On the horizon at SITES

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Our friends at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) are working on some great upcoming exhibitions, debuting in 2014.  Book early!

The Newcomb Pottery enterprise ‘played a significant role in promoting art, education, and employment for the betterment of women,’ particularly Southern women.

Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise, organized by the Newcomb Art Gallery and SITES, brings together more than 175 objects representing 45 years of uncommon achievement in American arts and crafts from 1895-1940.

For the first time in 30 years, Americans will experience a major exhibition of Newcomb treasures from the gallery at Tulane University and other prominent collections.  The exhibit will feature recent acquisitions and dazzling examples of the iconic pottery as well as lesser known textiles, metalwork, jewelry, bookbinding and historical artifacts.Decorative yet useful, iconic yet varied, richly imagined and precisely crafted by hand–the objects alone tell an eloquent story. Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise offers new insights into the Newcomb community–the philosophy, the friendships, the craftsmanship, and the extraordinary women who made an enduring mark on American art and industry. 

Exhibition at a glance:
– Approximately 150 objects including pottery, metalwork, jewelry and textiles
– Approximately 4,000 – 4,500 square feet
– $65,000, per 12-week booking period
– Tour begins: Fall 2014
– Contact: Minnie Russell, russellm@si.edu, 202.633.3160.

SITES is pleased to announce plans for the national tour of Aesop’s Fables by Jacob Lawrence, an exhibition featuring 23 illustrations of these classic moral stories by this renowned American artist.  In 1969 Lawrence created this series of lively ink drawings to illustrate and interpret Aesop’s Fables for a contemporary audience.  Fables such as “The Tortoise and The Hare”, “The Ant and The Grasshopper”, and “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” are known and loved world-wide and are still often used to entertain and educate young children. 

Exhibition at a glance:
– Featuring 23 large-format pigment prints on watercolor paper, illustrated fable panels
– Requires about 200 running feet
– Tour begins: 2014 
– Contact:  Ed Liskey, liskeye@si.edu, 202.633.3142.


Nature’s Best Photography:  Windland Smith Rice International Awards showcases the wonders of the natural world in all of its breathtaking forms and environments.  From endangered species, animals that live in the ocean and in the air and the smallest animals to images of people in nature, the power of nature, plant life and amazing landscapes, the exhibition features an award-winning survey of nature photography.  This collection of 48 large-format prints combines art with adventure to take you on a photographic journey into the wild. 

   Exhibition at a glance:
   – Featuring 48 large-format prints
   – Requires about 250 running feet
   – Tour begins: early 2014
   – Contact:  Amanda Cane, canea@si.edu, 202.633.3109.

 

Recap: 2012 Affiliations National Conference

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Thanks to everyone who was able to join us in Washington, D.C., June 12-14, 2012. At your request we’ve compiled all your post-conference resources below–from contact info to agenda, presentations to photos. In order to access the resources, please log in to the Affiliate-only section of our website. 

Here’s what your fellow Affiliate colleagues said about this year’s conference:

“The conference was fantastic!  I really enjoyed the various sessions and found the information presented to be very useful.  I am looking to sharing the information with my staff and seeing how to integrate some on the new information into what we do. I heard a number of attendees say that the Affiliates Conference is by far one of the most beneficial conferences available in the museum field today.  I have to definitely agree!”
– Angelica Docog, Executive Director, Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, Texas.

“The experience was enriching at both levels, the professional as well as the personal. Key speakers were magnificent and the presenters were all very inspiring. It was also amazing to be able to visit the Natiponal Museum of African Art, meet its director, and attend three social events that allowed us to extend the affiliate´s possibilities for networking.”
– Doreen Colón-Camacho, Director of Education, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Every conference has been an enjoyable experience, but this year had a new feeling of energy and excitement.  We think that Secretary Wayne Clough has turned out to be an outstanding addition to the Smithsonian Institution.  He seems to have genuinely embraced the power and vision of the Affiliations Program.  He has discovered what all of you, and all of us have always known, that the Affiliations Program is the perfect method to deliver the Smithsonian to communities throughout America.”
– Kate Neumiller Schureman, Sr. V.P. of Programs, Lakeview Museum/Peoria Riverfront Museum in Lakeview, Illinois.

Who attended?

This year, 65 staff members representing 46 Affiliates attended the conference.  Registrants came from 21 states and Puerto Rico. Looking to follow-up on an idea with a fellow attendee? Click here for a list of registrants and their contact information.

Where can I find copies of session presentations?

Presentations which we had permission to share can be found here and include any additional resources the speakers thought would be helpful. REMEMBER, you must log in to the Affiliate-only section of the website to access this material.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

Are we missing something you’d like to see? Is there a Smithsonian contact you’d like to have? Contact Elizabeth Bugbee (202-633-5304, BugbeeE@si.edu) for more information. 

Where can I view more of these fantastic photos?

View and download photos from the Conference from our 2012 Affiliations National Conference Flickr photostream.

 

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Kudos Affiliates! July-August 2012

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As summer heats up, so too do Affiliate accomplishments!

The Michigan State University Museum (East Lansing, Michigan) received a new grant from the Asian Cultural Council, New York City, to establish a partnership between the Michigan State University Museum and Yunnan Nationalities Museum, in Kunming, China. The $12,000 grant is aimed at creating new resources online that can be used to access Chinese folklife and ethnographic collections by scholars, museums and the public.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, Ohio) will receive a $1.8 million grant over three years as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s America Healing program. The three-year grant will be used for programs to increase student and public awareness and understanding about the history of racial oppression in this country.

The Long Island Museum (Stony Brook, New York) has received a grant of $286,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The highly competitive grant, awarded to only a few museums nationwide, will complete the revitalization of the Carriage Museum with two new exhibition galleries.

The GAR Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to the Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio), for educational programming at Hale Farm & Village.

Three Affiliates received Smithsonian Community Grants program sponsored by MetLife Foundation as part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions Services (SITES):

  • Institute of Texan Cultures (San Antonio, Texas) received $5,000 to fund programming that fosters self-identification and pride for dual heritage African-Native Texans. The grant will support honoraria for several scholars, craft and educational materials, and the marketing and advertising of events related to the themes of IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas.
  • San Diego Museum of Man (San Diego, California) was awarded $3,750 to fund the honoraria of Native American skate industry professionals who will participate in a panel discussion. The grant will also support the marketing of programming related to the themes of Ramp it Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America.
  • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum (McMinnville, Oregon) will receive $2,160 to fund the busing of economically disadvantaged and minority youth in the regional Portland area to view Black Wings: An American Dream of Flight.

A technology upgrade for Ellen Noel Art Museum (Odessa, Texas) is the result of a Permian Basin Area Foundation $5,000 grant. This technology upgrade will help support the museum’s existing website and social media sites.

American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) announced the winners of their 2012 Leadership in History Awards Winners including the following Affiliates:

  • Arizona State Museum (Tucson, Arizona) for the exhibit Many Mexicos: Vistas de la Frontera
  • Conner Prairie Interactive History Park (Fishers, Indiana) for the exhibit 1863 Civil War Journey: Raid on Indiana.
  • Montana Historical Society (Bozeman, Montana) and Montana Office of Public Instruction Indian Education for All Divisions for Best Practices in Museum Education: Museums and Schools as Co-Educators.
  • North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh, North Carolina) for the exhibit The Story of North Carolina.
  • Ohio Historical Society (Columbus, Ohio) for the exhibit Controversy: Pieces You Don’t Normally See; for the Ohio as America Online 4th Grade Textbook; and for the Ohio History Service Corps-AmeriCorps Program.

coming up in affiliateland in june 2012

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CALIFORNIA
The San Diego Museum of Man will be hosting a reception for the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies during the International Society for Technology in Education in San Diego, 6.25.

MICHIGAN
The Michigan State University Museum will be represented in the Community and Culture Program of the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C., 6.27-7.8.

Following a week of training in June in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Latino Young Ambassadors will be interning for a month at the following Affiliate host sites:  California Science Center, Museum of Latin American Art, Chabot Space and Science Center, Miami Science Museum, Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History, International Museum of Art and Science, and The Museum of Flight, 6.24-8.3.

kudos affiliates! june 2012

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As summer heats up, so too do Affiliate accomplishments!

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that the Lowell Festival Foundation along with Lowell National Historical Park (Lowell, Massachusetts) is one of 788 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The Lowell Festival Foundation is recommended for a $30,000 grant to support the 2012 Lowell Folk Festival. 

The Michigan State University Museum (East Lansing, Michigan) has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Traditional Arts Program. Totaling $80,000, the NEA grant will assist with documentation of traditional artists and folk arts events and develop social media tools to connect folk artists, audiences and other cultural workers. The Michigan Traditional Arts Program provides support for the Michigan Heritage Awards and Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, which research, document and share traditional arts and expressive culture of Michigan.

Inasmuch Foundation announced the distribution of $11.3 million in grants to 37 organizations in Oklahoma, including $500,000 to Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) for the new Children’s Hall, 20,000 square feet of friendly streets, buildings and “outdoor” spaces containing interactive exhibits in which families can engage in a playful and child-friendly world of science play. Stafford Air and Space Museum (Weatherford, Oklahoma) received $50,000 for the restoration and outdoor display of two historic aircraft; and a busing and admissions assistance program for Oklahoma school children and senior citizens.

Conner Prairie Interactive History Park (Fishers, Indiana) received $5,000 from The Kroger Co. to support its K-12 education programs.

The Museum of Arts & Sciences (Daytona Beach, Florida) announced in cooperation with the City of Daytona Beach and the Volusia County Council, the Museum has been chosen as the site for a new structure – an expansion housing the collection of more than 2,600 Florida oil and watercolor paintings of Cici and Hyatt Brown as part of a $13 million gift from Cici and Hyatt Brown.

Dr. Annette B. Fromm of the Frost Museum (Miami, Florida) has been approved for candidacy for the Fulbright Specialists Roster, creating an opportunity to engage in short-term collaborative projects at host institutions in over 100 countries.

The Frank H. McClung Museum (Knoxville, Tennessee) received re-accreditation from AAM.

 

Tribute to former Secretary Heyman

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Former Smithsonian Secretary I. Michael Heyman

 I. Michael Heyman served as the tenth Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1994-2000.  To celebrate his inspiring and productive years at the Institution, current Secretary Dr. Wayne Clough invites all Affiliate staff to join a program and reception at the National Museum of American History, Warner Bros. Theater, at 5pm on June 14.  

In his five years as Secretary he helped usher in a more dynamic Smithsonian, an Institution more thoroughly engaged with the American people.

Heyman’s signature program was the celebration of the Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary in 1996.  That event saw the unprecedented exhibition “America’s Smithsonian,” which traveled to major cities across the United States, and culminated in a Birthday Party on the National Mall. 

Heyman also oversaw the creation of the Smithsonian’s first website and established the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Asian Pacific American Program.   Heyman secured funding and presided over the groundbreaking of the National Museum of the American Indian, and received a key donation for the building of the Udvar-Hazy Center.

Of course, Heyman also initiated the Smithsonian Affiliations Program, which has grown into a network of more than 171 museums across the country.  His vision for the program, to get Smithsonian collections out of storage, has evolved into a truly two-way street of resource sharing and collaborations that impact communities nationwide. 

In the words of Secretary Clough, “Heyman was unflinchingly optimistic about the Smithsonian’s ability to be a force for knowledge and inspiration in our society.”  We are no less optimistic today, especially given the rich network of Smithsonian Affiliate partners that are such an important part of his legacy.  What better way to honor his passing than with our Affiliate colleagues.  We hope you can join us.