Update from the Smithsonian’s newest museum
Kudos to the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the launch of their new website, reviewed today in the Washington Post. You’ll find details on their collaborations, curricula for teachers, their ambitious Folkways Recordings project, and exhibition and collections planning. NMAAHC has several exciting initatives too, including Save Our African American Treasures: A […]
News from Smithsonian Leadership
In light of Deputy Secretary Sheila Burke’s departure, the Smithsonian announced the appointment of two acting Undersecretaries. Richard Kurin, who many affiliates know and love from his Hope Diamond book tour, has been named Acting Undersecretary for History and Culture. In addition to directing the Folklife Center and National Programs (where Affiliations is situated), Richard […]
Smithsonian Focus
Have you seen this? the Smithsonian’s monthly ‘Focus’ newsletter collects interesting goings-on from around the Institution about collections, events, research, online features and fun factoids. Smithsonian Focus September 2007.htm This month, I discovered that the Smithsonian owns the collection of (often) specially-commissioned Time magazine covers, now numbering over 2,000 works of art. Did you also know that […]
Report from the field: Western Pennsylvania
I just got back from a short but lovely trip to the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania. SITES’ Booming Out: Mohawk Ironworkers Build New York opened at the California University of Pennsylvania. As a special treat during the opening ceremonies, LaDonna Harris, trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian, spoke to students about […]
Director developments at the Smithsonian
The National Museum of the American Indian named its new director, Kevin Gover. Mr. Gover grew up in Oklahoma and is a member of the Pawnee Tribe. He is a professor of law at Arizona State University, an affiliate professor in its American Indian Studies Program, and co-executive director of its American Indian Policy Institute. […]
So many announcements!
Whew! it’s hard to keep up with all the great new developments and announcements that have been advertised recently on the Affiliations list, so here are the synopses again… TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS: Building America’s Canals by the National Canal Museum (affiliate) & the Science Museum of MN Ideal for children’s history and science museums, the interactive exhibition […]
The Encyclopedia of Life
September 6, 2007 – The New York Times published an interesting editorial today about an ambitious new project announced earlier this year, in which the Smithsonian is taking a leading role. The goal of the Encyclopedia of Life is nothing short of organizing all basic information on the 1.8 million known species on the planet within […]
Check out one of the Smithsonian’s newest blogs, from the Office of Exhibits Central (OEC). OEC is a dynamic unit that produces exhibits and exhibition services for Smithsonian museums, SITES, and others, like the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, our affiliate in Arizona. (a well-known example of OEC’s work on the Mall) The blog is a […]
SERC
This week, several Affiliations staff treated ourselves to a field trip, and visited our colleagues at the Smithsonian’s Environmental Research Center. Located on 3,000 acres on the Chesapeake Bay (SERC map), SERC is a leading research unit with 16 laboratories devoted to studying things like marine biology & ecology, among other topics. SERC is the national center […]
Science education & the NSRC
I find this to be an amazing statistic: 45% of all science learning takes place in informal environments. (no wonder NSF gives so much money to informal science education.) Yet in a recent seminar on the topic, entitled “Changing the Course of K-16 Science Education,” a DC teacher asked in a roundabout way about the […]
Museum Conservation Institute
Such interesting research is being done at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, housed in our storage facility in Suitland, MD. Most recently, Smithsonian staff were invited to hear about new research on the acceptable ranges of relative humidity and temperature in museums. Dr. Marion Mecklenburg, a senior research scientist at the Institute presented surprising results (at least for […]
Designers at the White House
Lest we forget our friends in New York, the Cooper-Hewitt was in town recently, celebrating their 2007 National Design Award winners and finalists at the White House with the First Lady. What an image of American accomplishment! Congratulations to all.
Festivals everywhere!
I love hearing about all the festivals taking place at Affiliates – please send pictures! Here’s some highlights I’ve been following recently: Historic Bethlehem Partnership’s 22nd Annual Blueberry Festival took place last weekend… yum! (Read the local review.) This year’s Festival included colonial craft and Moravian cooking demonstrations, and new this year, an antique auto show, and lots more […]
The Search for a New Secretary
Yesterday, Smithsonian staff were invited to a town hall meeting to share our views on the ideal qualities of the next Smithsonian Secretary. The chairman of the search committee, Regent Alan Spoon, ran the meeting with Regent Roger Sant, and members of the executive search firm hired for the task. The discussion was lively, as one […]
Mother Earth Celebration
I often find myself so proud to work at the Smithsonian. That was especially true yesterday, when I joined the crowds at the National Museum of the American Indian’s Mother Earth celebration to see Al Gore kick off the Live Earth concert series in North America. As I listened to Mohawk and Cheyenne elders describing Native philosophies […]
Summer at SI
On the education front, several recent gatherings have illuminated interesting research being done in the fields of online learning and museums’ fostering of critical thinking skills. Check it out – Goode lecture on Fostering Critical Thinking in Museums; Guggenheim’s research on literacy through the arts; and EduWeb’s Learning Styles & Online Interactives. Who doesn’t LOVE the Smithsonian Folklife […]
