what’s it like in your town?

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What is special about living in a small town?  Throughout the history of literature and popular culture, we know that there is something unique about small-town life.  We can all recall a story or personal experience from a small-town “Main Street” that goes beyond nostalgia to touch on values that all Americans hold dear – community, civic engagement, pride of place, and more.  

Many Smithsonian Affiliates and their staffs serve small town and rural communities in ways we want to know better.  What programs and exhibitions resonate with your audiences?  How do you cultivate your community and what role do you play in it?  What’s your story?   Let’s hear them!

Screen shot from 'Stories from Main Street' app

“Stories from Main Street” is the Smithsonian’s new iPhone app for collecting stories from America’s small towns and rural communities. This is the place where anyone with an interest in small-town life can add his or her own personal experiences to the archive. After you share your own experience, be sure to listen to stories left by other users.  

This app was launched this month, and almost instantly, was featured in the “New and Noteworthy” section of iTunes!  As the archive grows, selected stories from the application will be featured on the Smithsonian’s “Stories from Main Street” website: https://www.storiesfrommainstreet.org.

Help us document the rich history of America’s small towns with stories that exemplify the excitement, diversity and creativity of their citizens. The Smithsonian wants to hear from you!

 

kudos affiliates! october 2011

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Way to go Affiliates!

Saginaw Art Museum (Saginaw, Michigan) has received a $15,000 Michigan District Grant from the Macy’s Foundation to continue to host “Macy’s Free Fridays” through 2012. This program is a collaborative effort to make the arts more accessible to the diverse people and organizations of the Great Lakes Bay Region.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced the Museum of American Finance (New York, New York) received $100,000 to install a climate-control system as part of the federal funding received by the corporation.

Pratt & Whitney donated $1 million dollars to the National World War II Museum (New Orleans, Louisiana) to help tell the story of America’s experience in the war that changed the world. In addition, the company is donating a Twin Wasp R-1830-90D, an engine that powered several different World War II aircraft.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Los Angeles, California) announced the Pepsico Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to the museum to benefit the Plaza’s Edible Teaching Garden and Culinary Arts program. The program will offer educational demonstrations and cooking lessons in the effort to encourage physical activity, healthy food choices and educate participants on the cultural history of Mexican and Mexican American cuisine.

The Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, Michigan) received a $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to fund two projects–one, the exhibit “Little Syria,” a neighborhood of early 20th century New York City; the other, an environmental project for youth in the U.S. and Jordan.

Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) received an $88,738 grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission to fund a two-year project to describe and provide access to more than 600 archival collections. In addition, the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County board awarded a $250,000 grant to the Center to help buy a $1.3 million vacant building for an artifacts storage facility and conservation center.

Ellen Noël Art Museum (Odessa, Texas) was awarded a Heritage Tourism Partnership Grant by the Texas Historical Commission to fund the installation of promotional and museum signage in Odessa.

 

coming up in affiliateland in october 2011

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Autumn is always a busy time in Affiliateland!  Hope you can catch one of these opportunities to experience the Smithsonian in your hometown.

KENTUCKY:
The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion architectural model, on loan from the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, is on view at the Headley-Whitney Museum in Lexington, through 3/2012.

WASHINGTON:
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden will be speaking about his book Falling to Earth at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, 10/8.

CONNECTICUT:
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum will open the IndiVisible exhibition, on loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, in Mashantucket, 10/8.

NEW YORK:
Smithsonian National Board member Abby Joseph Cohen will speak at the Museum of American Finance in New York, 10/13.

LOUISIANA:
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art will be celebrating their 10th anniversary as an affiliate in New Orleans, 10/15.

ARIZONA:
The Arizona State  Museum will open the Through the Eyes of the Eagle, an exhibition developed by Affiliate the David J. Sencer CDC Museum) in Tucson, 10/15.

KANSAS:
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden will be speaking about his book Falling to Earth at the Kansas Cosmophere in Hutchinson, 10/15.

MARYLAND:
Curator Michael Neufeld will lecture on the National Air and Space Museum Autobiography at the College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, 10/15.

MASSACHUSETTS:
The USS Constitution Museum will be announcing their affiliation at a Launching Party in Boston, 10/20.

GEORGIA:
Dr. David W. Penney, Associate Director for Museum Scholarship at the National Museum of the American Indian, will present a talk on historic Native American objects at the Southeastern Cowboy Festival at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, 10/21.

NORTH CAROLINA:
The Charlotte Museum of History will open SITES’ Native Words, Native Warriors exhibition in Charlotte, 10/22.

SOUTH CAROLINA:
Affiliations staff will be on a panel with colleagues from the Headley-Whitney Museum, the Museum of Arts and Sciences, Tellus Science Museum, and York County Culture and Heritage Museums at the Southeastern Museum  Conference in Greenville, 10/25-27.

 

 

Affiliates invited to share 150th Civil War activities via Smithsonian social media

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The General Locomotive at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History (Kennesaw, GA). Photo © Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History.

In April 1862, as train passengers and crews were eating breakfast in Big Shanty (modern Kennesaw, Georgia), a band of Union Civil War spies led by James J. Andrews stole the General locomotive from under the watchful eyes of guards at nearby Confederate Camp McDonald. Destroying telegraph wires and uprooting tracks in their escape north, the raiders would leave a path of destruction to the Western & Atlantic Railroad through the North Georgia Mountains. Conductor William Fuller and Confederates pursued “Andrews Raiders” using three different locomotives and caught them outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Today, visitors to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Kennesaw, Georgia, can follow in the daring footsteps of William Fuller as he chases “Andrews Raiders” through the mountains, see the General locomotive itself, and participate in upcoming commemorative events.  

https://www.civilwar150.si.edu/

Smithsonian Affiliates across the U.S. are hosting events, exhibitions and highlighting artifacts like the General locomotive in Kennesaw, GA, throughout the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. We’re inviting all Affiliates to promote their artifacts, blog, online exhibitions, upcoming exhibitions, events and anything related to the Civil War 150th anniversary so they can be highlighted on the Smithsonian Civil War 150 Facebook page and the Affiliate museum listed on the Smithsonian’s Civil War 150 website. 

 

To have your Affiliate highlighted:

  • Submit your events, exhibitions, blog posts, and artifacts to Elizabeth Bugbee
  • Send your own Facebook and Twitter info so we can “like” or “follow” your page
  • Send “This Day in Civil War History” stories from your community, highlight a Civil War expert from your neighborhood, talk about an artifact in your collection. the possibilities are limitless!
  • We’d love to go year-by-year, starting with 1861, but don’t let that stop you from submitting any information. We want to hear about anything Civil War-related at your organization!  

Smithsonian Affiliates are an important educational resource for visitors who are unable to travel to Washington, D.C., for commemorative events at the Smithsonian.  Let’s connect Civil War enthusiasts, historians, and fans of the Smithsonian to the resources available in Affiliate neighborhoods! 

Affiliates featured on the Smithsonian’s Civil War 150 website: (not listed? Email Elizabeth Bugbee)

Historic Arkansas Museum (Little Rock, AR)
Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History (Kennesaw, GA)
Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN)
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum (Baltimore, MD)
Lowell National Historical Park (Lowell, MA)
American Textile History Museum (Lowell, MA)
North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh, NC)
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, OH)
Oklahoma Historical Society (Oklahoma City, OK)
National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA)
The National Civil War Museum (Harrisburg, PA)
The Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
South Carolina State Museum (Columbia, SC)
American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar (Richmond, VA)
Kenosha Public Museum (Kenosha, WI) 

Morgan's Raiders

Civil War reenactors from throughout the Midwest portrayed Morgan’s Raiders during the creation of Conner Prairie’s new "1863 Civil War Journey: Raid on Indiana."

Don’t forget to “like” the Smithsonian Civil War 150 Facebook page!

SITES’ corner

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By Ed Liskey, Senior Scheduling & Exhibitor Relations Coordinator, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

We’d like to share some of the great experiences Affiliate museums have had hosting SITES exhibitions this past summer.  When will you get your SITES on?  

Native Words, Native Warriors at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum

The Wisconsin Maritime Museum (Manitowoc, WI) is hosting SITES’ Native Words, Native Warriors, from July 23- October 2, 2011. It’s the remarkable story of Indian soldiers from more than a dozen tribes who used their Native languages in the service of the U.S. military.

Museum Educator Wendy Lutzke reports that the museum has made  interesting historical connections between the exhibition and its World War II submarine, the USS Cobia.  The Cobia is the largest artifact in the museum’s collection, and is moored right outside the gallery.  “While researching the history of the Code Talkers in the Pacific, intern Nick Oswald found that both the Code Talkers and the crew of the USS Cobia had a direct impact on the outcome of the battle of Iwo Jima.  Code Talkers revealed deceptive Japanese communications that mimicked those sent by the Allies, while the crew of the USS Cobia destroyed two Japanese vessels, one of which was carrying tanks intended for Iwo Jima.” 

Native Words, Native Warriors at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum

In September, the museum will feature Oneida Nation historian Loretta Metoxen, to speak on the Oneida’s contribution to the Code Talker Program.  A medal recognizing the Oneida individuals involved in the program will be struck by the U.S. Mint later this fall. 

The Charlotte Museum of History (Charlotte, NC) hosted SITES’ Becoming American:  Teenagers & Immigration exhibition April 23 – July 17, 2011, and visitors loved every minute of it.  Photographer Barbara Beirne’s images capture first-generation immigrants and children of immigrants, revealing a diverse array of teenage responses to the immigrant experience.

Becoming American installation at The Charlotte Museum of History

 Exhibits Manager Lee Goodan reported that “the Museum actively works to engage the diverse community of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg region, home to many immigrants from other areas of the world and transplants from around the country. The stories of Becoming American reflect the diverse make-up of the area, and provide compelling examples of finding identity with migration. As we explore the theme of home within our institution, this exhibition illustrated the challenges and opportunities of finding and remembering ‘home.’ The focus on teenagers provided us the opportunity to create a successful program for high school students. Based on visitor feedback, the content resonated with our visitors who identified with the stories or found the exhibition insightful on a topic with which they were not personally familiar.”

Becoming American high school program at The Charlotte Museum of History

 Ms. Goodan continued:  “It was an excellent exhibition- compelling, thought-provoking, and directly presented. The primary strength of the exhibition was that it seemed to be very effective at evoking responses- either intellectual or emotional- from visitors. Based on comments left in the exhibition response book, we received more comments of a personal or substantive nature than usual. Some included political or social commentary, some shared personal experience with immigration, and some simply noted that they had been touched or affected by the stories.”

Farmers, Warriors, Builders a the South Florida Museum

The South Florida Museum and Parker Manatee Aquarium (Bradenton, FL) is currently hosting Farmers, Warriors, Builders:  The Hidden Life of Ants, on view through October 9, 2011.  More than 140 guests got buggy with entomology family fun on Saturday, August 6 at a “Family Night” program at the museum.  Hands-on crafts, a cartoon movie about the critters, and a scavenger hunt through the museum including the Farmers, Warriors, Builders exhibition all made the event a huge hit.

The museum team is thrilled about another exhibition-related event with Dr. Mark Moffett, the world-renowned ant expert, award-winning photographer, and Smithsonian Research Associate whose work is featured in the exhibition.  On September 29, he will present “Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions” based on his newest book of the same title. “We are thrilled to bring such a witty, experienced, renowned scientist and real-life adventurer to our community,” said Brynne Anne Besio, Executive Director. “This fascinating exhibition and the chance to meet Dr. Moffett represent such a unique opportunity for our members and the general public to learn from a modern-day explorer.”

Please visit our website to learn more about all of our exhibitions that will help you get your SITES on.

The Affiliate flag in the Becoming American installation at the Charlotte Museum of History

 

 

 

coming up in affiliateland in september 2011

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Fall is underway in Affiliateland!

ARIZONA:
The Challenger Space Center opens the National Air & Space Museum’s In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight in Peoria, 9/2.

PENNSYLVANIA:
Senator John Heinz History Center displays four artifacts from the National Museum of American History in its Stars & Stripes: An American Story exhibition in Pittsburgh, 9/10.

TEXAS:
Bill Fitzhugh, archeologist from the National Museum of Natural History, will give a public lecture on Genghis Khan at the Irving Arts Center in Irving, 9/10.

FLORIDA:
The National Museum of Natural History’s Dr. Valerie Paul gives a talk at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach, 9/10.

The South Florida Museum, Tampa Bay History Center, and the Frost Art Museum will be represented at the Florida Association of Museums for an Affiliations Session in Sarasota, 9/20.

The Museum of Arts & Sciences will host the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in Daytona Beach, 9/23.

CALIFORNIA:
The Riverside Metropolitan Museum will host Smithsonian Citizen Science Week in Riverside, 9/20.

NATIONWIDE:
More than 80 Affiliates take part in Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day, 9/24.