ant current and potential constituencies. In 1995, the office 

 coordinated activities with Smithsonian museums and 

 research centers, corporations, and organizations whose 

 missions coincide with those of the Institution. Each year, 

 the office coordinates special events for the Board of Re- 

 gents, the Secretary, Under secretary, and Provost, and for 

 the Smithsonian Institution Council. The office also helps 

 Smithsonian scholars and managers plan and coordinate 

 conferences, international symposiums, and collaborative 

 programs. 



OSECS coordinated the annual black-tie dinner honoring 

 members of the James Smithson Society, held on October 14 

 at the National Zoo's Amazonia exhibition. 



The exhibition opening reception for "Voyages and 

 Visions: Nineteenth-Century European Images of the Mid- 

 dle East from the Victoria and Albert Museum," a major 

 International Gallery exhibition, was planned and executed 

 by OSECS. 



In May 1995, the queen of Thailand visited the National 

 Museum of Natural History to commemorate the 50th 

 anniversary of the king's accession to the throne and to 

 review the museum's Thai collections. OSECS coordinated 

 the program in Baird Auditorium and the reception in the 

 Rotunda. 



OSECS assisted staff and coordinated several major con- 

 ferences throughour 1995, including "What's American about 

 American Quilts?" The Fourth International Conference on 

 Tethers in Space," and the 58th Annual Meteontical Society 

 Meeting. 



Smithsonian Women's Committee 



Gloria Shaw Hamilton, Chair 



The Smithsonian Women's Committee serves as an ongoing 

 source of support for a variety of Institutional programs 

 through volunteer fund-raising and public relations services. 



In 1995, the Committee voted to fund 23 projects in the 

 amount of $240,936.16 at 13 Smithsonian museums and of- 

 fices. The Discovery Theater received a grant for $7,400 

 funded by the Hildegard van Roijen Memorial Fund. 



This year, the Smithsonian Craft Show was relocated to the 

 National Building Museum, which allowed the Committee to 

 increase the number of exhibitor booths to 120. The Commit- 

 tee teceived 1270 applications for the Show, which promotes 

 an awareness of crafts in the Washington metropolitan area 

 and serves as a fund-raising event for the Smithsonian. The 

 Show features one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces and 

 has generated over $1.2 million to benefit research and educa- 

 tional projects at the Smithsonian during its 13 years of opera- 

 tion. The 1995 Show, held in April, raised over $250,000. 



Other Functions 



Business Management Office 



Smithsonian National Board 



Wilbur L. Ross, Chair 

 Jean B. Kit borne. Vice Chair 



Smithsonian National Board members work for the ad- 

 vancement of the Institution as advocates and as private 

 sector advisers to the Secretary and Under Secretary, as well 

 as through personal financial support and fund-raising 

 activities. 



Wilbur L. Ross and Jean B. Kilborne served as Chair and 

 Vice Chair during 1995. 



With the leadership of the Smithsonian National Board, 

 the Smithsonian Fund for the Future endowment initiative is 

 helping to increase private contributions and provide a long- 

 term base of private support. 



Board members contributed nearly $625,000 in annual 

 support to the Institution. These funds were earmarked for 

 the Board Annual Giving Fund to underwrite expansion of 

 the Smithsonian's constituencies. The contributions also 

 supported special projects throughout the Institution. 



Nancy E. Johnson, Senior Business Officer 



The Business Management Office consists of thtee revenue- 

 generating business activities: Retail Operations (comprising 

 Museum Shops and the Mail Order divisions), Concessions, 

 and Product Development and Licensing. It also oversees 

 Business Development, which identifies additional revenue 

 opportunities for the Institution. In midyear, oversight of the 

 Marketing Database was transferred to the Office of Member- 

 ship and Development. 



In June, Retail Operations opened its first permanent retail 

 location outside of a Smithsonian museum in the new Obser- 

 vation Gallery at Baltimore-Washington International Air- 

 port. The shop features Smithsonian items and items telated 

 to flight. To suppott the shop, general information about the 

 Smithsonian is displayed in the airport terminal. 



A new outdoor restaurant opened in July on the plaza of 

 the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculptute Garden. The Full Cir- 

 cle, which takes its name from the museum's architecture, is 

 open from April through September. 



Last year's merger of the Museum Shops and Mail Order di- 

 visions has resulted in almost $1 million in savings in opera- 

 tional costs with minimal reduction in staff. Sales for both 

 operations have remained steady. 



85 



