The Affiliate | Spring 2019

Smithsonian Affiliations

Spring 2019

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affiliate News about Smithsonian Affiliates

2018 Visiting Professional Program participants at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Affiliations

Getty Foundation Support Enhances Professional Development In October 2018, a group of 10 Affiliate colleagues from around the country convened in Washington, D.C., for a two-week, transformative experience at the Smithsonian.

They were selected to participate in the Smithsonian Affiliations Visiting Professionals Program (VPP), a unique professional development opportunity for mid-level museum staff at Affiliate organizations. The VPP began in 2002 and has evolved from

individual, highly tailored programs to a more robust, group experience exposing participants to more opportunities to learn from Smithsonian experts as well as fellow Affiliate colleagues. Last year, with generous support from The Getty Foundation, Smithsonian Affiliations enhanced the VPP model by focusing on a single topic — using digital technologies to broaden access to art collections — and added a leadership and personal development component to the curriculum.

Marsha Semmel, a consultant and faculty member at Bank Street College of Education in New York, joined the professional development team, bringing her vast knowledge of leadership and museum training to the program. “We wanted the experience to be about building a coalition, understanding what’s required to succeed,” she explained.

“These were the core tenants. Persuading others of the value of a program, responding

to the pace of change, and learning whether you have asked the right questions in order to solve the problem. That’s the armature on which we hung the whole program.”

Participants were selected from Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham, Alabama); Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, California); Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach, California); Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco, California); Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, Illinois); Schingoethe Center of Aurora University (Romeoville, Illinois); Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, Michigan); American Jazz Museum (Kansas City, Missouri); The Rockwell Museum (Corning, New York); and Springfield Museum of Art (Springfeld, Ohio). They represented various continued page 3

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Director's column Whether it is within the Affiliate network or among Affiliates and the Smithsonian, collaboration is at the heart of what we do.

With the alignment of SITES and Affiliations, we are intentionally looking at ways we can work more closely and already have found ways to leverage synergies between our two organizations. Affiliates have helped inform SITES exhibitions such as American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith and Girlhood: It’s Complicated. Affiliate input via focus groups, conference calls, and meetings has shaped these exhibitions and influenced their content and form. Affiliates have also helped test exhibition titles and exhibition themes, guidance that is integral to the work of SITES. We are also exploring ways in which our Affiliates can inform the work of the broader Smithsonian. As a first step, we are creating more opportunities for Affiliate and Smithsonian colleagues to get to know each other and learn from one another. Through our professional development opportunities — the Visiting Professionals Program (see our cover story) and the Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference  — we can foster these connections and provide the creative space for co-learning and collaboration to take place.

This June 23 – 26, the National Conference will offer an opportunity for all our colleagues to connect with each other. We have opened the conference to Smithsonian as

well as Affiliate staff, and have created a proposal process that is open to all. We have solicited session ideas around topics that mirror Smithsonian priorities, such as Women’s History, Earth Optimism, and engaging and inspiring more people, where they are, with greater impact. By looking at these and other topics, we hope to learn how others are addressing these big ideas and where opportunities for collaboration may lie.

In my travels, I have heard from Affiliate colleagues about the significant work that happens when we collaborate. In 2019 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing with events at the Smithsonian and across the Affiliate network. Affiliates are invited to highlight their Apollo anniversary events on the Smithsonian Affiliations website (affiliations.si.edu) and have shared the incredible work they are doing to celebrate this milestone. For example, Framingham State University in Massachusetts will welcome seven Smithsonian speakers for The Moon Landing in Context, a project that explores the history and social environments that were intertwined with events leading to the moon landing. In July, when we mark that famous giant leap for mankind, the SITES and National Air and Space Museum exhibition Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission will be on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.

We will continue to seek out meaningful opportunities to work together and look forward to engaging with Affiliates more closely to create lasting impact in your neighborhoods. As always, I welcome your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts on how we can work together to strengthen both our Affiliates and the Smithsonian.

Welcome New Affilates Cape Fear Museum of History and Science (Wilmington, North Carolina) City Lore (New York, New York) National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Editor Elizabeth Bugbee Writer Heather Shelton Designer Brad Ireland

Myriam Springuel Director, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations

Printing Chroma Graphics, Inc.

Affiliations Staff Jennifer Brundage, National Outreach Manager Elizabeth Bugbee, Communications and Professional Development Manager Alma Douglas, National Outreach Manager Tricia Edwards, Interim Associate Director

Contents

Aaron Glavas, National Outreach Manager Laura Hansen, National Outreach Manager Gertrude Ross, Financial Manager Myriam Springuel, Director, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations Natalie Wimberly, Management Support Specialist

Š 2019 Smithsonian Institution The Affiliate is published by

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Getty Foundation Support Enhances Professional Development

Smithsonian Collaboration Helps Heard Museum Reunite Yup’ik Masks

Affiliate Collaboration a Key to Moving a Special Spacecraft

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Symposium on the Puerto Rican and Caribbean Diaspora Captivates Audiences

Smithsonian in Your Neighborhood

4 Joint Programming Delivers for Airmail Centennial Ancient Art Meets the Future at the Hermitage Museum & Gardens

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Smithsonian Affiliations. All rights reserved.

For information Smithsonian Affiliations Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012 MRC 942 Washington, DC 20013-7012 Telephone: 202.633.5300 Fax: 202.633.5313 affiliations.si.edu

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departments within their organizations, and agreed that discussions about workplace challenges made a significant impact on them, especially since it’s often not the thrust of academic degrees. “The leadership piece was so important — how to build allies, how to communicate, managing change, even being a good follower,” mused Charles Woods, educator at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. “My biggest takeaway was understanding that you can lead from wherever you are.”

The cohort had a chance to practice some of those skills within the group as they got to know each other over the duration of the program. “From the beginning,” Semmel asserts, “we wanted to build a sense of collegiality and create a group that felt they could trust each other and be authentic about their challenges.” By the end of the program, “they really gelled. That very first morning the room was totally silent; nobody said a word! Fast forward a few days and you couldn’t stop them from sharing,” she laughed. “It was clear that they would stay connected.” “It was an amazing group of people and definitely a network that I will be reaching out to often,” said Petra Alsoofy, educator at the Arab American National Museum. “I look forward to continuing to

work with them not only professionally but also on a personal level.”

The curriculum took the cohort to 15 Smithsonian locations and introduced them to 28 Smithsonian experts. “We had study trips to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and more,” Woods recalled.

There were small group discussions, homework assignments, workshops, meetings with Smithsonian directors, and plenty of opportunities for informal networking with Smithsonian staff and each other.

Each participant came to the VPP with a specific organizational objective. Semmel explained, “we wanted every applicant to come up with a real challenge that was a priority for their institution. We wanted them to come to D.C. with something real, something that could actually be implemented when they returned home.”

Aspirations were high for all participants, but the program taught the cohort how to take achievable action steps and think about iterating over time. “When I came, I had no idea what to expect,” said Erin Shapiro, curator at the Springfield Museum of Art. “But now, I think we have a high chance of success for our project. I don’t say that lightly.

Everybody here recognizes that this will be beneficial. I feel fortunate to have partici-

Above

Semmel, Facilitator;

Photos courtesy

(Clockwise from Left)

Elizabeth Bugbee,

of Smithsonian

Gabriela Martinez,

Smithsonian

Affiliations.

Museum of Latin

Affiliations; Willa

American Art; Charles

Vogel, The Rockwell

Woods, Birmingham

Museum; Petra

Civil Rights Institute;

Alsoofy, Arab

Erin Shapiro,

American National

Springfield Museum

Museum; Kristen

of Art; Laura Russman,

Hayashi, Japanese

Shingoethe Center

American National

of Aurora University;

Museum; Lottie

Mark Saab, Museum

Phillips, Peoria

of the African

Riverfront Museum;

Diaspora; Tricia

Marissa Baum,

Edwards, Smithsonian

American Jazz

Affiliations; Marsha

Museum.

pated. The Smithsonian Affiliations team did a fantastic job. It’s an important program.”

One thing that enhanced the sense of camaraderie and authenticity was the willingness of Smithsonian staff to speak honestly about their projects. Shapiro came with the challenge to bring her museum’s collection online and increase engagement with it. The afternoon spent immersed in the Hirshhorn Museum’s galleries with the creators of the Hirshhorn Eye, gave her the opportunity to hear directly from staff experiencing similar challenges when tackling digital programs.

“I was really impressed with the digital platform. It was so clean and polished, but they also shared its ups and downs and the hardships they faced in getting it completed.

They were humble about it,” she said.

With the support of The Getty Foundation, Smithsonian Affiliations will host a second cohort in 2019. “We are grateful for the support of The Getty Foundation,” said Myriam Springuel, director of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations. “We look forward to working with — and learning from — a new cohort of our Affiliate colleagues as they explore ways of making their art collections accessible to broader and more diverse audiences.” the affiliate

“The Getty Foundation is a wonderful institution that has created a welcoming environment for anyone wishing to learn about and celebrate art, culture and history in my district and beyond. Their support of the Smithsonian’s efforts to expand access to art across the country is laudable. The Smithsonian Institution is an American treasure because its work is rooted in the importance of sharing knowledge.”

Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)

Smithsonian In Your Neighborhood

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Symposium on the Puerto Rican and Caribbean Diaspora Captivates Audiences Guest Author: Dr. Philip Murray Finley, Associate Dean, School of Liberal Arts and General Education, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Recinto de Gurabo

The Dialogues Across the Puerto Rican and Caribbean Diaspora: Second Academic Encounter Symposium was held Nov.15–16, 2018, in

Ancient Art Meets the Future at the Hermitage Museum & Gardens Guest Author: Jennifer Lucy, Marketing Manager, Hermitage Museum & Gardens

Islands, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Chicago, and New York presented thought provoking ideas, which stimulated an array of questions and comments from the audiences in Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, and Texas. The panels tackled five themes: Perspectives on the Puerto Rican and Caribbean Diaspora; Boricuas at Intersections with Other U.S. Communities; Comparative Colonial Conditions; Contemporary Caribbean Diasporic Problems and Issues; and Literature, Art, and Music of the Caribbean Diaspora.

“I would like to thank Smithsonian Affiliations and the Smithsonian Latino Center, and all of the participants who partnered with the MCEH and the Universidad Gurabo, Puerto Rico, at the Museo y Centro Ana G. Méndez, Gurabo Campus to make this such an extraordinary and relevant event,” de Estudios Humanísticos (MCEH) at the Universidad del Turabo, University Ana G. said Dr. Jennet Rodríguez Betancourt, English department director at the UniversiMéndez, Recinto de Gurabo. Two addidad Ana G. Méndez, Gurabo Campus. tional Affiliates — Framingham State Historically, the Puerto Rican and University, Framingham, Massachusetts, and Caribbean migratory scenario has presented the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures, San many challenges for both the migrants and Antonio, Texas — joined the live audience their new destinations. This symposium from Puerto Rico by hosting public viewing examined some of those challenges as well as events, along with virtual participation and presented opportunities, contributions, and follow-up panel discussions at their locations. examples of success in the Caribbean and The symposium attracted a live audience of Puerto Rican diasporic experiences. The approximately 400, and several hundred more world is in motion more than it has ever been joined via the live webcast. and globalization and migration patterns have The symposium was supported by the sparked debate around the world. That is why Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the it is so important to have events such as this on Smithsonian Latino Center, which made it college campuses and in other public forums. possible to bring experts on the Puerto Rican In that sense, this symposium exceeded its goal and the Caribbean Diaspora together to to expose our students and the general public enlighten others on diasporic experiences. to new ideas and concepts that revolve around Scholars from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin

contemporary global issues that impact their lives and the lives of the global community.

The event was recorded and archives can be found at the Smithsonian Latino Center, and the MCEH of the Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Recinto de Gurabo. For more information regarding the topics, participants, and copy of the recorded event, please go to https://diasporasecondencounter.blogspot.com.

Five years ago, if you wanted to see artifacts from the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, you were required to travel to Washington, D.C. Now, through innovations in 3D scanning and printing, treasured artifacts in the Freer|Sackler collections can be experienced and appreciated around the world.

The Hermitage Museum & Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia, collaborated with experts at the Freer|Sackler to 3D scan 10 objects from its collection that relate to the Hermitage’s collection of Asian art. With the guidance of Alma Douglas, Smithsonian Affiliations national outreach manager, the result was 3D Printing the Smithsonian, an unprecedented exhibition that opened in September 2018.

The exhibition featured 10, 3D-printed reproductions from the Freer|Sackler including a life-size Cosmic Buddha sculpture and a funerary relief bust from Syria. Throughout the exhibition, visitors were invited to not only see but also touch all 10 objects.

The exhibition’s concept originated in 2016 when Guest Curator Jennifer Lucy participated in the Smithsonian Affiliations Visiting Professionals Program. While focusing on exploring exhibition design at the Freer|Sackler, Lucy met with Curator of Ancient Chinese Art, Keith Wilson, to learn more about one installation in particular — the Cosmic Buddha. Using the resources and connections Douglas suggested, Lucy began

The Hermitage partnered with a new local Maker Studio to print the objects, hosted a meetup with museums to discuss scanning and printing objects from their collections, and worked with local school systems to offer a 3D printing Educators Workshop for professional development. The museum hosted a 3D printing pop-up featuring local artists at Norfolk’s annual NEON Festival and welcomed school groups from elementary through college for interactive tours over the duration of the show.

Through this strategic partnership with the Freer|Sackler, the Hermitage was able to reach new audiences across southeastern Virginia in meaningful ways. The museum is proud to be the first Smithsonian Affiliate to collaborate with the Freer|Sackler on an exhibition featuring 3D prints.

considering how 3D prints of Freer|Sackler artifacts could serve as teaching tools at the Hermitage, if the originals could not travel.

Back at home, Lucy was invited to expand the idea into an exhibition that would relate to the Hermitage’s permanent collection.

“This was an opportunity for us to strengthen our connection as a Smithsonian Affiliate and to present artwork from the Freer|Sackler in an innovative, accessible way,” said Lucy.

“The ability to touch and examine these objects that are traditionally kept out of reach was a very powerful experience for visitors of all ages.” This project raised awareness of the Smithsonian’s connections in the Norfolk community and provided more access to the Freer|Sackler’s extensive digital resources.

The exhibition also featured the various ways 3D printing has reshaped artmaking and museum practice, highlighted 3D-printed artworks and applications, and invited visitors to participate in weekly demonstrations in an interactive MakerLab. During the Hermitage Community Day in November, Freer|Sackler Photographer Robert Harrell shared the process of photogrammetry — the science of extracting 3D information from photographs — and of photographing and creating the digital models that were 3D printed.

The exhibition gave the museum the opportunity to collaborate with several organizations and to expand the dialogue around 3D printing in the local region.

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Photos courtesy of the Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Recinto de Gurabo.

Special thanks to those who participated in the symposium:Dr. Frances Negrón, Dr. Arlene Dávila, Dr. Ramona Hernández, Dr. Carlos Hernández, Dr. Arlene Torres, Dr. Laura Bravo, Dr. Jaime Bofill, Dr. Mayra Santos Febres, Dr. Efrén Rivera Ramos, Dr. Carlos Vargas, Prof. Juan Valdez, and Dr. Hadiya Sewer.

Three Smithsonian experts also participated: Dr. E. Carmen Ramos, Smithsonian American Art Museum; Kālewa Correa, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center; and Dr. Theodore Gonzalves, National Museum of American History.

the affiliate

Photo courtesy of the Hermitage Museum & Gardens.

history/culture Photos courtesy of the Heard Museum.

Smithsonian Collaboration Helps Heard Museum Reunite Yup’ik Masks Guest author — David M. Roche, Dickey Family Director & CEO, Heard Museum

The original and groundbreaking exhibition, Yua: Henri Matisse and the Inner Arctic Spirit, organized by the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, told the little-known story of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists and his connection to the indigenous people of the Arctic. Yua is a Yup’ik (Alaska Native) word

that represents the spiritual interconnectedness of all things and it runs like a thread through this vast story that spans centuries, continents, and cultures. It also captures the exhibition’s thematic essence, which is to celebrate the creative spirit that unites us all.

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) is celebrated for his sensuous approach to color and composition. But largely unknown to the general public is that in the last decade of his life, while working on his masterpiece, La Chapelle de Vence, Matisse became interested in both the physical forms and spiritual concerns of the Inuit people, which, in turn, led him to create a series of 39 individual portraits depicting Inuit faces.

These striking black-and-white images were inspired, in part, by a group of Yup’ik masks collected by Matisse’s son-in-law, Georges Duthuit. It’s remarkable to see the portraits next to the masks that inspired them, and give viewers the rare chance to see

masterpieces from different cultures side by side.

One of several important discoveries resulting from the research conducted for this exhibition by the co-curators, Sean Mooney and Yup’ik elder Chuna McIntyre, is that we now have names for the makers of many of the masks in the exhibition from major institutions around the world, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The five critical loans from the National Museum of the American Indian are masks made by a shaman that we now know was called Ikamrailnguq, also known as Wassily.

Recognizing the name of the maker of these masks upends the common museum practice of simply associating an object of Native manufacture with its originating tribe. This exciting advance in scholarship encourages viewers to regard these masks in a new light: to see them not as ethnographic objects made by faceless people, but as the creative expressions of specific individuals whose work is as worthy of consideration as that of other great artists. In the exhibition, we explored for the first time the qualities that masks by Ikamrailnguq share with the work of Matisse from a Yup’ik perspective, and came to appreciate that the two artists were contemporaries.

The Ikamrailnguq masks in the exhibition were made more than 100 years ago at Napaskiak, on the Kuskokwim River in

southwestern Alaska, for social gatherings and ceremonies. Masks like these were traditionally made in pairs or related groups, but due to a variety of circumstances were often separated.

A critical objective of this exhibition was to reunite as many of these pairs as possible so that we might better understand the meaning of these masks. We were, for example, able to reunite a qucillgam yua mask depicting a female sandhill crane spirit from the Smithsonian with its mate, which resides in the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, after more than 100 years apart. The emotional force in seeing them together, reunited at long last after being separated by time and great distances, was undeniable and was also history in the making.

More than 40 Yup’ik masks were featured in the exhibition, long considered icons of American Indian art for their incredible sculptural qualities, psychological complexity and otherworldly beauty. It’s unlikely that there will be an assemblage of masks like this ever again.

The Heard Museum is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate, and we’re grateful to the National Museum of the American Indian for their collaboration, which considerably strengthened our exhibition. This exhibition closed February 3, 2019. the affiliate

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thing to ask today, but in 1918, it meant risking your life. In fact, when intrepid pilots took to the skies to launch the first airmail delivery for the United States Postal Service, there were no guarantees that they would make it home. Open-cockpit planes, like the Curtiss Jenny, were notorious for their frequent engine problems, not to mention the fact that there were no ground communication systems or internal navigation displays. Pilots found their way by using road maps, perched precariously in their laps as they scanned the horizon for landmarks, byways, and river banks. It’s a job that ended tragically for many fearless fliers.

“It’s just something we take for granted today, to deliver mail on a schedule, on time” said College Park Aviation Museum Director Andrea Tracey. “These pilots took serious risks,” but even the most lionhearted pilots knew that without substantial improvements to planes, the airmail experiment would fail.

They were expected to do their jobs in any “There was this push and pull that drove kind of weather — driving rain, dense fog, innovation in the aviation industry,” Tracey bitter cold. The idea of braving the elements to explained. The ultimate goal was to establish a get to work doesn’t seem like an unreasonable transcontinental route by air.

Joint Programming Delivers for Airmail Centennial

It’s a little-known story that’s been the subject of a year-long celebration with the College Park Aviation Museum in Maryland and the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. The idea for collaborating was born out of a chance encounter. Matthew White, the director of education at the Postal Museum, recalled how Aviation Museum staff had visited the museum to conduct research for their airmail exhibition when a fire drill sent everyone scrambling outside. While outside, people who had once been strangers were hatching plans for a joint project. “I remember standing out there sharing some great ideas,” White laughed. Eventually, those conversations yielded two companion exhibitions, brochures, and some very memorable programs.

From stamp unveiling ceremonies, a paper airplane regatta and lunchtime talks at the Postal Museum to STEAM challenges, fly-ins and happy hours at the Aviation Museum — where White served as the bartender — programs associated with the centennial have been a collaborative tour de force for both museums’ visitors. “There’s always that need to make people more aware. It was a way for us to cross over to other niche areas with stamps, general history, and aviation. That was why it was so fun,” Tracey explained. “It was just so easy to work with the Postal Museum.”

The impact of the centennial programming hit home for staff at the Aviation

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Museum during a program in which a vintage Stearman biplane took-off from the museum’s airstrip. The nephew of airmail pilot Max Miller, who was killed flying the mail in September 1920, was in the audience watching the take-off. “He came up to me after the Stearman took off.” Tracey recalled. “He couldn’t really put it into words, and he just broke down. It was the sound of the engine when it started up, it helped him understand what his uncle went through. For us, that’s what these kind of collaborations are about.” the affiliate

(Left to Right) Andrea

Photo courtesy

Tracey, College Park

of Smithsonian

Aviation Museum

Affiliations.

director; Elliot Gruber, National Postal Museum director; Anna Nielson, Museum Associate, College Park Aviation Museum.

science

The spacecraft also served as a primary move and the installation of the spacecraft in catalyst for a special program about the 50th the Stafford Museum. One of the first facilities Anniversary of the Gemini Program. Harold to become a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Closter, director emeritus of Smithsonian Cosmosphere was also responsible for the Affiliations, was one of the featured speakers at initial conservation and subsequent move of that event in December 2015. the Gemini VI-A to the Oklahoma History Center and built the custom, positively In early 2018, after lengthy discussions pressurized exhibit case that was part of the with the Stafford Museum and the Smithsonmove and now houses the spacecraft. ian, the Oklahoma History Center made a Cosmosphere staff members worked with formal request to the Air and Space Museum the Air and Space Museum to create detailed and recommended that the Gemini VI-A Guest Author: Dan Provo, Director, move from the Oklahoma History Center to logistical plans to physically move the Oklahoma History Center the Stafford Museum. A request of this type spacecraft from the Oklahoma History Center One of the goals of Smithsonian Affiliations is was without precedent. to the Stafford Museum. They also coordito encourage creative, mutually beneficial “While we greatly valued the extraordinated with the staffs of both organizations on collaborations with museums across the nary opportunity to exhibit and interpret the the many logistical details required to take the country and the Smithsonian. But the Gemini VI-A and its story, and had created a spacecraft off exhibit, transport it, and then program also encourages collaboration among highly visible role for the spacecraft at the reinstall the Gemini VI-A at its new home.

The Gemini VI-A mission, piloted by Oklahoma History Center, we concluded that its Affiliate partners. Recently, with the Oklahoma native Tom Stafford and Walter M. the Stafford Museum, a fellow Affiliate, with approval and authorization of the Smithson“Wally” Schirra Jr., achieved the first space its extensive collection and interpretation of ian’s National Air and Space Museum in rendezvous, bringing the Gemini VI-A Gemini program artifacts, could provide a Washington, D.C., three Affiliates — the Stafford Air & Space Museum, Weatherford, scope and depth of education focus that would spacecraft within one foot (30 cm) of the sister Gemini VII spacecraft in December 1965. The further maximize the impact and educational Oklahoma; the Cosmosphere, Hutchinson, mission priorities were to demonstrate value of this historic space artifact and its Kansas; and the Oklahoma History Center, on-time launch procedures, closed-loop Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — combined their unique story,” said Dan Provo, director of the rendezvous capabilities, and station keeping Oklahoma History Center.

“The Stafford skills and resources to help create a new and techniques with Gemini VII. The Gemini VI-A Museum interprets what is perhaps the most stronger interpretive opportunity featuring flight lasted 26 hours and 16 orbits. extensive collection of Gemini Programthe Gemini VI-A spacecraft. During its 14 years on loan to the Oklahoma History Center related artifacts currently on exhibit.”

After the mission was completed, NASA transferred the spacecraft to the Smithsonian from the Air and Space Museum, the spaceThe collaboration included the participain 1968. Shortly thereafter, the Saint Louis craft was a highly visible focal point for tion of the Cosmosphere, which provided Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, also a 2.5 million students and visitors. logistical and installation support for this

Smithsonian Affiliate, exhibited the capsule until it was transferred on a long-term loan to the Oklahoma History Center, coinciding with the opening of the museum on November 16, 2005.

“We are delighted three Smithsonian Affiliates have come together to find the best place to share the story of the Gemini VI-A for generations of learners,” said Myriam Springuel, director of Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations. “This collaboration demonstrates the strength of our Affiliate network and our collective dedication to making an impact in local communities with enriching artifacts and educational programs.”

The Oklahoma History Center, the Stafford Air & Space Museum, and the Cosmosphere continue to work collaboratively on other projects and anticipate the continuation of this mutually beneficial association into the future.

Throughout February, nine Affiliates hosted Smithsonian Channel Black History Month screenings of The Green Book: Guide to Freedom.

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Affiliate Collaboration a Key to Moving a Special Spacecraft

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Photos courtesy of Oklahoma History Center.

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Bottom left

of African American

Top right

canvas. Smithsonian

Springfield Museums

History and Culture

The Smithsonian

American Art

(Springfield,

for its exhibition Pop!

American Art

Museum, gift of

Massachusetts)

Icons of American

Museum traveling

Gerald L. Pearson.

brought together

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exhibition, African

© 1979, Frederick J.

18 objects from

Smithsonian. Photo

American Art in

Brown.

the Smithsonian’s

courtesy of Springfield

the 20th Century

National Museum of

Museums.

is on view at the

Bottom right

American History,

Dubuque Museum

Courtesy of National

National Air and

of Art (Dubuque,

Museum of American

Space Museum,

Iowa), through

History

National Portrait

April 21. Frederick

Gallery and the

Brown, John

National Museum

Henry, 1979, oil on

American Art Museum (SAAM) exhibition.

A New Moon Rises, an exhibition from SITES, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and Arizona State University, was displayed at the South Florida Museum and Bishop Aquarium (Bradenton).

Georgia The High Museum of Art (Atlanta) hosted the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mir‑ rors.

Maryland

Smithsonian In Your Neighborhood Recently at Affiliates Connecticut A collaboration between the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), Patios, Pools, & the Invention of the American Backyard traveled to the Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford).

Florida The Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach) hosted the SITES exhibition, 100 Faces of War. Genome: Unlock‑ ing Life’s Code, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, traveled to the Orange County Regional History Center (Orlando).

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College (Lakeland) presented The Art of Romaine Brooks, a Smithsonian

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New York The Long Island Museum (Stony Brook) welcomed Mary Elliott, curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, for the keynote talk during its symposium, Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island.

Rhode Island

News about Smithsonian Affiliates

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Christine PriceAbelow, horticulturalist at Smithsonian Gardens, provided expert commentary for Historic Annapolis (Annapolis) guests while on a coach tour to the Philadelphia Flower Show.

National Museum of American History curator, Claire Jerry, gave a talk on the history of the Woman Suffrage movement at the Rhode Island Historical Society (Providence).

Washington The Whatcom Museum (Bellingham) exhibition, Endan‑ gered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity, included a George Catlin painting on loan from SAAM.

Currently at Affiliates Arizona Included in the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West (Scottsdale) exhibition, Paul Calle’s Life of Exploration: From the Mountains to the Moon, is a painting on loan from the National Air and Space Museum and stamps from the National Postal Museum, through October 20.

Georgia The David J. Sencer CDC Museum (Atlanta) hosts the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum exhibition, By the People: Designing a Better America, through April 29.

Illinois Richard Kurin, Smithsonian distinguished scholar and ambassador-at-large, will captivate audiences at the Shingoethe Center of Aurora University (Aurora) with stories from his recent book, The Smithsonian’s His‑ tory of America in 101 Objects, March 21.

Iowa The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (Cedar Rapids) announces its affiliation with the Smithsonian with special guests from Smithsonian Affiliations, April 26.

Nebraska The Durham Museum (Omaha) hosts Ameri‑ can Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, an exhibition organized

by SITES and the National Museum of American History, through June 23.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will present a lecture from Barbara Clark Smith, cocurator of the exhibition and author of The Freedoms We Lost: Consent and Resis‑ tance in Revolutionary America, March 5.

New Mexico Things Come Apart, a SITES exhibition, is currently on view at The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History (Albuquerque), through June 30.

New York The National Portrait Gallery exhibition, Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits, travels to the Rockwell Museum (Corning), through June 5. The museum continues its Questioning Identity lecture series with two Smithsonian programs — The Will To Adorn: Stories of African American Dress and Identity, a lecture by Diana N’Diaye, cultural specialist and curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage on March 27, and Poking at Normal: Museums and the History of

Real People, a lecture

by Katherine Ott, curator in the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History, April 24.

Texas Space Center Houston (Houston) will display A New Moon Rises, an exhibition from SITES, the National Air and Space Museum and Arizona State University, through April 28.

50th Anniversary of the Apollo Program Events From October 2018 through December 2019, organizations across the country will mark the anniversary with events, programs, exhibitions and more that celebrate this iconic mission. Here are just a few. See more events in your neighborhood at s.si.edu/ApolloEvents

Massachusetts Programming for The Moon Landing in Con‑ text (moon-landing.org) project continues at Framingham State University (Framingham), January 1 – November 11, 2019.

The program features seven speakers from the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

North Carolina Three artifacts — a presidential medal of freedom, a chronograph, and a helmet — on loan from the National Air and Space Museum are included in the North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh) exhibition, One Giant Leap: North Carolina and the Space Race, April 5, 2019 – January 5, 2020.

Washington Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission, an exhibition from the National Air and Space Museum and SITES, will be on display at The Museum of Flight (Seattle), April 13 – September 2.

From November 2018 through February 2019, three Affiliates—Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum (Miami, Florida), Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio), and Arizona State Museum (Tucson, Arizona)—hosted the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access workshop, Teacher Creativity Studios: Fostering Global Competence in the Classroom.