cure series, presented in conjunccion with the America's Smith- 

 sonian traveling exhibition. Its goal is to introduce and high- 

 light the Institution's research activities to new audiences, 

 providing a unique opportunity for the public to interact 

 with the curators and scholars whose work gives meaning and 

 shape to the Smithsonian's collections. In each city — Los An- 

 geles, New York City, Kansas City, and Providence, Rhode Is- 

 land — free public programs spotlighting topics that represent 

 all Smithsonian museums were presented in public libraries, 

 local museums, civic organizations, hospitals, schools and col- 

 leges. A total of forty-nine scholars traveled to these cities, 

 conducting a total of 365 presentations, and reaching ap- 

 proximately 36,000 people. 



The Smithsonian's 150th Birthday Party on the National 

 Mall, August 10 & 11, was the perfect opportunity to raise the 

 level of awareness of Smithsonian memberships with a two- 

 day membership drive. TSA organized over 500 volunteers to 

 staff 18 information/membership booths throughout the fes- 

 tivities. 700 new Resident Associate memberships were sold, 

 increasing the membership rolls to over 54,000 local 

 households. In addition, TSA organized the presentation of 

 It's Public Knowledge — a series of six spirited debates on issues 

 pettaining 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. 



Also in celebration of the 150th anniversary, TSA developed 

 the first Travelers Reunion, which was attended by 120 As- 

 sociates from 26 states. These Smithsonian members, who had 

 previously traveled on Smithsonian Study Tours, gathered in 

 Washington, D.C. to meet the Study Tours staff, spend time 

 behind-the-scenes with museum curators, and attend a gala 

 reception at the Canadian Embassy. 



In addition to programs complementing the 150th anniver- 

 sary, in 1996 TSA implemented several major outreach 

 projects: a Master of Arts degree in the History of Decorative 

 Arts; the first of a new series of professional institutes; a three 

 year traveling exhibition demonstrating 20th-century artistic 

 styles; and projects involving new media. 



In a new venture to extend its reach beyond the education 

 of the informal learner, TSA initiated a graduate degree pro- 

 gram in the History of 19th- and 20th-century American 

 Decorative Arts offered in cooperation with the Cooper- 

 Hewitt National Design Museum and the Parsons School of 

 Design. This prestigious two-year graduate program was es- 

 tablished to offer students a unique access to materials on 

 American art and design history, utilizing the unparalleled 

 collections of the Institution. 



The Smithsonian Center for Professional Education and Advance- 

 ment was launched in summer 1996 with the Institute on Ap- 

 praisal oj Fine and Decorative Arts, offered in collaboration with 

 The George Washington University. Plans are in process for 

 several other programs developed in partnership with other 



educational organizations that will provide opportunities for 

 individuals to enhance the skills they will need in their profes- 

 sional lives. 



The Smithsonian Associates, Smithsonian Institution 

 Traveling Exhibition Service, and Artrain unveiled the grand 

 opening of Art in Celebration, a three-year exhibition of 20th- 

 century artistic styles based upon the art commissioned by the 

 Resident Associate Program over the last 25 years. Showcased 

 in a wonderful multi-media exhibit on board the Artrain — a 

 museum in railroad cars — the exhibition visited over thirty 

 small communities in ten states during 1996, including 

 Brunswick, Georgia; Chadbourn, North Carolina; and Pincon- 

 ning, Michigan. 



New media sttategies to reach wider audiences are being 

 developed at TSA to utilize the advances in communications 

 technology. Using the latest videoconferencing technology, 

 four live Resident Associate programs were broadcast from 

 the National Mall to six collaborating sites, including Penn- 

 sylvania State University, the University of Wisconsin at Mil- 

 waukee, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at 

 Chicago and at Urbana7Champlain. In addition to viewing 

 the live presentations, participants at the six sites were given 

 the opportunity to ask questions as their own images were 

 broadcast to each of the other sites. 



Beginning in November 1995, the TSA web site was ex- 

 panded to include detailed listings of events and tours. Each 

 month the 120 programs outlined in the print version of the 

 Associate are now published on the web in the Online Associate. 

 The web site also provided the opportunity to highlight other 

 TSA programmatic offerings, including Discovery Theater 

 performances, U.S. and International Study Tours, activities 

 sponsored by the African American Studies Center and the 

 Young Benefactors, as well as the Smithsonian Voices of Discovery 

 programs. Similar efforts on the Smithsonian's America Online 

 site have generated a new source of interest in TSA Study 

 Tours and Seminars. 



In January 1996, TSA announced the development of a new 

 collection of audio tapes, featuring live presentations of such 

 well-known speakers as Microsoft's Bill Gates, journalist 

 David Bnnkley, and mystery writer P.D. James. Known as 

 Voices from The Smithsonian Associates, the collection will intro- 

 duce a new program each month and make it possible for 

 people everywhere to enjoy a varied selection of the best Resi- 

 dent Associate programs. Audio tape sales from the TSA web 

 site have included orders from the United Kingdom and 

 Australia. 



The TSA programming staff continues to work closely with 

 all of the Smithsonian museums to collaborate on cultural and 

 educational programs that highlight new and existing exhibi- 

 tions. Annual collaborations include the Smithsonian Cham- 

 ber Music Society series of performances and lectures with the 

 National Museum of American History, the annual Kite Fes- 

 tival on the Mall with the National Air and Space Museum, 

 and the Evening Picnic at the Zoo with the National Zoologi- 

 cal Park. New collaborations this year included performances 



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