Smithsonian Institution

"Smithsonian" redirects here. For other uses, see Smithsonian (disambiguation).
Smithsonian Institution

Logo

Flag
Location within the US
Established August 10, 1846
Location Washington, D.C.; Chantilly, Virginia; New York City
Coordinates 38°53′20″N 77°01′34″W / 38.889°N 77.026°W / 38.889; -77.026Coordinates: 38°53′20″N 77°01′34″W / 38.889°N 77.026°W / 38.889; -77.026
Director David J. Skorton, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Website www.si.edu

The Smithsonian Institution (/smɪθˈsoʊniən/ smith-SOE-nee-ən), established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States.[1] Originally organized as the "United States National Museum," that name ceased to exist as an administrative entity in 1967.[2] Termed "the nation's attic"[3] for its eclectic holdings of 138 million items,[4] the Institution's nineteen museums, nine research centers, and zoo include historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in the District of Columbia.[5] Additional facilities are located in Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York City, Virginia, Texas, and Panama. More than 200 institutions and museums in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama are Smithsonian Affiliates[6][7] The Institution's thirty million annual visitors[8] are admitted without charge. The institution's annual budget is around $1.2 billion with 2/3 coming from annual federal appropriations.[9] Other funding comes from the Institution's endowment, private and corporate contributions, membership dues, and earned retail, concession, and licensing revenue.[4] Institution publications include Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines.

Founding

The "Castle" (1847), the Institution's first building and still its headquarters

The British scientist James Smithson (d. 1829) left most of his wealth to his nephew Henry James Hungerford. When Hungerford died childless in 1835,[10] the estate passed "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men", in accordance with Smithson's will.[11] Congress officially accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation, and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836.[12] The American diplomat Richard Rush was dispatched to England by President Andrew Jackson to collect the bequest. Rush returned in August 1838 with 105 sacks containing 104,960 gold sovereigns (about $500,000 at the time, which is equivalent to $11,130,000 in 2015).[13][14]

Once the money was in hand, eight years of Congressional haggling ensued over how to interpret Smithson's rather vague mandate "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."[12][14] Unfortunately, the money was invested by the US Treasury in bonds issued by the state of Arkansas which soon defaulted. After heated debate, Massachusetts Representative (and ex-President) John Quincy Adams persuaded Congress to restore the lost funds with interest[15] and, despite designs on the money for other purposes, convinced his colleagues to preserve it for an institution of science and learning.[16] Finally, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed the legislation that established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust instrumentality of the United States, to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian.[12]

Development

Though the Smithsonian's first Secretary, Joseph Henry, wanted the Institution to be a center for scientific research,[17] it also became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections.[18] The United States Exploring Expedition by the U.S. Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842.[19] The voyage amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 plant specimens, and diverse shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater, and ethnographic artifacts from the South Pacific Ocean.[19] These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections,[20] as did those collected by several military and civilian surveys of the American West, including the Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many Native American artifacts and natural history specimens.[21]

In 1846, the regents developed a plan for weather observation; in 1847, money was appropriated for meteorological research.[22] The Institution became a magnet for young scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the Megatherium Club.[23]

The Smithsonian played a critical role as the U.S. partner institution in early bilateral scientific exchanges with the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.[24]

When the Detroit philanthropist Charles Lang Freer donated his private collection to the Smithsonian and funds to build the museum to hold it (which was named the Freer Gallery), it was among the Smithsonian's first major donations from a private individual.[25] The gallery opened in 1923.[26]

In 2011, the Smithsonian undertook its first-ever capital fundraising campaign.[27] The $1.5 billion effort raised $1 billion at the three-year mark. Smithsonian officials made the campaign public in October 2014 in an effort to raise the remaining $500 million. More than 60,000 individuals and organizations donated money to the campaign by the time it went public.[28] This included 192 gifts of at least $1 million.[28] Members of the boards of directors of various Smithsonian museums donated $372 million.[28] The Smithsonian said that funds raised will go toward completion of the National Museum of African American History and Culture building, and renovations of the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of American History, and the Renwick Gallery.[28] A smaller amount of funds will go to educational initiatives and digitization of collections.[28]

Museums

Aircraft on display at the National Air and Space Museum, including a Ford Trimotor and Douglas DC-3 (top and second from top)

Nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoological Park, comprise the Smithsonian museums.[29] Eleven are on the National Mall, the park that runs between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Other museums are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., with two more in New York City and one in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian has close ties with 168 other museums in 39 states, Panama, and Puerto Rico.[29] These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated museums. Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in the form of long-term loans. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions. In 2008, 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country.[29]

The Smithsonian Institution announced in January 2015 that it is in talks to build its first permanent overseas exhibition space within London's Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park.[30]

Collections

Smithsonian collections include 156 million artworks, artifacts, and specimens. The National Museum of Natural History houses 145 million of these specimens and artifacts. The Collections Search Center has 9.9 million digital records available online. The Smithsonian Institution Libraries hold 2 million library volumes. Smithsonian Archives hold 156,830 cubic feet of archival material.[31] The Smithsonian Institution has different categories of collection displays that you can visit at the museum such as its Historical collections. In 1912, the First Lady Helen Herron Taft had donated her gown to the museum for the First Ladies' Gown display. The museum also has on display for its visitors treasures such as the Star-Spangled Banner, and the stove pipe hat that was worn by President Lincoln. They also have the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz. The institution also has the original Teddy Bear that was named after President Theodore Roosevelt.[32] In 2016, the Smithsonian's Air & Space museum curators restored the original Enterprise from the original Star Trek TV series.[33]

Research centers and programs

The following is a list of Smithsonian research centers, with their affiliated museum in parentheses:

Also of note is the Smithsonian Museum Support Center (MSC), located in Silver Hill, Maryland (Suitland), which is the principal off-site conservation and collections facility for multiple Smithsonian museums, primarily the National Museum of Natural History. The MSC was dedicated in May 1983.[37] The MSC covers 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) of land, with over 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of space, making it one of the largest set of structures in the Smithsonian. It has over 12 miles (19 km) of cabinets, and more than 31 million objects.

Smithsonian Latino Center

In 1997, the Smithsonian Latino Center was created as a way to recognize Latinos across the Smithsonian Institution. The primary purpose of the center is to place Latino contributions to the arts, history, science, and national culture across the Smithsonian's museums and research centers.[38]

The center is a division of the Smithsonian Institution.[39] As of May 2016, the center is run by an executive director, Eduardo Díaz.[40]

History

At the time of its creation, the Smithsonian Institution had other entities dedicated to other minority groups: National Museum of the American Indian, Freer-Sackler Gallery for Asian Arts and Culture, African Art Museum, and the National Museum of African-American Heritage and Culture.[41]

The opening of the center was prompted, in part, by the publishing of a report called "Willful Neglect: The Smithsonian and U.S. Latinos".[41]

According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, when former Latino Center executive director Pilar O'Leary first took the job, the center faced employees who had "serious performance issues". No performance plans existed for the staff and unfulfilled financial obligations to sponsors existed. The website's quality was poor, and the center did not have a public affairs manager, a programs director, adequate human resources support, or cohesive mission statement.[41]

After difficult times in the first few years, the center improved. According to the Smithsonian, the center "support[s] scholarly research, exhibitions, public and educational programs, web-based content and virtual platforms, and collections and archives. [It] also manage[s] leadership and professional development programs for Latino youth, emerging scholars and museum professionals."[38] Today, the website features a high-tech virtual museum.[42]

Young Ambassadors Program

The Smithsonian Latino Center's Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) is a program within the Latino Center that reaches out to Latino high school students with the goal of encouraging them to become leaders in arts, sciences, and the humanities.[43]

Students selected for the program travel to Washington, D.C. for an "enrichment seminar" that lasts approximately five days. Afterwards, students return to their communities to serve in a paid, one-month internship.[39]

Pilar O'Leary launched the program when she served as executive director of the Smithsonian Latino Center.[44] According to the Latino Center, O'Leary told the press in 2007: "Our goal is to help our Young Ambassadors become the next generation of leaders in the arts and culture fields. This program encourages students to be proud of their roots and learn more about their cultural heritage to inspire them to educate the public in their own communities about how Latinos are enriching America's cultural fabric."[39]

Publications

The Institution publishes Smithsonian magazine monthly and Air & Space magazine bimonthly. Smithsonian was the result of Secretary of the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley asking the retired editor of Life magazine Edward K. Thompson to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian Institution is interested, might be interested or ought to be interested."[45] Another Secretary of the Smithsonian, Walter Boyne, founded Air & Space.[46][47]

Administration

The Smithsonian Castle doorway

The Smithsonian Institution was established as a trust instrumentality by act of Congress.[48] More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services oversees security at the Smithsonian facilities and enforces laws and regulations for National Capital Parks together with the United States Park Police.

The President's 2011 budget proposed just under $800 million in support for the Smithsonian, slightly increased from previous years. Institution exhibits are free of charge, though in 2010 the Deficit Commission recommended admission fees.[49][50]

As approved by Congress on August 10, 1846, the legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization.[48] This 17-member board meets at least four times a year and includes as ex officio members the Chief Justice of the United States and the Vice President of the United States. The nominal head of the Institution is the Chancellor, an office which has traditionally been held by the Chief Justice. In September 2007, the board created the position of Chair of the Board of Regents, a position currently held by John W. McCarter of Illinois.[51]

Other members of the Board of Regents are three members of the U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House; three members of the Senate, appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate; and nine citizen members, nominated by the board and approved by the Congress in a joint resolution signed by the President of the United States.[52] Regents who are senators or representatives serve for the duration of their elected terms, while citizen Regents serve a maximum of two six-year terms. Regents are compensated on a part-time basis.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Smithsonian is the Secretary, who is appointed by the Board of Regents. The Secretary also serves as secretary to the Board of Regents, but is not a voting member of that body. The Secretary of the Smithsonian has the privilege of the floor at the United States Senate. There have been 12 Secretaries. On September 18, 2013, Secretary G. Wayne Clough announced he would retire in October 2014. The Smithsonian Board of Regents said it has asked regent John McCarter, Jr. to lead a search committee. The search committee will consist of other regents and representatives from Smithsonian museums and centers.[53]

On March 10, 2014, the Smithsonian Board of Directors selected Dr. David Skorton, a physician and president of Cornell University as the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian. Skorton took the reins of the institution on 1 July 2015.[54]

Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution

Controversies

Enola Gay display

In 1995, controversy arose over the exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum associated with display of the Enola Gay, the Superfortress used by the United States to execute the first atomic bombing in World War II. The American Legion and Air Force Association believed the exhibit put forward only one side of the debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that it emphasized the effect on the victims without the overall context of the war. The Smithsonian changed the exhibit, displaying the aircraft only with associated technical data and without discussion of its historic role in the war.

Censorship of "Seasons of Life and Land"

In 2003, a National Museum of Natural History exhibit, Subhankar Banerjee's Seasons of Life and Land, featuring photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, was censored and moved to the basement by Smithsonian officials because they feared that its subject matter was too politically controversial.[55]

In November 2007, The Washington Post reported internal criticism has been raised regarding the institution's handling of the exhibit on the Arctic. According to documents and e-mails, the exhibit and its associated presentation were edited at high levels to add "scientific uncertainty" regarding the nature and impact of global warming on the Arctic. Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Cristián Samper was interviewed by the Post, and claimed the exhibit was edited because it contained conclusions that went beyond what could be proven by contemporary climatology.[56] The Smithsonian is now a participant in the U.S. Global Change Research Program.[57]

Copyright restrictions

The Smithsonian Institution provides access to its image collections for educational, scholarly, and nonprofit uses. Commercial uses are generally restricted unless permission is obtained. Smithsonian images fall into different copyright categories; some are protected by copyright, many are subject to license agreements or other contractual conditions, and some fall into the public domain, such as those prepared by Smithsonian employees as part of their official duties. The Smithsonian's terms of use for its digital content, including images, are set forth on the Smithsonian Web site.[58][59]

In April 2006, the institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for its vast silent and public domain film archives with Showtime Networks, mainly for use on the Smithsonian Channel, a network created from this deal. Critics contend this agreement effectively gives Showtime control over the film archives, as it requires filmmakers to obtain permission from the network to use extensive amounts of film footage from the Smithsonian archives.[60]

The Smithsonian contends independent producers continue to have unchanged access to the institution and its collections as they had prior to the agreement. The process to gain access to film at the Smithsonian remains the same. Since January 2006, independent producers have made more than 500 requests to film in the museums and collections, and/or to use archival footage and photos.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Barlow, William (1847). The Smithsonian Institution, "for the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Among Men": An Address on the Duties of Government, in Reference Chiefly to Public Instruction : with the Outlines of a Plan for the Application of the Smithsonian Fund to that Object. B.R. Barlow.
  2. ↑ "Smithsonian History > National Museum of American History". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ Kernan, Michael (November 1997). "A Real Nation's Attic". Smithsonianmag.com.
  4. 1 2 "About the Smithsonian".
  5. ↑ Leaf, Jesse (2007-03-13). The Everything Family Guide To Washington D.C.: All the Best Hotels, Restaurants, Sites, and Attractions. Everything Books. ISBN 1-4405-2411-4.:57
  6. ↑ Kurin, Richard (2013-10-29). The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects Deluxe. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-698-15520-6.
  7. ↑ https://affiliations.si.edu/
  8. ↑ "Visitor Statistics | Newsdesk". Newsdesk.si.edu. May 31, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ http://dashboard.si.edu/budget-federal-appropriations
  10. ↑ Goode, George Brown (1897). The Smithsonian Institution, 1846–1896, The History of Its First Half Century. Washington, D.C.: De Vinne Press. p. 25.
  11. ↑ "James Smithson – Founder of the Smithsonian, Last Will and Testament". Smithsonian Scrapbook: Letters, Diaries and Photographs from the Smithsonian Archives. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 "Founding of the Smithsonian Institution". Fact Sheets, Smithsonian Newsdesk. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  13. ↑ Heather Ewing, The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian, pp. 323–24, 330, 409. Ewing notes that it would be the equivalent of over $10 million today, using one index, but using a per-capita share of GDP, it would be the equivalent of over $220 million. It was close to the total of Harvard University's endowment at that point, which had accumulated for nearly 200 years by the 1830s and was not the result of a single gift, as Smithson's was.
  14. 1 2 Ottesen, Carole (2011). A Guide to Smithsonian Gardens. Smithsonian Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-58834-300-0.
  15. ↑ "Smithsonian Information Brochure", Smithsonian Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center, May 2009
  16. ↑ Nagel, Paul (1999). "John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life". Harvard University Press. p. 348.
  17. ↑ Orosz, Joel J. (2002-06-28). Curators and Culture: The Museum Movement in America, 1740-1870. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-1204-6.:155
  18. ↑ Orosz, Joel J. (2002-06-28). Curators and Culture: The Museum Movement in America, 1740-1870. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-1204-6.:157
  19. 1 2 Benson, Keith Rodney; Rehbock, Philip F. (2002). Oceanographic History: The Pacific and Beyond. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98239-7.:532
  20. ↑ Adler, Antony (2011-05-01). "From the Pacific to the Patent Office: The US Exploring Expedition and the origins of America's first national museum". Journal of the History of Collections. 23 (1): 49–74. doi:10.1093/jhc/fhq002. ISSN 0954-6650.
  21. ↑ Baird, S. F.; Emory, W. H. Report on the United States and Mexican boundary survey. Рипол Классик. ISBN 978-5-88160-802-6.:13
  22. ↑  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Smithsonian Institution". Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  23. ↑ Merrill, Marlene Deahl (1999). Yellowstone and the Great West: Journals, Letters, and Images from the 1871 Hayden Expedition. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p. 220. ISBN 0803231482. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  24. ↑ Pastrana, Sergio Jorge. "Building a Lasting Cuba-U.S. Bridge through Science". Science & Diplomacy. Science & Diplomacy.
  25. ↑ Gunter, Ann Clyburn (2002). A Collector's Journey: Charles Lang Freer and Egypt. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. ISBN 978-1-85759-297-9.:96
  26. ↑ Fortier, Alison (2014-05-06). A History Lover's Guide to Washington, D.C.: Designed for Democracy. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-62585-064-5.:110
  27. ↑ Kelly, Kathleen S. (2012-12-06). Effective Fund-Raising Management. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-69399-2.:79
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 McGlone, Peggy (October 20, 2014). "Smithsonian Announces $1.5 Billion Fundraising Effort". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  29. 1 2 3 Facts about the Smithsonian Institution. newsdesk.si.edu (Pressroom of the Smithsonian Institution). Retrieved February 19, 2011
  30. ↑ "Smithsonian considers London outpost in Olympic Park". BBC News.
  31. ↑ Smithsonian Collections
  32. ↑ http://search.credoreference.com.jsrvproxyl.sunyjcc.edu/content/entry/jhueas/smithsonian_institution/0
  33. ↑ "Smithsonian Sets Phasers To Restore On Original Starship Enterprise". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  34. ↑ Roby, Marguerite. "Smithsonian Institution Archives". Siarchives.si.edu. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Smithsonian Latino Center". Latino.si.edu. March 16, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Smithsonian Science Education Center". ssec.si.edu. July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Smithsonian reveals its hidden treasures". The Washington Times. August 16, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  38. 1 2 "About the Center". latino.si.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  39. 1 2 3 Lara, Isabel (2007-06-26). "Smithsonian Latino Center's Young Ambassadors Arrive for Week of Cultural Programs in Washington, D.C." (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  40. ↑ "Smithsonian Latino Center Staff". latino.si.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  41. 1 2 3 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/documents/smithsonian/OlearyIGdeclaration.pdf
  42. ↑ "Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum". latino.si.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  43. ↑ "Young Ambassadors Program". latino.si.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  44. ↑ "Con Sabor!". Washington Life Magazine "Substance and Style" Issue. 2006. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  45. ↑ Winfrey, Carey (October 2005), Noxious Bogs & Amorous Elephants: Smithsonian's birth, 35 years ago, only hinted at the splendors to follow, Smithsonian
  46. ↑ D, Walker, Paul (2010-09-23). Truman's Dilemma: Invasion Or the Bomb. Pelican Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4556-1335-9.:269
  47. ↑ Boyne, Walter (2011-03-04). How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4556-1568-1.:353
  48. 1 2 Stam, David H. (2001). International Dictionary of Library Histories, Volume 1 & 2. London: Routledge. p. 702. ISBN 978-1-136-77785-1. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  49. ↑ "$200 BILLION IN ILLUSTRATIVE SAVINGS" (PDF). FiscalCommission.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Smithsonian Responds to Deficit Commission's Recommendation on Admission Fees | Newsdesk". Newsdesk.si.edu. November 12, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  51. ↑ "Smithsonian Board of Regents (in the "Newsdesk" section of the SI web site)". June 7, 2015.
  52. ↑ Smithsonian Press Kit Archived April 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  53. ↑ Cooper, Rebecca. "Smithsonian Chief Will Retire in 2014." Washington Business Journal. September 18, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2013.
  54. 1 2 Parker, Lonnae O'Neal Parker and Boyle, Katherine. "Smithsonian Institution Names Cornell President As Its 13th Secretary." Washington Post. March 10, 2014. Accessed March 10, 2014.
  55. ↑ Trescott, Jacqueline (May 21, 2003). "Smithsonian's Arctic Refuge Exhibit Draws Senate Scrutiny". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  56. ↑ Grimaldi, James V.; Trescott, Jacqueline (November 16, 2007). "Scientists Fault Climate Exhibit Changes". Washington Post. p. 4. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  57. ↑ "Integrating federal research and solutions for climate and global change". Participating Departments and Agencies. U.S. Global Change Research Program. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  58. ↑ "Terms of use of this website". Si.edu. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  59. ↑ "Smithsonian Images-Copyright". Smithsonianimages.si.edu. January 13, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  60. ↑ Wyatt, Edward (April 1, 2006). "Smithsonian Agreement Angers Filmmakers". New York Times,. Retrieved May 23, 2010.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smithsonian Institution.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.