Ms. Fernandez's participation in the program was funded 

 through the center's graduate student seminar and fellowships 

 in Latino Studies program. Related to the partnership pro- 

 gram, CMS Director Rex Ellis and Intern Services Coor- 

 dinator Elena Mayberry met during the year with faculty and 

 administrators from Pennyslvama State University and 

 Montgomery County Community College to discuss ways 

 that students from these schools could participate as interns in 

 the Museum Intern Partnership program. Discussions with 

 these two schools and with other organizations will continue 

 into 1997. 



The center plans in FY 1997 include strengthening its 

 electronic outreach and programming to both the museum 

 community and the general public and to concinue providing 

 quality service to the museum profession. 



Office of Exhibits Central 



Michael A. Headley, Director 



The Office of Exhibits Central (OEC) is the Smithsonian 

 Institution's largest and most comprehensive exhibit 

 producer. OEC is expert in the specialized needs of the design, 

 production, and installation of traveling, temporary, and per- 

 manent exhibitions. The organization's exhibit specialists 

 form teams with curators and sub|ect-matter experts to 

 prepare exhibitions that meet the highest standards of educa- 

 tional effectiveness and accessibility. OECs facilities handle 

 many aspects of Smithsonian exhibitions, including design, 

 editing, graphics, modelmaking, fabrication, crating, and in- 

 stallations. OEC is also involved in concept development, ob- 

 ject selection, product research, and prototype testing. Staff 

 makes recommendations about the need fot conservation assis- 

 tance and conducts training in exhibit design and production. 



1996 — with all its challenges as the Smithsonian's 150th an- 

 niversary — played to OECs strengths. It demonstrated how 

 OEC maintains the flexibility and efficiency of a first-class ser- 

 vice organization. At the same, it revealed the capacity of its 

 highly skilled staff for taking a proactive stance when ap- 

 propriate. It also put to the test OECs practice of producing 

 the highest-quality exhibits possible with the greatest num- 

 ber of cost-saving measures. For the Unsung Heroes project, 

 OECs cost of production was one-fourth that of an outside 

 contractor. 



Despite its capability to produce "turnkey'' exhibitions, 

 OEC also provides extensive service to the SI in its ability to 

 provide specialized or focused services. In 1996 such services 

 included OEC-fabricated plexiglass vitrines for the Hirshhorn 

 Museum and milkweed models for the Natural History- 

 Museum. 



In a year in which so many offices, museums, and bureaus 

 were particularly keen to perform outreach in the form of ex- 



hibits and public programs, OEC distinguished itself as an all- 

 in-one service for making exhibits happen. 



150th Anniversary Celebration 



OECs versatility played a critical role in some of the most 

 visible aspects of the Smithsonian's 150th Anniversary Celebra- 

 tion. A sampling of OECs credits reads as follows: designed, 

 produced, and installed the Smithson's Gift exhibit in the 

 Smithsonian Building; presented to the public in the form of 

 live as well as static displays as part of the Folklife Festival 

 and of the Birthday Party on the Mall; guided material 

 aspects of Unsung Heroes staff award series (in addition, 

 Glenn Adams, James Carr, Paul Rhymer, and Robert Peran- 

 toni of OEC staff were selected as Unsung Heroes); prepared a 

 wide variety of interior and exterior signage related to cor- 

 porate sponsorship and advertising for the Institution; 

 produced Community Photo Contest display at American His- 

 tory Museum; led brainstorming sessions leading up to design 

 of new SI Mace; and designed new Smithsonian flag. 



OEC also designed, edited, produced, and installed the ex- 

 hibition Artists at Work: A Celebration of Staff Creativity at the 

 International Gallery; in a few months, designed, edited, 

 produced, and installed Stories of the People exhibition at Arts 

 and Industries for the National Museum of the American In- 

 dian working with a large team of SI staff and outside 

 specialists; and developed and installed the Smithson to Smith- 

 sonian exhibition for the SI Libtaries at the Dibner Library 

 working with curatorial staff in various offices. 



SITES 



Over the years, the majority of OECs work has been for the 

 Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). 

 OEC is expert in the specialized needs of traveling exhibits, 

 from communicating to especially diverse audiences to achiev- 

 ing lightweight durability to facilitating installation and 

 deinstallation. Just as OEC has kept up with sweeping chan- 

 ges in the world of museum exhibits, it has also kept pace 

 with changes in SITES' organization and exhibit program. 



In addition to a wide range of exhibition development and 

 production services, OEC provides SITES with special ser- 

 vices, including shipping, receiving, crating, and object 

 processing. OEC also handles dispersals and refurbishments 

 for SITES. In 1996 OEC refurbishments of SITES exhibitions 

 included Try This On. Full Deck Art Quilts. Constance Larrabee. 

 More Than Meets the Eye. and Ocean Planet. Dispersals included 

 Before Freedom Came. Two Eagles, and Louts Armstrong: A Cul- 

 tural Legacy. 



Increasingly, OEC is involved early in SITES' development 

 process as consultants. OEC aided SITES in selecting an out- 

 side design firm and a fabrication company, for the Jazz Age in 

 Pans exhibition. With the Ocean Apart exhibition, OEC 

 brainstormed and consulted on everything from concept to 

 gallery lighting. 



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