April, Department Chairman Gregg Herken was named to 

 the Department of Energy Advisory Committee on Human 

 Radiation Experiments and tasked with analyzing historical 

 records and conrnbuting to a detailed report for the President. 



ceived conservation treatment and the spacesuit was placed on 

 a new mannequin. The capsule is now sealed in a new protec- 

 tive covering. 



Collection Activities 



The year was especially productive in terms of collections ac- 

 tivity. The long -anticipated acquisition of a Grumman A-6 In- 

 truder finally took place. The A-6 fits a crucial niche in the 

 museum's naval aircraft collection. Our particular aircraft has 

 both a Vietnam and a Gulf War history, making it an espe- 

 cially rich artifact historically. Another key acquisition was a 

 World War I British Sopwith Snipe fighter. Prior to obtain- 

 ing the Snipe, the museum had no example of any British 

 WWI aircraft. One of only three in the world, the Snipe not 

 only rounds out the museum's WWI collection, but as a 

 Sopwith product, it adds an example of one of the premier 

 manufacturers in aviation history. 



A gift of artifacts from the family of Francis Gary Powers 

 made possible the exhibition of several items related to his 

 capture and imprisonment in the Soviet Union. Included in 

 the exhibition are a diary Powers kept openly while in prison 

 and a journal he kept in secret. 



The Department of Space History acquired several items 

 for the national collection, including the Adas/Agena launch 

 control systems console from Vandenburg Air Force Base and 

 a high-fidelity l/34th scale model of the Saturn V launch vehi- 

 cle and launch tower, a significant addition to the model col- 

 lection and a possible display item for the Apollo to the Moon 

 gallery. The museum also began a dialogue about possible 

 loans with various collectors of Soviet space artifacts acquired 

 through recent Sotheby's auction. 



The National Air and Space Museum Archives acquired the 

 records of the Bellanca Aircraft Co. This loo cubic foot collec- 

 tion documents the history of the company created by the pio- 

 neer airplane designer and builder Giuseppe M. Bellanca, 

 whose aircraft won numerous awards and set altitude, endur- 

 ance and distance records. 



On the restoration front, the museum concluded an excit- 

 ing arrangement with the Museum fur Verkehr und Technik 

 (MVT) in Berlin. MVT has agreed to restore four of our 

 Horten flying wing gliders dating from the 1930s. MVT will 

 return three Hortens, fully restored, and retain one as a gift in 

 exchange for restoring all four. This arrangement will allow 

 the Hortens to be restored many years earlier than would have 

 been possible otherwise, and escape years of deterioration. The 

 ten-year effort to fully restore the Boeing B-29 Enola Gay 

 nears conclusion and the long and complex restoration of the 

 World War II British Hawker Hurricane fighter also is 

 within sight of completion. 



The museum completed conservation of the Apollo II com- 

 mand module, Columbia, and the spacesuit worn by Apollo II 

 astronaut Michael Collins. The command module's plexiglas 

 covering was removed for the firsr time since the museum 

 opened in 1976. The capsule interior and Collins' spacesuit re- 



N at ion a I Museum of African Art 



Sylvia H. Williams. Director 



The National Museum of African Art celebrates the rich visual 

 traditions and extraordinarily diverse cultures of Africa. Through 

 its collections, exhibitions, research and public programs, the mu- 

 seum fosters an appreciation of African art and civilizations. It is 

 also a research and reference center, housing the Eliot Elisofon 

 Photographic Archives and the Warren M. Robbins Library, a 

 branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, as well as exhibi- 

 tion galleries and educational facilities. 



Exhibitions 



The first level of the National Museum of African Art houses 

 four permanent exhibitions: "The Art of the Personal Object," 

 "Purpose and Perfection: Pottery as a Woman's Art in Central Af- 

 rica," "Royal Benin Art," and "Images of Power and Identity." 



Also on the first level is the Point of View Gallery which 

 presents small temporary exhibitions that focus on specific 

 themes or objecrs. This gallery was the site of two exhibitions: 

 "Asen: Iron Altats from Ouidah, Republic of Benin" and 

 "Beaded Splendor." 



"Asen" looked at two iron altars of the Fon peoples from 

 Ouidah, a city located on the Atlantic coast of what is now 

 the Republic of Benin (formerly Dahomey). Made of iron, 

 both altars have complex images and iconography that merge 

 elements of local African and Afro-Brazilian cultute. 



"Beaded Splendor" examined how beads have been incorpo- 

 rated into African dress and regalia to create beautiful and dy- 

 namic works of art. The exhibition included a magnificent 

 Yoruba crown; a colorful Bamum fly whisk; a Ndebele bridal 

 apron; a Kuba collar, belt, and belt ornament; a Maasai neck- 

 lace and ear ornaments; and a Topotha hat. 



Another highlight of the past year was a major exhibition 

 titled "Face of the Spirits: Masks from the Zaire Basin." The 

 exhibition featured more than 100 masks, ranging from a 

 Lega mask only 6 1/8 inches high to a complete Kuba ensem- 

 ble (measuring 7 feet), and consisting of a royal mask, feather- 

 fan headdress, bark-cloth tunic and trousers, cowrie-shell belt 

 and other accessories. The masks in the exhibition revealed 

 the diversity of forms and styles found among 40 ethnic 

 groups in the Zaire River Basin. 



Acquisitions 



The museum acquired 89 objects through putchases and gifts. 

 Among the most significant works were a beaded crown from 



67 



