[United States Government Manual]
[May 30, 1997]
[Pages 716-733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
1000 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560
Phone, 202-357-1300; or 202-357-2700 (Smithsonian Information Center)
Board of Regents:
The Chief Justice of the United States William H. Rehnquist
(Chancellor)
The Vice President of the United States Al Gore
Members of the Senate Thad Cochran, William
Frist, Daniel
Patrick
Moynihan
Members of the House of Representatives Samuel Johnson, Robert
Livingston,
Esteban E.
Torres
Citizen Members Howard H. Baker, Jr.,
Barber B.
Conable, Louis
V. Gerstner,
Jr., Hanna
Holborn Gray,
Anne
d'Harnoncourt,
Manuel L.
Ibanez, Homer
A. Neal, Frank
A. Shrontz,
Wesley Samuel
Williams, Jr.
Officials:
The Secretary I. Michael Heyman
The Inspector General Thomas D. Blair
Director, Office of Planning, L. Carole Wharton
Management and Budget
Counselor to the Secretary for Thomas E. Lovejoy
Biodiversity and
Environmental Affairs
Counselor to the Secretary for Marc Pachter
Electronic Communications
and Special Projects
Counselor to the Secretary for Miguel Bretos
Community Affairs and
Special Projects
Executive Assistant to the Secretary James M. Hobbins
Executive Secretary to the Secretary Barbara Cederborg
Under Secretary Constance Newman
General Counsel John E. Huerta
Director, Office of Government M. John Berry
Relations
Director, Office of Communications David J. Umansky
Director, Office of Information Vincent Marcalus
Technology
Senior Information Officer Arthur Lee Denny
Senior Business Officer Roland Banscher,
Acting
Ombudsman Chandra Heilman
Director, Office of Membership and Marie Mattson
Development
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Director, Office of Special Events Nicole L. Krakora
and Conference Services
Chief Financial Officer Rick Johnson
Director, Office of Sponsored Ardelle Foss
Projects
Director, Office of Equal Employment Era Marshall
and Minority Affairs
Director, Office of Human Resources Carolyn Jones
Director, Office of Printing and James H. Wallace, Jr.
Photographic Services
Director, Office of Contracting and John W. Cobert
Property Management
Director, Office of Physical Plant Patrick J. Miller
Director, Office of Protection David F. Morrell
Services
Director, Office of Environmental William F. Billingsley
Management and Safety
Treasurer Sudeep Anand
Comptroller M. Leslie Casson
Provost J. Dennis O'Connor
Director, Anacostia Museum Steven Newsome
Director, Archives of American Art Richard Wattenmaker
Director, Cooper-Hewitt, National Dianne Pilgrim
Design Museum
Director, Freer Gallery of Art and Milo C. Beach
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Director, Hirshhorn Museum and James T. Demetrion
Sculpture Garden
Director, National Air and Space Donald D. Engen
Museum
Director, National Museum of African Roslyn A. Walker
Art
Director, National Museum of Elizabeth Broun
American Art
Curator in Charge, Renwick Gallery Kenneth R. Trapp
Director, National Museum of Spencer Crew
American History
Director, National Museum of the W. Richard West, Jr.
American Indian
Director, National Campaign for NMAI John L. Colonghi
Director, National Museum of Natural Robert W. Fri
History
Director, National Portrait Gallery Alan M. Fern
Director, National Postal Museum James Bruns
Director, National Zoological Park Michael Robinson
Director, Office of Exhibits Central Michael Headley
Director, Center for Museum Studies Rex Ellis
Director, Smithsonian Institution Anna R. Cohn
Traveling Exhibition Service
Director, Institutional Studies Zahava Doering
Office
Editor, Joseph Henry Papers Project Marc Rothenberg
Director, Office of Fellowships and Roberta Rubinoff
Grants
Director, Smithsonian Environmental David L. Correll
Research Center
Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Irwin I. Shapiro
Observatory
Director, Smithsonian Tropical Ira Rubinoff
Research Institute
Director, Conservation Analytical Lambertus Van Zelst
Laboratory
Director, Smithsonian Institution Barbara Smith
Libraries
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Director, Museum Support Center U. Vincent Wilcox III
Director, Smithsonian Institution Ethel W. Hedlin
Archives
Director, Smithsonian Office of Ann Bay
Education
Director, Center for Folklife Richard Kurin
Programs and Cultural
Studies
Director, National Science Resources Douglas Lapp
Center
Director, Wider Audience Development Marshall Wong
Program
Director, Office of International Francine Berkowitz
Center
Director, Smithsonian Press/ Daniel Goodwin
Smithsonian Productions
Editor, Smithsonian Magazine Don Moser
Publisher, Smithsonian Magazine Ronald Walker
Director, The Smithsonian Associates Mara Mayor
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts \1\
Chairman James A. Johnson
President Lawrence J. Wilker
National Gallery of Art \1\
President Robert H. Smith
Director Earl A. Powell III
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
\1\
Director Charles Blitzer
Deputy Director Samuel Wells
Deputy Director for Planning and Dean W. Anderson
Management
Chairman, Board of Trustees Joseph H. Flom
\1\ Administered under a separate Board of Trustees.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
One hundred fifty years old, the Smithsonian Institution is an
independent trust instrumentality of the United States that fosters the
increase and diffusion of knowledge. The world's largest museum complex,
the Smithsonian includes 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and
research facilities in several States and the Republic of Panama. The
Smithsonian holds more than 140 million artifacts and specimens in its
trust for the American people. The Institution, a respected center for
research, is dedicated to public education, national service, and
scholarship in the arts, sciences, and history.
The Smithsonian Institution was created by act of August 10, 1846 (20
U.S.C. 41 et seq.), to carry out the terms of the will of British
scientist James Smithson, who in 1826 had bequeathed his entire estate
to the United States ``to found at Washington, under the name of the
Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion
of knowledge among men.'' On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy
and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust.
In September 1838, Smithson's legacy, which amounted to more than
100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the mint at Philadelphia.
Congress vested responsibility for administering the trust in the
Smithsonian Board of Regents, composed of the Chief Justice, the Vice
President, three Members of the Senate, three Members of the House of
Representatives, and nine citizen members appointed by joint resolution
of Congress.
[[Page 719]]
[[Page 720]]
To carry out Smithson's mandate, the Institution:
--performs research;
--publishes the results of studies, explorations, and
investigations;
--preserves for study and reference more than 140 million objects,
works of art, and scientific specimens;
--maintains exhibits representative of the arts, the sciences, and
American history and culture; and
--engages in programs of education and national and international
cooperative research supported by its trust endowments; gifts, grants,
and contracts; and funds appropriated to it by Congress.
Activities
Anacostia Museum The Museum, located in the historic Fort Stanton
neighborhood of southeast Washington, is undergoing renovations this
year. It serves as a national resource for exhibitions, scholarly and
applied research, historical documentation, and interpretive and
educational programs relating to African-American history and culture.
The African-American church, the Harlem Renaissance, and the art and
activism of artist/educator Georgette Powell have been the subjects of
exhibitions produced by the Museum.
Administratively connected to the Anacostia Museum, the
Smithsonian's Center for African American History and Culture mounts
exhibitions such as ``Jazz Age in Paris,'' a SITES exhibition that
premiered at the Center; sponsors public programs; and collects material
representative of the black experience in performing arts, literature,
and fine arts.
For further information, contact the Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort Place
SE., Washington, DC 20020. Phone, 202-357-2700.
Archives of American Art The Archives contains the Nation's largest
collection of documentary materials reflecting the history of visual
arts in the United States. On the subject of art in America, it is the
largest archives in the world, holding more than 13 million documents.
The Archives gathers, preserves, and microfilms the papers of artists,
craftsmen, collectors, dealers, critics, museums, and art societies.
These papers consist of manuscripts, letters, notebooks, sketchbooks,
business records, clippings, exhibition catalogs, tape-recorded
interviews, and photographs of artists and their work.
The Archives' chief processing and reference center is in the
historic Old Patent Office Building in Washington, DC. The Archives has
regional centers in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York.
For further information, contact the Archives of American Art,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2781.
Conservation Analytical Laboratory The Laboratory is a Smithsonian
research institute with a focus on the preservation, conservation, and
technical study and analysis of collection materials, with a special
emphasis on materials in the national collections. Its researchers
investigate the chemical and physical processes that are involved in the
deterioration of museum objects and specimens, and attempt to formulate
conditions and procedures for storage, exhibit, and stabilization that
optimize the preservation of these materials. In interdisciplinary
collaborations with archaeologists, anthropologists, and art historians,
natural and physical scientists study and analyze objects from the
collections and related materials to expand our knowledge and
understanding of their historical and scientific context. Many of the
research projects involve close collaboration with outside scholars and
other Government and academic laboratories. The Laboratory also provides
active analytical and technical support to conservation and curation
efforts in the various museums within and occasionally outside the
Smithsonian.
The Laboratory's education program offers a wide range of training
opportunities, within the areas of its specialty, to professionals in
conservation and related museum disciplines. Its outreach program
includes students at institutes of
[[Page 721]]
secondary and higher education and the general public.
For further information, contact the Conservation Analytical Laboratory,
Museum Support Center, 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20560. Phone,
301-238-3700.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum The Museum, located in New York
City, is the only museum in the country devoted exclusively to
historical and contemporary design. Collections include nearly 250,000
objects in such areas as applied arts and industrial design, drawings
and prints, wallcoverings, and textiles. A major renovation, to be
completed in the fall of 1997, will add a new two-story connecting
structure linking the museum with its garden and with two townhouses
currently known as the Design Resource Center. Changing exhibitions and
public programs seek to educate by exploring the role of design in daily
life. The Museum is open daily except Mondays and holidays. Admission is
charged.
For further information, contact the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design
Museum, 2 East Ninety-First Street, New York, NY 10028. Phone, 212-860-
6868.
Freer Gallery of Art The building, the original collection, and an
endowment were the gift of Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919). The Gallery
houses one of the world's most renowned collections of Asian art as well
as an important group of ancient Egyptian glass, early Christian
manuscripts, and works by James McNeill Whistler together with other
19th and early 20th century American artists.
More than 27,000 objects in the Asian collection represent the arts
of East Asia, the Near East, and South and Southeast Asia, including
paintings, manuscripts, scrolls, screens, ceramics, metalwork, glass,
jade, lacquer, and sculpture. Members of the staff conduct research on
objects in the collection and publish results in scholarly journals and
books for general and specialist audiences. They arrange thematic
exhibitions from the collection and present lectures in their fields of
specialization.
For further information, contact the Freer Gallery of Art, Jefferson
Drive at Twelfth Street SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden The Museum houses major
collections of modern and contemporary art. The nucleus of the
collection is the gift and bequest of more than 13,000 works of art for
the people of the United States from Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981).
Supplementing the permanent collection, which keeps up with current
developments through an active acquisitions program, are loan
exhibitions focusing on emerging contemporary artists as well as on art
movements of the modern era. There is an active program of public
service and education, including docent tours, lectures on contemporary
art and artists, and films of historic and artistic interest. The Museum
houses a collection research facility, a specialized art library, and a
photographic archive, available for consultation by prior appointment.
For further information, contact the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Air and Space Museum Created to memorialize the development of
aviation and space flight, the Museum collects, displays, and preserves
aeronautical and space flight artifacts of historical significance as
well as documentary and artistic materials related to air and space. The
exhibitions and study collections record human conquest of the air from
its tentative beginnings to recent achievements by high altitude
aircraft, guided missiles, rockets, satellites, and manned space flight.
The principal areas in which work is concentrated include flight craft
of all types, manned and unmanned; space flight vehicles; and propulsion
systems.
[[Page 722]]
The Langley Theater, with a giant screen presentation, and the 70-
foot domed Einstein Planetarium are featured.
For further information, contact the National Air and Space Museum,
Sixth Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone,
202-357-2700.
National Museum of African Art This is the only art museum in the
United States dedicated exclusively to portraying the rich, creative
visual traditions of Africa.
Established in 1964 and incorporated as a bureau of the Smithsonian
in 1979, the Museum opened at its new location on the National Mall in
September 1987. Its research components, collection, exhibitions, and
public programs establish the Museum as a primary source for the
examination and discovery of the arts and culture of Africa. In recent
years, works of outstanding aesthetic quality have been added to a
collection numbering about 7,000 works in wood, metal, fired clay,
ivory, and fiber. Examples of traditional art include a wooden figure of
a Zairian Yombe carver; a Lower Niger Bronze Industry vessel, with
chameleons; and a memorial figure from the Cameroon grassfields.
The Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives includes some 100,000
slides, photos, and film segments on Africa. There is also a specialized
library of more than 18,000 volumes and periodicals.
For further information, contact the National Museum of African Art, 950
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Museum of American Art The Museum's art collection spans more
than 250 years of American painting, sculpture, folk art, photography,
and graphic art. A flexibly structured changing selection from the
permanent collection of more than 37,500 works of art allows for special
groupings based on subjects, media, and other considerations. Special
exhibitions are presented each year on various aspects of American art,
often accompanied by publications and interactive computer programs.
A major center for research in American art, the Museum has
contributed to such resources as the Inventory of American Paintings
Executed Before 1914, with data on nearly 260,000 works; the Peter A.
Juley & Sons collection of 127,000 historical photographs; the Slide and
Photographic Archives; the Smithsonian Art Index; the Pre-1877 Art
Exhibition Catalogue Index; the Inventory of American Sculpture, with
information on more than 50,000 indoor and outdoor works; and the Joseph
Cornell Study Center. The library, shared with the National Portrait
Gallery, contains volumes on art, history, and biography, with special
emphasis on the United States. The building also houses the Archives of
American Art, with its vast holdings of documentary material on American
art and artists.
The Museum makes hundreds of images from the collection and
extensive information on its collections, publications, and activities
available electronically to personal computer users (Internet, http://
www.nmaa.si.edu/) and commercial online services. There is a research
program for visiting scholars, and university interns are welcomed in
many museum departments.
The Museum's Renwick Gallery, located at 17th Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC, is dedicated to exhibiting
crafts of all periods and to collecting 20th century American crafts. It
offers changing exhibitions of American crafts and decorative arts, both
historical and contemporary, and a rotating selection from its permanent
collection. The Grand Salon is elegantly furnished in the opulent style
of the 1860's and 1870's.
For further information, contact the National Museum of American Art,
Eighth and G Streets NW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Museum of American History In pursuit of its fundamental
mission to inspire a broader understanding of the United States and its
people, the Museum provides learning opportunities, stimulates the
imagination of visitors, and presents challenging ideas about the
Nation's past. The Museum's exhibits
[[Page 723]]
offer a unique view of the American experience. Important elements of
the collections present the European background, but emphasis is placed
upon the growth of the United States, upon the men and women who have
shaped our heritage, upon science and the arts, and upon the remaking of
our world through technology.
Exhibits draw upon strong collections in the sciences and
engineering, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, medicine,
printing, photography, ceramics, coins, and glass. Outstanding holdings
include Whitney's cotton gin, Morse's telegraph, the John Bull
locomotive, and a great variety of scientific instruments and
inventions. Political, social, military, and cultural history are also
well represented. Major installations treat everyday life in America
just after the Revolutionary War, science in American life, and the
diverse origins of the American people. The Museum offers changing
exhibits on a wide range of subjects including information technology,
political history, American music, and American cars and trains. Hands-
on activities, demonstrations, films, and performances highlight many
aspects of the Museum. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra is
located at the Museum.
Scholars may be aided in the use of the Museum's research
collections and specialized library facilities by appointment.
For further information, contact the National Museum of American
History, Fourteenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC
20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Museum of the American Indian The Museum was established by
act of November 28, 1989 (20 U.S.C. 80q et seq.). It will be located in
three facilities:
--the George Gustav Heye Center, located at One Bowling Green, New
York City, which is currently open;
--the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD, which will open in
the late 1990's and house a major portion of the Museum's priceless
million-object collection; and
--the Mall museum, which will open in 2001 east of the National Air
and Space Museum on the National Mall's last available site. Exhibits
are currently offered in the Arts and Industries Building at 900
Jefferson Drive, Washington, DC.
The Museum, whose collections were transferred to the Smithsonian
from the former Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, in New
York City, is an institution of living cultures dedicated to the
collection, preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages,
literature, history, and arts of the native peoples of the Americas.
Highlights include Northwest Coast carvings; dance masks; pottery
and weaving from the Southwest; painted hides and garments from the
North American Plains; goldwork from Colombia, Mexico, and Peru; and
Amazonian featherwork.
Admission is free. For information on hours, phone 212-825-6700 (New
York City) or 202-357-2700 (Washington, DC).
For further information, contact the National Museum of the American
Indian, Suite 7102, 470 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone,
202-287-2523.
National Museum of Natural History This museum is dedicated to
understanding the natural world and the place of humans in it. The
Museum's permanent exhibits focus on Earth sciences, biology, and
anthropology, with the most popular displays featuring gemstones such as
the Hope diamond, dinosaurs, marine ecosystems, birds, and mammals.
Notable attractions include the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, where a variety of
arthropods live in realistic habitats; and the Discovery Room, where
visitors can handle specimens and artifacts. The Museum also hosts a
variety of special exhibitions, such as ``Amber: Window to the Past.''
The public displays represent only a small portion of the national
collections housed and maintained by the Museum. These encyclopedic
collections comprise more than 120 million specimens, making the Museum
one of the world's foremost facilities for natural history
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research. Doctorate-level staff researchers ensure the continued growth
and value of the collection by conducting studies in the field and
laboratory. The Museum maintains permanent research facilities in
Alaska, Florida, Belize, Guyana, and Brazil.
For further information, contact the National Museum of Natural History,
Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone,
202-357-2700.
National Portrait Gallery The Gallery was established by act of April
27, 1962 (20 U.S.C. 75a), as a museum of the Smithsonian Institution
``for the exhibition and study of portraiture depicting men and women
who have made significant contributions to the history, development, and
culture of the people of the United States.'' It is housed in one of the
oldest Government structures in Washington, the former U.S. Patent
Office Building.
The first floor of the Gallery is devoted to major loan exhibitions,
changing exhibitions from the Gallery's collection of paintings,
sculpture, prints, photographs, and drawings as well as several
galleries with special portrait collections. On the second floor are
featured the permanent collection of portraits of eminent Americans and
the Hall of Presidents containing portraits and associative items of our
Chief Executives. The two-story Victorian Renaissance Great Hall on the
third floor of the gallery houses a Civil War exhibition (on the
mezzanine), and is used for special events and public programs.
A large library is shared with the National Museum of American Art
and the Archives of American Art. The education department offers public
programs; outreach programs for schools, senior adults, hospitals, and
nursing homes; and walk-in and group tours.
For further information, contact the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth
and F Streets NW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Postal Museum The Museum houses the Nation's postal history
and philatelic collection, the largest of its kind in the world, with
more than 16 million objects. The 75,000 square-foot Museum is devoted
to the history of America's mail service. The major galleries include
exhibits on mail service in colonial times and during the Civil War, the
Pony Express, modern mail service, automation, mail transportation, and
the art of letters, as well as displays of the Museum's priceless stamp
collection.
Highlights include three mail planes, a replica of a railway mail
car, a mudwagon, an airmail beacon, displays of letters and greeting
cards, foreign and domestic mail boxes, and rare U.S. and foreign issue
stamps and covers.
Located on Capitol Hill next to Union Station, the Postal Museum is
geared for a family audience. A state-of-the-art museum setting offers
more than 40 videos and interactive displays, as well as a museum shop,
a stamp retail store, and a discovery center for educational programs,
lectures, and performances.
For further information, contact the National Postal Museum, 2
Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
National Zoological Park The National Zoo encompasses 163 acres along
Rock Creek in Northwest Washington, DC. Established in 1889, the Zoo is
one of the oldest branches of the Smithsonian Institution. The
collection today encompasses more than 5,000 animals and nearly 500
species, ranging in size and diversity from leaf-cutter ants to giant
pandas, elephants, and rhinos. Recent exhibits include ``Amazonia,'' a
simulated tropical rain forest; ``Think Tank,'' an exhibit focusing on
animal thinking; the ``Vertebrate'' and ``Pollinarium'' exhibits; and
the Reptile Discovery Center, featuring the world's largest lizards,
Komodo dragons. The Zoo's exhibits are supported by scientific
investigations conducted at the Zoo's Department of Zoological Research.
Work focusing on genetics, animal behavior, and reproductive studies has
given the National Zoo a leadership role among the Nation's conservation
institutions.
In addition to the animals living at its Washington facilities, the
Zoo's Conservation and Research Center
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located on 3,150 acres near Front Royal, VA, houses an additional 4,500
animals, among them extremely rare species. Research at the Center
explores animal behavior, ecology, nutrition, reproductive physiology,
pathology, and clinical medicine. The Center also conducts research into
the long-term maintenance of wild animal populations and captive-
breeding of endangered animals. It operates a training program for
wildlife professionals from other countries, including those with
endangered and rare wildlife.
For further information, contact the National Zoo, 3000 Connecticut
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20008. Phone, 202-673-4717. E-mail,
listserv@sivm.si.edu. Internet, http://www.si.edu/natzoo/.
Office of Fellowships and Grants This office develops and administers
the numerous Smithsonian programs designed to assist scholars and
students from the United States and throughout the world in utilizing
the Institution's unique resources. These academic programs, which
include long- and short-term appointments, are an important complement
to those offered by universities and support participants' research in
art, history, and science.
Predoctoral, postdoctoral, and graduate student fellowship programs
provide scholars and students the opportunity to conduct research on
independently conceived projects at Smithsonian facilities in
conjunction with the Institution's research staff.
The Office of Fellowships and Grants offers internships aimed at
increasing minority participation in ongoing Smithsonian research
activities and fields of interest. In addition, it administers all
internships funded by stipends. The Office also administers other
research opportunity programs for many of the Smithsonian bureaus.
For further information, contact the Office of Fellowships and Grants,
Suite 7000, 902 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-
287-3271. E-mail, siofg@sivm.si.edu.
Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies The Center is
responsible for research, documentation, and presentation of grassroots
cultural traditions in the United States and abroad. It maintains a
documentary collection and produces Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,
educational materials, documentary films, publications, and traveling
exhibits, as well as the annual Festival of American Folklife on the
National Mall. Recent Folklife Festivals have featured a range of
American music styles, a number of State tributes, and performers from
around the world. Admission to the festival is free. The 2-week program
includes Fourth of July activities.
For further information, contact the Center for Folklife Programs and
Cultural Studies, Suite 2600, 914 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC
20560. Phone, 202-287-3424 or 202-357-2700.
International Center The International Center supports Smithsonian
activities abroad and coordinates the Smithsonian's international
interests, particularly those that do not fall within the scope of a
single Smithsonian bureau or museum. The International Center provides a
meeting place and an organizational channel to bring together the
world's scholars, museum professionals, decisionmakers, and the general
public, to attend and participate in conferences, public forums,
lectures, performances, exhibitions, films, and workshops. Through the
International Center, the Smithsonian seeks to encourage a broadening of
public understanding of the histories, cultures, and natural
environments of regions throughout the world.
For further information, contact the Office of International Relations,
MRC 705, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-
1539.
Center for Museum Studies The Center is an outreach office of the
Smithsonian that helps museums in the United States fulfill their public
service mission. It conducts training programs for museum professionals
on museum operational methods, management of collections, exhibitions
techniques, and educational activities.
The Center is also the central intern office for the Institution,
registering all
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interns and administering a central intern application referral service.
Located in the Center is the Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Museum Reference Center, the Nation's largest museological library.
For further information, contact the Center for Museum Studies, 900
Jefferson Drive SW., Room 2235, MRC 427, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-3101. Fax, 202-357-3346.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery This Asian art museum opened to the public
September 1987 on the National Mall. Changing exhibitions drawn from
major collections in the United States and abroad, as well as from the
permanent holdings of the Sackler Gallery, are displayed in the
distinctive museum. The Gallery's growing permanent collection is
founded on a group of art objects from China, South and Southeast Asia,
and the ancient Near East that was given to the Smithsonian by Arthur M.
Sackler (1913-1987), a medical researcher, publisher, and art collector.
Dr. Sackler's gift included Chinese jades, bronzes, ancient Near Eastern
ceramics, gold and silver, and sculpture from South and Southeast Asia.
The collection has expanded to include Persian manuscripts; Japanese
paintings; ceramics, prints, and textiles; and paintings and metalware
from China, Japan, and South and Southeast Asia.
Programs at the Gallery include loan exhibitions and major
international shows offering both surveys of distinctive Asian
traditions and comparative exhibitions showing the art of different
centuries, geographic areas, and types of patronage. Many exhibitions
are accompanied by public programs and scholarly symposia.
For further information, contact the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700.
Office of the Smithsonian Institution Archives The Office includes the
Institutional History Division and the National Collections Program. The
Smithsonian Institution Archives acquires, preserves, and makes
available for research the official records of the Smithsonian
Institution and the papers of individuals and organizations associated
with the Institution or with its work. These holdings document the
growth of the Smithsonian and the development of American science,
history, and art.
The Institutional History Division explores the history of the
Smithsonian by drawing upon the holdings of the Archives and by creating
new historical records such as audio and videotaped interviews. Within
the Division, the Joseph Henry Papers publishes the correspondence and
papers of the Smithsonian's first Secretary, renowned scientist Joseph
Henry, whose bicentennial is celebrated in 1997.
The National Collections Program assists in and monitors the
development of effective collections management policy throughout the
Institution and the museum community at large.
For further information, contact the Office of the Smithsonian
Institution Archives, 900 Jefferson Drive SW., MRC 414, Washington, DC
20560. Phone, 202-357-1420. Fax, 202-357-2395.
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory The Observatory is located in
Cambridge, MA, on the grounds of the Harvard College Observatory. Since
1973, the observatories have coordinated research activities under a
single director in a cooperative venture known as the Harvard-
Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
The Center's research activities are organized in seven divisions,
as follows: atomic and molecular physics, radio and geoastronomy, high-
energy astrophysics, optical and infrared astronomy, planetary sciences,
solar and stellar physics, and theoretical astrophysics.
Data-gathering facilities include a major observatory in Arizona,
optical and radio astronomy facilities in Massachusetts, and a
submillimeter-wave facility in Hawaii (now under construction). The
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's observational capabilities are
complemented by library, computation, and laboratory facilities in
Cambridge.
Research results are published in the Center Preprint Series and
other technical and nontechnical bulletins, and distributed to
scientific and
[[Page 727]]
educational institutions around the world. As a further service to
international science, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory serves
as the headquarters for Astronomical Telegrams and the Minor Planet
Center. Astronomical Telegrams provide rapid international dissemination
of news about the discovery of comets, novae, and other astronomical
phenomena. The Minor Planet Center is the principal source for all
positional observations of asteroids as well as for establishing their
orbits and ephemerides.
The Observatory offers an extensive public education program,
including a variety of ``open nights'' held in Cambridge and at other
facilities.
Information about these activities and other general materials for
students and teachers may be obtained from the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Phone, 617-495-7461.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center The Center measures physical,
chemical, and biological interactions in the environment and determines
how these interactions control biological responses. This research is
carried out in a 2,600-acre facility in Edgewater, MD, where the ecology
of land/water interactions is studied for the estuary and adjacent
watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay.
For further information, contact the Smithsonian Environmental Research
Center, P.O. Box 28, Edgewater, MD 21037. Phone, 301-261-4190.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries The libraries of the Smithsonian
Institution include more than one million volumes with strengths in
natural history, museology, history of science, and humanities. The
systems' administrative services and Central Reference and Loan are
located in the National Museum of Natural History with 18 branch
libraries located in most of the major Smithsonian museums and research
units including the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge,
MA; the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in the Republic of
Panama; and the National Air and Space Museum. Address inquiries to the
appropriate branch library or to Central Reference and Loan.
For further information, contact the Smithsonian Institution Libraries,
Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone,
202-357-2139. E-mail, libmail@sil.si.edu/.
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) Since
1952, SITES has been committed to making Smithsonian exhibitions
available to millions of people who cannot view them firsthand at the
Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, and New York City. Each year,
audiences across North America experience the treasures and
opportunities of the Smithsonian by visiting SITES exhibitions that come
to local museums, libraries, science centers, historical societies,
zoos, aquariums, community centers, and schools. More than 65
exhibitions on art, history, and science circulate every year. SITES
also offers exhibits in its International Gallery on the National Mall,
in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW.
For further information, to book a SITES exhibition, or to receive a
copy of Update, the annual catalog of current exhibitions, contact the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, MRC 706,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-3168.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) The Institute is a
research organization for advanced studies of tropical ecosystems.
Headquartered in the Republic of Panama, STRI maintains extensive
facilities in the Western Hemisphere tropics. It is the permanent base
of a corps of tropical researchers, who in turn provide an intellectual
environment that attracts many visiting scientists and research fellows.
The Institute's researchers study the evolution, behavior, ecology, and
history of tropical species on systems ranging from coral reefs to
tropical rain forests. Growing strengths in molecular biology, plant
physiology, and paleoecology complement established excellence in
evolutionary biology and ecology.
The Institute operates the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, a 12,000-
acre forest reserve, including Barro Colorado Island (protected since
1923)
[[Page 728]]
and adjacent peninsulas in Gatun Lake, part of the Panama Canal. It also
maintains a research and conference center in Panama City, including one
of the world's finest libraries. In addition, STRI has two marine
laboratories, one at Naos Island on the Pacific entrance to the Panama
Canal and another at Galeta Island on the Atlantic. It administers
marine stations in the Caribbean in the San Blas Islands, and at Cayos
Cochinos, Honduras, and maintains a research vessel for off-shore
studies. The Institute's scientific staff conducts research in these
areas as well as in other parts of Central and South America, the
Pacific, Asia, and Africa, where comparative studies are clarifying the
distinctive role of the tropics.
For a brochure describing the Institute's activities and
illustrating some of the facilities and habitats available, contact the
Visitor Services Office, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Unit
0948 APO AA. International phone with operator assist, 011-507-227-6022.
E-mail, stri.tivol1.maggiorig@ic.si.edu.
For further information, contact the Smithsonian Tropical Research
Institute, 900 Jefferson Drive SW., MRC 555, Washington, DC 20560.
Phone, 202-786-2817. Fax, 202-786-2819. Phone (Panama), 011-507-62-6022.
E-mail, siwp01.stridc.bcasana@ic.si.edu.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The Center, the sole
official memorial in Washington to President Kennedy, is an independent
bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, administered by a 49-member Board
of Trustees.
In a public/private partnership, the Federal Government provides
appropriated fund support for the maintenance and operation of the
physical facilities of the Presidential monument, while the Board of
Trustees is responsible for raising private funds for all of the
artistic initiatives. Additional funds for programming and education are
derived through box office sales and other earned income, and other
government grants. The Center's Board is responsible for administration
of the building and for performing arts programming and education.
Since its opening in 1971, the Center has presented a year-round
program of the finest in music, dance, and drama from the United States
and abroad. Facilities include the Opera House, the Eisenhower Theater,
the American Film Institute Theater, the Terrace Theater, the Theater
Lab, and the Concert Hall, home of the Center's affiliate, the National
Symphony Orchestra.
The Center's Education Department includes the nationwide Performing
Arts Centers and Schools: Partners in Education, American College
Theater Festival, Youth and Family Programs, the National Symphony
Orchestra Education Program, and the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts
Education Network, designed to increase participation by students
throughout the country in Center activities and to establish the Center
as a focal point for strengthening the arts in education at all levels.
The Kennedy Center box offices are open daily, and general
information and tickets may be obtained by calling 202-467-4600 or 202-
416-8524 (TDD). Full-time students, senior citizens over the age of 65,
enlisted personnel of grade E-4 and below, fixed low-income groups, and
the disabled may purchase tickets for most performances at a 50-percent
discount through the Specially Priced Ticket Program. This program is
designed to make the Center accessible to all, regardless of economic
circumstance.
Visitor services are provided by the Friends of the Kennedy Center
volunteers. Tours are available free of charge between 10 a.m. and 1
p.m. daily. Free performances are given every day at 6 p.m. on the
Millenium Stage in the Grand Foyer.
For further information, contact the Kennedy Center. Phone, 202-467-
4600. Internet, http://www.kennedy-center.org/.
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is governed by a
Board of Trustees composed of five Trustees and the Secretary of State,
the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chief Justice of the United States,
and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. It houses one of the
finest collections in the world,
[[Page 729]]
illustrating Western man's achievements in painting, sculpture, and the
graphic arts. The collections, beginning with the 13th century, are rich
in European old master paintings and French, Spanish, Italian, American,
and British 18th- and 19th-century paintings; sculpture from the late
Middle Ages to the present; Renaissance medals and bronzes; Chinese
porcelains; and about 75,000 works of graphic art from the 12th to the
20th centuries. The collections are acquired by private donation rather
than by Government funds, which serve solely to operate and maintain the
building and its collections.
The National Gallery's West Building, designed by John Russell Pope
in neoclassical style, was a gift to the Nation from Andrew W. Mellon,
who also bequeathed his collection to the gallery in 1937. On March 17,
1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building
and works of art on behalf of the people of the United States of
America.
The National Gallery's East Building, designed by I.M. Pei, was
accepted by President Jimmy Carter in June of 1978 as a gift of Paul
Mellon and the late Ailsa Mellon Bruce, son and daughter of the
gallery's founder, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The East
Building provides space for temporary exhibitions, the gallery's growing
collections, the Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts,
including greatly expanded library and photographic archives, and
administrative and curatorial offices.
A professor-in-residence position is filled annually by a
distinguished scholar in the field of art history; graduate and
postgraduate research is conducted under a fellowship program; programs
for schoolchildren and the general public are conducted daily; and an
Extension Service distributes loans of audiovisual materials, including
films, slide lectures, and slide sets throughout the world.
Publications, slides, and reproductions may be obtained through the
Publications Service.
The Micro Gallery, located in the West Building, is the most
comprehensive interactive multimedia computer system in any American art
museum. Thirteen computers, installed in the redesigned art information
room near the Mall entrance, enable visitors to see in magnified detail
nearly every work of art on display in the permanent collection, as well
as access to information about artists, geographic areas, time periods,
pronunciations (with sound), and more. Visitors can design a personal
tour of the collection and print it out to use as a guide in the
galleries. For information, call 202-842-6188 or 202-842-6653.
For general information on the National Gallery of Art and its
activities, call 202-737-4215. Internet, http://www.nga.gov/.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Center, located
in Washington, DC, is the Nation's official memorial to its 28th
President. The Center's mandate is to integrate the world of learning
with the world of public affairs. Through meetings and conferences, the
Center brings scholars together with Members of Congress, Government
officials, business leaders, and other policymakers. Through publication
of books and the Wilson Quarterly and a nationally broadcast radio
program, the results of the Center's research and meetings are made
publicly available.
The Center awards approximately 40 residential fellowships annually
to individuals with project proposals representing the entire range of
superior scholarship, with a strong emphasis on the humanities and
social sciences.
Applications from any country are welcome. Persons with outstanding
capabilities and experience from a wide variety of backgrounds
(including government, the corporate world, academia, and other
professions) are eligible for appointment. For academic participants,
eligibility is limited to the postdoctoral level.
The Center prefers its fellows to be in residence for the academic
year--September to May or June--although a few fellowships are available
for shorter periods of not less than 4 months.
The Center holds one round of competitive selection per year. The
[[Page 730]]
deadline for the receipt of applications is October 1, and decisions on
appointments are announced in March of the following year.
For further information, contact the Fellowship Office, Woodrow Wilson
Center, Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2841. Fax, 202-357-4439.
Internet, http://wwics.si.edu/.
Sources of Information
Contracts and Small Business Activities Information may be obtained
from the Director, Office of Contracting and Property Management,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, regarding procurement of
supplies; contracts for construction, services, etc.; and property
management and utilization services for Smithsonian Institution
organizations, except that the following independent organizations
should be contacted directly: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, Washington, DC 20566; and Supply Officer, National Gallery of Art,
Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20565. Phone,
202-287-3343.
Education and Research Refer to preceding statements on the Office of
Fellowships and Grants, the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural
Studies, the National Science Resources Center, the Smithsonian
Education Office, and other offices. For information, write to the
Directors of these offices at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
DC 20560.
For information regarding Kennedy Center Education Programs, both in
Washington, DC, and in nationwide touring productions and training,
contact the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington,
DC 20566 (phone, 202-416-8000).
The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts was founded in
1979, as part of the National Gallery of Art, to promote study of the
history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, and urbanism
through the formation of a community of scholars. The activities of the
Center for Advanced Study, which include the fellowship program,
meetings, research, and publications, are privately funded. For further
information, contact the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 20565. Phone, 202-842-6480; or
fax, 202-842-6733.
Electronic Access Information about the Smithsonian Institution is
available electronically through the Internet, at http://www.si.edu/.
Information about programs, activities, and performances at the John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is available through the
Internet, at http://www.kennedy-center.org/.
Information about the National Gallery of Art is available through
the Internet, at http://www.nga.gov/.
Information about the programs and activities of the Woodrow Wilson
Center for International Scholars is available through the Internet, at
http://wwics.si.edu/.
Employment Employment information for the Smithsonian is available from
the Office of Human Resources, Smithsonian Institution, Suite 2100, 955
L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-287-3100. Recorded
message, 202-287-3102. Employment information for the following
locations may be obtained by contacting the organizations directly as
follows: Personnel Office, National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20565 (phone, 202-842-6298; or
for the hearing impaired (TDD), 202-789-3021); and the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, Human Resources Department, Washington,
DC 20566 (phone, 202-416-8610).
Films The National Gallery of Art circulates films, slide programs,
videos, teaching packets, and videodiscs to schools and civic
organizations throughout the country. Contact the Department of
Education Resources, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 20565.
Phone, 202-842-6273. Please write to request a free catalog of programs.
Memberships For information about Smithsonian membership (Resident
Program), write to The Smithsonian Associates, MRC 701, 1100 Jefferson
Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560.
[[Page 731]]
Phone, 202-357-3030. The Resident Program offers a wide variety of
performing arts events, courses, lectures, seminars, symposia, films,
and guided tours with specialists, authors, celebrities, and other
notables. Additional activities include a lecture series for senior
adults; classes, workshops, films, and summer camp sessions for young
people; and family and adult/child activities. Membership benefits
include discounts and admissions priority; a subscription to Smithsonian
magazine; monthly copies of the Associate, the award-winning guide to
Resident Associate activities; and dining privileges. Additionally, all
members receive discounts on museum shop purchases; Smithsonian Catalog
items; Smithsonian Press/Smithsonian Productions publications and
recordings; and discounts on subscriptions to Air and Space/Smithsonian
magazine. The Smithsonian Associates also offer volunteer opportunities
and special services for individuals with disabilities.
For information about Smithsonian membership (National Program),
contact The Smithsonian Associates, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW.,
Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-4800. National membership benefits
include a subscription to Smithsonian magazine; information services
from the Associates' Reception Center; eligibility to travel on
international and U.S. study tours and seminars guided by expert study
leaders; discounted tickets for Smithsonian educational events
nationwide; and shopping and dining privileges. The Contributing
Membership offers additional opportunities to support the Smithsonian
Institution. Contributing members, at various levels, receive an array
of benefits--from receiving quarterly issues of Smithsonian Institution
Research Reports to being invited to the annual James Smithson weekend
and other special events. For information about the Contributing
Membership, call 202-357-4300.
The Young Benefactors offers individuals between the ages of 25 and
45 the opportunity to increase their understanding of the Institution
and to participate in unique fundraising events that assist the
Institution in achieving its goals. For additional information about the
Young Benefactors, write to The Smithsonian Associates, 1100 Jefferson
Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-1351.
The Circle of the National Gallery of Art is a membership program
which provides support for special projects for which Federal funds are
not available. Since its inception in 1986, the Circle has provided
support for scholarly exhibitions, acquisitions of works of art,
publications, films, and symposia at the Gallery's Center for Advanced
Study in the Visual Arts. For more information about membership in the
Circle of the National Gallery of Art, please write to The Circle,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 20565; or call 202-842-6450.
Information about activities of the Friends of the National Zoo and
their magazine, The Zoogoer, is available by writing to FONZ at the
National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008. Phone, 202-673-4960.
Information about the national and local activities of Friends of
the Kennedy Center (including the bimonthly Kennedy Center News for
members) is available at the information desks within the Center or by
writing to Friends of the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 20566.
Photographs Color and black-and-white photographs and slides are
available to Government agencies, research and educational institutions,
publishers, and the general public from the Smithsonian. Subjects
include photographs of the Smithsonian's scientific, technological,
historical, and art collections as well as pictures dating back more
than 125 years taken from its photographic archives. Information, order
forms, and price lists may be obtained from the Office of Imaging,
Printing, and Photographic Services, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-1933.
Publications Smithsonian Press/Smithsonian Productions and the Office
of Public Affairs publish Smithsonian Year, the Institution's annual
report. Press/Productions also publishes a range of books and studies
related to the
[[Page 732]]
sciences, technology, history, air and space, and the arts. A book
catalog and a list of studies are available from Publications Sales,
Smithsonian Institution University Press, 1111 North Capitol Street,
Washington, DC 20002. Phone, 202-287-3738. To purchase a Smithsonian
Institution University Press volume, contact the Office. Phone, 800-782-
4612. To purchase a recording of the Smithsonian Collection of
Recordings, contact Press/Productions. Phone, 800-863-9943.
An events highlight advertisement, which appears on the next-to-last
Friday of the month, is published in the Washington Post by the
Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs.
A free Welcome brochure providing a brief guide to the Smithsonian
Institution is published in English and several foreign languages. A
visitor's guide for individuals with disabilities and Smithsonian
Institution Research Reports, containing news of current research
projects in the arts, sciences, and history that are being conducted by
Smithsonian staff, are available from the Smithsonian Office of Public
Affairs, 900 Jefferson Drive SW., MRC 421, Washington, DC 20560. Phone,
202-357-2627.
To request a copy of Smithsonian Runner, a newsletter about Native
American-related activities at the Smithsonian, contact the National
Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
20560.
For the newsletter Art to Zoo for teachers of fourth through eighth
graders, write to the Smithsonian Office of Education, Room 1163, MRC
402, Arts and Industries Building, Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-
2425.
The Gallery Shops, National Gallery of Art (phone, 202-842-6466),
makes available quality reproductions and publications about the
Gallery's collections. The Information Office provides a monthly
Calendar of Events and several brochures including Brief Guide to the
National Gallery of Art and An Invitation to the National Gallery of Art
(the latter in several foreign languages).
Radio and Telephone Radio Smithsonian produces award-winning radio
series and specials about the arts, sciences, and human culture for
national broadcast on public radio.
Dial-A-Museum, 202-357-2020 provides a taped message with daily
announcements on new exhibits and special events.
Smithsonian Skywatchers Report, 202-357-2000 is a taped message with
weekly announcements on stars, planets, and worldwide occurrences of
short-lived natural phenomena.
For a Spanish Listing of Smithsonian Events, call 202-633-9126.
Concerts From the National Gallery is broadcast 4 weeks after the
performance on Washington, DC, area radio station WGTS, 91.9 FM, Sundays
at 7 p.m., November through July.
Speakers The Education Office, National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20565, provides gallery
talks and lectures. Phone, 202-842-6246.
Special Functions Inquiries regarding the use of Kennedy Center
facilities for special functions may be directed to the Office of
Special Events, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
Washington, DC 20566. Phone, 202-416-8000.
Theater Operations Inquiries regarding the use of the Kennedy Center's
theaters may be addressed to the Booking Coordinator, John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC 20566. Phone, 202-416-
8000.
Tours For information about museum and gallery tours, contact the
Smithsonian Information Center, 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW., Washington,
DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-2700. School groups are welcome.
Special member tours are provided through Friends of the National
Zoo, National Zoological Park, 3000 Connecticut Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20008. Phone, 202-673-4821.
Visitor Information The Smithsonian Information Center, located in the
original Smithsonian building, commonly known as ``The Castle,''
provides general orientation, through films, computer
[[Page 733]]
interactive programs, and visitor information specialists, to help
members and the public learn about the national collections, museum
events, exhibitions, and special programs. Write to the Smithsonian
Information Center, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560.
Phone, 202-357-2700. TTY, 202-357-1729.
The Visitor Services Office of the National Gallery of Art provides
individual assistance to those with special needs, responds to written
and telephone requests, supplies crowd control for ticketed exhibitions
and programs, and provides information to those planning to visit the
Washington, DC, area. For more information, write to the National
Gallery of Art, Office of Visitor Services, Washington, DC 20565. Phone,
202-842-6680; or for the hearing impaired (TDD), 202-842-6176.
Volunteer Service Opportunities The Smithsonian Institution welcomes
volunteers and offers a variety of interesting service opportunities.
During 1996, the Smithsonian's sesquicentennial year, the Institution
recorded 9,026 volunteers. Individuals may serve as tour guides or
information volunteers, or may participate in an independent program in
which their educational and professional backgrounds are matched with
curatorial or research requests from within the Smithsonian. For
information, write to the Visitor Information and Associates' Reception
Center, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-
2700. TTY, 202-357-1729.
Volunteers at the National Gallery of Art may select from providing
such services as giving tours of the permanent Gallery collection for
children and adults in English or foreign languages; serving as art
information specialists at the art information desks throughout the West
and East buildings; and assisting the library staff on assorted
projects. For further details, write the Education Division, National
Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 20565. Phone, 202-842-6246; or for the
hearing impaired (TDD), 202-842-6176. For library volunteering
inquiries, phone 202-842-6510.
For information about volunteer opportunities at the Kennedy Center,
write to Friends of the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 20566. Phone,
202-416-8000.
Members of the press may contact the Smithsonian Office of Public
Affairs, 900 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202-357-
2627. All other inquiries should be directed to the Smithsonian
Information Center, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20560.
Phone, 202-357-2700. TDD, 202-357-1729.
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