Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian

museums A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational strategies and conduct joint research. Partner organizations are known as "Smithsonian Affiliates".

History

The Smithsonian Affiliations program was established in 1996 by Smithsonian Secretary I. Michael Heyman with the approval of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, in response to several challenges the Institution faced at the time: a decrease in federal funding, limited storage space for expanding collections, and the need to make the Institution more reflective of the nation without operating additional museums outside of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution

In 1993, the Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution introduced the first proposal for initiatives promoting strategic, collections-based partnerships at the Institution. The Commission, composed of 22 members appointed by the Smithsonian Board of Regents, was charged with examining the Institution's ability to uphold James Smithson's vision of an organization dedicated to "the increase and diffusion of knowledge" despite a changing society and increasing financial hardships. Of the four initiatives proposed by the Commission: Educate More of the Nation's People; Collections, Research and Exhibitions; Governance; and Assure the Future, two directly called for the creation of strategic partnerships and making artifacts in the collections accessible to other museums. To Educate More of the Nation's People: "Build

collaborative partnerships Collaborative partnerships are agreements and actions made by consenting organizations to share resources to accomplish a mutual goal. Collaborative partnerships rely on participation by at least two parties who agree to share resources, such as f ...

with other museums, research centers, and educational institutions throughout the nation." Collections, Research and Exhibitions: "Shape a master plan for maintenance of the priceless collections, including the sharing of collections through long-term or permanent loans to partner institutions." Significant emphasis was placed on the benefits that partnerships with outside museums would create for the Institution. By dispersing artifacts to museums in a responsible way, the Commission believed it, "could make the Institution more reflective of our nation… s well asaddress the problem of storing, curating, studying, and exhibiting the constantly growing collections."

Creating Smithsonian Affiliations

In 1996, during his second year as Secretary, Heyman observed several challenges facing the Institution. Closely aligned with the announcements presented by the "Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution" in 1993, Heyman was faced with the challenges of dwindling storage for expanding collections, decreasing funds, and the need to reinforce the Smithsonian's identity as the nation's museum. In addition, the Institution began to see increased interest from outside museums for partnerships and loans of artifacts that extended beyond standing practices. Although collaborative agreements in the form of traveling exhibitions, joint exhibition sponsorship, and loans had been entered in the past by different Smithsonian museums, no infrastructure existed to provide institution-wide oversight and coordination of such partnerships. Heyman responded to these challenges by creating the Smithsonian Affiliations program to oversee and manage collections-based partnerships with other museums. As stated by the minutes from the Smithsonian Board of Regents meeting housed in the

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

, the program was formally approved by the Board of Regents on September 15, 1996. Using the occasion of the Smithsonian Institution's 150th Anniversary, Smithsonian Affiliations was one of several outreach initiatives introduced by Heyman to expand the Institution's national reach. In addition to the Affiliations program, the Institution became more accessible through its presence on the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables Content (media), content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond Information technology, IT specialists and hobbyis ...

and through the largest traveling exhibition Smithsonian ever mounted, ''America's Smithsonian''. Secretary Heyman made formal announcements about the Affiliations program while delivering opening remarks for the Smithsonian's ''150th Birthday Party on the Mall'' and in a number of cities for the opening of ''America's Smithsonian'': "The Smithsonian of the future must provide access to its collections and its vast resources. There is no value in being just the largest if we do not share the Smithsonian with as many people as possible. It means making sure those who cannot travel to Washington can somehow experience and enjoy the Smithsonian." – Secretary I. Michael Heyman

Growth of the program

At the end of the 1997 fiscal year, there were 21 organizations recognized as Affiliates. As of 2017, there were over 200 Affiliates.

Program overview

Partner organizations are allowed to use the tag line "In Association with the Smithsonian Institution" and the approved Smithsonian Affiliations logo on their website, programming, and marketing material. Any

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit or publicly operated educational entity can apply to become a Smithsonian Affiliate. Smithsonian Affiliations considers membership proposals from organizations that will advance the Smithsonian Institution's mission and strategic plan. Successful applicants are non-profit or publicly operated organizations whose missions are directed toward advancing research, knowledge, and education in science, history, and the arts. The guidelines of Smithsonian Affiliations establishes that the Smithsonian Institution maintain appropriate control over all collections loaned and that Affiliates cover all costs associated with borrowing and exhibiting objects.Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents. "Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents Meeting Minutes, 15 September 1996, p. 52". Smithsonian Institution Archives. To qualify as an Affiliate, an organization must prove that it is able to properly care for, protect, and exhibit Smithsonian collections on a long-term basis. Strong applicants are organizations that are fiscally sound and capable of developing, installing, and evaluating professional exhibitions. While serving as an Affiliate, organizations are required to grant Smithsonian Institution curators and personnel access to visit borrowed artifacts, provide the Smithsonian with reports and information necessary to monitor the state of the partnership, and uphold the integrity of the Board of Regents.

Becoming an Affiliate

To become an Affiliate, organizations submit an application package to Smithsonian Affiliations. Applicants provide documentation that confirms

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

status as a

entity and a narrative detailing how the agreement will be mutually beneficial. Applications must also include a copy of the institution's mission statement, an organizational chart, an annual report, and a facilities report that follows the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

format. Once approved, Affiliates sign a Smithsonian Affiliations Agreement and are assigned a National Outreach Manager to oversee loans and projects. All loan agreements are set for defined period of time.

Programs and professional development

Affiliate organizations participate in a number of professional training, outreach, and programming initiatives coordinated by the Smithsonian Affiliations office. * Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference: At the annual conference, professionals of Affiliate organizations participate in a number of workshops, lectures, and training sessions led by Smithsonian, Affiliate, and museum industry experts. * Smithsonian Affiliations Visiting Professional Program: Professionals of Affiliate organizations receive training from Smithsonian officials while visiting and working in Washington, D.C.

Educational collaborations

The Smithsonian Affiliations program supports, develops, and organizes a number of collaborative programs to promote education in science, art, history, and culture. * National Youth Summit: ''The 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides'' was an NEH-funded program with a panel of

Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the Racial segregation in the United States, segregated Southern United States, Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of t ...

at the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

. The event was broadcast live to five Affiliate sites. Students across the country were able to engage panelists in dialogue about their experience as civil rights activists. * Places of Invention: The Places of Invention project is a collaboration between the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (

) and Smithsonian Affiliations, supported by a grant from the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

. The program asks six Affiliate organizations to conduct community research for the purpose of documenting their community as a "place of invention". The results of this research were planned to be included in the Lemelson Center's exhibition of the same name scheduled to open in 2015. * Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos: This program is a collaboration between Smithsonian Affiliations and the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. It offers students the opportunity to research the composition of the universe and convert telescopic images into art projects. Thirteen Affiliate organizations participate in this collaboration, which teaches participants how to control MicroObservatory robotic telescopes over the internet and take astronomy images of the universe. Participant-generated images will be used in astrophotography exhibitions featuring the students' work. * Smithsonian Immigration/Migration Initiative: This large-scale initiative centered in the

and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage recruited eight Affiliate partners to serve in its advisory group. This collaboration works to examine the ways young members of immigrant communities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

can tell their own story. The advisory group invites representatives to

to discuss programs and collections that focus on immigration and migration in cities across the United States. * Spark!Lab Outreach Kit: The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation created traveling kits featuring its most popular and effective hands-on invention activities from the Spark!Lab. These kits were sent to five Affiliate museums. Between April 2011 and January 2012, more than 20,000 visitors used the Spark!Lab kits at Affiliate sites. * Let's Do History Tour: Educators from the

toured several cities for the purpose of influencing the way

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

is taught by K-12 teachers. Smithsonian professionals introduced participants to teaching techniques, online tools, and educational content for use in classrooms. Affiliate organizations in the selected cities presented information on resources, in their collections and locally, that can be used when teaching

. * Universal Design Webinar: This webinar was a collaboration between Smithsonian Affiliations, the

, and the Smithsonian Accessibility Program. It was developed to promote dialogue on universal design issues in museums. Twenty-four Affiliate organizations served as host sites. The program was transcribed into an article in Museum magazine.

List of Affiliates by state/country

Alabama

* Anniston Museum of Natural History ( Anniston) * Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

) * U.S. Space and Rocket Center ( Huntsville)

Alaska

* Anchorage Museum (

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

)

Arizona

* Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum ( Bisbee) *

Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...

( Phoenix) * Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix) * Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West ( Scottsdale) * Arizona Historical Society (

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

) * Arizona State Museum (Tucson) * Desert Caballeros Western Museum ( Wickenburg)

Arkansas

* Mid-America Science Museum (

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

) * Historic Arkansas Museum (

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

)

California

* USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum ( Alameda) * Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts ( Alta Loma) * Cerritos Library ( Cerritos) * Columbia Memorial Space Center ( Downey) * Western Science Center ( Hemet) * Museum of Latin American Art (

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

) * California African American Museum (

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

) * California Science Center (Los Angeles) * Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles) * LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Los Angeles) * Aerospace Museum of California ( McClellan Park) * Agua Caliente Cultural Museum (

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

) * California State Railroad Museum (

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

) * Hiller Aviation Museum ( San Carlos) *

Maritime Museum of San Diego The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a maritime museum in San Diego, California. Established in 1948, it preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum' ...

(

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

) * Museum of Us (San Diego) * San Diego Air and Space Museum (San Diego) * San Diego History Center (San Diego) * Aquarium of the Bay (

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

) * Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco) * The Mexican Museum (San Francisco) * Museum of Sonoma County ( Santa Rosa)

Colorado

* University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

) * Denver Botanic Gardens (

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

) * Denver Museum of Nature and Science (

) * History Colorado (Denver) * Littleton Museum ( Littleton) * Pinhead Institute ( Telluride) * Telluride Historical Museum (Telluride)

Connecticut

Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center is a museum of Native American culture in Mashantucket, Connecticut, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Overview The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center ...

( Mashantucket) * Mystic Seaport Museum ( Mystic)

Delaware

* Hagley Museum and Library ( Wilmington,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

)

Florida

* Bishop Museum of Science and Nature ( Bradenton) * The Museum of Arts and Sciences ( Daytona Beach) *

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the visitor center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. It features exhibits and displays, historic spacecraft and memorabilia, shows, two IMAX theaters, and a range of bus tou ...

(

Merritt Island Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...

) * Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College ( Lakeland) *

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

(

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

) * History Miami Museum (Miami) * Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Miami) * The Baker Museum / Artis—Naples (

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

) * Orange County Regional History Center (

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

) * The Mennello Museum of American Art (Orlando) * Marie Selby Botanical Gardens ( Sarasota) * St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum ( St. Augustine) * Tampa Bay History Center (

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

)

Georgia

* David J. Sencer CDC Museum (

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

) *

Georgia Aquarium Georgia Aquarium is a public aquarium in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The aquarium exhibits hundreds of species and thousands of animals across its seven major galleries, all of which reside in more than of water. It was the larges ...

(Atlanta) * Morris Museum of Art ( Augusta) * Booth Western Art Museum ( Cartersville) * Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville) * Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History ( Kennesaw) * Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion ( Milledgeville)

Hawaii

* Lyman Museum and Mission House ( Hilo) * Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

) * Kona Historical Society ( Kealakekua)

Illinois

* Schingoethe Center of Aurora University (

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

) *

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

( Champaign) *

Adler Planetarium The Adler Planetarium is a public museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by local businessman Max Adler (Sears), Max Adler. Located on the northeastern tip of Northerly Island on Lake Michigan ...

(

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

) * DuSable Museum of African American History (Chicago) *

Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago. Opened on May 30, 1930, the aquarium holds about 32,000 animals. It is the third largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere (after the Georgia Aquariu ...

(Chicago) * Northwest Territory Historic Center ( Dixon) *

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is a museum dedicated to the lapidary arts with displays of gemstones, jewelry and bejeweled objects, and exhibits on earth science. The museum was founded in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States, in 1962, and m ...

( Oak Brook) * Peoria Riverfront Museum ( Peoria)

Indiana

* Conner Prairie Interactive History Park ( Fishers) * Indiana Historical Society (

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

)

Iowa

* National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

) * The Putnam Museum & Science Center ( Davenport) *Dubuque Museum of Art (

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

) * National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque) *

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

( Grinnell)

Kansas

Cosmosphere Cosmosphere is an international science education center and space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas, United States, located on the northeast corner of Plum Street and 11th Avenue, next to the Hutchinson Community College. It was previously known a ...

( Hutchinson)

Kentucky

Kentucky Historical Society The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is an agency of the Kentucky state government that records and preserves important historical documents, buildings, and artifacts of Kentucky's past. It was originally established in 1836 as a private organiz ...

( Frankfort) * International Museum of the Horse ( Lexington) * The Frazier History Museum (

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

)

Louisiana

* National World War II Museum (

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

) * Louisiana State Exhibit Museum (

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

)

Maine

* Abbe Museum ( Bar Harbor)

Maryland

* Historic Annapolis (

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

) * B&O Railroad Museum (

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

) * Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry (Baltimore) * Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture (Baltimore) * College Park Aviation Museum ( College Park) * Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center ( Solomons)

Massachusetts

* USS Constitution Museum (

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

) * Framingham State University ( Framingham) * Lowell National Historical Park ( Lowell) * Plimoth Patuxet Museums (

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

) * Springfield Museums ( Springfield)

Michigan

* Yankee Air Museum ( Belleville) * Arab American National Museum ( Dearborn) *

Michigan Science Center The Michigan Science Center (MiSci) is a Smithsonian-affiliate science museum in Detroit, Michigan. The mission of the Michigan Science Center is to inspire curious minds of all ages to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engi ...

(

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

) *

Michigan State University Museum The Michigan State University Museum most commonly referred to as the ''MSU Museum'' is Michigan State University's oldest museum formed in 1857. It is the state of Michigan's first Smithsonian Affiliate. It was formed to support the work of the ...

(

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

) * Air Zoo (

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

) * The Dennos Museum Center ( Traverse City)

Minnesota

* Bell Museum of Natural History - University of Minnesota (

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

)

Mississippi

* Mississippi Department of Archives and History ( Jackson)

Missouri

* American Jazz Museum (

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

) * Union Station Kansas City, Inc. (Kansas City) *

Saint Louis Science Center The Saint Louis Science Center, founded as a planetarium in 1963, is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park (St. Louis, Missouri), Forest Park. With o ...

( St. Louis)

Montana

Museum of the Rockies Museum of the Rockies is a museum in Bozeman, Montana. Originally affiliated with Montana State University - Bozeman, Montana State University in Bozeman, and now also, the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is largely known for its Paleontology, ...

( Bozeman,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

) * Montana Historical Society (

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...

)

Nebraska

* Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum ( Ashland) *

University of Nebraska State Museum The University of Nebraska State Museum, also known as Morrill Hall, founded in 1871, is a natural history museum featuring Nebraska biodiversity, paleontology, and cultural diversity, located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus n ...

( Lincoln) * Durham Museum (

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

)

Nevada

* Las Vegas Natural History Museum (

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

) * National Atomic Testing Museum (Las Vegas)

New Jersey

* Morris Museum ( Morristown)

New Mexico

* New Mexico Museum of Space History (

Alamogordo Alamogordo () is a city in and the county seat of Otero County, New Mexico, Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains (New Mexico), Sac ...

) * National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

) * New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (Albuquerque) * City of Las Cruces Museum System ( Las Cruces) * Hubbard Museum of the American West ( Ruidoso)

New York

* Rockwell Museum ( Corning) *Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts ( Flushing,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

) *

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...

(New York City) * City Lore (

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

) * Museum of American Finance (New York City) * National Jazz Museum in Harlem (New York City) * Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden (

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York City) * Long Island Museum ( Stony Brook)

North Carolina

* Carolinas Aviation Museum ( Charlotte) * Schiele Museum of Natural History ( Gastonia) *Greensboro History Museum ( Greensboro) * North Carolina Museum of History (

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

) *

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is a natural history museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. The museum is the oldest in the state, and the largest natural history museum in the Southeastern United States. The museum is made up o ...

(Raleigh) * Cape Fear Museum of History and Science ( Wilmington)

Ohio

* Cummings Center for the History of Psychology (

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

) * Cincinnati Museum Center (

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

) * National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (

) * Western Reserve Historical Society (

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

) * Ohio History Connection ( Columbus) * The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art and Technology ( Newark) * Springfield Museum of Art ( Springfield)

Oklahoma

Oklahoma History Center The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) is the history museum of the state of Oklahoma. Located on an plot across the street from the Governor's mansion at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City, the current museum opened in 2005 and is operated by ...

(

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

) * Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) * Stafford Air & Space Museum (Weatherford)

Oregon

* High Desert Museum ( Bend) * Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals ( Hillsboro) * Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum ( McMinnville)

Panama

* Biomuseo (

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

) * Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá (Panama City)

Pennsylvania

* Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

) * National Museum of Industrial History (Bethlehem) * Army Heritage and Education Center (

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

) * Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle ( Doylestown) * Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor ( Easton) * The National Civil War Museum (

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

) * Antique Automobile Club of America Museum ( Hershey) * African American Museum in Philadelphia (

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) * National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia) * Heinz History Center, Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh) * Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (Strasburg, Pennsylvania, Strasburg)

Puerto Rico

* Arecibo Observatory#Ángel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center, Arecibo Observatory / Angel Ramos Foundation Science and Visitor Center (Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Arecibo) * Ana G. Méndez University, Universidad Ana G. Mendez (Gurabo, Puerto Rico, Gurabo) * Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan)

Rhode Island

* International Tennis Hall of Fame (Newport, Rhode Island, Newport) * Rhode Island Historical Society (Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Woonsocket)

South Carolina

* South Carolina State Museum (Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia) * The Children's Museum of the Upstate (Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville) * Upcountry History Museum – Furman University (Greenville) * Coastal Discovery Museum (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Hilton Head Island) * York County Culture and Heritage Museums (Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rock Hill)

South Dakota

* South Dakota State Historical Society (Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre) * National Music Museum (Vermillion, South Dakota, Vermillion)

Tennessee

* Museum Center at Five Points, Museum Center at 5ive Points (Cleveland, Tennessee, Cleveland) * Museum of Appalachia (Clinton, Tennessee, Clinton) * International Storytelling Center (Jonesborough, Tennessee, Jonesborough) * McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture (Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville) * Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum, Memphis Rock 'N' Soul Museum (Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis) * National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis) * American Museum of Science and Energy (Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Oak Ridge)

Texas

* City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (Austin, Texas, Austin) * Frontiers of Flight Museum (Dallas) * Perot Museum of Nature and Science (Dallas) * Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth) * National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg, Texas, Fredericksburg) * Space Center Houston (Houston) * The Health Museum (Houston) * Irving Arts Center (Irving, Texas, Irving) * International Museum of Art and Science (McAllen, Texas, McAllen) * Ellen Noël Art Museum (Odessa, Texas, Odessa) * Witte Museum, The Witte Museum (San Antonio) * UTSA-Institute of Texan Cultures (San Antonio)

Vermont

* Sullivan Museum and History Center (Northfield, Vermont, Northfield, Vermont)

Virginia

* National Inventors Hall of Fame (Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria) * Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, Virginia, Bristol) * Virginia Museum of Natural History (Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville) * Mount Vernon, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens (Mount Vernon, Virginia, Mount Vernon) * Hermitage Museum & Gardens (Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk)

Washington

* Whatcom Museum (Bellingham, Washington, Bellingham) * Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (Seattle) * Museum of History & Industry, Museum of History and Industry (Seattle) * Museum of Flight, The Museum of Flight (Seattle) * Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (Seattle) * Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (Spokane, Washington, Spokane)

West Virginia

* Heritage Farm Museum and Village (Huntington, West Virginia, Huntington)

Wisconsin

* Kenosha Public Museum (Kenosha, Wisconsin, Kenosha) * Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Madison, Wisconsin, Madison)

Wyoming

* Buffalo Bill Center of the West (Cody, Wyoming, Cody)

Former Affiliates

* Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut) * The Bakken Museum (Minneapolis, Minnesota) * Wisconsin Maritime Museum (Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, Wisconsin)

Outreach

Affiliate organizations exchange ideas, professional research, and information about programming and exhibitions through a variety of activities including lecture, traveling exhibitions, workshops and reciprocal membership.

Social media

Affiliate organizations share research, exhibitions, and institutional updates through a variety of social media including the Smithsonian Affiliations website, the Affiliate Blog, the quarterly newsletter ''The Affiliate'', the electronic newsletter ''E-Affiliate'', YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter.

Loans and exhibitions

The following are representative samples of loans of artifacts, works of art, and scientific specimens loaned by the Smithsonian Institution to Smithsonian Affiliate organizations. The

loaned the Pioneer (locomotive), a American Civil War, Civil War-era locomotive, to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland for the exhibit ''The War Came by Train''. Thomas Moran's painting ''The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone'', in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, was loaned to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. The massive painting was on view from June 1, 2009 through October 31, 2009. Artifacts from the Bisbee Mineral Collection at the National Museum of Natural History were loaned to the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum in Bisbee, Arizona for use in the exhibit ''Digging In: Bisbee's Mineral Heritage''. Over 140 space objects, including the original Apollo 13 command module and the space suit worn by commanding astronaut Jim Lovell, James Lovell, were loaned to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska borrowed 174 artifacts for the exhibit ''American Originals: Collections from the Smithsonian''. Borrowed artifacts included the jacket worn by Bob Keeshan while filming the children's television series, Captain Kangaroo, a three-wheel Westcoaster Mailster used by the United States Postal Service in the 1960s, and two oil on canvass paintings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Seneca people, Seneca Chief Red Jacket. The

loaned Kermit the Frog to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa for use in the exhibit ''Toadally Frogs!'' The Annmarie Sculpture Garden in Solomons, Maryland has over 20 sculptures on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The National Museum of Natural History loaned the Smithsonian Community Reef to the Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre in Davenport, Iowa. The reef is composed of thousands of crocheted natural reef forms and was a highlight of the Sant Ocean Hall exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History . "The Peoria Falcon," a sheet of copper stylized in the form of a falcon, was loaned to the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences (now Peoria Riverfront Museum) in Peoria, Illinois by the National Museum of Natural History. The artifact was created during the Mississippian Period and excavated near Peoria, Illinois in the late 1850s. The National Postal Museum loaned the Railway Post Office to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. The National Museum of Natural History loaned an 18-karat gold Monopoly set covered with precious gemstones to the Museum of American Finance in New York, New York. The board game was designed by artist Sidney Mobell. The National Museum of Natural History loaned the skeleton of the racehorse, "Lexington," to the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky The top hat worn by president Abraham Lincoln on the night of his assassination was loaned to the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California by the

. The exhibit, ''Smithsonian Expeditions: Exploring Latin American and the Caribbean'' at the Miami Museum of Science, borrowed several artifacts from the National Museum of Natural History including painted gourds and a 5-foot-tall monolith from the Nicaraguan island of Momotombito. The Historic Arkansas Museum borrowed over 40 artifacts from the National Museum of the American Indian for the exhibit ''We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas''. The Smithsonian American Art Museum loaned three José Campeche paintings to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has on loan from the

a Bantam Jeep and a piece of the original Star Spangled Banner Flag. Yokohama prints from the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery were loaned to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California for the exhibit ''Japan After Perry: Views of Yokohama and Meiji Japan''. The National Postal Museum loaned stamp designs and drawings created by president Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California.

References

{{Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution, Affiliations Smithsonian Institution affiliates, *