely and realized
that the damage had occurred during the
horse’s lifetime. He had had a massive facial
infection that resulted in his going blind.”
Once they determined that the skeleton
would not be damaged by further display,
Gordon’s team cleaned the bones, made
minor repairs, and prepared it for travel.
“Although the skeleton was mounted a long
time ago, they did a really good job. The
skull is perfectly balanced on the best point
for the armature. It’s a lost art — no one
does this today,” she said.
Other Lexington museums are also
participating in this celebration of the
horse. The Headley-Whitney Museum,
also an Affiliate, has borrowed a portrait of
Lexington, painted by Pennsylvania artist
Thomas J. Scott, from the Smithsonian
American Art Museum.
“Lexington was painted from life from
the Civil War period on,” said Chief
Curator Eleanor Harvey. “Our painting is
unusual in that it shows him in his prime,
when he was the horse of the 19th century.”
It’s a beautifully unified studio portrait.”
She said that while the loan process is
the same for all museums, “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.”
Uncrating Lexington’s
skeleton at the
International Museum
of the Horse. (Photo
courtesy Bill Cooke)
“It is wonderful that the National
Museum of Natural History
loaned the skeleton of the
racehorse, Lexington, to the
International Museum of the
Horse, the centerpiece of the
Kentucky Horse Park. This
exhibit was shared not only with
Lexington’s hometown, but with
the world, as the exhibit ran
during the quadrennial Alltech
FEI World Equestrian Games.
Affiliations brings the Smithsonian’s resources and expertise
to communities like Lexington
throughout our country, helping
achieve the Institution’s mission.”
Representative Ben Chandler
(D-6th/KY)
the affiliate
7
the affiliate
Fall 2010
Left to right
Included in the
Ross Dickinson’s
exhibition Let Your
Valley Farms, 1934,
Motto Be Resistance
oil on canvas, now on
is Josef Breitenbach’s
view at the Whatcom
1950 portrait of
Museum of History
Sarah Vaughan.
and Art. (Photo
(Photo courtesy
courtesy Smithsonian
National Portrait
American Art Museum.
Gallery, Smithsonian
Transfer from the U.S.
Institution)
Georgia
Department of Labor)
Smithsonian
In Your
Neighborhood
News about Smithsonian Affiliates
The SITES exhibition
The Working White
House: Two Centuries
of Traditions and
Memories was on
view at The Southern
Museum of Civil
War and Locomotive
History (Kennesaw)
through August 2010.
The museum also
hosts a SITES exhibition, The Way We
Worked: Photographs
from the National
Archives, through
November 2010.
Associate Curator
of Photography at
NMAH Shannon
Perich, presented a
session on Western
imagery at the Booth
Western Art Museum
(Cartersville) annual art
history symposium in
October 2010.
Illinois
Dixon Historic Center
(Dixon) will host the
SITES traveling exhibition Lasting Light: 125
Years of Grand Canyon
Photography through
January 2011.
Indiana
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
Conductor and Artistic
Director David Baker
gave a public lecture
at Conner Prairie
(Fishers) during the
Indiana Festival in
June 2010.
Iowa
Alabama
The exhibition Let Your
Motto Be Resistance,
organized by the
Smithsonian Institution
Traveling Exhibition
Service (SITES), travels
to the Birmingham
Civil Rights Institute
(Birmingham) through
November 2010.
Arizona
Curator of Ethnology
Dr. Nancy Parezo, from
Arizona State Museum
(Tucson) participated
in the Smithsonian
Institution Summer
Institute in Museum
Anthropology in
Washington, D.C.,
in July 2010.
In September 2010,
the National Air
and Space Museum
(NASM) loaned 19
artifacts to the Challenger Space Center
(Peoria) for the exhibition, An Astronaut’s
Life: Articles Flown in
Space as part of their
Museum Day activities.
National Museum
of American History’s
(NMAH) Curator Larry
Bird lectured at Bisbee
Mining and Historical
Museum (Bisbee), on
Design for Victory:
World War II Posters
on the American Home
Front, October 2010.
California
Riverside Arts and
Cultural Affairs
Division, Riverside
Metropolitan Museum
(Riverside) hosted
Smithsonian Week in
Riverside in May 2010.
NASM loaned the
Aerobee 350 sound-
ing rocket to the
Aerospace Museum of
California (McClellan),
in June 2010.
Connecticut
The Mashantucket
Pequot Museum and
Research Center
(Mashantucket)
will host the SITES
exhibition Native
Words, Native Warriors
through January 2011.
In September 2010,
NMAH Curator Rayna
Green traveled to
Hunt Hill Farm (New
Milford) to lecture on
collecting Julia Child’s
kitchen.
Florida
Assistant Professor in Biological
Sciences Deron E.
Burkepile, from
Florida International
University (Miami)
presented Research
and Discoveries: The
Revolution of Science
through Scuba during
a two-day symposium
on marine science at
the National Museum
of Natural History
(NMNH) in May 2010.
8
the affiliate
Fall 2010
In October 2010, 25 Affiliates participated in
the Universal Design: Beyond Americans with
Disabilities Act webinar, featuring Beth Ziebarth
from the Smithsonian Accessibility Program.
NMNH loaned four
specimens to The
National Mississippi
River Museum and
Aquarium (Dubuque)
for the opening of the
new facility in June
2010.
Kentucky
Through December
2010, The Horse in
Decorative Arts is on
view at the HeadleyWhitney Museum
(Lexington) including
loans from NMAH and
the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Louisiana
The Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design
Museum hosted a
Design Fair at the
Ogden Museum of
Southern Art (New
Orleans) to introduce
4th to 12th-grade
students to architecture
and design in May 2010.
Maryland
College Park Aviation
Museum (College
Park) hosted NASM’s
Earth from Space
poster exhibition
through September
2010. The museum will
host NASM’s Fly Now!
exhibition through
February 2011.
The SITES exhibition Freedom’s Sisters
travels to the Reginald
F. Lewis Museum of
Maryland African
American History and
Culture (Baltimore)
through January 2011.
Staff from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Museum (Baltimore)
participated in a
half-day workshop that
focused on energy and
transport during the
Smithsonian Science
Education Academies
for Teachers in July
2010.
South Carolina
Richard Efthim, Naturalist Center program
director at NMNH, led
the I Wonder professional development
workshop at York
County Culture and
Heritage Museums
(Rock Hill) in August
2010.
Nebraska
The Durham Museum
(Omaha) hosted the
SITES exhibition Lasting Light: 125 Years of
Grand Canyon Photography in September
2010. The museum
will also host Dig It!
The Secrets of Soil,
an NMNH exhibition,
through December
2010.
New York
Texas
Rayna Green, NMAH
curator, spoke about
the Smithsonian’s Julia
Child’s kitchen exhibition to an audience
at The Long Island
Museum of American
Art, History & Carriages (Stony Brook)
in September 2010.
Smithsonian
Museum Conservation
Institute’s (MCI) Within
the Emperor’s Garden:
The Ten Thousand
Springs Pavilion
exhibition opened
at Flushing Town
Hall (Flushing) in
October 2010.
In August 2010, The
Alameda National
Center for Latino Arts
and Culture (San Antonio) hosted the SITES
exhibition Bittersweet
Harvest: The Bracero
Program, 1942 – 1964.
Twenty photographs from NASM
depicting women in
flight are included in
the Dreams of Flight:
A Journey through Air
and Space exhibition
at The Women’s
Museum: An Institute
for the Future (Dallas)
through October 2010.
Ohio
The Center for the
History of Psychology
(Akron) opened its
new archive and
exhibition space in
August 2010.
Pennsylvania
MCI Conservator
Don Williams advised
participants on how
to care for family heirlooms during the third
annual Pittsburgh’s
Hidden Treasures, An
Antiques Appraisal
Show at the Senator
John Heinz History
Center (Pittsburgh) in
August 2010.
Puerto Rico
Washington
Whatcom Museum
of History and Art
(Bellingham) hosts
the American Art
Museum’s exhibition
1943: A New Deal for
Artists through January 2011.
Wyoming
NMAH’s Curator
Michelle Delaney presented Advance Work:
Art and Advertising in
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
during the Buffalo Bill
and Europe: The First
International Cody
Studies Conference at
the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Cody) in
August 2010.
In June 2010, SI’s
annual Museum
Workshop was held
at the University of
Turabo (Gurabo). Presenters included John
Haworth, director of
NMAI, George Gustav
Heye Center.
www.affiliations.si.edu