jects chosen by seven Native selectors representing six 

 tribes or regional group from the Americas, and ex- 

 amines the last 150 years, a period of great social and cul- 

 tural change for Native peoples. 



August IO-II 



■ Special Event The Center for Folklife Programs and 

 Cultural Studies produced the Smithsonian's 150th 

 Birthday Party on the Mall, a celebration of the diver- 

 sity of the Institution's programs. Twenty-seven 

 pavilions were organized by Smithsonian museums, re- 

 search units, and support facilities; special programs 

 were offered inside all the museums; six public debates 

 were held, moderated by E.G. Marshall; eight stages on 

 the Mall and inside museums hosted more than 50 

 groups; and parades, fireworks, and the installation of a 

 new Smithsonian bell in the Castle tower were featured. 

 More than 600,000 people attended the event to mark 

 the completion of 150 years of dedication to the "in- 

 crease and diffusion of knowledge." 



A national publicity campaign, supplemented by a 

 local advertising campaign prepared by the Office of 

 Public Affairs, was behind the two-day celebration of 

 the Smithsonian's anniversary on the National Mall. 

 The event was covered by network television and 

 print media, including a front-page article in The 

 Washington Post. A video news release reached millions 

 of TV viewers that weekend. 



During the Smithsonian's Birthday Party on the 

 Mall, the National Museum of the American Indian 

 joined the rest of the Smithsonian family offering to the 

 public a vast array of Native American music, dance, 

 and games. Native peoples from across the Hemisphere 

 were present for all the museum's activities which were 

 held on the future site of the Mall museum. 



Smithsonian Productions created the video presenta- 

 tions shown on the Jumbotrons for the Smithsonian's 

 150th Birthday Celebration on the Mall. 



The National Museum of the American Indian went 

 "live" over the internet during the weekend of the 

 Smithsonian's Birthday Party with "CoNexus," a project 

 developed by the museum's Resource Center and Ex- 

 hibits department designed to transmit live performan- 

 ces over the World Wide Web. The special Web page 

 featured a live simulcast of the museum's activities 

 which were updated every few minutes with live text 

 from on-site "video curators." 



The Archives of American Art celebrated the 

 Smithsonian's 150th Birthday Party with its own 

 pavilion on the Mall and a lively program specially com- 



missioned for the occasion. At the party, the Archives 

 and the Washington Stage Guild presented "From Reli- 

 able Sources," an original theater piece incorporating an 

 array of personal letters, diaries, writings, and other uni- 

 que sources from the Archives of American Art that 

 entertained and informed the audiences about the joys 

 and difficulties of being an artist in America. 



"Alive and Jumpin'," the National Museum of 

 American History's pavilion for the Birthday Party on 

 the Mall, featured more than 12 hours of music and 

 dancing: swing, zydeco, Afro Cuban, jazz, blues, samba, 

 gospel, country line dancing, hand dancing, salsa, and 

 merengue. The event was planned, produced, and 

 staffed by volunteers from the Museum. 



The National Museum of African Art's pavilion in- 

 cluded African storytelling and musical performances. 



The Anacostia Museum pavilion featured story- 

 telling, dance, music and artist demonstration. Local 

 photographers worked with staff from the Center for 

 African American History and Culture to capture 

 African American family participation in the 150th 

 activities. 



As part of the Smithsonian's birthday party on the 

 Mall, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum hosted 

 a workshop, "It's Time to Celebrate." Visitors were in- 

 vited to explore design by creating a working clock. 



For the Institution's birthday celebration on the Na- 

 tional Mall, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gar- 

 den expanded the Young at Art workshop idea — eight 

 such programs had been presented during the year for 

 children ages six to nine — to its pavilion site. Activities 

 there, coordinated by staff educator Diane Kidd, in- 

 cluded face painting, a one-person puppet show, and 

 hands-on workshops exploring mobiles, woodcarving, 

 masks, drawing, and puppet making. A list of related 

 artworks by Calder, Rodin, Picasso, and others led 

 families to further revelations about these art forms in- 

 side the museum. 



As part of the 150th Birthday Party on the National 

 Mall, The Smithsonian Associates presented It's Public 

 Knowledge, a series of six spirited debates on issues per- 

 taining to the cultural and natural worlds, featuring 

 well-known public figures including PBS commentator 

 Paul Duke, author Dr. Mary Catherine Bateson, The 

 Golden Girls actress Rue McClanahan, The Freedom 

 Forum's Adam Clayton Powell III, and WETA-TV 

 founder Elizabeth P. Campbell. 



The Office of Membership and Development invited 

 members, donors, and other special constituents to a 

 cocktail reception celebrating Smithsonian Institution's 

 150th Birthday Party on the National Mall. Guests were 



44 



