annual report 2001 - national museum of american history · 2002. 12. 16. · 2 national museum of...
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A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 1
14th & Constitution Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20560americanhistory.si.edu
Congressional Family Night
National Museum of American History, Behring Center
S E P T E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 0 1
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The Honorable Ivan SelinChairman of the BoardWashington, D.C.
Mr. George M. Ferris Jr.Vice Chairman of the BoardChairman, Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc.Washington, D.C.
Mr. Todd AxelrodPresident, Gallery of History, Inc.Las Vegas, Nevada
Mr. David E. BehringPresident, Blackhawk MuseumDanville, California
Dr. Alison BernsteinVice President of the Education, Media, Arts and CultureProgram, The Ford FoundationNew York, New York
Mr. H. P. (Pete) ClaussenChairman, Development CommitteeChairman, Gulf & Ohio RailwaysKnoxville, Tennessee
The Honorable Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi)United States Senate and Smithsonian Regent Jackson, Mississippi; Washington, D.C.
Mr. Lester L. Colbert Jr.Private InvestorNew York, New York
The Honorable Richard DarmanPartner, The Carlyle GroupWashington, D.C.
Ms. Anita DeFrantzPresident, Amateur Athletic FoundationLos Angeles, California
Mr. David M. FieldsVice President and General Counsel, The Irvine CompanyNewport Beach, California
Mr. Jerry FlorenceChairman, CEO, and President, e-MedNet, Inc.Santa Monica, California
Mr. George Clemon Freeman Jr.Chairman, Nominating CommitteeSenior Partner, Hunton & WilliamsRichmond, Virginia
Dr. F. Sheldon HackneyProfessor of History, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Mr. Robert F. Hemphill Jr.Secretary of the Board; Chairman, TechnologyCommitteeManaging Director, Toucan Capital CorporationBethesda, Maryland
Ms. Irene Y. HiranoExecutive Director and President,Japanese American National MuseumLos Angeles, California
Thomas W. Langfitt M.D.Senior Fellow, Management Department, The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Mrs. Dorothy LemelsonPresident and Director, The Lemelson FoundationIncline Village, Nevada
Mr. Donald G. LubinPartner, Sonnenschein Nath & RosenthalChicago, Illinois
Mrs. Elizabeth (Betty) S. MacMillanPresident, WEM FoundationWayzata, Minnesota
Mr. James R. MellorChairman Emeritus, General Dynamics Laguna Beach, California
Mr. Philip MerrillChairman, Capital Gazette CommunicationsWashington, D.C.
Mr. Elihu RoseChairman, Program CommitteePartner, Rose AssociatesNew York, New York
Seymour I. Schwartz M.D.Distinguished Alumni Professor of Surgery,University of RochesterRochester, New York
Mr. Marvin D. WilliamsVice President, Parsons CorporationDallas, Texas
Ms. Tae YooSan Jose, California
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY BOARD
COVER: “Goddess of Liberty” weathervane, circa 1870
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ANNUAL REPORT 2001
National Museum of American History
Behring Center
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2 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
From the DirectorThe National Museum of American History, with its incomparable reminders of the
nation’s vibrant heritage, is particularly important to Americans in these times. We
need reminders of our strengths and our future promise as a nation, and this
Museum has much to teach us.
This year’s activities provided a glimpse of the programs we’ll be developing in the
future. We introduced The American Presidency and Within These Walls..., two exhibi-
tions whose memorable objects, engaging stories, and educational experiences
exemplify the exhibitions we plan to create. We launched HistoryWired, an innovative
experiment in crafting a self-directed museum experience exclusively for the Web.
And we reported on the Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project’s preliminary
results, which illustrate the intriguing links between science and history.
At the end of the fiscal year I announced my resignation to become executive
director and chief executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom
Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. My 20 years at the Smithsonian—the last nine as director
of the Museum—have been both professionally and personally rewarding. Museums
are collaborative enterprises, and so I credit our success to the generosity of our
many donors and sponsors, the wise and energetic leadership of our Board, and the
imagination and expertise of our staff.
This annual report highlights these collaborative accomplishments and offers a
closer look at the Museum that, for many Americans, is the Smithsonian experience.
From the Acting DirectorExciting changes are on the horizon for the National Museum of American History—
one of the Smithsonian’s best-loved museums and the home of some of its most
celebrated objects. The principal focus of this dramatic renewal is our service to the
public. How can we make our physical spaces more welcoming and easier to
navigate? What are the most effective ways to present our extensive collections? How
do we provide the best possible experiences for our visitors? How can we extend the
Museum beyond its walls?
In the collaborative spirit that Spencer Crew describes, we are inviting a range of
perspectives on these complex questions. I am pleased to work with the staff, the
Board, and the Blue Ribbon Commission during this interim period. Change is not
always easy for a large institution, but our intentions are clear: a revitalized Museum
that is an irresistible drawing card for the public, a Museum that inspires, educates,
entertains, and changes lives.
S P E N C E R C R E W
M A R C P A C H T E R
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Annual Report 2001 3
From the ChairmanFor the Smithsonian Institution, the 2001 fiscal year was a difficult one. After
September 11, visits to Smithsonian museums decreased. The terrible events of that
day cut badly into tourist visits to Washington and resulted in loss of revenue in the
museum stores, restaurants, and theaters.
At the same time, the Smithsonian’s mission and strategy were the focus of a painful
but important public discussion. The National Museum of American History—specifi-
cally the difficulties surrounding the gift of the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation—
was a high-profile part of this discussion. More generally, the Museum shared the chal-
lenges that faced the Institution as a whole, as well as several of its own.
In this context, the Museum began a large-scale transformation, including the
reconstruction of its building and a redirection of its portrayal of American history.
At the end of the fiscal year, Museum director Spencer Crew announced his depar-
ture to take on new opportunities.
But this difficult year was also a year of achievement for the Museum, as we
created a solid foundation for our transformation. The work of the Blue Ribbon
Commission gives us a number of high-level yet focused recommendations that will
greatly help to improve the Museum. Our fund-raising success—including a major
commitment of $40 million from the Lemelson Foundation—shows donors’ confi-
dence in the Museum’s potential.
Other significant accomplishments are described in this annual report:
• Successful new exhibitions, including The American Presidency, Paint by Number,
and Within These Walls…
• Evolving plans for future exhibitions such as America on the Move
• Research contributions by Museum staff, including a report on the Star-Spangled
Banner Preservation Project
• Educational programs for teachers and students—in Washington and in
cyberspace—that lived up to our reputation for excellence
• Three outstanding new websites that expand outreach possibilities—
HistoryWired, Within These Walls…, and The American Presidency
As director for nine years, Spencer R. Crew was instrumental in moving the
Museum forward. The Board joins me in expressing our deep appreciation to Dr.
Crew for his service and his leadership. During the search for a new director, we are
fortunate that Marc Pachter, director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery,
agreed to serve as acting director.
By the year’s end, we had launched a major transformation, and we had fashioned
a suitable base for this transformation in spite of a difficult environment. We realize
that a great challenge lies ahead, but we enter the new year with confidence and
high expectations.
I V A N S E L I N
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Annual Report 2001 5
Building momentum for changeMemory, identity, hope—these are essential needs, and more than
ever, the National Museum of American History can fulfill them. The
Museum is a trusted and meaningful place. As a keeper of memory
and identity and as a place that inspires hope in the future, the
Museum invites people to connect with the symbolic objects and
experiences that explain what it means to be American.
For the Museum, 2001 has been a time to gather momentum and
reaffirm fundamental principles. We began the year with a major
permanent exhibition—The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden—
that garnered media acclaim and public enthusiasm. Near the end of
the year, as we confronted unprecedented national tragedy, we
reaffirmed the Museum’s exceptional responsibility as a preserver of
meaning and a link to American identity.
This annual report for 2001 provides a closer look at the
collaborative effort that is behind the revitalization of the Museum.
From the dedicated support of the United States Congress and private
citizens, to the teamwork that resulted in the exhibition Within These
Walls..., to the technology partnership that gave us HistoryWired on
the Web, a dynamic enterprise is shaping a Museum in transformation.
Detail of the Star-SpangledBanner after conservatorsremoved the stitches thatattached its 1914 linenbacking. The flag’s true,vibrant colors are revealed.
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WITHIN THESE WALLS. . ._
Look through this doorway
into a 240-year-old house,
where you’ll meet ordinary
people who spent their
everyday lives in these rooms.
Through their stories you’ll
learn more about the house
and its inhabitants’
connections to changes and
events in the nation’s history.
On the following pages,
take a closer look at the
development of Within These
Walls…, a Museum exhibition
that inspires visitors to see
history from a different
vantage point—a history that
begins at home.
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Annual Report 2001 7
he process of developing Within These Walls…
could be compared to assembling the pieces of a
puzzle. Museum curators combined traditional his-
torical research methods with scientific analysis to
uncover intriguing information about the house
and the nearly 100 people who called it home.
Saved from demolition in 1963, the 2½-story
timber-framed dwelling was carefully disman-
tled and moved from Ipswich, Massachusetts, to the Smithsonian,
where it first went on display in 1967. At the time, its frame was
exposed to explain 18th-century New England building
techniques. The house was removed from exhibition in 1982.
When curators began to plan a new exhibition around the
Museum’s largest object, they took a different approach. Instead of
interpreting the house as an architectural artifact, they decided to show
how it has changed over time through the stories of five families who
lived in it. The exhibition, which opened on May 15, 2001, invites visi-
tors to look into parts of three rooms and an entrance hall, each
furnished with objects that suggest the household activities carried out
in these spaces.
The project team for Within These Walls… included co-curators Lonn
Taylor, Shelley Nickles, and William Yeingst, exhibition designer Nigel
Briggs, and project director Susan Myers.
Architectural features suggested that the original house, builtfor Abraham Choate’s family in the 1760s, had two parts. The
rear section is an older dwelling built around1710 that was joined to the newer front section of thehouse to create more space. Experts on timber fram-ing and dendochronology—the science of datingtimbers by tree-ring growth—helped to date thehouse. Tool marks found on the front section indicatethat the timber was pre-cut in a framing yard andmarked with Roman numerals to guide workers whoassembled it. The framing of the older section wasmost likely hand-hewn. A dendochronologistcompared core samples of wood from the framingwith dated samples from trees in New England. Thistechnology established that the timber from the olderpart of the house was cut in the fall of 1709, while thenewer section was cut between 1767 and 1769.
The structure speaks
T
FROM ABOVE LEFT: 16 ElmStreet, Ipswich,Massachusetts, 1963, thecenterpiece of WithinThese Walls…; HouseDetective brochure; co-curator Lonn Taylor(right) with architecturalhistorian Myron Stachiw;carpenter’s marks on thehouse’s timber framingOPPOSITE: The front hall asit would have appearedduring the RevolutionaryWar
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8 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
Analysis of paint samples from the house offered cluesabout its chronology, its original appearance, and its vari-
ous owners. A preservation paint specialist worked forseveral days to find and collect tiny paint chips from
throughout the house. Under a micro-scope, seven to nine layers of paint were
evident. Spectroscopic analysis provided a chemicalbreakdown showing that Abraham Choate used anexpensive bright green, or verdigris, paint on theentrance hall and staircase. This finding corroboratedpublic records and confirmed the family’s economicstatus.
Another paint specialist used the information aboutpaint colors to re-create the interiors for the exhibition.Mixing earth pigments with linseed oil, he developed aformula based on 18th- and 19th-century paint. Thesecolors—including the Choates’ bright green—wereapplied with re-created period tools for authenticity.
Layers of history
Two reproduction wallpapers displayed in the exhibition were made using verydifferent techniques. In the Choates’ paneled and wallpapered parlor, thehandmade block-printed paper is reproduced from a pattern chosen from thecollection of historic wallpapers at the Society for the Preservation of New
England Antiquities (SPNEA). This wallpaper, known to have beenused in Ipswich in the 1760s, contributes to the elegant surround-ings where the family received their guests. The Lynch family’shallway, an interactive section of the exhibition, called for wallpa-per that visitors could touch, and technology offered a viableoption. The exhibition designer scanned a photograph of an appro-priate pattern in the SPNEA collection and used image-editingsoftware to create missing and damaged parts of the pattern tomake a full repeat. The 18-by-24-inch segments were printed witha special inkjet process and hungwith traditional methods. Thiswallpaper is well suited for ahands-on area because it can bereplaced easily when worn.
Wallpaper made to order
FROM ABOVE LEFT:Removing paint samplesfor analysis; painting inauthentic period colorswith an 18th-centuryround brush; co-curatorWilliam Yeingst; theChoate family’s parlor
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Annual Report 2001 9
Within These Walls... curators selected more than 100 objects that link thehouse and its occupants to American history. Objects were drawn from the
Museum’s collections, purchased, and lent by residents of Ipswich. Atea table in the Choates’ parlor was important to the social ritualsof well-to-do families in the 1760s. Near the Dodge family’sentrance hall, objects from the Revolutionary War period—includ-
ing a rare regimental coat—recall the struggles and sacrifices of thetime. The child’s cradle quilt exhibited near the Caldwells’ par-
lor was sold at an antislavery fair in 1836 to support theabolitionist cause. A toy horse and jaunting cart, in theLynch family’s section, was an Irish immigrant’s cherishedkeepsake in her new home. On the home front in theScotts’ kitchen, everyday objects were part of the wareffort—canning equipment, blackout shades, and a
Life within these walls
Reconstructing the storiesExceptional stories about ordinary lives emerged as cura-
tors gathered information about the house’s inhabitants.
Documents, photographs, maps, and other source material
yielded clues to the lives of five families chosen for the
exhibition: the Choates, prosperous American colonists;
the Dodges, Revolutionary War patriots; the Caldwells, anti-
slavery activists; the Lynches, an Irish immigrant worker
and her daughter; and the Scotts, a woman and her grand-
son on the home front during World War II.
• Abraham Dodge’s will—which leaves the services of
his African American servant, Chance, to his wife—shows
that even though Chance was free, he remained an
indentured servant.
• A newspaper notice from 1839 announces a meeting
of the Ipswich Female Antislavery Society at the
Caldwells’ home, providing an insight into women’s
roles as social reformers.
• Photographs and maps documented the
neighborhood’s transition to a textile manufacturing district by
the 1870s, explaining why the house was divided into
apartments for immigrants working in the mills.
• The curators were fortunate to locate the last surviving resident of
the house—Mary Scott’s grandson Richard Lynch. His recollections
provided valuable information about life in the house during the 1940s.
FROM BELOW: RichardLynch, resident from1941 to 1945, in theScott family kitchen;Lynch’s grandmotherMary Scott and pagesfrom her diary of life onthe home front; aRevolutionary War coat,1777–79; an English dollfrom the 1700s
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10 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
Creating the exhibitionThe exhibition design team faced some chal-
lenges and opportunities:
• Respect for the house’s
integrity. Since the house is part
of the Museum’s collection,
noninvasive and reversible dis-
play methods were required.
For its 1967 display, the house
had been stripped to its
framework, so the plans to
re-create the exterior and
interior posed a challenge. As
a solution, designer Nigel Briggs
devised a revolutionary stud and
bracket system in order not to drill
into the frame.
• Creative solutions. An aluminum
framework was constructed to suggest
the missing portions of the house,
including a two-story lean-to with a
parlor below and a chamber above. The open
framework also gives visitors the feeling of
walking through the house.
• Visitor involvement. The exhibition design
incorporates interactive segments that engage
visitors in period life. There are touchable mod-
els and reproductions, audio programs that
evoke the atmosphere of the time,
interactive question-and-answer
“clues” about the house, and an
activity in the Lynch family sec-
tion where visitors can lift a
heavy pail of water and wring
out laundry.
Exhibition designer NigelBriggs (RIGHT) and thedesign team bring thehouse back to life as theyreconstruct the housewith its aluminumframework.
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Engaging people in historyEducational opportunities—including public and school
programs, a publication, and an award-winning website—
complement Within These Walls.... Anticipating that the
exhibition would inspire visitors to find out more about their
own homes, Museum educators produced House Detective, a
free brochure about researching a house’s history. Programs
such as regular demonstrations of lace making and quilting
bring everyday activities to life. During the summer of 2001, a
World War II–style victory garden thrived outside the Museum,
and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival linked the exhibition to
the festival’s program on the
building arts. The Within These
Walls... website features a virtual
exhibition, a teacher’s guide to
using the site with students, and
a “Go Back in Time” activity
(americanhistory.si.edu/house).
Annual Report 2001 11
Within These Walls… is sponsored by the National Association of Realtors in a15-year partnership with the Museum. Other support for the exhibition is pro-vided by Discover Card and the David Greenewalt Charitable Trust.
According to John McDonagh, theMuseum’s chief campaign and developmentofficer, “The strategic partnership betweenthe Museum and the National Association ofRealtors, sponsor of Within These Walls...,symbolizes shared goals for public education:The Museum teaches history through the livesof ordinary people, and NAR raises publicawareness about homeownership and its rolein the American Dream.”
Sponsors
ABOVE: Co-curator ShelleyNickles helps a youngvisitor do laundry the18th-century way at theopening celebration. LEFT: Visitors enjoy plantsfrom the victory gardenand try some handplaning.
BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT:Spencer Crew, Museumdirector; RobertGoldberg, senior vp ofmarketing and businessdevelopment, NAR;Richard Mendenhall,NAR president (2001)
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12 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
during fiscal 2001, and thousands more
browsed The American Presidency web-
site or participated in programs at the
Museum.
Opening festivities included a dinner
for exhibition sponsors and other friends
of the Museum.
Family members of
past presidents added
a personal touch by
reflecting on their
White House
experiences. Dwight D.
Eisenhower’s
granddaughter Susan
Eisenhower found the
exhibition appealing
because it “makes what seems awesome
to ordinary Americans both interesting
and accessible.”
A variety of programs made the nation’s
highest office even more accessible:
• The Presidency Family Festival in
February featured music, hands-on
activities, readings by children’s
authors, and the chance to meet past
presidents brought to life by
costumed interpreters.
• John Hope Franklin, noted scholar of
African American history, reflected on
a half-century of presidential initia-
tives on race in an evening
conversation with
Museum
The American Presidency:
A Glorious Burden, a perma-
nent exhibition that opened
in November 2000,
celebrates the continuity
and the challenges of this
unique American institu-
tion. Nine hundred objects
chosen from the Museum’s
political history collection—the largest
of its kind—tell the complex story of the
nation’s highest office.
The most extensive exhibition ever
organized by the Smithsonian has
attracted wide attention—especially
during the uncertain period after the
2000 presidential election when the
media turned to the Museum as a
resource. More than 675,000
people visited the
exhibition
Warren G. Harding called the presidency
“a hell of a job,” and James K. Polk considered
himself “the hardest-working man in this
country.” Thomas Jefferson—just the third
person to hold the office—considered it
a “splendid misery.”
THE AMERICAN PRES IDENCY:
FROM ABOVE: Portrait ofMartha Washington, 1795, byJohn Trumbull; pennant fromLyndon B. Johnson’sinaugurationOPPOSITE: George Washing-ton’s general officer uniform
A Glorious Burden
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14 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
historian James Horton.
• The concert series Music of the White
House highlighted music and musi-
cians from the past 150 years—
chamber, jazz, folk, gospel, and more.
Performances sometimes featured the
1903 White House Golden Grand
Steinway, the instrument played in
the East Room until it was given to the
Smithsonian in 1938.
• The popular OurStory: History
through Children’s Literature series
focused on presidential themes
throughout the year. In one program,
Karen Winnick read and signed
her book Mr. Lincoln’s
Whiskers, “President Lincoln”
gave families a tour, and children
wrote letters to President Bush
and made their own Lincoln hats
and beards.
Other resources developed
for The American Presidency
included a teachers’
workshop, a family activity
guide, online and print edu-
cational materials produced
by the Museum in partner-
ship with The History Channel, and an
award-winning book, The American
Presidency: A Glorious Burden, by Lonnie
G. Bunch III, Spencer R. Crew, Mark G.
Hirsch, and Harry Rubenstein.
People across the nation will be able
to enjoy The American Presidency in
their hometowns as two touring versions
are circulated by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
The exhibition opens at the Chicago
Historical Society in February 2002, and
travels to at least four other venues.
The American Presidency is made
possible by the generous support of
individual donors and corporate part-
ners, including: Kenneth E.
Behring; The History
Channel; Chevy Chase
Bank; Cisco Systems,
Inc.; Elizabeth and
Whitney MacMillan; and
Heidi and Max Berry.
Additional sponsors
include: Automatic
Data Processing, Inc.;
KPMG LLP; Sears,
Roebuck and Co.;
and T. Rowe
Price Associ-
ates, Inc.
D A V I D B E H R I N G
Board member
“The AmericanPresidency has every-
thing a museumexhibition should have:
superb artifacts,fascinating stories,
engaging interactivedisplays. And visitorsfind out that history—
even the history of the world’s most
powerful office—has ahuman side.”
FROM ABOVE: Tricia Nixon Coxand son Christopher Cox withanother guest at the openingdinner for The AmericanPresidency; a young visitortrying on a presidential tophat
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Annual Report 2001 15
A C L O S E R L O O K
Exhibition researchoftenyields intriguing discoveries as
curators combine objects to conveyideas and relate a narrative. The
American Presidency: A GloriousBurden capitalized on the Museum’s
vast collection, which is especiallystrong in political history.
From a preliminary list of severalthousand objects, curators Lonnie G.Bunch III, Spencer R. Crew, Mark G.
Hirsch, and Harry Rubensteinculled about 900 for the
exhibition. In theirsearch throughstorage areas forpresidentialartifacts, Museumstaff made a num-ber of memorablefinds, includingWarren G.
Harding’s elegantturquoise silk
pajamas; TheodoreRoosevelt’s foldingcamp table, unexpect-edly containing somelabeled and preservedbirds from his Africantravels; and an ivory-handled letter seal thatJames K. Polk used
when signing documents and answering correspondence.
The selection processrequired careful compro-mises. “It’s a challenge tochoose the right objectthat tells the story in a freshand exciting way, yet have objects that
are intrinsically interesting to people,”Bunch explained.
Mining the collection
T H E A M E R I C A N P R E S I D E N C Y
FROM TOP LEFT: Detail, GeorgeWashington’s cane; microphoneused during Franklin D.Roosevelt’s fireside-chat radiobroadcasts; an exhibit casefeaturing Dwight D.Eisenhower’s golf bag; WarrenG. Harding’s silk pajamas
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16 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
E X H I B I T I O N S A N D P U B L I C
Paint by Number
Paint by Number: Accounting for Taste in
the 1950s, on view from April 2001
through January 2002, revisited
an American phenomenon:
the popular kits that turned
ordinary people into leisure-
time painters. Hobbyists were
content to color inside the
lines, filling numbered
spaces on a canvas with pre-
mixed paint colors. But
cultural critics were
appalled at this uniquely
American trend, which
they considered a sign of mindless
conformity.
Exhibition curator Larry Bird
arranged loans of completed creations
from collectors across the country. The
overwhelming success of paint by num-
ber, he says, “shows that people who
have never picked up a paintbrush could
get accustomed to making art.”
To generate public interest in the exhi-
bition, Dan Robbins, one of the inventors
of the paint-by-number concept, created
line art and a 35-color palette for an 18-
by-25-foot banner outside the Museum.
Over a three-week period, aspiring
artists—including Robbins, Museum
director Spencer Crew, and Secretary
Lawrence M. Small—were lifted in a
cherry picker to help create a multihued
lighthouse scene.
Visitors can post memories of paint
by number online in the virtual exhibi-
tion, americanhistory.si.edu/paint. One
A C L O S E R L O O K
Adonation to theMuseum’s ArchivesCenter sparked curator Larry
Bird’s interest in the paint-by-numberphenomenon. Max S. Klein’s PalmerPaint Company introduced paint-by-
number kits in 1951. When he died in1993, his daughter gave the ArchivesCenter scrapbooks, trade materials, andphotographs, and Bird saw the potentialfor an exhibition. His search for exam-ples took him to Toronto, Chicago, NewYork, Miami, and Boston—and then to
the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library inAbilene, Kansas. “It turns out thatEisenhower’s appointment secretarywanted to establish a White Housegallery,” Bird says, “so he distributedabout 20 paint-by-number kits to cabinetsecretaries and Oval Office visitors, whodid them, assuming it was thepresident’s wish.” Among the treasuresBird uncovered for the exhibition werecreations by amateur painters J. EdgarHoover, Nelson Rockefeller, and EthelMerman.
The paint-by-number craze
OPPOSITE: Photographs ofNobel laureates by PeterBadge on view in NobelVoices
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Annual Report 2001 17
P R O G R A M S
self-described “amateur artist” speaks
for many others: “Paint-by-number
introduced me to the smell and feel of
‘real’ oil paint that still thrills me today.
Thank you. I wish I still had some of my
old paint-by-numbers to hang on the
wall now.”
Nobel Voices
Nobel Voices—Celebrating 100 Years of
the Nobel Prize saluted the innovative
spirit and vision honored each year by
the Nobel Prizes. A collaboration of the
Lemelson Center for the Study of Inven-
tion and Innovation, the Deutsches
Museum Bonn, and the National Portrait
Gallery, it was on view from late April to
early November in 2001. Nobel Voices
launched Spirit of Innovation, a series of
exhibitions, public programs, and edu-
cational activities sponsored by the
Lemelson Center from April 2001
through December 2002 and made pos-
sible by the Lemelson Foundation.
The exhibition included fascinating
objects associated with the prize, but the
Nobel laureates themselves—speaking
through short video interviews and wall
text—were the center of attention. Co-
curator Arthur Molella, director of the
Lemelson Center, wanted these remark-
able individuals to share their inspiring
stories as a way of motivating others.
“Sure, our lives have been changed by
discoveries like DNA, the bomb,” he told
a reporter. “But the people are the real
artifacts.”
Spirit of Innovation programs
began during Nobel Week, April 21–27,
2001. The Lemelson Center held an invi-
tation-only forum at which Nobel
laureates contemplated the future of
innovation. Public programs included a
hands-on workshop for local high
school students with Douglas Osheroff,
physics laureate in 1996, and a poetry
workshop for middle-school students
with Roald Hoffmann, winner of the
chemistry prize in 1981. The Smith-
sonian Associates sponsored an evening
with Elie Wiesel, winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1986.
The website, nofestibel.com, features
portraits and a virtual exhibition with
excerpts from video interviews of Nobel
laureates.
Engaging people in the nation’s history
D A V I D F I E L D S
Board member
“Chartered by Congressto tell the American
story, the Museum bearsa tremendous
responsibility and enjoysan unprecedented
opportunity to capturethe many dimensions of
America’s past.”
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18 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
Freeze Frame
Eadweard Muybridge’s famous animal-
and human-locomotion photographs,
made between 1884 and 1887, brought
the photographer international fame
and have long been considered a signifi-
cant scientific resource for studying the
body in motion. But a recent Museum
exhibition, Freeze Frame: Eadweard
Muybridge’s Photography of Motion,
offered a more complex interpretation.
Research on the Museum’s collection of
more than 800 working proofs—which
recently have undergone conservation
treatment to make them accessible to
scholars and the public—reveals
that Muybridge freely manipu-
lated his negatives to make
the final prints.
Freeze Frame was
on view from
October 2000
through mid-
March 2001. To
visit the interactive
virtual exhibition,
go to american
history.si.edu/
muybridge.
Family Celebration
of American Stories
On a summer
Saturday afternoon, the
Museum invited fami-
lies to join in a Family Celebration of
American Stories. Throughout the build-
ing, objects and exhibitions came to life
with the help of authors, illustrators, sto-
rytellers, and musicians who shared tales
of the American experience through the
eyes of different communities.
Families discovered life on the great
American prairie, heard stories of escape
on the Underground Railroad, and
learned about World War II Japanese
American internment camps. They
shared their own family stories and also
tried quilting, weaving, origami, and salsa
dance lessons. Each family took home a
special family guide and reading list.
Tribute to Latino Style
Costumes worn by Latina
entertainers Celia Cruz, Selena,
and Rosita Fernández were
featured in Moda y
Música: Stage, Fashion,
and Style, a tribute to
Latino contributions
to music, enter-
tainment, and
fashion. An evening
gown created by Hispanic
American designer Luis
Estévez was also on view.
The Hispanic
Heritage Month presenta-
tion highlighted the
Museum’s Latino enter-
N O E L B . B E R M A N
Trustee, Music Performance
Trust Funds
“Our support for the livemusic programs
performed by theSmithsonian Jazz
Masterworks Orchestramakes it possible forgreater numbers of
citizens to appreciateand benefit from
exposure to this musicalart form that the
Congress has declaredto be our national
treasure.”
FROM ABOVE: Images fromEadweard Muybridge’sAnimal Locomotion, “Walkingand turning around rapidlywith a satchel in one hand, acane in the other”; CeliaCruz, the “Queen of Salsa,”wearing the gown shedonated to the collectionOPPOSITE: The SmithsonianJazz Masterworks Orchestrain performance with vocalistMiles Griffith
-
Annual Report 2001 19
tainment and costume collections.
Cruz’s orange gown with white trim—a
gift from the “Queen of Salsa” in 1997—is
an adaptation of a traditional Cuban
rumba dress. All four costumes
represented ways Latinos have trans-
formed traditions from their native
countries into American style.
Star-Spangled Banner Snippings
In a common practice of the 1800s, the
owners of the Star-Spangled Banner gave
away small pieces of the flag, sharing it
with people who felt as they did about
the treasured icon. A number of these
fragments were displayed in Snippings
from the Star-Spangled Banner, on view
from mid-June to late September of
2001. The Museum recently acquired
two “snippings,” originally given to the
New England Historic Genealogical
Society in the 1870s by the flag’s owner,
Georgiana Armistead Appleton.
Music at the Museum
Civil War–era tunes, spirituals, folk
songs, jazz—music is an indelible part
of American history.
Throughout the
year, the
T O D D A X E L R O D
Board member
“Americans love andappreciate our historical
icons. The NationalMuseum of American
History brings thenation’s musical heritageto life, reminding us that
music is one of thosecherished treasures.”
E X H I B I T I O N S A N D P U B L I C P R O G R A M S
Museum used music to help tell the
nation’s stories. Some highlights:
• The 11th season of the Smithsonian
Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the
Museum’s jazz orchestra-in-
residence, opened with concerts
dedicated to the legacy of jazz great
Louis Armstrong.
• Quincy Jones—bandleader, producer,
and composer—launched Jazz
Appreciation Month, an annual cele-
bration that will begin in April 2002.
• Continuing recitals, performance
tours, and master classes comple-
mented the exhibition Piano 300:
Celebrating Three Centuries of People
and Pianos.
• Performances featured period instru-
ments from the Museum’s collection,
including the White House Golden
Grand and a quartet of Stradivarius
instruments from the Herbert R.
Axelrod Collection.
• The 10th-anniversary Duke Ellington
Youth Festival, a collaboration of the
Museum, the District of Columbia
Public Schools, and the Library of
Congress, showcased the creative
-
20 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
N AT I O N A L O U T R E A C H A N D
HistoryWired
A popular new website invites virtual
visitors to wander through the
Museum’s storage areas for a glimpse of
objects they can’t see on public display.
Launched on August 15, 2001,
HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite
Things attracted more than 180,000
visitors in its first two months—nearly
40,000 of them in the first two days.
HistoryWired was developed in col-
laboration with SmartMoney.com using
mapping technology adapted from
investment and
personal finance
sites.
Visitors to
HistoryWired, at
historywired.
si.edu, explore a
grid representing 450 featured objects,
organized by category and searchable by
time frame and various topics. Clicking
on a square brings out more details
about an object from the Museum’s
curatorial records, along with informa-
tion culled from other Smithsonian
resources.
“One of the best things about the pro-
gram is that everyone seems to find
something that appeals to him or her
personally,” says the Museum’s Web
director, Judy Gradwohl. “Serendipity is
such an important part of a museum
visit, and with HistoryWired we can pro-
vide that same opportunity on the Web.”
Visitor feedback is constantly reshaping
the site. The size of an object’s square on
the grid indicates visitor ratings of the
objects they explore. Political figures and
popular culture generate the most
interest, and Kermit the Frog is at
the top of many visitors’ lists.
The HistoryWired websitetakes visitors on a journey ofdiscovery through theMuseum’s collection. Thissearch reveals more detailsabout the Kermit the Frogpuppet.
historywired.si.edu
-
Kermit the Frog—brought out of stor-
age for the evening—delighted children
and adults alike. As they made their way
through the Museum, visitors could “Ask
an Expert” about immigration, electric-
ity, the Star-Spangled Banner, jazz, and a
multitude of other topics. Hands-on
activities, demonstrations, and perform-
ances included making a replica of
Abraham Lincoln’s hat in The
American Presidency exhibition,
experimenting with the
paint-by-number tech-
nique, and listening to
the Smith-
sonian Jazz
Masterworks
Orchestra.
Annual Report 2001 21
E D U C AT I O N
Congressional Family Night
The Smithsonian’s sixth annual
Congressional Family Night, held this
year at the National Museum of
American History, linked the Museum to
its largest group of supporters—mem-
bers of Congress. “A Passport to History”
provided an evening of
family-oriented behind-the-
scenes activities. More than
700 participants of all
ages enjoyed a first-
hand look at the
Museum, a
chance to meet
Museum experts,
and a sneak pre-
view of coming
attractions.
Learning and discovery for all ages
ROBERT F. HEMPHILL JR.
Board member
“The electronic age is nolonger the future—it’s
the present. TheNational Museum of
American History has apowerful potential toconnect people with
history in ways that oncedefied the imagination.
As we transform theMuseum, technology can
revolutionize ourcapacity to engage,
inspire, and delight.”
Working with technol-ogy designers atSmartMoney.com, Museum staffmade a leap forward in replicating
the Museum experience on the Webwith HistoryWired. SmartMoney.com
was intrigued by the idea of findinginnovative uses for the specialized map-ping technology it has developed forfinancial sites. The Museum—with itscollection of 3 million objects, most ofthem not on public view—was an ideal
candidate for the experiment.SmartMoney.com’s technology design-
ers listened to the Museum’s needs andthen adapted the mapping interface atno cost as an in-kind donation. The tech-nology is “a great tool to explore anddiscover rich sources of information,”says Marc Frons, SmartMoney.com’s edi-tor and chief technology officer. “We arehonored to be able to contribute to theSmithsonian’s efforts to present its vastcollection in new and interesting ways.”
A winning technology partnership
A C L O S E R L O O K
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Missouri)enjoying CongressionalFamily Night
-
22 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
Taking The American Presidency
into the Classroom
The 60 teachers from the Washington,
D.C., area who attended the Museum’s
workshop on The American Presidency
returned to their classrooms inspired,
excited, and equipped with practical
ideas for lessons and activities. Using a
teacher’s manual for grades 4–12 devel-
oped by the Museum in
collaboration with The
History Channel, they
planned effective strate-
gies for connecting their
curriculums to this major
new permanent exhibi-
tion.
The half-day workshop
began with a guided exhibition tour and
a session with Museum director and
exhibition co-curator Spencer Crew.
Then the participants
began concrete planning and
brainstorming. In small groups, they
shared ideas for using the lesson plans
and the pre- and post-visit activities for
the docent-guided school tour of the
exhibition. Each participant received a
teacher’s manual along with a free bus
trip to the Museum for his or her class.
In the classroom and in the
Museum, the workshop made a
difference. “The
materials...were amazing!” one
teacher said. “The students
really enjoyed the activi-
ties and the variety in
approaches
used to present the
information.” Another teacher said the
classroom preparation gave students “a
framework for the pieces of the exhibit.”
The American Presidency workshop,
held in December 2000, was one of 15
I R E N E Y . H I R A N O
Board member
“Reaching people wherethey live is an excellentway to link the nation’shistory museum with
more Americans.Affiliations, partnerships,
traveling exhibitions,educational programs
and resources—there aremany creative
possibilities for givingthis Museum a purpose
and a presencethroughout the nation.”
A C L O S E R L O O K
Practical curriculumresources for teachersadd value to the Museum’sprograms and exhibitions. For The
American Presidency, a team ofeducators and historians from the
Museum and The History Channelcombined their expertise to develop a
teacher’s manual for grades 4–12.Lesson plans and activities offer creative
strategies for linking the exhibition tothe study of American history. TheHistory Channel published the manualand distributed 17,000 copiesnationwide. It is also available online atamericanhistory.si.edu/presidency and atthehistorychannel.com/classroom. Thiswas the Museum’s second educationalpartnership with The History Channel.
Creating teaching resourcesFROM ABOVE RIGHT: AbrahamLincoln’s top hat; detail ofDaniel Chester French’sLincoln Memorial statue
-
Annual Report 2001 23
teacher workshops developed and pre-
sented by the Museum’s education office
this year. Altogether, more than 500
teachers participated.
A Nobel Laureate’s Innovative Life
Science fascinated William Phillips from
an early age. He peered at household
“specimens” under a toy microscope,
created mechanical devices with his
Erector set, and won honorable mention
in a junior high school science fair for
his project on measuring radiation. His
innate curiosity led him to pursue a
career in physics—and in 1997, he
shared the Nobel Prize in physics with
two colleagues for their development of
techniques to “supercool” and trap
atoms with laser light.
Phillips was an inspiring role model
for seventh-graders from three
Maryland and Virginia schools who
attended a Lemelson Center “Innovative
Lives” program during Nobel Week at
the Museum in April 2001. He captivated
them with demonstrations of “super
cool” science using liquid nitrogen and
showed them how he uses a Levitron to
study magnetism. As he answered ques-
tions about his career and his research,
his enthusiasm was contagious.
Teachers reported that the students
returned to their classrooms energized
about science and eager to follow the
N AT I O N A L O U T R E A C H A N D E D U C AT I O N
GEORGE M. FERRIS JR.
Board vice chairman
“The Museum’scollections are the
starting point for anincomparable journey ofthe mind. ‘Real things’
leave indelible marks onour memory, and the
stories they contain helpus understand and
appreciate both pastand present.”
Nobel laureate WilliamPhillips and seventh-gradersin a Lemelson Center“Innovative Lives” program
-
progress of Phillips’s current research,
which includes atomic-clock experi-
ments aboard the International Space
Station in 2005.
“Innovative Lives” introduces middle-
school students to inventors and
scientists, who talk about their research
and share personal stories. The pro-
grams provide a rare opportunity for
conversations with noted scientists
while supporting the Lemelson Center’s
mission to encourage inventive creativ-
ity in young people.
A “Field Trip” for 3.9 Million
Middle Schoolers
What can historians tell us about the
Star-Spangled Banner? Why is the flag so
fragile today? And how are Museum
conservators planning to preserve this
national treasure for posterity?
An electronic field trip—one of five
held during 2000—gave middle-school
students a chance to explore these ques-
tions on a “visit” to the Museum with
their science and social studies classes.
Some 3.9 million students in 39 states
learned about the history and science of
the flag from Museum experts involved
in the Star-Spangled Banner Preserva-
tion Project. The program aired live on
the Fairfax Network in March 2001.
Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss, chief
conservator for the project, showed stu-
dents some of the things conservators
looked for when conducting their
detailed examination of the flag. In their
classrooms, students could follow along
with their own flags. Museum historian
Lonn Taylor provided the history of the
D O R O T H Y L E M E L S O N
Board member and
Lemelson Center co-founder
“Young people needinspiration and
encouragement tofollow their dreams. TheMuseum is a marvelousresource for teachingand learning. What
better place is there tointroduce them to the
innovation and creativitythat are so central to the
American story?”
Conservator removingstitches that held the Star-Spangled Banner to its 1914linen backing, a delicate jobthat required special tools(BELOW).
24 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
-
Annual Report 2001 25
famous flag and shared anecdotes about
the detective work he did in researching
the story of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Francis Scott Key, played by a costumed
interpreter, talked about how he was
inspired to write the poem that became
the national anthem. Both Thomassen-
Krauss and Key fielded students’
questions submitted by e-mail and
telephone.
Two weeks before the broadcast, an
estimated 130,000 teachers reviewed
field-trip lessons in a 30-minute orienta-
tion session with Museum staff. A
videotape of the electronic field trip is
available to teachers through the web-
site, americanhistory.si.edu/ssb.
Young Scientist Challenge
Middle-school scientists from across the
country, finalists in the Discovery Young
Scientist Challenge, took on the “Star-
Spangled Banner Challenge” during
competition week at the Museum in
October 2000. Working in teams with
Museum staff as resources, they
analyzed samples of cloth bunting at the
Hands On Science Center and then
reported their observations about the
samples’ history and condition.
Communication, leadership, and prob-
lem-solving skills were all put to the test.
This national competition, sponsored
by Discovery Communications and
administered by Science Service, Inc.,
culminates in three days of team chal-
lenges and individual oral presentations
at the Smithsonian. Finalists were
treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of
the Star-Spangled Banner conservation
lab, where they talked with Museum
experts about the science of textile
preservation.
Forty finalists from 23 states came to
Washington to compete for more than
$30,000 in scholarships and other prizes.
The Smithsonian Young Innovator
award—a discretionary prize presented
by the Museum—went to eighth-grader
Neal Amin of Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
Neal attended an invitation-only forum
on innovation at the Lemelson Center
and had lunch with Phillip Sharp, 1993
N AT I O N A L O U T R E A C H A N D E D U C AT I O N
Young scientists take the“Star-Spangled BannerChallenge.”
C A R L O P A R R A V A N O
Executive director of the
Merck Institute for Science
Education
“A visit to the Hands OnScience Center is a greatway to stimulate a youngperson’s natural curiosityabout science. Merck ispleased to support the
center’s innovativeinteractive programs,
which contribute to thesolid science educationthat is so essential for a
productive life.”
-
26 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH
State of the Flag
Two-and-one-half years after intensive
examination and conservation of the
Star-Spangled Banner began, Museum
conservators concluded that the aging
flag is too fragile to be hung vertically for
public display. A 20-page State of the
Flag Report issued on Flag Day, June 14,
2001, explains conservators’ findings
about the flag’s condition, illustrates the
conservation treatment, and
describes the history
of the flag.
The decision about
where and how to
exhibit the flag—prob-
ably at no more than a
30-degree angle—will
be made as part of over-
all renovation plans for
the Museum, which
include a new permanent exhibition, For
Which It Stands. Visitors can still observe
ongoing conservation treatment through
windows in a specially designed labora-
tory in the Museum.
The Star-Spangled Banner Preserva-
tion Project is made possible by major
support from Polo Ralph Lauren.
Generous support is also provided by the
Pew Charitable Trusts, the United States
Congress, and the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation, with special thanks
to former first lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton, the White House Millennium
Council, and Save America’s Treasures
at the National Trust for Historic
Preservation for their leadership.
Legacies: Collecting America’s History
at the Smithsonian
What makes an object worth treasuring?
As a nation, what do we save, and what
do our choices tell us about changing
visions of American identity? In Legacies:
Collecting America’s
History at the
Smithsonian, cura-
tors Steven Lubar
and Kathleen M.
Kendrick explore
these questions
through the stories
of more than 250
objects from the Museum’s
collection.
Legacies describes both renowned
objects and intriguing curiosities, all
chronicling the nation’s evolving iden-
tity, including a compass used on the
Lewis and Clark expedition, the John
Bull locomotive, a piece of Plymouth
Rock, and depression-era emergency
money.
The artifacts the Museum has
collected, Lubar and Kendrick write,
“reveal not just evidence about one per-
son’s life but also larger truths about
American history and identity.” The
Museum’s 1913 Model T Ford illustrates
Preserving and studying the Museum’s memorable artifacts
E L I H U R O S E
Board member
“The Museum’sincomparable collections
evoke wonder,inspiration, memory, andcuriosity. We use theseobjects and the stories
they hold to createcompelling exhibitions
and programs about theAmerican experience.”
-
these multiple layers of
significance. Beloved by
its original owner, Harvey
Carlton Locke, who
donated it to the Museum
in 1935, this historic auto-
mobile has been displayed
and interpreted in a variety
of ways—as a technological milestone,
an icon of American history, and a cul-
tural artifact.
A virtual exhibition based on Legacies:
Collecting America’s History at the
Smithsonian can be found on the web-
site, americanhistory.si.edu.
Publications by
Museum staff
From a teacher’s guide
on jazz to exhibition
catalogues to articles in
scholarly journals,
Museum scholars
shared their research with the
public and their peers. Active research
on topics related to the collection and to
American history in general provides an
intellectual framework for the Museum.
A complete list of staff publications is
available online at americanhistory.si.
edu/csr/pubs.htm.
A C L O S E R L O O K
When an exhibition isas popular as FirstLadies: Political Role and PublicImage, the wear and tear from visi-
tor traffic eventually begins to show.The 10-year-old exhibition—with the
first ladies’ gown collection as its cen-terpiece—looks its best again following
a recent facelift.The entire 8,000-square-foot display
received a fresh coat of paint, and carpet-ing was replaced in some areas. Museumstaff reviewed the text size on objectlabels to be sure it met the Americanswith Disabilities Act standards. In somecases, label text is being enlarged so thatit is more readable.
Although there were nocontent changes to First Ladies,there were two revisions soonafter George W. Bush’s inaugu-ration in January 2001. An areawas created to exhibit materialabout Laura Bush, and the newpresident and first lady wereadded to the exhibition time line.Continuing in the tradition ofother first ladies, Mrs. Bushdonated her inaugural gown tothe Museum. The red Chantillylace and silk satin gown (right)with crystal beading andmatching coat, shoes, andbag are on display in The
A refurbished First Ladies
Annual Report 2001 27
A L I S O N B E R N S T E I N
Board member
“This one and onlynational history museumserves a vital purpose by
helping all citizens toengage with the drama
and endlessly fascinatingstory of how our nationhas struggled to live up
to our democraticideals.”
-
28 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
S E L E C T E D A C Q U I S I T I O N S
Leonard Nadel Collection
Magazine photographer Leonard Nadel
photographed Mexican farmworkers, or
braceros, in central Mexico and
California in the summer of 1956. An
outstanding collection of his prints and
negatives—the only known group of
bracero images—was an important
addition to the Museum’s Latino hold-
ings during fiscal 2001.
From 1942 to 1964, the bracero pro-
gram brought more than 4.5 million
Mexican nationals to the United States.
Mexican peasants, desperate for cash
work, were willing to take jobs at wages
that Americans scorned. Their presence
had a significant effect on the business
of farming and the culture of the nation.
Nadel’s photographs show the recruit-
ment of farm laborers, their processing
at U.S. “reception” centers, and their
working and living conditions in
California. The collection was purchased
by the Museum.
White House Press Passes
The president of the United States is the
object of intense scrutiny by the press,
which plays a central role in keeping a
watchful eye on presidential power. For
the exhibition The American Presidency:
A Glorious Burden, veteran reporter
Helen Thomas donated several White
House press passes to the Museum’s
political history collection.
Thomas has covered every chief
executive since John F. Kennedy, and for
many years she asked the opening
question when presidents met the press.
“When you think of presidential press
conferences, you think of Helen
Thomas,” says Harry Rubenstein,
curator of political history and one of the
exhibition’s curators. He phoned her
during his search for artifacts that
symbolize the press’s role, and she
responded by sending the passes over to
the Museum. They are on view in the
Limits of Power section of the exhibition.
Building the collection
These acquisitions are examples of the
30,663 objects that the Museum collected
in fiscal year 2001.
Leonard Nadel’s photographof a bracero worker in astrawberry field nearWatsonville, California
THOMAS W. LANGFITT
Board member
“The Museum brings tolife for the nation’s
children and youth thestory of our great nation
in all its glories anddespairs. It translatesthe abstraction of the
history text intosomething visible andpalpable that remains
with many of themforever.”
-
Annual Report 2001 29
Historic Route 66, which stretchedfrom Chicago to Los Angeles,
has a mystique like no other high-way. It became a symbol of the
search for a better life after migrantfamilies followed it from the Dust
Bowl to California during the GreatDepression.
Forty-eight feet of original 1932 con-crete pavement from Route 66 is nowpart of the Museum’s collection, a giftfrom the State of Oklahoma Departmentof Transportation. In November 2003, itwill be part of America on the Move, a26,000-square-foot permanent exhibitionthat includes interpretation of the lives ofmigrating families, truck drivers, and oth-ers who drove on the famous road, aswell as the changing social and economic
patterns brought about by the con-struction of long-distancehighways.
Acquiring the historic pave-ment required some complexlogistics. Museum intern KevinSchlesier located the pavementwith the help of local historianswho had researched Route 66 inOklahoma. A state contractor,Plains Bridge Contracting, cut thepavement into sections andlifted them onto three flatbedtrucks. Central TechnologyCenter of Drumright, Oklahoma,a member of the OklahomaTrucking Association, donated its servicesto transport the pavement slabs toWashington. The eight slabs ofconcrete—weighing about 9,300 pounds
Sections of Route 66
A C L O S E R L O O K
FROM ABOVE RIGHT: HelenThomas’s White House presspasses; sea-turtle costumefrom Seattle protests
Seattle Protest Costume
Artifacts used during public demonstra-
tions help the Museum document a
fundamental American freedom—the
right to peaceable assembly. During
demonstrations at the 1999 World Trade
Organization meeting in Seattle, activists
from the Humane Society of the United
States wore sea-turtle costumes to make
a statement about global environmental
issues. One of the costumes is now part
of the Museum’s reform-movements
collection.
The Humane Society was part of a
large coalition of organizations
concerned over the relaxation of envi-
ronmental protections and human rights
resulting from global trade agreements.
The society donated the costume and
related material to the Museum in 2001
for possible inclusion in the upcoming
exhibition, America on the Move.
-
Building for the future
30 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND
RIGHT: Dorothy LemelsonBELOW: Kenneth and PatriciaBehring
H. P. (PETE) CLAUSSEN
Board member
“The unprecedentedgenerosity of our donorsand sponsors—with theleadership of Kenneth E.
Behring and DorothyLemelson—is a strongendorsement for theMuseum’s transfor-
mation. Our foundationof support is growing,and we’re setting the
stage for innovation andsignificant national
outreach.”
Dynamic supporters enable the Museum to engage the public in theAmerican story more effectively. The Museum’s physical and intellectualtransformation depends on building relationships with diverse groups—
including the United States Congress, corporate and foundation partners, the
Museum’s Board, and other individual supporters.
Building these relationships is a continuous process led by the Museum’s
External Relations and Development staff. This report highlights some of these
important relationships and describes just a few of the activities presented
in the last fiscal year in support of the Museum's successful exhibitions
and programs.
The Lemelson Foundation’s commitment to the Museumreached $40 million this year with a gift of $14.5 millionto endow the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center forthe Study of Invention and Innovation. The Center’s pro-grams and exhibitions honor the ingenuity and creativitythat is such an important part of our history. Additionalsupport from the Lemelson Foundation made possiblethe exhibition Nobel Voices—Celebrating 100 Years ofthe Nobel Prize, and is supporting the development of amajor traveling exhibition, Invention at Play. Meanwhile,the Lemelson Center’s vibrant educational programs—including “Innovative Lives” and a series of electronicfield trips—involve young people in the excitement of
discovery.Kenneth E. Behring’s unprecedented gift of $80 million in support
of the Museum’s revitalization, announced last year, has allowed us tomake significant progress in planning. As a result of Mr. Behring’s gift,public space design is under way, and a preliminary study for theMuseum’s central core will be completed in the summer of 2002. Thisphysical transformation will involve redesigning and renovating 250,000square feet of the building: adding a welcome center where peoplebegin their visit, creating permanent thematic exhibitions, integratingstate-of-the-art interactive and multimedia presentations throughout,and developing new public and educational programming.
Generous benefactors
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN REPORT
-
Annual Report 2001 31
Diverse relationshipsEach year, many individuals build relationships with the Museum. They
include people like Sigmund Shapiro—jazz enthusiast and a dedicated
supporter of the jazz programs at the Museum—and Susan and Elihu Rose—
early and generous supporters of Legacies: Collecting America’s History at the
Smithsonian, Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick’s book about
the Museum’s collection. Edward and Nancy Rice believe in the value
of interactive learning, so they have committed the Rice Family
Foundation’s support to the innovative programming of the Hands
On Science Center and the Hands On History Room. Some individu-
als enrich the collections with their contributions. Teodoro Vidal,
who was honored this year at the Museum, has donated his collec-
tion of more than 3,200 artifacts of Puerto Rican material culture.
Each of these relationships translates a personal passion for history and learn-
ing into a contribution toward education, enjoyment, and excellence that
benefits a broad audience.
Corporate relationships also take many forms. The Museum’s partnership
with the National Association of Realtors for Within These Walls… supports the
Museum at its best—a fascinating exhibition, an award-winning website, and
enriching educational and public programs. The History Channel’s productive
partnership continues to produce noteworthy results—this year, teacher
resources for The American Presidency resulted in the prestigious Beacon
Award. A long-term relationship with Merck—which helped launch the Hands
On Science Center with a $500,000 gift—has yielded consistent support for the
Museum’s educational mission.
Internal relationships also
contribute to the Museum’s
external success. External
Relations and Development
staff members’ participation
on planning teams—for exhibi-
tions and for the Museum’s
renovation—help them articu-
late the Museum’s goals for the
funding community and the
public. Internal collaboration
helps the office provide effec-
tive support through special events,
fund-raising, and public-awareness
efforts.
FROM ABOVE LEFT: Edward andNancy Rice with theirchildren; Teodoro Vidaltalking with a Puerto Ricanstraw hatmaker
Funds raised by source*, fiscal year 2001
Use of funds, fiscal year 2001
Individuals$3,668,673
Foundations$22,245,932
Corporations$5,491,852
Total: $31,406,457
* Cash and pledges
Total: $31,406,457
Exhibit/public spaces$14,492,678
Core Museumfunctions$16,240,878
Other$672,901
71%
46%52%
2%
12%
17%
G E O R G E C L E M O N
F R E E M A N J R .
Board member
“Our goal is to build an active Museum
Board with a national,representative, profile
that will helpcommunicate a vision for
expanded nationaloutreach andeducation.”
-
32 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
FROM ABOVE: MelindaMachado; Museum directorSpencer Crew films aninterview; a media event atthe Museum
National media outreach enables the Museum to share its programs, exhibitions, and staff expertise across the UnitedStates. This year, the Office of Public Affairs promoted more than 25
exhibitions, programs, donations, and awards. According to MelindaMachado, director of Public Affairs, “Our proactive public relations strategyallows us to reach many audiences, drawing them to our exhibitions, websites,and public programs. Through the media, we can expand the public’s knowl-edge and pique their curiosity about the national collections.”
Among the highlights: • Extensive media interest in The American Presidency: A
Glorious Burden. Nearly 30 New York–based media outletsattended the September 27, 2000, press preview in NewYork City. The November 2000 opening attracted majorprint and television attention, including NBC’s Today, ABC’sGood Morning America, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, top dailynewspapers, and live C-SPAN coverage.
• Flag Day 2001 coverage of the Star-Spangled Banner.Media coverage focused on the release of the State of theFlag Report and the exhibition Snippings from the Star-Spangled Banner, including live reports on NBC’s Today, CBS’s Early Show,and CNN; features on four major networks and their affiliates; and morethan 180 articles in newspapers nationwide.
• Enthusiasm for Paint by Number. Media requests continued throughoutthe 10 months that the exhibition was on view. Extensive print coverageincluded repeated mentions in USA Today, which has a circulation of 8 million,and multiple mentions in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times,Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune. Three morning shows featured theexhibition—Today, CBS’s Sunday Morning, and the Early Show on June 22with an audience of 2.7 million. Periodical coverage included Smithsonianmagazine, Reader’s Digest, The New Yorker, and home-decorating and artmagazines. Media impressions totaled more than 70.2 million.
• Excitement over HistoryWired. User traffic was so heavy following thepress launch of this website—an estimated34,000 unique visitors—that the Smithsonianserver crashed. Advance stories included theNew York Times “Circuits” column, CBSMarketwatch, and USA Today’s website.Nine TV crews attended the press event,and CNN featured a live broadcast demon-strating the site. Media impressions totaledapproximately 10 million.
National media outreach
A C L O S E R L O O K
-
Special eventsThe Office of Special Events organized more than 200 events
during the past fiscal year—from festive exhibition openings
to receptions and dinners for corporate partners and other
professional and trade associations. These events recognized
friends of the Museum, involved a variety of constituencies,
and celebrated the Museum’s accomplishments.
Dorothy Lemelson was honored for her generous contin-
uing support of the Museum at an opening reception for the
Lemelson Center’s exhibition Nobel Voices. Presidential fam-
ily members—including John S.D. Eisenhower, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Jack
Ford—were among the guests at The American Presidency opening dinner,
where period table settings and menus recalled the eras of George Washington,
James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.
Guests at an enjoyable Paint by Number opening reception tried their hands at
a paint-by-number creation.
Among the diverse group of donors that
held events at the Museum throughout the
year were Abbott Labs, IBM, the National
Collegiate Honors Council, Pizza Hut,
Putnam Investments, the San Antonio
Chamber of Commerce, Scott Foresman
Publishing, Western Union, and the
Association of Graduates, United States
Military Academy.
Annual Report 2001 33
A partnership of public and private support sustains the mission and programs of theNational Museum of American History, Behring Center and enables the Museum to planfor a vibrant future. The Museum welcomes your participation at anylevel and for a range of purposes. If you would like to make a contribu-tion, or if you would like to explore the possibility of a gift, pleasecontact:
John McDonagh, Chief Development and Campaign OfficerOffice of Capital Campaign, External Relations, and BoardLiaisonNational Museum of American History, Behring CenterP. O. Box 37012Washington, DC 20013-7012
Opportunities for giving
E X T E R N A L R E L AT I O N S A N D C A P I TA L C A M PA I G N R E P O R T
SEN. THAD COCHRAN
(R-Mississippi)
Board member and
member, Smithsonian
Board of Regents
“A healthy public-privatepartnership that includes
the administration,Congress, private
citizens, corporations,and foundations is one
of the Museum’sgreatest assets. It is
fitting that support forthe nation’s history
museum comes fromevery sector of our
country.“
FROM ABOVE LEFT: Guests at an opening event for TheAmerican Presidency; aseated dinner in the FirstLadies Hall; one of a pair ofpainted wood eagles given
by Joel Barlow in 1965
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34 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
D O N O R S T O T H E M U S E U M
$10 million +The Axelrod Family *
Kenneth E. Behring
Dorothy Lemelson *
$1,000,000–$9,999,999American Road and Transportation Builders
Association
Chevy Chase Bank
The History Channel
Elizabeth (Betty) and Whitney MacMillan *
National Asphalt Pavement Association
Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation
Susan and Elihu Rose *
Nina and Ivan Selin *
$100,000–$999,999Heidi and Max Berry
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Linda Powers and Robert F. Hemphill Jr. *
Merck Company Foundation
National Museum of Industrial History
Polo Ralph Lauren
Rodris Roth (bequest)
Seiko Epson Corporation
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
Timex Corporation
Warren Winiarski
$50,000–$99,999AES Corporation
Computerworld Information Technology
KPMG
The Honorable Paul O’Neill, Secretary of
the Treasury
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Tae Yoo *
$10,000–$49,999America Online, Inc.
Anonymous
ASCAP
Association of Graduates, USMA
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Aventis Pharmaceuticals US
Broadcast Music, Inc.
The Center for the Study of the Presidency
Linda and Pete Claussen *
Linda and Lester L. Colbert Jr. *
Richard Darman *
Daughters of the American Revolution
Dr. Pepper/7 Up Companies, Inc.
Dean S. Edmonds Foundation
EDS
Nancy and George M. Ferris Jr. *
David M. Fields *
First Data Corporation
Scott Foresman
Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Hayes & Associates
Heidelberg USA, Inc.
IEEE History Center
Fiscal year 2001
The National Museum of American History relies on
private gifts and grants for 50 percent of its
operations and virtually all of its capital needs,
including new exhibitions and the Museum’s master
plan for transformation. More than $150 million has
been raised over the past three years, representing
approximately 47 percent of the total capital need.
The following donors have made significant
commitments to this undertaking, and they have
the profound gratitude of the Smithsonian
Institution and the American people. These
thoughtful individuals and organizations have set a
pace for success in creating a 21st-century museum
worthy of our nation’s extraordinary heritage.
-
Annual Report 2001 35
International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders
Association
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation
Amy and Donald G. Lubin *
Lutheran Brotherhood
Marriott International, Inc.
Suzanne and James R. Mellor *
Henry R. Munoz III
NAMM – International Music Products
Association
Oracle Corporation
Piano Manufacturers Association
International
Putnam Investments
Silgan Containers Corporation
Perri and Gary Silversmith
Guenther and Siewchin Yong Sommer
$5,000–$9,999Armed Forces Communications &
Electronics Association
David E. Behring *
Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Albert Fuller
General Electric Lighting
Alan Russell Kahn
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co.
NAMSB Foundation, Inc.
Pacificor, Inc.
Professional Currency Dealers Association
Ray & Berndtson
Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving
Storage Technology Corporation
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc.
Marvin D. Williams *
$1,000–$4,999William R. Albers
David J. Bailey
Jan McLin Clayberg and Olaf Bexhoeft
Malcolm Bilson
Pauline Anne Cochrane
Nancy L. Connor
Anita DeFrantz *
Fannie Mae Foundation
Nicholas Greer Feamster
Richard S. Gallagher
Global News & Communication, Inc.
The Gottesman Fund
James A. Green
Brenton Halsey
Helen Leale Harper
John H. Hogue
R. Devon Hutchins
Pauline Innis
James D. Johnston
Jophe Jones-Gaddis
Mary Elizabeth Joyce
Ina and Jack Kay
Thomas J. Kehoe
Dr. and Mrs. Emanuel Landau
Hubert E. Lillis
Thomas G. MacCracken
Carolyn Margolis
Valerie and Orlando Martino
Michael W. Michelson
Anna Wood Murray
Eleanor B. Niebell
Earle H. O’Donnell
O. I. Analytical
Porter Novelli, Inc.
Kathryn and Peter G. Powers
Psion Enterprises Computing Ltd.
H. Lewis Rapaport
Earldine R. Sampson
Thelma and Albert Sbar
Shelby Shapiro
M. Sigmund & Barbara K. Shapiro
Family Fund
Angela and John Donald Shilling
Drs. Jean M. Karle and Lionel J. Skidmore
Jane and Van Telford
Enid N. Warner
* National Museum of American History
Board Member
R E P. J O H N C O N Y E R S
(D-Michigan)
“The National Museumof American History
is a place for gatheringtogether—a place where
each of us can findourselves, learn moreabout our neighbors,and experience the
rich texture of American life.”
-
36 National Museum of American History, Behring Center
F I N A N C I A L S U M M A R YPublic and private support—fiscal year 2001
The Museum had a total operating budget of
$45,304,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2001. Fifty-one percent (51%) of the operating
budget came as part of the Smithsonian’s federal
appropriation, including base resources, a one-
time allotment for The American Presidency, and
several federal grants supporting major perma-
nent exhibitions. Thirty-three percent (33%) of
the operating budget came from private sources,
including trust gifts, grants, and endowments.
In the fiscal year, the Museum raised more than
$31 million in gifts and pledges through the gen-
erosity of individuals, corporations, foundations,
and organizations. The hard work of our Board,
volunteers, and staff in articulating the Museum’s
vision and creating strategic partnerships was
responsible for this success. Record-level private
giving continues to provide the foundation and
momentum for the Museum’s renewal and trans-
formation.
Sources of funds, fiscal year 2001
Uses of funds, fiscal year 2001
SI indirect services$5,000,000
Federal appropriation & grants$23,047,000 Trust gifts, grants,
& endowments*$15,111,000
Total: $45,304,000
Total: $45,304,000
Facilities maintenance &general support$7,290,000
Outreach, education,& exhibitions$23,268,000
Administration$4,941,000
51%
22%51%
16%
5%
33%
11%
11%
Business activities$2,146,000
Research & collections$9,805,000
* Cash payments
Funds raised, cash and pledges, fiscal year 2001
Funds raised by source*, fiscal year 2001
Cash payments$15,111,000
Total: $31,406,457
52% 48%Pledges$16,295,457
Individuals$3,668,673
Foundations$22,245,932
Corporations$5,491,852
Total: $31,406,457
* Cash and pledges
71%
12%
17%
Sources and uses of funds Private giving
-
Richard DarmanChairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission Partner, The Carlyle GroupPublic Service Professor, John F. Kennedy Schoolof Government, Harvard University
Tom BrokawAnchor and Managing Editor, NBC Nightly News
Ellsworth BrownPresident and Chief Executive Officer, CarnegieMuseums of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library
Sheila P. Burke(Ex officio) Under Secretary for American Museumsand National Programs, Smithsonian Institution
Spencer R. CrewDirector and Chief Executive Officer, NationalUnderground Railroad Freedom Center
Loni DingTV Producer and Executive Director, Center forEducational Telecommunications
David Herbert DonaldAuthor and Charles Warren Professor of AmericanHistory and Professor of American CivilizationEmeritus, Harvard UniversityPulitzer Prize–winning biographer of Abraham Lincoln
Eric FonerDe Witt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
Diane FrankelProgram Director for children, youth, and families,James Irvine Foundation
Ramón GutiérrezAssociate Chancellor, University of California, San DiegoFounder and Director, Center for the Study ofRace and Ethnicity
Neil HarrisAuthor and Preston and Sterling Morton Professorof History, University of Chicago
K. Tsianina LomawaimaProfessor, American Indian Studies Program,University of Arizona
Roger MuddHost, The History Channel
Don T. NakanishiDirector, Asian American Studies Program,University of California, Los Angeles
Chet OrloffDirector Emeritus, Oregon Historical Society
Marc Pachter(Ex officio) Director, National Portrait Gallery, and Acting Director, National Museum ofAmerican History
William F. RussellRetired NBA Player and Former Coach, Boston Celtics
Richard Norton SmithExecutive Director, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics
John Kuo Wei TchenFounding Director, Asian Pacific American StudiesProgram and Institute, New York University
Charles H. TownesPhysicist, winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize for physics
Laurel Thatcher UlrichJames Duncan Phillips Professor of Early AmericanHistory and Director, Charles Warren Center forAmerican Studies, Harvard University
G. Edward WhiteAttorney, Author, and Law Professor, University of Virginia
Don WilsonRetired Historian and former head of the NationalArchives and Records Administration
BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION
Photography
Executive staff
M A R T H A M O R R I S
Deputy director
“In response to Kenneth E.Behring’s generous gift,our Museum has a majoropportunity to design atransforming vision for
the 21st century. The BlueRibbon Commission’srecommendations will
help shape the public faceand programs of this, thenation’s leading museum
of American history.”
Marc Pachter, Acting Director
Martha Morris, Deputy Director
Ron Becker, Associate Director, Capital Programs
Dennis Dickinson, Associate Director,Management & Museum Services
James Gardner, Associate Director, Curatorial Affairs
Elizabeth A. C. Perry, Associate Director, External Relations, Capital Campaign, &Board Liaison
Smithsonian Office of Imaging, Printing, and Photographic Services; HaroldDorwin, Eric Long, Fred Marcus, Dane Penland, MH Photography, RichardStrauss, Hugh Talman, Helen Thomas, Jeff Tinsley. Cover from Town andCountry magazine courtesy of Peter Gwillim Kreitler. Special thanks to the manyindividuals and organizations for the use of their photos.
Annual report production
Project director: Shelley Goode, Assistant Director of Development &Communications
Design: Creative Project Management, Inc.
Writer: Ellen Hirzy
Editor: Joan Mentzer
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Congressional Family Night
National Museum of American History, Behring Center
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