Chronology 



151 



National Postal Museum; 73,000 collections records are con- 

 verted to the new system. 



February 



■ Libraries' endowments The Smithsonian Libraries now 

 has six named endowments. The two largest are the S. Dillon 

 Ripley Endowment for the purchase of library materials 

 for the general collections and the Special Collections 

 Endowment. 



February 



■ Donation The Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation pledged 

 $25,000 over two years to fund digital editions of ornithol- 

 ogy works from the collection donated to the Libraries by 

 Marcia Brady Tucker many years ago. Along with a $5,000 

 personal gift for this effort received last year, $30,000 is 

 available to support this project. 



February 



■ Public program Environmental law seminar. OGC in con- 

 junction with the American Law Association- American Bar 

 Association and the Environmental Law Institute hosted this 

 annual seminar in Washington, D.C. 



February 



■ Public program The National Postal Museum hosted 

 2,000 attendees to a Valentine's Day Festival with six hours 

 of hands-on activities. 



February 7 



■ Visit A delegation of 2 1 Chinese children from Qingdao, 

 China, presents panda art in memory of Hsing-Hsing and 

 Ling-Ling. 



February 10 



■ Program To expand educational offerings for professionals 

 who cannot attend daytime weekday events at the Hirshhorn 

 Museum and Sculpture Garden, a new evening series enti- 

 tled "Art After Hours" was launched with a program keyed 

 to the images, themes, and traditions of St. Valentine's Day. 

 Dubbed "Hirshhorn Heartfest," this inaugural program in- 

 cluded valentine card making, tours of artworks wirh 

 romantic connections, atmospheric music and refreshments, 

 and a feature film centered on a love story. The event, which 

 attracted nearly 200 people, was emblematic of the diverse 

 education programs now in place at the Hirshhorn — an an- 

 nual Family Day in May; "Meet the Artist"; writers' 

 workshops; "New Voices" student tours keyed to exhibi- 

 tions; monthly "Young at Art" and "Improv Art" workshops 

 for families; "Art Explorers" adult programs; and the well- 

 regarded independent film series. 



February 11-14 



■ Benefit The Archives of American Art sponsors "Splash of 

 Sunshine 2000" in Palm Beach, Florida, a fund-raising event 

 for members and other supporters of the Archives. 



February 1 1 -April 1 7 



■ Traveling exhibition "Philippe Halsman: A Retrospective," 

 organized by the National Portrait Gallery, was on view at 

 the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire. 



February 1 5 



■ Public program As part of National Consumer Protection 

 Week, the National Postal Museum presented a public pro- 

 gram with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to educate 

 visitors on how to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. 



February 22 



■ Special event Achim Moeller Fine Art Gallery in New 

 York City holds a benefit opening for the Archives of Ameri- 

 can Art in conjunction with its exhibition "Cross-Currents 

 of Modern Art: A Tribute to Peter Selz." 



February 27-March 4 



■ Public program The Smithsonian Associates presented 

 "Smithsonian Week in Long Beach" as part of an affiliation 

 agreement with the Public Corporation for the Arts and the 

 City of Long Beach, California. Three Smithsonian scholars 

 participated in this week-long event that involved a wide 

 range of programs for diverse audiences, including school 

 presentations, an evening jazz performance, in-school muse- 

 ums, a Smithsonian trivia quiz, and several Smithsonian 

 "parties," during which the public was invited to meet and 

 learn from the scholars in informal settings. 



February 27-March 4 



■ Special event The Public Corporation for the Arts affiliate 

 (Long Beach, California) coordinated with The Smithsonian 

 Associates to hold a "Smithsonian Week in Long Beach." 

 The celebration featured a scavenger hunt, an extensive 

 media campaign, Smithsonian lectures for schoolchildren 

 and the general public, and a series of festivals. 



February 28 



■ Gift The Joseph Henry Papers Project received a grant of 

 $186,158 from an anonymous foundation to support publi- 

 cation of volume 10 of The Papers of Joseph Henry. 



February 28 



■ Staff appointment Ray Williams, former curator of educa- 

 tion at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North 

 Carolina, was named Head of the Freer Gallery of Art and 

 Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's Education Department. Part of 

 his duties at the Ackland Art Museum included recruiting 



