152 



Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 1999 



July 15 



■ Exhibition "Directions — Sam Taylor- Wood," the first solo 

 show in an American museum for this young British artist 

 (b. 1967), opened at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture 

 Garden with a slide-illustrated talk by the arrist in the mu- 

 seum's Ring Auditorium. Taylor- Wood is part of a new 

 generation of artists in Great Britain who have gained wide 

 recognition. The exhibition featured one of her newest video 

 installations, Noli Me Tangere, in which the projected image 

 of a muscular, Atlas-like figure strains to hold up the ceil- 

 ing, evoking a Colossus, or load-bearing figure, from ancient 

 architecture. Associate Curator Olga M. Viso organized the 

 exhibition, which was generously supported by the Elizabeth 

 Firestone-Graham Foundation and Lannan Foundation, with 

 projection equipment and technical assistance supplied by 

 BARCO Projection Systems. 



July 16 



■ Exhibition "Modern Uses of Gold" opens ar the National 

 Postal Museum. 



July 18-23, July 25-30 



■ National meetings As part of its Leadership and Assis- 

 tance for Science Education Reform (LASER) initiative, the 

 National Science Resources Center offers a national Strate- 

 gic Planning Institute each year at the Smithsonian 

 Institution in Washington, D.C. The LASER initiative is 

 designed to reach school districts through eight regional 

 partnerships involving universities, corporations, state de- 

 partments of education, and the National Science 

 Foundation Systemic Initiative Projects. LASER programs 

 encourage districts to address the National Science Educa- 

 tion Standards, as well as state and local standards in 

 developing science education reform strategies. A six-day 

 LASER event, called a Strategic Planning Institute, consists 

 of interactive workshops and discussions during which lead- 

 ership teams develop five-year strategic plans to reform K- 



8 science education in their districts. These national insti- 

 tutes bring faculty from across the nation to share best 

 practices, as well as offering an opporrunity for companies 

 and organizations that want to initiate reform to learn about 

 effective practices. During the summer of 1999, LASER 

 presented two national Strategic Planning Institutes during 

 two consecutive weeks. Thirty teams participated in these 

 two institutes, including one team from Sweden. These in- 

 stitutes were held in conjunction with a special exhibit at 

 the Smithsonian Institution — the Microbes exhibit, spon- 

 sored by Pfizer, which provided partial support for the 

 NSRC institutes. 



July 1 8-October 1 7 



■ Exhibition The National Museum of African Art pre- 

 sented "Hats Off: A Salute to African Headwear," a Point of 

 View Gallery exhibition featuring the innumerable types of 

 headwear worn by African peoples. 



July 19 



■ Staff appointment Beverly With was appointed head of the 

 development office of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. 

 Sackler Gallery 



July 22 



■ Special event The B&O Railroad Museum (Baltimore, 

 Maryland) implemented its affiliation in a press event with 

 Secretary I. Michael Heyman. A artifact from a B&O Rail- 

 road caboose — on loan from the National Museum of 

 American History — was unveiled as part of the event. 



July 23-October 1 



■ Traveling exhibition "Philippe Halsman: A Retrospec- 

 tive," an exhibition organized by the National Portrait 

 Gallery, was on view at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, 

 Michigan. 



July 24 



■ Public program An all-day seminar, "A Virtual Climb of 

 Mount Everest," produced by The Smithsonian Associates, 

 featured the extraordinary advenrurers of sherpa Norbu Ten- 

 zing, son of legendary climber Tenzing Norgay, geologist 

 Roger Bilham, anthropologist James Fisher, high-altitude 

 physiologist Peter Hackerr, historian Stephen Venables, and 

 climber Robert Anderson. 



July 27 



■ Agreement The Tropical Research Institute signed a five- 

 year renewable agreement for scientific and academic 

 collaboration with the City of Knowledge Foundation, to 

 contribute to the diffusion of publications and reports result- 

 ing from joinr scienrific research and educational programs. 



July 28 



■ Publication The Office of Public Affairs issued a newly 

 updated brochure, "Smithsonian Access," a guide for dis- 

 abled visitors. Distribution by the Visitor Information and 

 Associates' Reception Center at museum information desks 

 and by mail began immediately. 



July 29-December 5 



■ Exhibition "Photographing History: Fred J. Maroon and 

 the Nixon Years, 1970— 1974" at the National Museum of 

 American History. An intimate and dramatic view of the 

 Nixon presidency through the lens of Fred J. Maroon, a dis- 

 tinguished Washington photographer. His pictures, many of 

 which have never been exhibired before, capture a turning 

 poinr in American political life. 



August 



■ Award Ella Jenkins, Smithsonian Folkways Recording 

 artist and advisory council member, was selected as a recipi- 



