Smithsonian include St. Paul, Minnesoca; Houston; and 

 Portland, Oregon. 



More than 300 icons of American history, art, and 

 culture — presidential artifacts, great works of art, fabulous 

 gems, dinosaur bones — were carefully selected by museum 

 staff and the "America's Smithsonian" team and organized in 

 three exhibition sections: "Discovering," "Remembering," 

 and "Imagining." Among the highlights: the well-used 

 compass William Clark carried on his expedition to the 

 Northwest with Meriwether Lewis, the ruby slippers that 

 sparkled on Judy Garland's feet in The Wizard of Oz. the hat 

 Abraham Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater the evening he was 

 assassinated, a Tucker automobile, masterpieces by American 

 artists Thomas Moran, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Andy Warhol, 

 and prehistoric leaves and insects preserved in amber. 



Each of the 150th Anniversary Corporate Partners 

 contributed an exhibit to "America's Smithsonian." 

 Discover® Card's "American Voices: Music at the 

 Smithsonian" traces the history of American music. In Intel 

 Corporation's exhibit, visitors experience the power of the 

 computer through a giant replica of a personal computer. MCI 

 Communications Corporation created a "cyber playground" 

 that transports visitors to the not-so-distant high-tech age of 

 communications. Trans World Airlines, Inc.'s exhibit 

 showcases the past, present, and future of airline 

 transportation. 



Pro|ect Director J. Michael Carrigan led the team of 

 curators, designers, conservators, registrars, educators, and 

 other experts who put together "America's Smithsonian" in 

 less than a year — a short time frame to produce any 

 exhibition, much less one of this size and scope. The most 

 impressive "first" for this pioneering exhibition is its 

 comprehensive focus; it is the first Smithsonian exhibition to 

 represent every layer of the Institution, including all the 

 museums and every research organization as well as public 

 programs such as the Festival of American Folklife. 



Company, was raised to the north tower of the Castle and rang 

 for the first time at noon on Saturday, August 10. A new flag 

 bearing the Smithsonian sunburst — signifying the pursuit of 

 knowledge — was unfurled from the top of the tower. 



The Birthday Party offered something for everyone. 

 Capacity crowds gathered for "It's Public Knowledge," 

 spirited debates featuring well-known public figures that 

 were organized by The Smithsonian Associates and hosted by 

 actor E. G. Marshall. People of all ages met Smithsonian staff 

 and en|oyed innovative activities in the two dozen pavilions 

 sponsored by the Smithsonian's museums and research 

 facilities. Corporate Partner Discover® Card hosted a special 

 pavilion, "The American Family, Discovered." 



The electronic Smithsonian was highly accessible during 

 the Birthday Party, with demonstrations of state-of-the-art 

 World Wide Web sites, digital exhibits, and CD-ROM 

 products planned by the Office of Information Technology 

 (OIT). More than 14,000 well-wishers composed birthday 

 greetings for an Electronic Birthday Card, also designed by 

 OIT The messages were flashed on gigantic outdoor video 

 screens and then became part of the Smithsonian's electronic 

 collection. Web browsers who could not |Oin in the festivities 

 logged onto the Virtual Birthday Party home page to leave 

 their messages. 



On Saturday evening, the music of Aretha Franklin, Buffy 

 Sainte-Marie, Trisha Yearwood, and the Smithsonian Jazz 

 Masterworks Orchestra filled the Mall in a concert hosted by 

 Mickey Hart. A concert and dance party, headlined by Celia 

 Cruz with Jose Alberto El Canario and his orchestra, wrapped 

 up the festivities on Sunday. And of course, the Birthday 

 Party had a cake — not ]ust one, but 18, all artfully decorated 

 on Smithsonian themes by noted pastry chefs and presented in 

 an exhibition organized by The Smithsonian Associates. 



Expanded Public Visibility 



Birthday Party on the Mall 



The Smithsonian's Birthday Party on August 10 and II 

 stretched for a mile along the National Mall, saluting the 

 nation's heritage with musical performances, family activities, 

 and exhibits. Weekend attendance, according to conservative 

 Smithsonian estimates, was 630,000. Led by Richard Kurin of 

 the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies. 

 Smithsonian staff and volunteers joined with performers, 

 technical crews, food vendors, and fireworks specialists to 

 produce this free gala celebration. 



Programs and performances delighted the participants, 

 whose affection and enthusiasm for the Smithsonian were 

 obvious. As one visitor marveled, the Smithsonian is "a whole 

 tradition, our history, our values, our treasures. It's educating 

 the world." The celebration officially began with an opening 

 ceremony and the unveiling of two Smithsonian symbols. The 

 Smithsonian anniversary bell, a gift of the A. T Cross 



Through collaborative efforts to heighten public visibility 

 and awareness during this anniversary year, we engaged the 

 media and the public in the Institution's distinguished 

 history and its vibrant present. The Office of Public Affairs 

 (OPA) orchestrated an impressive national media and public 

 relations campaign that gave the Institution extensive 

 exposure. The Birthday Party received prominent coverage 

 worldwide from major newspapers, wire services, and 

 television and radio stations. In each of the four cities that 

 "America's Smithsonian" visited, public relations and 

 advertising brought significant television and newspaper 

 coverage and attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. 

 Special campaigns marketed the 150th anniversary 

 commemorative coins and stamp and promoted the 

 Smithsonian's participation in the Tournament of Roses 

 parade. 



OPA also worked closely with the CBS Television Network 

 on the three prime-time specials broadcast in January, May, 

 and August. One-minute vignettes about the Smithsonian, 



IO 



