African American History Museum recent news
Although they have no building yet, the new National Museum of African American History and Culture is busy with some terrific programming. Among their recent initiatives is Save Our African American Treasures: A National Collections Initiative of Discovery and Preservation. It’s a collaboration among cultural institutions, community leaders, and the public to preserve and collect African American […]
Affiliations @ AAM
All staff of affiliate museums are invited to join us for a reception in Colorado, during the annual meeting of the American Association of Museums. Invitation below. We hope to see you! Smithsonian Affiliations cordially invites you to An Evening at the Littleton Historical Museum: History, Art & Fun on the Farms a reception for staff […]
Our Journeys Our Stories in New York
Many thanks to Joshua Ruff, History Curator and Betsy Radecki, Educator, from the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages in Stony Brook, NY for this post. This is the first of what we hope will be many! guest authored posts from Affiliates about Smithsonian experiences at their sites. The Long Island Museum […]
The Smithsonian names a new Secretary
On Saturday, the Regents of the Smithsonian voted unanimously for the 12th Secretary, Dr. G. Wayne Clough. (pronounced cluff) With a PhD in civil engineering, Clough comes to SI from his post as president of Georgia Tech University. While there, he has increased enrollment and research expenditures dramatically, overseen the expansion of campuses all […]
Butterflies
Smithsonian staff are all aflutter (pun intended) about the new Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of Natural History. We’re really excited about sharing this amazing new space with Affiliates this summer at the conference. Officially titled “Butterflies and Plants: Partners in Evolution,” the accompanying exhibition on co-evolution paves the way for the lush tropical […]
Click!
Here’s a cool new announcement – The Smithsonian Photography Initiative is launching CLICK! PHOTOGRAPHY CHANGES EVERYTHING, an interdisciplinary, Web-based forum at https://www.click.si.edu/. Using images drawn from the extraordinary collections of Smithsonian photography, CLICK! reminds us about the power of photography to change all aspects of our world. This new site will be publicly announced on March […]
Women’s History Month
It’s March, and spring is finally upon us. And so is Women’s History Month. You go girl! Heritage Months are a big deal at the Smithsonian, and now, the offices devoted to national outreach are getting into the game as well. For each of the five months celebrated by the Smithsonian (Hispanic Heritage, Native American, Black […]
A visit from the Pequots
One of my favorite parts about this job is when Affiliates come to DC to visit, either bringing their members, their boards or staff. Why? We get to connect with Affiliates and their goals in very tangible ways. AND, it usually means we get to meet new people and see cool stuff! Last week, we got […]
Report from the Road: Huntsville, Alabama
as reported by Caroline Mah, coordinator for the southeast: Happy 50th Anniversary! Not only does January 31, 2008 mark the 50th Anniversary of America in space, but it also celebrates the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s (Hunstviille, AL) official opening of their new Davidson Center for Space Exploration, home to the recently-restored Saturn V rocket. This […]
Is your audience contributing to your permanent exhibitions? Should they?
It’s refreshing that in an age when “interactivity” seems synonymous with “hi tech,” (see post below!) Museums still find ways to engage simply with pen and paper. This has long been true with younger audiences of course, with carts, activity rooms, etc. An inspiring reminder of audience input comes from a recent story in the newsletter of the National Museum […]
Goings-on around the Smithsonian
Here’s some random, current news of potential interest, and opportunities for professional development if you’re interested. Hope you can join us! The Smithsonian’s Early Enrichment Center is holding their annual seminar, Creating Collection with Young Children, on Saturday, February 9. If you’ve never taken one of their courses, and are interested in reaching pre-K students […]
Happy new year!
Happy 2008! We look forward to a year full of collaboration and many successes! Among some of our earliest ones: Congratulations to our newest Affiliates – The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, FL https://www.mennellomuseum.org/ Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL https://www.thephil.org/museum/museum.html Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR https://www.historicarkansas.org/ Kudos and congratulations ! to the Museum […]
Report from the Road: New York City
I just returned from a whirlwind tour, visiting 8 Affiliates and 2 SI units in New York City and Newark, NJ. What exciting things are happening there! The New Jersey Historical Society opened SITES’ Our Journeys Our Stories, welcoming a strong turnout from media, local officials and a Latino public that, while prominent in the city, has […]
a new Museum of Biodiversity
Affiliations was in the spotlight this week as Dr. George Angehr, Curator of Exhibitions at our Affiliate, the Museum of Biodiversity in Panama, lectured to about 50 Smithsonian staff about this exciting project. Dr. Angehr is also a research associate at the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute in Panama, a major collaborator on content with the new museum. Some of […]
Wow!
Affiliations staff participated in a lovely morning tour of the newest spectacular space at the Smithsonian, the Kogod Courtyard at the Reynolds Center. (American Art Museum & Portrait Gallery’s building). Our pictures wouldn’t do it justice, so check out the awesome images from their public opening a few days ago on SAAM’s blog. Can’t wait for Affiliates to […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Here’s wishing everyone a very happy and safe thanksgiving. In the spirit of the season, and in the name of historical accuracy that’s also fun, here are some recipes from our friends at Plimoth Plantation, our affiliate in Plymouth Massachusetts (experts in all topics Thanksgiving!) Enjoy! An Onion Sauce for Roast Turkey; Sobaheg: A Wampnoag Recipe (a stew); […]
