You Heard It Here First – Page 52 – Smithsonian Affiliations

Smithsonian Focus

September 18, 2007/in General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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 the Portrait Gallery has a collection of ‘hedcuts’ – those iconic portraits from the front page of the Wall Street Journal? Both collections have awesome websites – Cover Art, The Time Collection and Picturing Business in America.

Regardless of their scale, the portraits here are poignant, inspirational, sometimes humorous -basically, the essence of great portraiture. (and of the Portrait Gallery itself!)

To sign up for Smithsonian Focus, click here. and enjoy!

Director developments at the Smithsonian

September 12, 2007/in General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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. Prior to his career in the west, Mr. Gover served as the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior in the late ’90s, and was responsible for policy and operational oversight of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Welcome Kevin!

Kevin Gover

Olga Viso, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, announced her resignation, effective at the end of this year. Ms. Viso will be taking the director position at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Ms. Viso was at the Hirshhorn for 12 years, rising from assistant curator to director, and engaging in significant board and strategic planning initiatives. Good luck Olga!

Olga Viso

So many announcements!

September 11, 2007/2 Comments/in Exhibitions, General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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 puts the visitor in the role of canal engineer. 1600 square feet, $6,500 per 13-week period, plus inbound shipping. Dates available from October 2009.

Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam Era by the Senator John Heinz History Center (affiliate)
Explores the impact of the Vietnam War on African American life and culture through artifacts, photographs and more. 2600 square feet, $12,500 for 12-week period, plus prorated transport, medium security. Dates available from February 2008

Artists in their Studios from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art
55 framed original photographs of American artists in their studios, and approximately 20 related documents including letters & unpublished writings. There’s a companion book, speaker list, and bibliography. 150 running feet, $10,000 per 10-week period, prorated shipping with a AAA designated carrier, medium security.

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES:
SEEC workshop, September 25-26
A two-day seminar for museum professionals, “Learning Through Objects: Museums and Young Children” at the Smithsonian, $300 for affiliates.

Holidays on Display, lecture and booksigning by American History curator Larry Bird
Bird’s newest book traces the art and industry of holiday displays. Dates in October, November, early December. Cost is airfare, accommodations, and a modest per diem stipend.

Designers at the White House

July 25, 2007/in General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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.

Mother Earth Celebration

July 8, 2007/in General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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 toward the earth before introducing Al Gore, I was reminded again of how important and relevant museums can be. When a Museum takes the knowledge embedded in the cultural heritage it’s preserving, and uses it to help us imagine our future… well, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Summer at SI

July 3, 2007/in General, Uncategorized, You Heard It Here First /by Jennifer Brundage

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 Festival?! It’s in full swing on the Mall, and I do mean swing – when I was there on Sunday, there was a huge dance going on to Irish stage with a rocking group called Four Men and a Dog. One of my favorite things (apart from being there) are the organizers’ videos.

And speaking of videos, Affiliations is cultivating friendships with our newest colleagues in Smithsonian Networks. Which is to say, if you haven’t checked out their collection of videos and programming previews yet, please do – there are some gems there! The Networks will be launching as a full-on television cable channel, commercial-free, this fall. Some of you met Networks’ staff at the conference, but they are definitely an initiative to keep an eye on.

Hope your summer is going well too – what is going on in your neck of the woods?!