200 works in all media by some ioo artists, drawn from 

 the nation's most extensive public collection of African 

 American art, illustrated the scope of the African Ameri- 

 can contribution to the visual arts. Affirmation Today, a 

 30-minute video produced in conjunction with the 

 exhibition, highlighted the life and work of five African 

 American artists. 



October 28-May 12 



■ Education Program The National Zoological Park 

 and the Fairfax County Public Schools coproduced four 

 "Science Safari" programs for elementary school stu- 

 dents and an "Electronic Field Trip" for middle school 

 students, both with related curriculum materials. The 

 programs were broadcast to schools nationwide via satel- 

 lite downlink or cable television. 



October 30 



■ Opening The George Gustav Heye Center of the 

 National Museum of the American Indian opened with 

 three inaugural exhibitions in New York City. More 

 than 60,000 people visited the Heye Center during its 

 first month, almost one and one-half times the number 

 who had visited the museum in an entire year at its old 

 location. 



October 30 



■ Publicity Campaign The Office of Public Affairs or- 

 ganized the publicity campaign for the opening of the 

 New York facility of the National Museum of the Amer- 

 ican Indian. The opening began with a week of special 

 previews for the media, donors, members, and other 

 guests, culminating in a Native American blessing on 

 the steps of the Custom House, the home of the mu- 

 seum. Media coverage was extensive, reaching millions 

 of Americans through netwotk television, national news 

 magazines, and Native American publications. 



October 30 



■ Awards The first five recipients of the National Mu- 

 seum of the American Indian's Art and Cultural 

 Achievement Award were announced. They were Allan 

 Houser (Chiricahua Apache), posthumously; Oren R. 

 Lyons (Onondaga); N. Jana Harcharek (Inupiat); Gero- 

 nima Cruz Montoya (San Juan Pueblo); and Katherine 

 Siva Saubel (Cahuilla). 



October 30 



■ Publications Smithsonian Institution University 

 Press served as the principal publication partner at the 

 inaugural opening of the National Museum of the 

 American Indian exhibit in New York City, through 

 publication of the award-winning exhibition catalogues, 

 Creation's Journey and All Roads Are Good, both 

 copublished with NMAI. 



October 3/ 



■ New Office Secretary I. Michael Heyman combined 

 the offices of three assistant secretaries to establish the 

 Office of the Provost and appointed former Assistant 

 Secretary for the Sciences Robert Hoffmann as acting 

 provost. The new office plans, coordinates, facilitates, 

 and evaluates the Institution's activities in research, 

 collections management, exhibitions, education, and 

 cultural programs. 



November 



■ Acquisition The National Museum of African Art 

 added three important objects to its collections. Spoon, a 

 conceptually complex modern bronze sculpture, was 

 created by Amir I.M. Nour (b. 1939), a contemporary 

 sculptor who was born in the Republic of Sudan and has 

 lived in the United States for most of his adult life. A 

 superb and rare carved wooden face mask from the Lele 

 peoples of Zaire is decorated with metal applique, 

 beads, and cowrie shells. A carved wooden face mask, 

 Oloju-foforo. attributed to Yoruba artist Bamgboshe of 

 Osi-Ilorin, Nigeria (d. ca. 1920), will be featured in the 

 1995—96 exhibition "Three Explorations: Yoruba, 

 Temne, and Baga." 



November 



■ Video Release The award-winning Office of Telecom- 

 munications film In Open Air: A Portrait of the American 

 Impressionists was released as a home video available for 

 sale in the Museum Shops and through mail order. 



November 



■ Teachers' Program Teachers' Night at the Smithson- 

 ian, sponsored and coordinated by the Office of Elemen- 

 tary and Secondary Education, brought more than 1,200 

 local teachers together with educators from more than 

 30 Smithsonian museums and offices to sample educa- 

 tional products and programs. 



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