SITES in your neighborhood this winter

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Smithsonian Affiliates across the country are bringing Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) exhibitions to their communities this winter. Here’s what’s opening at an Affiliate in the coming months: 

Jim Henson's characters provided an outlet for the various sides of his sense of humor and personality, and Henson always considered Kermit his alter ego. This Kemit, shown with Henson about 1989, is a more polished version of the original Kermit that Henson made in 1955 from his mother's old spring coat. Photo by John E. Barrett.

February 12- May 1, 2011
Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences (Peoria, Illinois)
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World

Organized with The Jim Henson Legacy, Jim Henson’s Fantastic World offers audiences a rare peek into the imagination of this brilliant innovator and creator of Kermit, Big Bird, and other beloved characters. The exhibition documents Henson’s process of “visual thinking” through works of art, photographs, documents, puppets and other 3-D objects, and film and video clips.

Legendary New York Mets’ coach Yogi Berra shares his line-up with Clemente before a 1972 spring training game in St. Petersburg, Florida. AP/Wide World Photo.

February 19- April 17, 2011
Challenger Learning Center of Arizona (Peoria, Arizona)
Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente

The baseball diamond has produced legendary athletes who have broken records and shattered barriers. But for many, Roberto Clemente is the most inspiring of all. With a cannon arm and lightning speed, he was an outstanding ballplayer. But the Puerto Rico native was also a dedicated humanitarian. SITES, the Smithsonian Latino Center, the Clemente family, and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico are pleased to present Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente as a tribute to this monumental figure’s outstanding achievements on the field and off.

And you can still catch these exhibitions at an Affiliate in your neighborhood:

Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography, at Dixon Historic Center (Dixon, Illinois) through January 2, 2011. 


Native Words, Native Warriors at Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center  (Mashantucket, Connecticut), through January 2, 2011.


Freedom’s Sisters, at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture (Baltimore, Maryland), through January 17, 2011. 


Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964, at Sonoma County Museum (Santa Rosa, California), through January 30, 2011.

 

Find a Smithsonian Affiliate in your neighborhood here.
Find more Smithsonian traveling exhibitions and programs here.

SITES’ Quarterly Corner for December 2010

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Even as 2010 draws to a close, you may still be looking for the perfect exhibition to bring to your museum or gallery next year. Take a look at these SITES offerings that are available in 2011 and don’t miss your chance to host some of our most popular exhibitions!  www.sites.si.edu

Plus, if you book an exhibition in 2011 you may be eligible to apply for a Smithsonian Community Grant supported by the MetLife Foundation. Visit our site to learn how you can apply for up to $5,000 for public programming related to a SITES exhibition. You’ll also find the eligibility requirements, deadlines, and a list of past winners (including many of your fellow Smithsonian Affiliate organizations).
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Johnny Cash, Hatch Show Print

American Letterpress: The Art of the Hatch Show Print
Size:   3,000 sq. ft.
Security: High
Fee: $18,000 per 12-week booking, plus prorated shipping
Dates available: 2/26/2011 – 5/08/2011 and 5/28/2011 – 8/07/2011

Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes
Size: 250 running ft.
Security: Moderate
Fee: $7,500 per 8-week booking, plus prorated shipping
Dates available: 7/23/2011 – 9/18/2011

Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants
Size: 250 running ft., estimated
Security: Moderate
Fee: $7,900 per 10-week booking, plus outgoing shipping
Dates available: 7/30/2011 – 10/09/2011

The White House Garden
Size: 1,000 sq. ft.
Security: Limited
Fee: $4,500 per 8-week booking, plus outgoing shipping
Dates available: 5/07/2011 – 7/03/2011 and 10/08/2011 – 12/04/2011

SI and Affiliates collaborate on Places of Invention

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Places of Invention is a planned exhibition at the National Museum of American History organized  by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Scheduled to open in 2014, it will feature a selection of “hot spots” of invention and innovation–places where a critical mass of inventive people, networks, institutions, funding and other resources come together and creativity flourishes. Focusing on the mid-19th century to the present, each exhibition area will have hands-on experiences illustrating the ways that place and social collaboration shape the inventive process.

Places of Invention represents a new model in exhibition design, where content will be co-created in a collaborative manner by the center, professional partners and the public.   That’s where Affiliates come in.  Places of Invention has received a $2.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation which will, in part, support a community documentation project and related programming at six Affiliates.  Affiliates with strong emphases on invention in their own missions will receive training to work with a community partner to document what makes their city a “place of invention.”  Affiliates for the pilot phase of the initiative include: the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, TN; The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology in Newark, OH; York County Culture and Heritage Museums in Rock Hill, SC; the Women’s Museum in Dallas, TX; the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA; and the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA.

Their photographs, interviews, videos, oral histories, archives and more will become a part of the Places of Invention exhibition at the Smithsonian, inviting others to view their cities in new ways.

For more on the grant and project, read the press release.  The pilot phase is set to begin in Fall 2011, so watch out for more updates as the project progresses.  In the meantime, congratulations to our Lemelson Center and Affiliate colleagues on this unique collaboration!

Smithsonian Secretary speaks at Frost Art Museum

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On November 19, 2010, Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough participated in the The Steven & Dorothea Green Critics’ Lecture Series at the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Miami, Florida.

“As an Affiliate, he was my first choice since he became Secretary. I thought it was important for people in Miami to know how the Smithsonian works, and how Affiliates benefit from the relationship,” said Carol Damian, Frost Art Museum Director.

He shared the past, present and future of the Smithsonian to those in the audience and focused on discussing how he was trying to implement his future vision for the Institution.

Of great importance to this plan is safe-guarding the environment and using new technologies to reach wider audiences.

Here are a few fun photos from the night’s event:

Photos courtesy Frost Art Museum, ©2010 Gary Mercer.

Carol Damian and fellow Affiliate Miami Science Museum Director, Gillian Thomas. Photos courtesy Frost Art Museum, ©2010 Gary Mercer.

Photos courtesy Frost Art Museum, ©2010 Gary Mercer.

Secretary Clough and Virginia Clark, Director, Smithsonian Office of Advancement. Photos courtesy Frost Art Museum, ©2010 Gary Mercer.

Secretary Clough with Carol Damian, Director of the Frost Art Museum. Photos courtesy Frost Art Museum, ©2010 Gary Mercer.

affiliates in the news

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Congratulations to these Affiliates making headlines this week!

Plimoth Plantation (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
The real Thanksgiving unveiled at Plimoth Plantation. READ MORE
History Channel airs show on Thanksgiving produced by local native. READ MORE  
Plimoth Plantation helps reveal “The Real Story of Thanksgiving”. READ MORE

 

The Air Zoo (Portage, Michigan)
Air Zoo expanding. READ MORE
Air Zoo expansion to consolidate exhibits. READ MORE

Arizona State Museum (Tucson, Arizona)
Southwest’s roots on exhibit at Arizona State Museum. READ MORE

National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Refined Jewish Museum Shows Up Drab Philadelphia Mall: Review. READ MORE
National Museum of American Jewish History, designed by James Polshek, opens. READ MORE
National Museum of American Jewish History’s new home unveiled. READ MORE
National Museum of American Jewish History comprised of multiple interlocking volumes. READ MORE 

Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, Montana)
MSU Paleontologist Receives International Award. READ MORE

affiliates in the news

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Congratulations to these Affiliate making headlines!

Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (Miami, Florida)
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough to speak at FIU Nov. 19. READ MORE 

Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Art Museum of Puerto Rico will host the most complete collection of works by José Campeche. ENGLISH VERSION / SPANISH VERSION 

Plimoth Plantation (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
Plimoth Plantation to show History Channel Thanksgiving film. READ MORE 

The Air Zoo (Portage, Michigan)
Air Zoo plans 50,000-square-foot addition for exhibits, aircraft and library. READ MORE 

Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (Biloxi, Mississippi)
Frank Gehry-Designed Mississippi Museum Highlights Sculptor George E. Ohr. READ MORE 

Conner Prairie (Fishers, Indiana)
History Park Receives National Honor. READ MORE
Agency names Conner Prairie one of top U.S. museums. READ MORE 

Poverty Point SHS (Pioneer, Louisiana)
Poverty Point recognition well deserved. READ MORE
Poverty Point gains attention. READ MORE
Poverty Point now a Smithsonian affiliate. READ MORE
Poverty Point Now a Smithsonian Affiliate. READ MORE 

Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA)
“American Tapestry” Exhibition Tells 25 Stories through Collected Objects, Art. READ MORE
L.A.’s Japanese American National Museum wins federal medal for excellence, and $10,000. READ MORE 

National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA)National Museum of American Jewish History Opening. READ MORE
Jewish Museum Opens Its Doors to History: Past, Present, Future. READ MORE
Philly home to one-of-a-kind museum of Jewish history. READ MORE
National Museum of American Jewish History gala. READ MORE. WATCH VIDEO
National Museum of American Jewish History tells ‘story of America through Jewish eyes’. READ MORE
Biden attends museum opening. WATCH VIDEO
Jewish History Museum Gala. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
A look inside the new museum. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
An overview of the new museum. WATCH VIDEO
Stories of a people: Star-studded festivities herald a Phila. museum focused on the Jewish role in American culture. READ MORE
Starry night for museum’s debut. READ MORE
Chronicling lives more than religion. READ MORE
Building and message at odds: While the museum’s exhibits tell of Jews’ success in America, the architecture is decidedly downbeat. READ MORE
New museum offers 4 floors of perspectives. READ MORE
Docents train hard and proud. READ MORE
Vice President Attends Jewish Museum Opening. READ MORE
Biden Attends Museum Opening On Independence Mall. READ MORE
Biden among notables attending opening ceremony of National Museum of American Jewish History. READ MORE
Daily Grinder: National Museum of American Jewish History Opens, Biden Is There. READ MORE
Jerry Seinfeld, Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler unite to honour their Jewish heritage. READ MORE
Expansion of National Museum of American Jewish History to open. READ MORE
Philly museum opens with stars, speeches and plenty of American nostalgia. READ MORE
Stu Bykofsky: New Jewish history museum is ‘uniquely American‘. READ MORE
American Jewish History Celebrated in the City of Brotherly Love. READ MORE
Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg On The New National Jewish Museum. READ MORE
Mazel Tov! National Museum of American Jewish History Opens Its Doors. READ MORE
Discovering American Jewish history at new museum (VIDEO). READ/WATCH MORE