Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations to share collections, exhibitions and educational strategies and to 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. According to Heyman, the program responded to several challenges the Institution faced at the time: a decrease in federal funding, limited storage space for expanding collections, and the goal of making the Institution more reflective of the nation without operating additional museums outside of Washington, D.C.
Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution In 1993, the Commission on the Future of the Smithsonian Institution introduced the first proposal for 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" amid a changing society and increasing financial pressures. 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 addressed partnerships and access to the collections. The first, "To Educate More of the Nation's People", called for building partnerships with other museums, research centers, and educational institutions. The second, "Collections, Research and Exhibitions", called for a master plan for the collections that included sharing them through long-term or permanent loans to partner institutions.
The Commission stated that lending artifacts to other museums in a responsible way could make the Institution more reflective of the nation and help address the problem of storing, curating, studying, and exhibiting its growing collections.
Creating Smithsonian Affiliations In 1996, during his second year as Secretary, Heyman identified several challenges facing the Institution that aligned with the Commission's 1993 findings: limited storage for expanding collections, decreasing funds, and the goal of reinforcing the Smithsonian's identity as a national museum. The Institution also saw increased interest from outside museums in partnerships and loans beyond standing practices. Although collaborative agreements in the form of traveling exhibitions, joint exhibition sponsorship, and loans had been entered into by individual Smithsonian museums in the past, no infrastructure existed to provide institution-wide oversight and coordination of such partnerships. Heyman created the Smithsonian Affiliations program to oversee and manage collections-based partnerships with other museums. According to the minutes of the Smithsonian Board of Regents meeting housed in the Smithsonian Institution Archives, the program was formally approved by the Board of Regents on September 15, 1996.
Smithsonian Affiliations was one of several outreach initiatives Heyman introduced around the Institution's 150th anniversary to expand its national reach. Other initiatives from the same period included an expanded presence on the World Wide Web and America's Smithsonian, the largest traveling exhibition the Smithsonian had mounted. Heyman announced the Affiliations program in opening remarks at the Smithsonian's 150th Birthday Party on the Mall and at openings of America's Smithsonian in several cities.
Growth of the program At the end of the 1997 fiscal year, there were 21 organizations recognized as Affiliates.1997 Smithsonian Institution Annual Report, p. 55. Smithsonian Institution Archives. As of 2017, there were over 200 Affiliates.
Program overview Partner organizations may use the tag line "In Association with the Smithsonian Institution" and the Smithsonian Affiliations logo on their website, programming, and marketing material. Any 501(c)(3) nonprofit or publicly operated educational entity may apply to become a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Eligibility is open to non-profit or publicly operated organizations whose missions involve research, knowledge, and education in science, history, and the arts. Under the program's guidelines, the Smithsonian Institution retains control over all collections it loans, and Affiliates cover the 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. Applicants must demonstrate that they can care for, protect, and exhibit Smithsonian collections on a long-term basis and that they are financially able to develop and maintain professional exhibitions.
While serving as an Affiliate, organizations must grant Smithsonian curators and personnel access to borrowed artifacts, provide the Smithsonian with reports needed to monitor the partnership, and operate in accordance with the policies of the Board of Regents.Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents. "Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents Meeting Minutes, 15 September 1996, p. 57". Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Organizations apply by submitting documentation of their 501(c)(3) status, a mission statement, an organizational chart, an annual report, and a facilities report in the American Alliance of Museums format, together with a narrative describing the proposed partnership. Approved applicants sign a Smithsonian Affiliations Agreement and are assigned a National Outreach Manager to coordinate loans and projects, which are set for defined periods of time.
Programs and professional development Affiliate organizations take part in professional training, outreach, and programming initiatives coordinated by the Smithsonian Affiliations office. Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference: an annual conference at which staff of Affiliate organizations attend workshops, lectures, and training sessions led by Smithsonian, Affiliate, and museum-industry staff. Smithsonian Affiliations Visiting Professional Program: a program in which staff of Affiliate organizations receive training from Smithsonian staff while working in Washington, D.C.
Educational collaborations The Smithsonian Affiliations program develops collaborative educational programs in science, art, history, and culture. National Youth Summit: The 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides was an NEH-funded program featuring a panel of Freedom Riders at the National Museum of American History. The event was broadcast to five Affiliate sites, where students were able to question the panelists about their experiences as civil rights activists. Places of Invention: a collaboration between the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (National Museum of American History) and Smithsonian Affiliations, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Six Affiliate organizations conducted community research documenting their communities as "places of invention", with results intended for the Lemelson Center's exhibition of the same name scheduled to open in 2015. Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos: a collaboration between Smithsonian Affiliations and the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in which students at thirteen Affiliate organizations control MicroObservatory robotic telescopes over the internet to capture astronomy images, some of which are used in astrophotography exhibitions of the students' work. Smithsonian Immigration/Migration Initiative: an initiative centered in the National Museum of American History and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, with eight Affiliate partners serving in an advisory group. The initiative examines how young members of immigrant communities in the United States can tell their own stories, and convenes representatives in Washington, D.C. to discuss programs and collections focused on immigration and migration. Spark!Lab Outreach Kit: traveling kits of hands-on invention activities created by the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and sent to five Affiliate museums. Let's Do History Tour: a program in which educators from the National Museum of American History toured several cities to share teaching techniques, online tools, and educational content for K–12 teachers, with Affiliate organizations presenting local and collection-based resources for teaching American history. Universal Design Webinar: a collaboration between Smithsonian Affiliations, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Smithsonian Accessibility Program on universal design in museums, hosted at twenty-four Affiliate organizations and later published as an article in AAM's Museum magazine.
List of Affiliates by state/country The following is a list of current Smithsonian affiliates:
Alabama Anniston Museum of Natural History (Anniston) Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham) U.S. Space and Rocket Center (Huntsville)
Alaska Anchorage Museum (Anchorage)
Arizona Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum (Bisbee) Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix) Western Spirit Museum (Scottsdale) Arizona Historical Society (Tucson) Arizona State Museum (Tucson) Sigler Western Museum (Wickenburg)
Arkansas Historic Arkansas Museum (Little Rock)
California USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum (Alameda) Cerritos Library (Cerritos) Columbia Memorial Space Center (Downey) Western Science Center (Hemet) Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach) California African American Museum (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) Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts (Rancho Cucamonga) California State Railroad Museum (Sacramento) 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) Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco) Museum of Sonoma County (Santa Rosa)
Colorado University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Boulder) University of Colorado Museum of Natural History (Boulder) Denver Botanic Gardens (Denver) History Colorado (Denver) Littleton Museum (Littleton) Pinhead Institute (Telluride) Telluride Historical Museum (Telluride)
Connecticut Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (Hartford) Mystic Seaport Museum (Mystic)
Delaware Hagley Museum and Library (Wilmington)
Florida The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature (Bradenton) The Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, Science & History (Daytona Beach) Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College (Lakeland) Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (Merritt Island) Florida International University (Miami) Museum of Miami (Miami) Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Miami) Orange County Regional History Center (Orlando) The Mennello Museum of American Art (Orlando) Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota) St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum (St. Augustine) Tampa Bay History Center (Tampa)
Georgia David J. Sencer CDC Museum (Atlanta) The 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)
Illinois Schingoethe Center of Aurora University (Aurora) Adler Planetarium (Chicago) DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (Chicago)