The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...
s and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
and
research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the
U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist
James Smithson.
It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.
Called "the nation's attic" for its eclectic holdings of 154 million items,
the institution's 19 museums, 21 libraries, nine research centers, and zoo include historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
. Additional facilities are located in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
,
New York, and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
. More than 200 institutions and museums in 45
states,
[States without Smithsonian Affiliates: ]Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...
, Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
are
Smithsonian Affiliate
Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational st ...
s. Institution publications include ''
Smithsonian'' and ''
Air & Space'' magazines.
The institution's 30 million annual visitors are admitted without charge. Its annual budget is around $1.25 billion, with two-thirds coming from annual federal appropriations. Other funding comes from the institution's
endowment
Endowment most often refers to:
*A term for human penis size
It may also refer to: Finance
* Financial endowment, pertaining to funds or property donated to institutions or individuals (e.g., college endowment)
*Endowment mortgage, a mortgage to ...
, private and corporate contributions, membership dues, and earned retail, concession, and licensing revenue.
As of 2021, the institution's endowment had a total value of about $5.4 billion.
Founding
In many ways, the origin of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to a group of Washington citizens who, being "impressed with the importance of forming an association for promoting useful knowledge," met on June 28, 1816, to establish the
Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences (1816–1838) was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush (1772–1843), a naval surgeon. Thomas Law had earlier suggested of such a soci ...
. Officers were elected in October 1816, and the organization was granted a charter by Congress on April 20, 1818 (this charter expired in 1838).
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was an Anglo-American neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dra ...
, who was architect for the US Capitol after the War of 1812, and
William Thornton, the architect who designed
the Octagon House and
Tudor Place, would serve as officers. Other prominent members, who numbered from 30 to 70 during the institute's existence, included
John Quincy Adams,
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
,
Henry Clay, Judge
William Cranch, and
James Hoban. Honorary members included
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
,
James Monroe,
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
,
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, and the
Marquis de Lafayette. Operating expenses were covered from the $5 yearly dues collected from each member.
The institute proposed a number of undertakings. These included the study of plant life and the creation of a botanical garden on the Capitol Mall, an examination of the country's mineral production, improvement in the management and care of livestock, and the writing of a topographical and statistical history of the United States. Reports were to be published periodically to share this knowledge with the greater public, but due to a lack of funds, this initially did not occur. The institute first met in Blodget's Hotel, later in the Treasury Department and City Hall, before being assigned a permanent home in 1824 in the Capitol building.
Beginning in 1825, weekly sittings were arranged during sessions of Congress for the reading of scientific and literary productions, but this was continued for only a short time, as the number attending declined rapidly. Eighty-five communications by 26 people were made to Congress during the entire life of the society, with more than a half relating to astronomy or mathematics. Among all the activities planned by the institute, only a few were actually implemented. Two were the establishment of a botanical garden, and a museum that was designed to have a national and permanent status. The former occupied space where the present
Botanic Garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
sits.
The museum contained specimens of zoology, botany, archeology, fossils, etc., some of which were passed on to the Smithsonian Institution after its formation. The institute's charter expired in 1838, but its spirit lived on in the
National Institution, founded in 1840. With the mission to "promote science and the useful arts, and to establish a national museum of natural history," this organization continued to press Congress to establish a museum that would be structured in terms that were very similar to those finally incorporated into the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. Its work helped to develop an underlying philosophy that pushed for the pursuit and development of scientific knowledge that would benefit the nation, and edify its citizens at the same time.
The British scientist
James Smithson (1765–1829) left most of his wealth to his nephew Henry James Hungerford. When Hungerford died childless in 1835,
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.
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.
The American diplomat
Richard Rush was dispatched to England by President
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
to collect the bequest. Rush returned in August 1838 with 105 sacks containing 104,960
gold sovereigns. This is approximately $500,000 at the time, which is or . However, when considering the GDP at the time it may be more comparable to $220 million in the year 2007.
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".
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 former president)
John Quincy Adams persuaded Congress to restore the lost funds with interest and, despite designs on the money for other purposes, convinced his colleagues to preserve it for an institution of science and learning. 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.
Development
Though the Smithsonian's first secretary,
Joseph Henry, wanted the institution to be a center for scientific research, it also became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections. The
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
by the
U.S. Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842.
The voyage amassed thousands of animal specimens, an
herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (calle ...
of 50,000 plant specimens, and diverse shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater, and
ethnographic artifacts from the
South Pacific Ocean.
These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those collected by several military and civilian surveys of the
American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
, including the
Mexican Boundary Survey and
Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many
Native American artifacts and
natural history specimens.
In 1846, the regents developed a plan for weather observation; in 1847, money was appropriated for meteorological research. The institution became a magnet for young
scientists
A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophi ...
from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the
Megatherium Club.
The Smithsonian played a critical role as the U.S. partner institution in early bilateral scientific exchanges with the
Academy of Sciences of Cuba
The Cuban Academy of Sciences (''Academia de Ciencias de Cuba'') is an official institution of the Cuban state, with headquarters in the National Capitol building in Havana. It is described as the oldest active national academy of sciences outsi ...
.
Museums and buildings
Construction began on the
Smithsonian Institution Building ("the Castle") in 1849. Designed by architect
James Renwick Jr.
James Renwick Jr. (born November 11, 1818, Bloomingdale, in Upper Manhattan, New York City – June 23, 1895, New York City) was an American architect in the 19th century. ''The Encyclopedia of American Architecture'' calls him "one of the most ...
, its interiors were completed by general contractor Gilbert Cameron. The building opened in 1855.
The Smithsonian's first expansion came with the construction of the
Arts and Industries Building in 1881. Congress had promised to build a new structure for the museum if the 1876
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition generated enough income. It did, and the building was designed by architects
Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze, based on original plans developed by
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Montgomery C. Meigs
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Meigs strongly opposed sec ...
of the
. It opened in 1881.
The
National Zoological Park opened in 1889 to accommodate the Smithsonian's Department of Living Animals.
The park was designed by landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
.
The
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...
opened in June 1911 to similarly accommodate the Smithsonian's United States National Museum, which had previously been housed in the Castle and then the Arts and Industries Building. This structure was designed by the D.C. architectural firm of
Hornblower & Marshall.
When
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
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. The gallery opened in 1923.
More than 40 years would pass before the next museum, the Museum of History and Technology (renamed the
National Museum of American History in 1980), opened in 1964. It was designed by the world-renowned firm of
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
. The
Anacostia Community Museum, an "experimental store-front" museum created at the initiative of Smithsonian Secretary
S. Dillon Ripley
S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet.
S may also refer to:
History
* an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics
* Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where "s ...
, opened in the
Anacostia
Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is nam ...
neighborhood of
Washington, D.C., in 1967.
That same year, the Smithsonian signed an agreement to take over the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration (now the
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum). The
National Portrait Gallery and the
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds ...
opened in the
Old Patent Office Building
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
* Old, Baranya, Hungary
* Old, Northamptonshire, England
* Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...
(built in 1867) on October 7, 1968. The reuse of an older building continued with the opening of the
Renwick Gallery in 1972 in the 1874 Renwick-designed art gallery originally built by local philanthropist
William Wilson Corcoran to house the
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University.
Overview
The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desig ...
.
The first new museum building to open since the National Museum of History and Technology was the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1974. The
National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian's largest in terms of floor space, opened in June 1976.
Eleven years later, the
National Museum of African Art and the
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is an art museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., focusing on Asian art. The Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art together form the National Museum of Asian Art in the United States. Th ...
opened in a new, joint, underground museum between the Freer Gallery and the Smithsonian Castle.
Reuse of another old building came in 1993 with the opening of the
National Postal Museum in the 1904 former
City Post Office building, a few city blocks from the Mall.
In 2004, the Smithsonian opened the
National Museum of the American Indian in a new building near the
United States Capitol. Twelve years later almost to the day, in 2016, the latest museum opened: the
National Museum of African American History and Culture, in a new building near the
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...
.
Two more museums have been established and are being planned for eventual construction on the mall: the
National Museum of the American Latino
The National Museum of the American Latino is a future Smithsonian Institution museum dedicated to highlighting the contributions of American Latinos in U.S. history and culture.Abbady, Tal. "A Museum of Their Own." ''Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel ...
and the
Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum is a future Smithsonian Institution museum dedicated to women's history, to be located in Washington, DC. The museum was established by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, ...
.
Capital campaigns
In 2011, the Smithsonian undertook its first-ever capital fundraising campaign. 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.
This included 192 gifts of at least $1 million.
Members of the boards of directors of various Smithsonian museums donated $372 million.
The Smithsonian said that funds raised would 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.
A smaller amount of funds would go to educational initiatives and digitization of collections.
As of September 2017, the Smithsonian claimed to have raised $1.79 billion, with three months left in the formal campaign calendar.
Separately from the major capital campaign, the Smithsonian has begun fundraising through
Kickstarter. An example is a campaign to fund the preservation and maintenance of the
ruby slippers worn by
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
for her role as
Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film ''
The Wizard of Oz''.
Museums
Nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the
National Zoological Park, comprise the Smithsonian museums.
[Facts about the Smithsonian Institution](_blank)
. newsdesk.si.edu (Pressroom of the Smithsonian Institution). Retrieved February 19, 2011 Eleven are on the
National Mall, the park that runs between the
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in ...
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
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
, and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
.
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, operated through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). In 2008, 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country.
Collections
Smithsonian collections include 156 million artworks, artifacts, and specimens. The
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...
houses 145 million of these specimens and artifacts, which are mostly animals preserved in Formaldehyde. The Collections Search Center has 9.9 million digital records available online. The Smithsonian Institution Libraries hold 2 million library volumes. Smithsonian Archives hold of archival material.
The Smithsonian Institution has many categories of displays that can be visited at the museums. In 1912, First Lady
Helen Herron Taft donated her inauguration gown to the museum to begin the First Ladies' Gown display at the
National Museum of American History, one of the Smithsonian's most popular exhibits. The museum displays treasures such as the
Star-Spangled Banner, the stove pipe hat that was worn by President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ''
The Wizard Of Oz'', and the original Teddy Bear that was named after President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. In 2016, the Smithsonian's Air & Space museum curators restored the large model ''Enterprise'' from the original ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' TV series.
Following international debates about the
decolonisation of museums and the legal and moral justifications of their acquisitions, the Smithsonian adopted a new "ethical returns policy" on April 29, 2022. This will permit the
deaccession and restitution of items collected under circumstances considered unethical by contemporary standards and thus places moral over legal arguments. A month before, the Smithsonian's
National Museum of African Art had announced the planned return of most of its 39
Benin Bronzes to
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, as well as of other cultural items to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
.
Open access
In February 2020, the Smithsonian made 2.8 million digital items available to the public under a
Creative Commons Zero Public Domain Dedication, with a commitment to release further items in the future.
Research Centers
The Smithsonian hosts eight research centers, located in Washington, D.C.;
Front Royal, Virginia;
Edgewater, Maryland
Edgewater is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,023 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Edgewater is a suburb located southwest of Annapolis on the south side of the tidal South River. ...
;
Suitland, Maryland
Suitland is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Pr ...
;
Fort Pierce, Florida;
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
; and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
.
Formerly two separate entities, the Smithsonian Libraries and Smithsonian Archives merged into one research center in 2020.
Cultural Centers
*
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
*
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) is a migratory museum that shares Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture through innovative museum experiences online and throughout the U.S through the Smithsonian Institution's work. ...
* Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press
* Smithsonian Provenance Research Initiative (SPRI)
* Smithsonian Science Education Center
*
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
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.
The center is a division of the Smithsonian Institution.
As of May 2016, the center is run by an executive director, Eduardo Díaz.
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.
The opening of the center was prompted, in part, by the publishing of a report called "Willful Neglect: The Smithsonian and U.S. Latinos".
According to documents obtained by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', 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.
After difficult times in the first few years, the center improved. According to the Smithsonian, the center "support
scholarly research, exhibitions, public and educational programs, web-based content and virtual platforms, and collections and archives.
talso manage
leadership and professional development programs for Latino youth, emerging scholars and museum professionals."
Today, the website features a high-tech virtual museum.
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.
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.
Pilar O'Leary launched the program when she served as executive director of the Smithsonian Latino Center. 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."
Publications
The institution publishes ''
Smithsonian'' magazine monthly and ''
Air & Space'' magazine bimonthly.
''Smithsonian'' was the result of Secretary of the Smithsonian
S. Dillon Ripley
S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet.
S may also refer to:
History
* an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics
* Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where "s ...
asking the retired editor of ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...
'' magazine
Edward K. Thompson
Edward Kramer Thompson (January 15, 1907 – October 8, 1996) was an American writer and editor. He was the editor of ''Life'' from its early days as a weekly and was the founding editor of '' Smithsonian'' magazine.
Biography
Thompson was born ...
to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian Institution is interested, might be interested or ought to be interested". Another Secretary of the Smithsonian, Walter Boyne, founded ''Air & Space.''
The organization publishes under the imprints Smithsonian Institution Press,
Smithsonian Books,
and Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press.
Awards
The Smithsonian makes a number of awards to acknowledge and support meritorious work.
* The
James Smithson Medal, the Smithsonian Institution's highest award, was established in 1965 and is given in recognition of exceptional contributions to art, science, history, education, and technology.
* The James Smithson Bicentennial Medal, established in 1965, is given to persons who have made distinguished contributions to the advancement of areas of interest to the Smithsonian.
* The
Hodgkins Medal, established in 1893, is awarded for important contributions to the understanding of the physical environment.
* The Henry Medal, established in 1878, is presented to individuals in recognition of their distinguished service, achievements or contributions to the prestige and growth of the Smithsonian Institution.
* The
Langley Gold Medal is awarded for meritorious investigations in connection with the science of aerodromics and its application to aviation.
Administration
The Smithsonian Institution was established as a
trust instrumentality by act of Congress.
More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. The
Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services oversees security at the Smithsonian facilities and enforces laws and regulations for
National Capital Parks The National Capital Parks was a unit of the National Park System of the United States, now divided into multiple administrative units. It encompasses a variety of federally owned properties in and around the District of Columbia including memori ...
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.
As approved by
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
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.
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 vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...
. The nominal head of the institution is the
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
, 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
Steve Case.
Other members of the Board of Regents are three members of the
U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the
speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...
; 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. 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
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...
(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
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
. On September 18, 2013, Secretary G. Wayne Clough announced he would retire in October 2014. The Smithsonian Board of Regents said it asked regent John McCarter, Jr., to lead a search committee.
[Cooper, Rebecca. "Smithsonian Chief Will Retire in 2014." ''Washington Business Journal.'' September 18, 2013.](_blank)
Accessed September 18, 2013. On March 10, 2014, the Smithsonian Board selected
David Skorton, a physician and president of
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, as the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian. Skorton took the reins of the institution on July 1, 2015.
[Parker, Lonnae O'Neal Parker and Boyle, Katherine. "Smithsonian Institution Names Cornell President As Its 13th Secretary." ''Washington Post.'' March 10, 2014.](_blank)
Accessed March 10, 2014. Upon Skorton's announced resignation in 2019, the Board selected
Lonnie Bunch III, the founding director of the Smithsonian's
National Museum of African American History and Culture, as the 14th secretary.
Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution
*
Joseph Henry, 1846–1878
*
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He eventually ...
, 1878–1887
*
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1887–1906
*
Charles Doolittle Walcott, 1907–1927
*
Charles Greeley Abbot
Charles Greeley Abbot (May 31, 1872 – December 17, 1973) was an American astrophysicist and the fifth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, serving from 1928 until 1944. Abbot went from being director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Ob ...
, 1928–1944
*
Alexander Wetmore, 1944–1952
*
Leonard Carmichael, 1953–1964
*
Sidney Dillon Ripley
Sidney Dillon Ripley II (September 20, 1913 – March 12, 2001) was an American ornithologist and wildlife conservationist. He served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for 20 years, from 1964 to 1984, leading the institution throu ...
, 1964–1984
*
Robert McCormick Adams, Jr., 1984–1994
*
Ira Michael Heyman, 1994–1999
*
Lawrence M. Small
Lawrence M. Small was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Federal National Mortgage Association and the 11th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Background
Small grew up in suburban New Rochelle, New York. He graduated from Ne ...
, 2000–2007
*
G. Wayne Clough
Gerald Wayne Clough (born September 24, 1941) is President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. A graduate of Georgia Tech in civil engineering, he was the first alu ...
, 2008–2015
*
David J. Skorton
David Jan Skorton is an American physician and academic. He has been president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) since July 15, 2019. Prior to the AAMC, he led the Smithsonian Institution, the nat ...
, 2015–2019
*
Lonnie Bunch, 2019–present
Controversies
''Enola Gay'' display
In 1995, controversy arose over the exhibit at the
National Air and Space Museum with the display of the ''
Enola Gay'', the
Superfortress used by the United States to drop the first
atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
used in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. The
American Legion and
Air Force Association
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is ...
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 victims without discussing its use within 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
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...
exhibit,
Subhankar Banerjee Subhankar Banerjee may refer to:
* Subhankar Banerjee (musician) (1966–2021), Indian classical musician and tabla player of the Farukhabad gharana
* Subhankar Banerjee (photographer)
Subhankar Banerjee (born 1967) is a photographic artist, edu ...
's ''Seasons of Life and Land'', featuring photographs of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on traditional Gwich'in lands. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildli ...
, was censored and moved to the basement by Smithsonian officials because they feared that its subject matter was too politically controversial.
In November 2007, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' 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
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
on the
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
. 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
Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of stu ...
. The Smithsonian is now a participant in the
U.S. Global Change Research Program The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The program began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was codified by ...
.
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.
In April 2006, the institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for its vast
silent and
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...
film archives with
Showtime Networks
Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks uni ...
, 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.
See also
*
3773 Smithsonian
*
List of aircraft in the Smithsonian Institution
*
Smithsonian Ocean Portal The Smithsonian Ocean Portal is an educational website created and maintained by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The website features regularly updated, original content from the museum's research, ...
*
Smithsonian Theaters
*
Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System
*
"The New Museum Idea"
Notes
References
Further reading
*
Nina Burleigh, ''Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian.'' New York:
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...
, 2003.
* Heather Ewing, ''The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian.'' Bloomsbury, 2007.
* United States. Congress. House of Representatives
Collections Stewardship at the Smithsonian: Hearing before the Committee on House Administration, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2013.
* William S. Walker, ''A Living Exhibition: The Smithsonian and the Transformation of the Universal Museum.'' Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2013.
External links
*
*
ttps://www.si.edu/openaccess Smithsonian Open Access – nearly 3 million Free images now availablebr>
video 1:40)
{{Authority control
1846 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Museums established in 1846
History of museums
Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington
Smithsonian Institution museums
Science museums in Washington, D.C.
Art museums and galleries in Washington, D.C.
History museums in Washington, D.C.
Museum organizations
National museums of the United States