Affiliates in the news: September/October edition

Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor (Honolulu, HI)
Civil Geeks: Aviation Museum Tackles Astronomy
Adjacent to the World War II fighter jets at the Pacific Aviation Museum is a classroom not many visitors know even exists. The facility is used for student groups usually interested in aviation and flight simulators but lately the museum is going beyond the limits of our earth’s atmosphere and exploring objects in deep space. The workshop is called Astrophotography and geared for students from 5th to 8th graders. According to the PAM press release, “The workshop is part of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos III (YCCC III) program, offering students the opportunity to research, explore, and photograph the cosmos using telescopes owned and maintained by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.”

National Museum of Industrial History (Bethlehem, PA)
VIDEO- PBS39 FOCUS (NMIH story runs from 11:13-19:29)

Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA)
Smithsonian link huge boost for Springfield (Editorial)
This is a win-win for everyone and truly a historic occasion. The efforts of political leaders, museum officials and MassMutual Foundation will be rewarded, every time the Smithsonian brings its message to Springfield or tells its story to an America and world that needs to hear.

Springfield Museums Named Smithsonian Affiliate (Radio spot)
WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Springfield Museums President Kay Simpson

Springfield Museums Named Smithsonian Affiliate
For us to continue to develop a culturally rich community, it is important that all of us – especially our children – have access to some of the world’s most treasured art collections, artifacts, and perspectives of the most renowned experts in the country,” said Roger Crandall, chairman, president, and CEO of MassMutual.  “The MassMutual Foundation’s support of the partnership between the Springfield Museums and the Smithsonian helps strengthen the cultural fabric of our community, and we are proud to do our share to provide opportunities that inspire people to never stop learning and growing.”

Springfield Museums named Smithsonian affiliate; new opportunities for exhibits, education
The Smithsonian Institution has named the Springfield Museums an affiliate, opening up new opportunities for cultural and historical exhibits and a wealth of educational programs.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Los Angeles, CA)
Smithsonian Highlights Latino Players as Part of Baseball’s Racial History
“The stories that are resurfacing as a result of this project are prime examples of its importance,” Caballero said. “Without regional projects and a strong national project, such as the Smithsonian’s ‘Latinos and Baseball’ project, most of these stories, as well as the history of their communities, would not be documented for current and future generations.”

National Museum of African American History and Culture opening celebration
DuSable Museum of African American History (Chicago,IL)
DuSable Museum Celebrates Opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture with special Watch Party and Smithsonian Poster Exhibition
The DuSable Museum of African American History will “Lift Every Voice” and celebrate the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on Saturday, September 24, 2016, by hosting a free “Watch Party” beginning at 8:30 AM. The event will take place at the Museum located at 740 East 56th Place (57th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue) in Chicago.

Watch Party: Grand Opening of New Smithsonian Museum

National black history museum could spur interest locally
On Chicago’s South Side, it will be viewed during a free watch party Saturday at the 55-year-old DuSable Museum of African American History, one of the oldest museums of its kind. Officials there – and at other local and regional venues that offer more local stories on the struggles and contributions of blacks in the United States – expect the new national museum to spur interest and steer more visitors their way.

Chicago woven throughout Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History
If you can’t make the trip to Washington D.C. for the opening ceremony, Chicago’s Smithsonian affiliate invites you to watch on its big screen. The viewing party starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, at Dusable Museum

DuSable Museum of African American History (Chicago, IL) and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham, AL)
African-American museum to open in Washington
DuSable Chief Curator Leslie Guy says the new museum has “become an incredible opportunity in terms of raising awareness.” In Alabama, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute President Andrea Taylor says that after experiencing the national museum, visitors “will want to know more about what’s happening in their local community.”

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham, AL)
New African American History Museum prepared to deal with visitors’ emotions
Museums have to be prepared to deal with a variety of emotions when dealing with charged subjects like slavery and civil rights, said Priscilla Hancock Cooper, vice president of institutional programs at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama. After going through the Birmingham museum, visitors are offered a chance to talk with volunteers – many of whom lived through the turbulent civil rights era in Birmingham – to help process their thoughts and feelings, Cooper said.

Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture (Baltimore, MD)
6 Things to Do If You Don’t Have a Timed Pass for the National African American History Museum
Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum is hosting its own event Saturday in celebration of the grand opening of the newest Smithsonian. During the event, parents and kids can join award-winning illustrator Shadra Strickland for storytime of her book, “Bird,” a tale about a young boy facing family struggles. A drawing workshop with the artist will follow.Participants will also receive a free commemorative poster, while supplies last.

B&O Railroad Museum (Baltimore, Maryland) (VIDEO)
Hometown Hotspot
The B & O Railroad Museum is hosting a special exhibition to celebrate the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on September 24, 2016. This Saturday is also the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Live Day when you can sign up and get free admission to the B&O Railroad Museum!

Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, Virginia) (VIDEO)
“Lift Every Voice” Concert Series and Museum Day Live! at Birthplace of Country Music Museum Sept. 24
This year’s Museum Day Live! is special as BCMM will also be honoring the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. To celebrate this opening, the museum will offer several programs throughout the day as part of the NMAAHC’s “Lift Every Voice” initiative

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
New museum on National Mall tells sweeping story of black experience – with a Philly twist
Says Lonnie Bunch, the national museum’s founding director: “I think the museum needs to be a place that finds the right tension between moments of pain and stories of resiliency and uplift.” The African American Museum in Philadelphia, at Seventh and Arch Streets, a Smithsonian affiliate, will host a video “watch party” of opening-day celebrations for the mothership on the mall, said Patricia Aden, AAMP president and CEO. 

Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
The biggest challenge in opening up a national museum about African American history? How to talk about slavery
“You can’t cover everything of the black experience, and you’re always going to find someone who says something should be there or should not be there,” said Black, the director of African American programming at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day LIVE!
Idaho Museum of Natural History (Pocatello, Idaho)
Idaho Museum of Natural History joins Smithsonian magazine’s 12th Annual Museum Day Live!

History Colorado (Denver, CO)
Revel in the Smithsonian Legacy on Museum Day Live!
“We are proud to be a Smithsonian Affiliate and celebrate Smithsonian Day Live with museums all across the country,” says the director of education at History Colorado, JJ Rutherford.

The Rockwell Museum (Corning, NY)
The Rockwell Museum Join Smithsonian Magazine’s 12th Annual Museum Day Live!
As the only Smithsonian Affiliate in Upstate, NY, The Rockwell actively seeks ways in which we can bring dynamic programming from the Smithsonian Institution to Corning and the Finger Lakes…  This year’s Museum Day Live! marks the Grand Opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Rockwell joins in support of this momentous occasion by displaying a traveling exhibit, A Place for All People, a historic poster exhibit that explores African American history, culture, and community.

Rhode Island Historical Society (Providence, RI)
Over 20 R.I. museums offer free admission Saturday
Many of the exhibits, performances, and events will celebrate the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens the same day.

The Old Governor’s Mansion (Milledgeville, GA)
Original presidential ballots on display at Old Governor’s Mansion
The Old Governor’s Mansion at Georgia College, a Smithsonian affiliate, will house four original presidential ballots from the election of 1860 to view until Nov. 8. The loans are provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA)
Critical Wildlife Conservation and Research Projects Funded by AZA-Accredited Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) today announced AZA Conservation Grants Fund (CGF) grants totaling nearly $250,000 to be awarded to 13 projects. After a competitive review of 79 applications, 13 projects were chosen to be funded for 2016.

Booth Western Art Museum (Cartersville, GA)
Booth nets two top Shining Example Awards
Along the museum’s director of marketing, Tom Shinall, capturing the Rising Star Award, the Booth was named Southeast Tourism Society Escape to the Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year.

Upcountry History Museum (Greenville, SC)
14 Pieces Of Dissected Technology That Will Blow Your Mind
The Smithsonian’s “Things Come Apart” is a traveling exhibition that takes a fascinating look inside the technology we know and love.

These Photos of Deconstructed Devices Reveal Their Hidden Beauty
Both static and kinetic visions of disassembled hardware populate McLellan’s new exhibition, now on view at South Carolina’s Upcountry History Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate through February 19, 2017. The show will then hit the road traveling to Kansas City first on an ambitious 12-city national tour.

National WWII Museum (New Orleans, LA) and Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex (Titusville, FL)
TripAdvisor Showcases the World’s Best Museums With Travelers’ Choice Awards
“From awe-inspiring art galleries to thought-provoking memorials, Travelers’ Choice Museums provide enlightening experiences whether a traveler is visiting for the first time or the fiftieth. ”

Perot Museum of Nature and Science (Dallas, TX) (VIDEO)
Giant Gems of the Smithsonian at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA)
Museum Mind-Meld
To celebrate a new partnership between the Smithsonian and Springfield Museums, come out on Saturday for the kick-off of Smithsonian Week, with guest speaker John Grant, planetary scientist at the National Air and Space Museum and member of the Mars Rover Team

Stafford Air & Space Museum (Weatherford, OK)
Oklahoma Small-town Promotes Aviation
Named a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2011, the museum started as a simple display case in the Weatherford Airport Terminal. It now displays more than 3,500 artifacts, many of them having logged real time in the atmosphere and beyond it. A number of them are on loan from the Smithsonian, including the pressure suit Stafford wore on Apollo X.

Orange County Regional History Center (Orlando, FL)
Museum curators gather, preserve Pulse history
This touched thousands of lives,” said Michael Perkins, manager of the center’s museum. “We are trying to preserve it for generations.”Perkins said he consulted with experts from the Smithsonian Museums and visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Site as he prepared his staff for the challenge of preserving Pulse.