science and history teachers to share teaching methodologies 

 and practices with their peers. The first presentation was Dis- 

 ney teacher of the year, Kay Toliver, who has been profiled in 

 Time. Parade. Neusweek. and in the PBS series, "The Eddie 

 Files" and "Good Morning Mrs. Toliver." 



The Department worked with Maryland Public Tele- 

 vision and other partners to produce "Live From the 

 Stratosphere," an interactive experience at the museum 

 that allowed students and teachers to communicate 

 directly via a satellite uplink with researchers aboard the 

 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, as well as with research staff 

 in the museum. 



The Department won an Educational Outreach grant in 

 support of a history teaching program on the experience of 

 Hispanics in the development of aviation entitled "Sin 

 Limitas: The Latin American Experience in Aviation." This 

 program gave students from D.C. areas schools the oppor- 

 tunity to meet World War II Flying Tiger Don Lopez and 

 Orestes Lorenzes, a pilot who escaped from Cuba with his 

 family. Students also had the opportunity to explore the 

 museum's archives of photos and information on Hispanics 

 in aviation and learn about the science and technology of 

 flight. 



Although the Educational Services Division takes the 

 lead in developing educational pro]ects, other departments 

 in the museum join in advancing the educational focus of 

 the museum. The Laboratory for Astrophysics was cited by 

 the U.S. Department of Education for its innovative family 

 education series, "Learning is a Family Experience." This 

 program, now centered at the National Zoo, was developed 

 by the Laboratory for Astrophysics, the NASM Educational 

 Services Division, and the Zoo's NOAH center. The pro- 

 gram works to build the support structures between par- 

 ents, teachers, and students by presenting programs that 

 they can all enjoy together, while providing teachers with 

 follow-up curriculum materials and training. The program 

 is supported in part by the American Institute for Aero- 

 nautics and Astronautics. 



The Einstein Planetarium has started a monthly Saturday 

 morning program called "Family Star Watch." The program 

 presents shows that combine live demonstrations, lectures, 

 and fully automated pre-programmed shows, offering the pub- 

 lic a variety of venues to learn about the nighttime sky. The 

 Planetarium staff is also planning two new programs that will 

 open in 1996. 



The 1995 Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums 

 conference, in its eighth year, is a four day invitational sem- 

 inar co-sponsored by the museum and the American Associ- 

 ation of Museums. Held in Washington, D.C, it includes 

 professionals from aviation and space museums around the 

 world. A related publication, the Aviation and Space Compen- 

 dium contains comprehensive information on 62 interna- 

 tional aviation and space museums. The seminar and the 

 Compendium are coordinated by the museum's Office of 

 Cooperative Programs. 



National Museum of African Art 



Sylvia H. Williams, Director 



The National Museum of African Art celebrates the rich 

 visual traditions and extraordinarily diverse cultures of 

 Africa. Through its collections, exhibitions, research and 

 public programs, the museum fosters an appreciation of Af- 

 rican art and civilizations. It is also a research and reference 

 center, housing the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives 

 and the Warren M. Robbins Library, a branch of the 

 Smithsonian Institution Libraries, as well as exhibition 

 galleries and educational facilities. 



Exhibitions 



The first level of the National Museum of African Art 

 houses several permanent exhibitions: "The Art of the 

 Personal Object," "Purpose and Perfection: Pottery as a 

 Woman's Art in Central Africa" and "Images of Power and 

 Identity." In addition, this year the museum reopened the 

 revised and refurbished permanent exhibition, "The An- 

 cient West African City of Benin, A.D. 1300-1897," featur- 

 ing the museum's collection from the royal court of the 

 capital of the Kingdom of Benin as it existed before colo- 

 nial rule. The maiority of the works were a gift from 

 Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 

 1966 and 1979; the ob|ects were transferred to the National 

 Museum of African Art in 1985 by the Hitshhorn Museum 

 and Sculpture Garden. 



In addition, this year, in collaboration with the Museum of 

 Fine Arts, Boston, the museum opened "The Ancient Nubian 

 City of Kerma, 2500-1500 B.C.," a three-year loan exhibition 

 of wotks from the permanent collection of the Museum of 

 Fine Arts, featuring objects from Kerma, an ancient Nubian 

 city that was located on the Nile River. The exhibition was 

 organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and its De- 

 partment of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art; 

 all objects ate from the Harvard University-Museum of Fine 

 Arts, Boston, Expedition. 



Also located on the first level is the Point of View Gal- 

 lery which presents small tempotary exhibitions that focus 

 on specific themes or objects. This gallery was the site of 

 three exhibitions: "Beaded Splendor," "Grace Kwami Sculp- 

 ture: An Artist's Book by Atta Kwami" and "Art from the 

 Forge." 



The museum's second level gallery was the site of two 

 important exhibitions. The first, "Mohammad Omer 

 Khalil, Printmaker, Amir I.M. Nour, Sculptor," was de- 

 voted to selected wotks by two artists born in the Republic 

 of Sudan. A second major exhibition, "Ancient Nubia: 

 Egypt's Rival in Africa," presented 300 artifacts that docu- 

 ment the rise and fall of Nubian kingdoms from 3100 B.C. 

 to A.D. 400. The exhibition was organized by the Univer- 

 sity of Pennsylvania Museum. 



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