the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Ser- 

 vice, this exhibition features 54 dramatically colored 

 quilts inspired by playing-card images. The exhibi- 

 tion is traveling to 11 locations across the country, in- 

 cluding regional art centers, university galleries, and 

 art museums. 



March 



■ Fellowships At the Smithsonian Tropical Research In- 

 stitute, Ulrich Mueller, a researcher from Cornell Uni- 

 versity, was selected as the first Earl S. Tupper 

 three-year postdoctoral fellow; he will conduct research 

 on "The Evolution and Ecology of the Attine-Fungus 

 Symbiosis." Eloisa Lasso, a senior botany student at the 

 University of Panama, was the first recipient of the Alan 

 P. Smith Fellowship. 



March 



■ Visitor Survey The National Museum of Natural His- 

 tory completed a comprehensive visitor survey, devoting 

 one year to interviewing nearly 5,000 visitors. The sur- 

 vey revealed that nearly half of visitors come to the mu- 

 seum with children, many are visiting the museum for 

 the first time, and most have a relatively focused goal 

 for their visit. The results will help the museum de- 

 velop the most effective and popular exhibitions and 

 public programs. 



March 



m 'Exhibition "Spiders!" — organized by the National 

 Museum of Natural History and circulated by the 

 Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service — 

 began its national tour at the American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History in New York City. Funded by Marvel 

 Entertainment, "Spiders!" will rravel to nine more sci- 

 ence and natural history museums through 1997, includ- 

 ing the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, the Royal 

 Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Field Museum of 

 Natural History in Chicago. 



March 



■ New Construction Construction of a new 10,460- 

 square-foot office building was begun at the 

 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The 

 new building will house the administiative and edu- 

 cation program staffs as well as the center's central 

 computer facilities. 



March 



■ Special Event In a ceremony at the National Museum 

 of American History, Hillary Rodham Clinton pre- 

 sented the gown she wore to inaugural balls in 1993 to 

 the First Ladies Collection. The gown is on exhibit in 

 the "Ceremonial Court," which displays many artifacts 

 belonging to past presidents and first families and re- 

 creates architectural details of the 1902 White House. 



March 6 



■ Benefit Event The Detroit Council of the Archives of 

 American Art presented "Celestial Sorcery," its annual 

 benefit ball, at the Renaissance Club in Detroit. 



March 8 



■ Awards Program The National Science Resources 

 Center cohosted a program for secondary school teachers 

 who received the Presidential Awards for Excellence in 

 Science and Mathematics Teaching. 



March p 



m Tour The Archives of American Art New York 

 Committee visited the studio and home of the re- 

 nowned sculptor Donald Judd. William Agee, professor 

 of art history at Hunter College and chairman of the 

 Archives' New York Advisory Committee, lectured on 

 Judd's private collection, which shows the evolution of 

 his work and displays the work of artists he admited. 



March 12-14 



■ Conference Smithsonian scholats from many dis- 

 ciplines held a three-day conference, "What About In- 

 crease? The First Science and Humanities Dialogue." 

 The event was supported by the Office of the Provost. 

 Focusing on the history and conttibutions of Smithson- 

 ian researchers, the meeting brought together scholars 

 from the sciences and humanities for the first time in 

 many years and fostered a spirit of community, shared 

 goals, and cooperative endeavor. 



March 15 



■ Publication Aivard Smithsonian Institution Univer- 

 sity Press's publication Eakins and the Photograph: Works 

 by Thomas Eakins and His Circle in the Collection of the 

 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, by Suan Danly and 

 Cheryl Liebold, was selected as the winner of the 



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