seum Project, a new client this year, the office installed the 

 project's first exhibition, "Imagining Families: Images and 

 Voices." 



Office of Museum Programs 



Rex M. Ellis, Director 



The Office of Museum Programs (OMP) helps museums ful- 

 fill their public service mission. In 1994 the office established 

 a long range plan with the following goals to be met by 2000: 

 to expand museology training and fellowship opportunities 

 for museum staff in the United States; to develop and offer 

 programs that support diversity and equity in museum staff- 

 ing; to offer internship and experiential programs and services 

 which respond to the changing needs of the Smithsonian and 

 the museum profession to a wide audience of students and pre- 

 professionals; to produce/publish and broadly disseminate mu- 

 seum information and resources from OMP programs and 

 initiatives to the field; and, to upgrade OMP information 

 technology for use in delivering training programs and re- 

 sources to the museum field through on-line services. 



In 1994 the office continued to offer programming devoted 

 to increasing multiculturalism in the museum community 

 through its successful American Indian Museum Studies pro- 

 gram and Awards for Museum Leadership seminar and 

 worked on new program initiatives for Asian American/ 

 Pacific Islander and Hispanic communities. Staff also spent 

 the year planning a new workshop series for 1995 that focuses 

 on the needs of small, emerging, rural, and minority muse- 

 ums; and on developing the Museum Intern Partnership Pro- 

 gram, a pilot partnership which teams internship projects at 

 the Smithsonian with projects in selected African American 

 and Native American museums. 



Through new programming, the office brought new voices 

 to the Smithsonian for discussion and debate on issues affect- 

 ing the Institution and the national museum communiry. In 

 January, the office worked on rwo projects to further the voice 

 of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the Smithsonian 

 Institution. Supported by a discretionary award from the Edu- 

 cational Outreach Fund, OMP helped organize a meeting, Jan- 

 uary 12-13, t0 discuss identification and documentation of 

 Smithsonian collections relating to Asian American/Pacific Is- 

 lander history and culture. Panelists from museums and uni- 

 versities around the country discussed representation of Asian 

 and Asian/Pacific American concerns at the Smithsonian and 

 the need for a presence, in the form of a full-time staff person, 

 to identify curatorial and public program problems and poten- 

 tial. OMP later co-sponsored a discussion with the Smithson- 

 ian Asian Pacific American Heritage Committee on January 

 28. "Defining Asian Pacific American in a Museum Context" 

 addressed the historical evolution of the term "Asian Pacific 



American," how federal agencies and college ethnic studies de- 

 fine the Asian Pacific American population, and how muse- 

 ums can better understand this diverse communiry. 



In July, the office co-sponsored the 1994 Latino Graduate 

 Training Seminar in Qualitative Methodology. OMP devel- 

 oped the two week program, "Interpreting Latino Cultures: 

 Research and Museums," with the Inter-University Program 

 for Latino Research out of the Center for Mexican American 

 Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Fifteen Latina 

 and Latino graduate students from across che country explored 

 representation and interpretation of Latino cultures in muse- 

 ums and archival collections. The seminar came soon after the 

 publication of a critical assessment, by the Smithsonian's Task 

 Force in Hispanic Issues, of the Institution's commitment to 

 Hispanic communities in the United States. The seminar par- 

 ticipants engaged in frank and candid discussion about prog- 

 ress which must be made by the Smithsonian and other 

 mainstream museums in order to more accurately reflect the 

 plurality of the nation. 



OMP s ongoing programs, American Indian Museum Stud- 

 ies, Awards for Museum Leadership, and Fellowships in Mu- 

 seum Practice provided training and guidance to museum 

 staff from 32 states and Canada. 



The American Indian Museum Studies Program offered 

 workshops in Washington, DC; Neah Bay, WA; Kenai, AK; 

 and Anadarko, OK. As in previous years, the office provided a 

 travel stipend to all participants and once again did not 

 charge tuition for the program. The program welcomed a new 

 manager, Karen Cooper, in December. Ms. Cooper and Gayle 

 Edmunds, Curriculum Planner, developed this year's series of 

 workshops, focusing on research, curation, and interpretation 

 of collections. Bettie Lee, Curriculum Coordinator, continued 

 to provide logistical support for the program. The program 

 sponsored the following workshops: "Research Methods," No- 

 vember 1-10, was co-sponsored in Washington, DC with the 

 National Museum of the American Indian. The program intro- 

 duced methods and strategies for designing a research project, 

 how to identify sources of materials, and planning a research 

 methodology. The Makah Cultural and Research Center in 

 Neah Bay, WA, hosted "Curatorial Methods: Documenting 

 and Caring for Cultural Materials in American Indian Com- 

 munities," April 18—22. The course introduced collections care 

 and management concepts with traditional approaches to or- 

 ganizing, storing, and caring for cultural materials. In June 

 the program held its first workshop in Alaska. "Strategies for 

 Cultural Interpretation and Educational Programming for 

 Tribal Museums and Cultural Centers," hosted by the 

 Kenaitze Indian Tribe, Kenai, AK, helped participants de- 

 velop or improve educational programs for their community 

 as well as for tourists and other visitors. The program offered 

 it's last course for the year in Anadarko, OK. Hosted by the 

 Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. "Telling Your Story: Small Ex- 

 hibits for Tribal Museums," August 29— September 2, offered 

 instruction in planning, developing, and mounting tribal his- 

 tory exhibits. The program also expanded its information and 



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