were distributed to attending Smithsonian Institution Corpo- 

 rate Members, members of the press and special guests in 

 attendance. 



The Thomas Cole exhibition at the National Museum of 

 American Art and the Korean art exhibition at the Arthur M. 

 Sackler Gallery were featured in articles during the year. 

 Other stones reflected the broad interest of the Institution: 

 the architectural restoration of Ponce, Puerto Rico; tropical 

 vines; tsunamis; Roberto Clemente; the comet's collision with 

 Jupiter; Plessy vs. Ferguson; kangaroos and Modigliani. 



The magazine had a substantial presence at this summer's 

 Unity '94 Convention which brought together professionals 

 from the four minority journalism associations. The magazine 

 conducted a workshop on freelancing that drew 140 people, 

 and co-sponsored a well-attended reception for journalists in- 

 terested in magazine work. 



In partnership with the American Society of Travel Agents 

 (ASTA), Smithsonian magazine awarded the third annual 

 AST 'AlSmithsonian Magazine Environmental Award to the 

 Government and People of Bermuda and Sven Olof Lindblad's 

 Special Expeditions, Inc. The award recognizes outstanding 

 achievements and contributions by individuals, corporations, 

 and countries toward furthering the goals of environmental 

 conservation. 



new in-depth report format entitled "Special Reports," the 

 first of which detailed the art and science of aircraft restora- 

 tion at the Museum's Garber Facility and elsewhere around 

 the nation; and an insert entitled "Showtime" to be distrib- 

 uted at air shows nationally; a calendar datebook used initially 

 to promote membership and now being developed for direct 

 sales and the retail market; an informational "Playbill" size 

 publication offered to visitors to both the theater and planetar- 

 ium at the museum. 



The award-winning series "Astronomy's Most Wanted" in- 

 spired a 1994 lecture series in Boston and Washington spon- 

 sored by the Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory. 



This year two issues of the magazine included full-color 

 graphic supplements featuring classic airplanes: "Aircraft of 

 the Skunk Works" and "The X-Planes." In addition, special 

 flat versions of both posters were prepared for mail orders. 



The magazine launched a new series examining issues and 

 events related to the Cold War; the series debuted in the 

 August/ September issue with a feature describing top-secret 

 missions beyond the borders of the Soviet Union and their lin- 

 gering after-effects. 



The magazine continues to participate in Smithsonian-wide 

 experimentation with online services through America On- 

 line, a commercial database service, and added access to the ed- 

 itors via AOL e-mail during 1994. 



Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine 



Ronald C. Walker, Publisher 



Visitor Information and Associates' 

 Reception Center 



George C. Larson, Editor 



The magazine is published bimonthly as a benefit of member- 

 ship in the National Air and Space Museum. With a circula- 

 tion of 320,000, it ranks in the top half of major magazines in 

 the United States and has the largest paid circulation of any 

 aerospace periodical in the world. Since 1990, just four years 

 after its launch, the magazine has generated revenue for the 

 Institution. 



Articles cover the range of air- and space-related topics that 

 appeal to the magazine's general readership. Regular features 

 include "In the Museum," a column about happenings in the 

 museum itself; "Soundings," short takes on happenings 

 within the broader aerospace community; "Above &. Beyond," 

 usually a first-person account of a personal experience in the 

 air or space realm; "Viewport," comments from the museum 

 director, and "Collections," a narrated visit to the less visited 

 aerospace museums and collections worldwide. 



The Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine staff continued to cre- 

 ate new products during the year as a follow-on to the success- 

 ful museum visitors guide based upon an adaptation from "In 

 the Museum." New products include: a three-video set enti- 

 tled "Dreams of Flight" tracing the history of human (light, a 



Mary Grace Potter, Director 



Established in 1970, the Visitor Information and Associates' 

 Reception Center (VIARC) is a multi-segment information 

 and support organization responsible for Institution-wide in- 

 formation and assistance services for the public. Associate 

 members, Smithsonian staff, and volunteers. Several VIARC 

 programs operate seven days a week and involve the coordina- 

 tion and direction of two large corps of volunteers who consti- 

 tute a primary source of support for the Institution's public 

 information activities and for project assistance behind the 

 scenes. 



Responsibilities of the Visitor Information and Associates' 

 Reception Center include: the Smithsonian Information Cen- 

 ter, the Institution's primary orientation and information facil- 

 ity for visitors; the Public Inquiry Mail and Telephone 

 Information Service, the Smithsonian's central information 

 and referral point for public correspondence and phone inquir- 

 ies; the Museum Information Desk Program through which 

 volunteers are trained and scheduled to staff information 

 desks in most of the Institution's 14 Washington, DC muse- 

 ums; the Castle Docent Program through which tours of the 

 Smithsonian Institution Building are conducted; the Behind- 



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