Spring 2008 - Smithsonian Affiliations

The Affiliate
For Members of Smithsonian Affiliations
COURTESY OF THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
SPORTS:
BREAKING RECORDS,
BREAKING BARRIERS
CARA SEITCHEK
Betsy Jochum played for the South Bend Blue Sox in the 1943
inaugural season of the All-American Girls Baseball League. Her
1944 season earned her the batting championship.
ED KOLENOVSKY/AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
AMY SANCETTA/AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
LIONEL CIRONNEAU/AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS
Sports at the New York State Museum in Albany.
At the 1992 Olympic games in Albertville, France, American speedskater Bonnie
Blair brought home the gold in the 1,000 meters.
Dominique Dawes performs at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
where she won a gold medal. In 1992, she and fellow team
member Betty Okino became the first African American
females to win Olympic gymnastics medals when their team
took the bronze.
In his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire, Muhammad Ali pummeled George Foreman.
“I am thrilled to have this exhibition travel,” said Dr. Ellen Roney Hughes, curator
of Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers, a Smithsonian Institution Traveling
Exhibition Service (SITES) traveling exhibition. Four Affiliates provided venues for
the exhibition, which highlighted the accomplishments and achievements of sports
figures and the obstacles they overcame.
The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC)
in Spokane, Washington; the Senator John Heinz
History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the New
York State Museum (NYSM) in Albany, New York; and
Union Station, Kansas City in Missouri each provided
innovative programming and activities to accompany
the exhibition, which eventually visited ten cities during
a three-year tour.
“The purpose of SITES and Smithsonian Affiliations is
to take our objects and ideas and send them across the
country,” said Hughes, a curator at the National Museum
of American History.“Everyone was terrific at taking my
exhibition and making it a reality.”
In addition to the exhibition, which contained 46 objects
from sports history ranging from Abraham Lincoln’s
handball to Lance Armstrong’s yellow jersey, hosting
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Spring 2008 | Volume 8, No. 1
MAC also received a Smithsonian Community Grant, a
program supported by MetLife Foundation that offers up
to $5,000 for expenses related to public, educational
programming produced in conjunction with a SITES
exhibition.
“The grant enabled me to bring in different audiences,”
said Major.“I targeted adults, families, teachers and the
museums had access to retired Boston Celtics center Bill K-12 audience.”
Russell, the exhibition’s national spokesman.
Two events focused on the theme of “Conflict and
MAC, the final museum to host the exhibition, offered
Compromise in Sports,” to tie in with National History
members a chance to meet Russell in an informal
Day’s 2008 topic. Major contacted Bryan Harnetiaux, a
local playwright who had written a play about Jackie
question and answer session in the exhibition gallery.
Robinson, and received permission to produce a scene.
“He was funny and charming,” said Kris Major, MAC
After viewing the 20-minute scene from “National
curator of education,“and allowed a lot of photo
Pastime,” teachers participated in a discussion about
opportunities in front of his 10,000 rebound ball.”
gender and racial equity in sports.
Major, a self-described “product of Title IX,” said that
working with SITES was a great experience.“We were
offered a spot on the tour when it was extended, so we
had to work it into our exhibition and programming
schedule. But SITES made it so easy. They sent out a
packet of sample exhibition layouts, publicity ideas and
programming suggestions that were very helpful.”
A second performance was sponsored by the Human
Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,
which bussed a group of high school and college
students more than 40 miles to watch the scene and
participate in a dialogue on human rights in sports.
“Sports events are big draws in this region,” said Major,
“and the exhibition was a great vehicle to celebrate sports.”
continued on page 3
From the Director
RICHARD STRAUSS
Connect the dots
on the Affiliate
landscape and you
will find an
incredible array of
museums and
educational
organizations, all
working in
partnership with
the Smithsonian to
serve their
communities in
multiple and illustrious ways.“All roads are good,” say
my colleagues at the National Museum of the American
Indian (NMAI) – one excellent example begins in
northern Alabama.
Start at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in
Huntsville, a museum that documents America’s space
program from its earliest days. With 33 Smithsonian
artifacts on hand to tell the story, the Center recently
opened a new facility housing the Smithsonian’s Saturn
V rocket, the largest object in the National Air and Space
Museum’s collection. Travel south about 100 miles, and
Harold A. Closter
stop at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI),
recently honored at the White House with the first
National Medal for Museum and Library Service. BCRI
will soon host the SITES exhibition, 381 Days: The
Montgomery Bus Boycott Story, a worthy complement to
its inspiring displays of the civil rights era. Head
eastward to the Anniston Museum of Natural
History, an exceptional regional museum serving
northern Alabama and Georgia. Among their fine
dioramas and natural settings, you’ll find an astonishing
collection of mineral specimens from our National
Museum of Natural History, including of course, a
sample of Smithsonite!
Now cross over into Georgia, stopping first at the Booth
Western Art Museum in Cartersville, where you might
see some of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s
prized paintings by George Catlin, well matched to the
Booth’s existing collection of historic and contemporary
western art. Next is the Southern Museum of Civil
War and Locomotive History, home of the famous
locomotive The General, one of the stars of “The Great
Chase.” A longtime Smithsonian collaborator, the Museum
currently displays rare Smithsonian artifacts including
J.E.B. Stuart’s pistol and G.A. Custer’s frock coat.
The road from one Affiliate to another reveals the bold,
creative, and courageous work that so many are
undertaking to preserve our heritage, draw meaningful
lessons from the past, and prepare the way to the future.
We are proud to join all of our Affiliates in this great
effort.
closterh@si.edu
JESSIE COHEN
Hang Out at the Smithsonian!
Our National Conference is Coming Soon
In this 2005 photo, five month old giant panda cub Tai Shan explores the great
outdoors for the first time with his mother, Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian's
National Zoological Park.
The Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference is
scheduled for June 1-3, 2008 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel
in Washington, D.C. As always, enjoy informative
workshops and sessions, behind-the-scenes tours, and
networking opportunities.
We are proud to announce that this year’s keynote
address will be delivered by Irene Hirano, chairman of
the board of the American Association of Museums and
the founding director of the Japanese American National
Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Los Angeles.
2 The Affiliate
Atlanta, the final destination, is home to three great
Smithsonian Affiliates. Colleagues at The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, teamed up with the
National Museum of American History in support of the
influential exhibit, What Ever Happened to Polio?, and
are now working with NMAI to display a series of childfriendly books for the Native American Diabetes Project.
The Museum of Design Atlanta has worked closely
with the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, by
hosting traveling exhibitions and by introducing their
nationally-recognized “City of Neighborhoods” program
to students in Atlanta. Not far away, visit the High
Museum of Art, now beginning its second century in
its award-winning new facility. Most recently, the High
organized Morris Louis Now: An American Master
Revisited, featuring two works from the Hirshhorn
Museum and Sculpture Garden, where it also made its
first stop outside of Atlanta.
SPRING 2008
Other highlights include an orientation session which is
an opportunity to learn about all the benefits of being a
Smithsonian Affiliate, and all the resources available to
your institution. Because orientation can be an excellent
"refresher course" for existing Affiliates, all interested
Affiliate staff members are welcome to attend. It is sure
to be an informative session whether you have been in
the program for years, or only weeks or days! This year
we will also offer museum roundtables—opportunities
for you to meet with key staff at several Smithsonian
museums for question-and-answer sessions.
Evening activities include a welcome reception on
Sunday, June 1 at the hotel, a fun night at the National
Zoo on Monday, June 2 and the annual Congressional
Reception on Tuesday, June 3 on Capitol Hill.
Planning is currently underway, and updates will be sent
via the listserv as they become available. In addition,
detailed registration packets will be mailed to each
Affiliate institution in mid-March.
Remember: June 1-3. See you there!
The Affiliate
Editor: Lonna B. Seibert
Design: Comella Design Group
Printing: Chroma Graphics
© Smithsonian Institution
The Affiliate is published by
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
http://affiliations.si.edu
SMITHSONIAN PHOTO BY MOLLY MORRISON
SPORTS:
BREAKING RECORDS, BREAKING BARRIERS
continued from page 1
Madarasz.“An exhibition like this one opens the door to
a history center as a recreational and leisure activity.”
Madarasz also praises SITES as a partner.“They offer a
first-class hand-holding experience. The quality of the
support materials is first-rate, and we can always take
the subject matter of their exhibitions and make it
relevant to our museum.”
NYSM also discovered that the exhibition brought in
new audiences.
Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champ, 5-time NBA rebound leader and MVP, was given
this basketball, in observance of his 10,000th rebound. He amassed 21,620 rebounds
before retiring from play in 1969. The ball is now part of the Smithsonian collections.
The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, part of the
Heinz History Center, also considered the exhibition to
be a natural match for their audience.
“KDKA, our local CBS affiliate, offers a live broadcast
from the museum on ‘Steelers Sundays’,” said Anne
Madarasz, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum
director.“We featured the exhibition on the pre-game
shows.”
The Center worked with SITES on the layout and design
of the installation so that the cases featuring Pittsburgh
Pirate Roberto Clemente and Pittsburgh Steeler Terry
Bradshaw held a prominent place.
“Consistently, we find a new audience of non-traditional
museum visitors with sports exhibitions,” said
“The first question these visitors asked was,‘Where is
the sports exhibition?’” said Joanne Guilmette, media
relations director.“We tried to appeal to a broad
spectrum of people and show them what we had to
offer.”
A companion exhibition, Miracles: New York’s Greatest
Sports Moments, highlighted the top ten sports moments
in New York state history, which were chosen by Mark
McGuire, a Times Union sports columnist. NYSM
sponsored a panel discussion that gave area sports
writers and TV sports directors a chance to debate the
selections, while visitors voted on their top ten sports
moments in a computer interactive installed in the
exhibition.
The local FOX News affiliate, WXXA, partnered with
NYSM to create a one-hour special called “Miracles and
Moments” that was broadcast once a month for the four
months that NYSM hosted the exhibition, as well as on a
screen near the exhibition.
“People can connect with objects that have a special
meaning for them,” said Guilmette.“We always try to
bring in new audiences, and this exhibition helped us
meet that goal.”
Union Station director of collections Denise Morrison
agrees with Guilmette.“As a historian, I found the
artifacts in this exhibition communicated nicely to our
audience. Kansas City is a sports town so we could tie it
in to many local interests.”
Kansas City residents attended a family sports fun day
that invited children to set their own records by
navigating a 50-foot obstacle course and throwing balls
at targets, gave them the opportunity meet the mascots
of the Kansas City Royals baseball and Kansas City
Chiefs football teams, as well as meet former Negro
American League baseball player Buck O’Neil.
“Our Science City interactive science center also offered
a series of family discovery classes on the science of
sports,” said Morrison.“Families could learn about
major league physics, the velocity of racecars and flight
science.”
Parker Hayes, the SITES project director for the
exhibition, said,“Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking
Barriers was a full Smithsonian exhibition from start to
finish. We work together as an institution to create the
exhibition, and then the Affiliates took the exhibition
and reached out to their community.”
COURTESY OF BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE
Award of Excellence Presented to Alabama Affiliate
On January 14, 2008, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI)
in Birmingham, Alabama, was one of ten organizations honored by
the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) with a National
Medal—the nation’s highest award for museums and libraries. Dr.
Lawrence J. Pijeaux, president and CEO of BCRI accepted the medal
and a $10,000 prize in a ceremony held at the White House. The
award was presented by First Lady Laura Bush and Anne-Imelda
Radice, the director of IMLS. Pictured here, from left to right are Mrs.
Laura Bush, community member Shirina Davenport, Lawrence J.
Pijeaux, and Anne-Imelda Radice.
The Affiliate
SPRING 2008
3
Arts Council for Long Beach, California Brings
SMITHSONIAN SCHOLARS
TO THEIR COMMUNITY
SMITHSONIAN PHOTO BY CHIP CLARK
CARA SEITCHEK
Every March, the Arts Council for Long Beach (ACLB)
hosts Smithsonian Week, an eight-day event that
celebrates the Smithsonian Institution and its ten year
connection to the educational and cultural institutions
in the city of Long Beach, California. An integral part of
Smithsonian Week are the Smithsonian Scholars,
Smithsonian Institution staff members who present
their expertise to the Long Beach community through
school programs, public lectures, workshops and other
activities that comprise this fun and unique experience.
Smithsonian Week grew from an initial meeting between
Mayor Beverly O’Neill and then-Smithsonian Secretary I.
Michael Heyman.“When I first became mayor, I thought
we needed a Smithsonian west, so I made an
appointment with Mr. Heyman, and talked with him
about extending his institution to more of the United
States.”
From that first meeting grew Long Beach’s association
with the Smithsonian, starting in 1998 when the
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra traveled to
Long Beach for a three-day residency and series of
public concerts.
“I remember high school students sitting next to these
well-known artists and playing music together,” said
O’Neill.“Through the Smithsonian Scholars, our city has
become a venue to bring the Smithsonian to our
children.”
Dr. Clyde Roper, pictured here in the collections storage area at the National Museum of Natural History, shared his knowledge
of giant squid with audiences in Long Beach in 2001.
Clyde Roper, a marine biologist from the National
Museum of Natural History, traveled to Long Beach in
2001. He visited several schools as a Scholar, performing
dissections on marine animals, including his specialty,
squids.“The experience was so much fun; I really didn’t
regard it as work. I’m ready to be a Scholar again.”
Roper remembered being impressed by the quality of
the programming.“They had commissioned a local
4 The Affiliate
SPRING 2008
COURTESY OF THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH
“Through the Smithsonian
Scholars, our city has become a
venue to bring the Smithsonian
to our children.”
Mayor Beverly O’Neill
Smithsonian curator David Shayt gives a demonstration centered around children's toys in 2003.
puppeteer to create a 20-foot-long giant squid puppet,
which caught the kids’ attention, and then I had an
opportunity to talk about animals and oceanography. I
could see that the people of Long Beach are very
dedicated to their community and their children’s
education.”
ACLB director Joan Van Hooten said that the puppet is
just one example of how the arts council involves local
artists in Smithsonian Week, thereby giving them an
opportunity to perform on a national level.
Van Hooten works closely with Ann Post, program
manager for regional programs for The Smithsonian
Associates (TSA). ACLB proposes a broad topic for
Smithsonian Week, and Post scours the Smithsonian for
experts who match the topic. From these almost-weekly
discussions, each year’s Smithsonian Week and Scholars
emerge.
Post explained the origins of this partnership.“When
Mayor O’Neill approached the Smithsonian, the
Affiliations program suggested that the best way for the
Institution to have a presence in Long Beach was
through a programmatic affiliation rather than an
object-based one. Since I work on programs exclusively
for our national audience, working on Smithsonian Week
was a natural fit for me and The Smithsonian
Associates.”
Post stressed the work that ACLB puts into the
partnership.“They find the local venues, the volunteers
and create the publicity. And while the Smithsonian
Scholars are the featured event, the heart of the week is
the local programming and local arts activities that
complement the Smithsonian folks.”
An integral part of each Scholar’s visit is visiting local
schools to talk about their field of interest.
“These are not drop-in visits,” said Van Hooten.“We
provide pre-visit materials, suggested bibliographies
and lesson plans to the teachers. The children are
prepared for every Scholar. We teach our children about
what a scholar is, what research is and what the
Smithsonian is. In fact, some students have discovered a
career path by listening to a Scholar.”
Kidwell also spoke on the Queen Mary, at the local art
museum and a junior college.“I gave lectures on 18th
century petticoats, swimwear and World War II
fashions; some very diverse offerings.” She said,“Long
Beach does a terrific job of connecting different
elements of their community and bringing people
together. It’s a unique program.”
Dwight Blocker Bowers, curator for the Division of
Music, Sports and Entertainment at the National
Museum of American History (NMAH), visited Long
Beach in 2002.“I was particularly taken by the time I
spent in the classrooms. I remember a third grade class
of at-risk children who exceeded my wildest dreams.
They had created a mini-exhibition of the sets from
movie musicals constructed from shoeboxes and crepe
paper. They really wanted to be a part of what I had to
say.”
Another NMAH curator will make his second visit as a
Scholar this spring. David Shayt’s first visit in 2003 was
“extraordinarily popular,” said Van Hooten.“His
conversations about toys not only placed them in an
historical context, but also provided an interesting
background to something that both adults and children
can relate to and use all the time.”
Van Hooten remembered one school greeting Bowers
with a red carpet and a school choir singing,“Getting to
Know You” from the musical The King and I.
His lectures will again focus on toys, but he will add an
interactive element as he discusses the yo-yo, Frisbee®,
Hula Hoop®, Silly Putty® and Slinky®, toys with
California origins.“This time, a local yo-yo club will
demonstrate tricks to accompany my talks, and a
woman who is proficient in the hula hoop will be there
as well. I’m still looking for an expert with the Slinky.”
“And through Dwight, we were able to bring actress Ann
Miller, a Southern California legend, to Long Beach. He
interviewed her for one of the evening events, one of the
most memorable events we’ve presented.”
Bowers added,“I profited from this experience as much
as the community did. Since I spend most of my time
with objects, having the chance to speak to the
elementary school children was an exhausting, but
good, experience.”
NMAH costume collection curator emerita Claudia
Kidwell echoed Bowers’ comments.“One high school I
visited was an exceptional example of the work the
students put into their projects. They put on a fashion
show for me that was full of enthusiasm and talent.”
Shayt said that he’s delighted to be invited back,
although “all the children I spoke to are now probably in
high school.”
Van Hooten summarized Long Beach’s experiences with
the Smithsonian Scholars as a positive way to “make a
connection to our nation’s museum and receive that
fabulous education, analysis and research in our
community.”
Smithsonian Week 2008 featured the theme
The 50s: Fun, Fear and Rock ‘n’ Roll, from March 7
through March 14.
The Affiliate
SPRING 2008
5
COURTESY OF ANNMARIE GARDEN
COURTESY OF ANNMARIE GARDEN
Hirshhorn Museum
Loans to Annmarie Garden
Help Garden Grow
CARA SEITCHEK
Giacomo Manzu's Standing Cardinal.
Since 2003, Annmarie Garden has maintained a longterm partnership with the Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden (HMSG), borrowing about five
sculptures a year to display in its 30-acre wooded
property in Solomons, Maryland. This spring, Annmarie
Garden’s Affiliate relationship will broaden when it
unveils a new 15,000 square-foot gallery where, for the
first time, art can be displayed indoors.
invested a lot of their funds into this affiliation. In fact,
we now use the parameters we established for Annmarie
Garden for all other outdoor sculpture requests.”
George Rickey's Three Red Lines.
drawn from the local community, the garden has also
become an important tourist attraction with an
economic impact on the region.
An integral piece of this partnership is the willingness of “The new building reflects the many audiences we serve.
Annmarie Garden to assist with the conservation or
On any day, you could find a national exhibition,
repair of HMSG sculptures.
programming for families or seniors and an art school
class,” said Hann-Ruff.“When people see the
“We financed the repair of the Standing Cardinal by
Smithsonian name, they think ‘it must be great,’ so we
Giacomo Manzu, which had remained in storage until
“The gallery will allow Annmarie Garden to exhibit
work hard at balancing programming for both the
funding could be found,” said Hann-Ruff.“So, we sent it
other types of art and give them an opportunity to
sophisticated tourist and the local community.”
to a foundry in New York and now it is on display in our
partner with other Smithsonian units like the
garden.”
The Smithsonian connection also played an
Smithsonian American Art Museum,” said Jennifer
instrumental role in funding and creating the new
Brundage, Affiliations coordinator.
HMSG conservator Lee Aks travels to Annmarie Garden
building. State and local politicians who sponsored bond
several times a year to coordinate condition reports and
Annmarie Garden director Stacey Hann-Ruff said that
bills for the construction cited the affiliation with the
treatments with the contract conservators. He views
the gallery is just one element of constructing a new
Smithsonian as a key motivation.
Annmarie Garden as an extension of HMSG “where the
vision for the garden.“We are coming into our own as a
objects are safe and cared for at a high level.”
Maryland Senator Roy Dyson recalled his first trip to the
regional art center, which results from our success with
Smithsonian Institution as a schoolboy, and said,“The
the Hirshhorn.”
He notes that the loans also assist HMSG with storage
thought of the Smithsonian coming to Calvert County is
issues.“They get pieces for display and we get storage
She described the initial stages of their relationship with
particularly appealing to me. Instead of a two-hour trip,
space.”
HMSG as a “leap of faith.” At that time, the park
it’s a 12-mile trip to Annmarie Garden.”
contained a few sculptures, one building and modest
George Rickey’s 1966 kinetic sculpture Three Red Lines,
Maryland State Delegate Tony O’Donnell agreed, adding
landscaping.
which had been on exhibit outside the Hirshhorn for
that the affiliation brought instant credibility to the
years, became a storage problem when HMSG acquired
“The one resource we have is plenty of space, but when
project, as well as access to important resources. He
Roy Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke.
you are unknown, borrowing artworks is tricky,” she
views Annmarie Garden’s new building as a “great
added.“Now that we can show other museums that the
example
of how a local entity can cooperate with state
“The only suitable place for it was the site where the
Hirshhorn trusts us to take care of their objects, we can Rickey stood,” said Fletcher.“So we were able to lend it to and county resources and a national institution.”
approach them for loans."
Annmarie Garden.”
The gallery, slated to open Mother’s Day weekend,
She emphasizes that Annmarie Garden had to meet
reflects the local agricultural and boating industries in
The Rickey has proved to be a source of inspiration for
certain guidelines in order to win this trust.
its design, while incorporating large windows so that the
Annmarie Garden staff members, who consider it the
outdoor sculpture can be part of the indoor experience.
centerpiece to their garden. Not only did its bright red
“The Smithsonian sets high standards, so it’s a
color inspire the color scheme for the new building, but For the first time, Annmarie Garden will have a gift
relationship that we did not enter lightly. We had to add a
shop, a café and a place to host traveling exhibitions.
it also inspired the first art exhibition to be held in the
security fence around our site and install security
Designed
by Annapolis firm Wheeler Goodman Masek
lower exhibition gallery.
cameras. We always make sure we use conservators that
and Associates Inc., the building will be Calvert County’s
the Hirshhorn has approved and the transportation
“We are curating our own show, called re.action, which
first purpose-built, stand-alone art gallery.
companies that they use. The reality is to have the best
will focus on movement, the illusion of movement and
people, the best equipment and the best materials for the actual movement,” said Hann-Ruff.“We know from the
Duane W. Beckhorn, president of the Koenig Private
best results.”
Foundation
that operates the garden, said,“Annmarie
Rickey that movement is engaging and accessible to all
Garden is now entitled to call itself an arts center. Our
audiences and levels.”
HMSG sculpture curator Valerie J. Fletcher agreed.“We
affiliation with the Smithsonian has been mutually
have both worked very hard to make this a profitable
The new art building will help Annmarie Garden serve
beneficial.”
partnership. They have met all our conditions and
its many audiences. While the bulk of its members are
6 The Affiliate
SPRING 2008
National Museum of Dentistry Enhances G.V. Black Exhibition
with New Smithsonian Loan
CARA SEITCHEK
AMY PELSINSKY
founded by Congress in 1852. Many buildings at St.
Elizabeths feature the same Gothic Revival architectural
style as the Castle.
“The first Smithsonian Secretary sat on the board of St.
Elizabeths. At that time, it was a long carriage ride
between the Castle and the Hospital, so he often spent a
night there before a board meeting,” said Stamm.“When
St. Elizabeths closed its doors, they called us and we
received about 100 pieces from their inventory.”
The enhanced vignette, which opened in September
2007, also features Black’s dental chair with swan
armrests, the foot-powered drill that Black invented, a
wall cabinet containing his instruments and a wallmounted bracket table with a wooden arm that kept his
instruments within easy reach.
Many of the items pictured here are on loan from the Smithsonian, including G.V. Black's Archer
dental chair and the foot-powered dental engine he invented.
For more than 12 years, the Dr. Samuel D. Harris
National Museum of Dentistry (NMD) in Baltimore,
Maryland has interpreted the life of G.V. Black,
considered the father of American dentistry, through an
exhibition that showcases artifacts on loan from the
National Museum of American History (NMAH). In
2001, NMD became a Smithsonian Affiliate, a
collaboration that has been instrumental in the
museum’s growth.
“We’ve had a strong connection with the Smithsonian
since the beginning of our museum, but our
relationship has only grown through the Affiliations
program, which gives us more access to the Institution,”
said Rosemary C. Fetter, NMD executive director.“In the
dental community, the Smithsonian name is a source of
instant credibility.”
NMD, designated by Congress in 2004 as the official
museum of the dental profession, is committed to
raising awareness of the importance of oral health.
NMD’s traveling exhibitions have reached more than
two million people at children’s and science museums
around the country.
One recent loan connected NMD with a new partner, the
Smithsonian Castle Collection, a working collection of
19th century furniture intended for use in Smithsonian
offices.
“We decided to enhance our G.V. Black exhibition, which
recreates what his dental office looked like in 1870. We
knew the American History Museum was closed, so
Smithsonian Affiliations suggested the Castle
Collection,” said Scott D. Swank, NMD curator.
The Castle Collection comprises more than 3,300 pieces
of 19th century furniture, lighting fixtures, porcelain,
glass and other decorative arts objects, whose purpose
is to furnish the offices, halls and reception rooms of the
Smithsonian Castle and maintain its historic ambiance.
“We consider this a working collection,” said Richard
Stamm, curator for the Castle Collection.“About 80
percent of the collection is in use, although since the
Arts and Industries Building closed, more of the
collection is in storage now.”
When Swank and Stamm met, they discussed the time
period and the desired effect of the office vignette.
Black’s descendents, who have maintained a relationship
with NMD, had looked through family documents and
papers to provide photographs and images of how
Black’s office and home had been decorated.
“The Castle pieces worked out perfectly for us. We
wanted to display Black’s office ledgers, and since this
furniture is meant to be used, we can display them on a
desk as if Black were using them,” said Swank.
NMD borrowed five objects from the Castle Collection; a
Rococo Revival side chair, a Captain’s armchair, a
Colonial Revival candlestand, a 19th century coat tree
and a wall desk typical for a 19th century office.
The armchair, one of a set of six, came to the
Smithsonian through St. Elizabeths hospital, which was
To complement the Castle Collection loan, NMD added
other enhancements to the exhibition, including a lifesize figure of Black and a computer kiosk, both made
possible by three generations of Black’s descendents,
through a grant from their Malott Family Foundation.
“Black’s family found his Civil War discharge papers,
which gave us his height, weight, eye and hair color,”
said Amy Pelsinsky, NMD director of communications.
“The museum owns a bronze sculpture of Black, so the
company creating the figure used these objects to create
the new model.”
The computer kiosk contains images of Black’s office
that visitors can touch to access detailed information
about the objects on display. It also features an
interactive photograph album that visitors can “page”
through to view images of Black’s home and family,
learn about his inventions, scientific breakthroughs and
the legacy of his work.
“We wanted to humanize Black, make him more real
and show that he was more than a dentist,” said Fetter.
Black, who served as the first Dean for the Northwestern
University Dental School, conducted pioneering
research on tooth anatomy, which led him to develop
techniques for filling cavities that are still in use today.
He was also the first to use nitrous oxide for extracting
teeth painlessly, created the silver amalgam filling and
classified tooth decay into five categories.
Judy M. Chelnick, NMAH associate curator of medicine
and science, said that the Black exhibition tells an
important story in American dentistry.“The history of
dentistry is an acquired taste, but everyone can relate to
visiting the dentist.”
The Affiliate
SPRING 2008
7
CONNECTICUT – Hunt Hill Farm in New
Milford remounted the popular exhibition,
Skitch Henderson: A Man & His Music,
providing an exciting glimpse into the life
and career of an American icon, through
March 1, 2008. Also, on March 1,
Smithsonian curator Dwight Blocker
NYSE EURONEXT
CALIFORNIA – From March 8 through
May 18, 2008, the Historical Society of
Long Beach presents the SITES exhibition
The Way We Worked: Photographs from
the National Archives as part of the Arts
COLORADO – Visitors to Littleton
Historical Museum will enjoy a selection
of powerful portraits when the museum
hosts the SITES exhibition In Focus:
National Geographic’s Greatest Portraits
from April 5 through June 1, 2008.
John Herzog, chairman, along with staff and supporters, rings the opening bell at the New York Stock
Exchange to herald the opening of the Museum of American Finance's new facility.
Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300
MRC 942 PO BOX 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
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G-94
Council for Long Beach's Smithsonian
Week in Long Beach (see article on pages
4–5). Spanning the years 1857-1987, the
photos document American workplaces,
work clothing, working conditions, and
workplace conflicts.
Bowers was at the farm to give a talk
about Henderson's unique life and his
many passions. Henderson, whose vibrant
career closely parallels the development of
20th-century American music, had a broad
range of personal interests, from cooking
to 19th-century metal banks.
MARYLAND – On February 10, College
Park Aviation Museum welcomed
Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty who
discussed African American contributions
to aviation and space history.
MISSISSIPPI –
Biloxi’s Ohr-O’Keefe
Museum of Art held
a public celebration
of rebuilding on
December 1, 2007
affording visitors a
glimpse of the
construction of
several new facilities
that was halted by
Hurricane Katrina in
2005.
PENNSYLVANIA – The National Museum
of American Jewish History held a
groundbreaking ceremony for a new
building on Independence Mall in
Philadelphia on September 30, 2007.
Senator Arlen Specter
(R-PA), Governor Edward
Rendell and Mayor John
Street were
distinguished guests.
SOUTH CAROLINA –
Visitors to York County
Culture and Heritage
Commission in Rock
Hill got an early taste
of holiday cheer when
Smithsonian curator
William Lawrence Bird
discussed his book
Holidays on Display on
December 2, 2007.
NEW JERSEY –
From December 1,
2007 through
Apple Pickers by Nicolai Cikovsky is on loan to The Long TEXAS – From
February 24, 2008
Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages
Our Journeys/Our
November 3, 2007
from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Stories, a traveling
through January 13,
exhibition from the Smithsonian Latino
2008, visitors to Dallas were able to
Center, was on view at the New Jersey
witness the genesis of the modern Civil
Historical Society in Newark. Then, on
Rights movement by visiting the inspiring
March 15, the society hosted the SITES
SITES exhibition 381 Days: The
Montgomery Bus Boycott at the African
exhibition Feast Your Eyes: The
Unexpected Beauty of Vegetable Gardens
American Museum.
through December 31, 2008.
NEW YORK - On January 10, amid much
fanfare and positive press coverage, the
Museum of American Finance opened in
its new home, complete with new
exhibitions, at 48 Wall Street, home of the
former Bank of New York, in New York City.
• In Stony Brook, The Long Island
Museum of American Art, History and
Carriages presents A Russian Artist on
Long Island: David Burliuk and the
Hampton Bays Art Group, an exhibition
that includes paintings on loan from the
Smithsonian American Art Museum, and
the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden through July 13, 2008. Then,
beginning on March 15, the museum will
host the exhibition Our Journeys/Our
Stories through June 8, 2008.
PHOTO BY EDGEWORTH, COURTESY OF THE
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
ALABAMA – The U.S. Space & Rocket
Center in Huntsville opened the new
Davidson Center for Space Exploration on
January 31, 2008. The 62,500 square foot,
$23.4 million facility houses a new visitor
center and the newly-restored Saturn V
500D/F rocket, on loan from the
Smithsonian Institution.
News about Smithsonian Affiliates
MIKE FISCHER, SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
SMITHSONIAN IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Native girls packing pineapple into cans in Hawaii, 1928,
from the exhibition The Way We Worked .
— Lonna B. Seibert
We extend a warm
welcome to our newest
Smithsonian Affiliates:
Historic Arkansas Museum
Little Rock, Arkansas
Mennello Museum of American Art
Orlando, Florida
Kenosha Public Museum
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Naples Museum of Art
Naples, Florida