54 



Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 1999 



year began with L'esprit de France, an exceptional collage of 

 nearly 40 special events and programs to explore France and 

 its contributions in art, architecture, music, history, philoso- 

 phy, literature, language, cuisine, and style. The centerpiece 

 of L'esprit de France was an eleganr black-tie gala held at the 

 Washington Design Center, chaired by Mary Ourisman and 

 attended by the Ambassador of France. The celebration was 

 headlined by events cosponsored with the Hotel Ritz Paris, 

 such as "The French Art of Tea" and "Rendezvous with the 

 Ritz' Chefs." 



TSA collaborated with Smithsonian museums on a variety 

 of cultural and educational programs. Tim Johnson of the 

 National Museum of the American Indian used stunning 

 images to review the photographic history of Native Ameri- 

 cans from the very beginning of photography more than 150 

 years ago. An impressive roster of speakers, including Doris 

 Evans McGinty, Ed Guerrero, and Mark Naison, presented a 

 seminar, "Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Paul Robe- 

 son's Birth," to complement the National Portrait Gallery's 

 exhibition on this great artist. 



TSA presented a dazzling array of world-renowned fig- 

 ures. After a screening of extraordinary vintage footage 

 trumpeting his historic Everest conquest, Sir Edmund 

 Hillary, in an extraordinarily rare public appearance, re- 

 ceived the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal. Author Tom 

 Wolfe delighted his audience with witty repartee about his 

 life as a writer in a conversation with Marc Pachter. Lesley 

 Stahl reflected on her 25 years as a reporter. Psychologist 

 Richard Carlson told us, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff." 

 Peter Jennings, anchor and editor of "ABC World News 

 Tonight," reflected on the twentieth century. 



Two very special programs highlighted the year. TSA pre- 

 sented one of the largest groups of former Presidential Press 

 Secretaries ever assembled. Moderated by historian Michael 

 Beschloss, the list of luminaries included George Christian 

 (Johnson); Marlin Fitzwater (Reagan and Bush); Joe Lock- 

 hardt, Mike McCurry, and Dee Dee Myers (Clinton); Ronald 

 Nessen, (Ford); Pierre Salinger (Kennedy); Larry Speakes 

 (Reagan); and Ronald Ziegler (Nixon). The other spectacular 

 program featured the great NASCAR drivers including Dale 

 Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kyle Petty, 

 Richard Petty, and Darrell Waltrip. 



TSA has had a long association with Oxford University 

 through its study tours program. This year, for the first time, 

 Smithsonian Associates were able to enjoy Oxford in Washing- 

 ton through three daylong seminars. Barry Cunliffe, professor 

 of archaeology at Oxford, spoke about the history of the Celts 

 and their contribution to western civilization. Oxford tutors 

 Geoffrey Tyack and David Eddershaw covered "The English 

 Country House" and "Oxford as University, City, and County." 



Continuing its long collaboration with the National Air 

 and Space Museum, TSA presented the 33rd Annual Smith- 

 sonian Kite Festival on the National Mall. This years theme, 

 "A Century of Flight: Looking Back" celebrated the centen- 

 nial of Orville Wright's historic 1899 kite, which was a 

 milestone in aviation history. Associates in the greater Wash- 

 ington area took part in more than 200 day and overnight 

 tours in the region. Of special note is the popular journey to 

 Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (PA), which was ex- 



panded to include Kentuck Knob, another Wright home re- 

 cently opened to visitors on a limited basis. 



Young Benefactors 



The Young Benefactors entered its tenth year, continuing 

 its mission of raising unrestricted funds for the Smithsonian 

 Institution and increasing awareness among young profes- 

 sionals of the goals and objectives of the Institution. Among 

 activities this year were a reception at the Latin American 

 photography exhibit at the National Museum of American 

 History, a cocktail reception at the Renwick Gallery, and the 

 Tenth Annual Blast-Off Black-Tie Gala at National Air and 

 Space Musuem, which raised more than $150,000. 



Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts: 

 Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century American 

 Decorative Arts 



Maria Ann Conelli, Chair 



The Masters Program, now in its fourth year, sponsored a 

 symposium entitled "The Theme Is Glass" in conjunction 

 with the exhibition "Glass! Glorious Glass!" at the Renwick 

 Gallery of the National Museum of American Art. Renowned 

 glass artist Dan Dailey opened the morning session and was 

 later joined by curators Paola Antonelli of the Museum of 

 Modem Art and Vicky Clark from the Pittsburgh Center for 

 the Arts. They addressed an enthusiastic audience of more 

 than 125 attendees. Kenneth Trapp, curator-in-charge at the 

 Renwick, provided an afternoon tour of the exhibition. The 

 day ended with a lively panel discussion that ranged from the 

 future of art glass to glass and modem technology. 



Professor John Wilton-Ely, the distinguished art historian, 

 joined the faculty and lectured on his forthcoming book, Robert 

 Adam and the Adam Style, Students from the Masters Program 

 later joined Professor Wilton-Ely in England to explore the cel- 

 ebrated English country houses and their interiors. During this 

 summer seminar, students visited the collections of the Victoria 

 and Albert Museum, Spencer House, the Wallace Collection, 

 Osterley Park, The Sir John Soane's Museum, Strawberry Hill, 

 and Chiswick House, to name a few. 



The Masters Program continued production of the 

 "Newsletter of the Decorative Arts Society." This publica- 

 tion, with an international readership, offers articles, 

 exhibition and book reviews, news on recent acquisitions, 

 and a calendar of events pertaining to the applied arts for 

 museum and historic houses across the United States. Stu- 

 dents in the Washington, D.C., program serve as writers, 

 editors, and designers. Some have found their voice and ca- 

 reers in writing for the Newsletter. 



Programs Across America 

 and Around the World 



Smithsonian Institutes for Professionals 



Geared for corporate and association audiences who come to 

 Washington from across the country, TSA's Institutes are 



