February 21 



Symposium: A near-capacity crowd gathered in the Hirshhom Museum's Marion and 

 Gustave Ring Auditorium for a lively debate about art of the 1980s featuring Ned Rifkin, 

 the museum's chief curator for exhibitions; Kathy Halbreich of the Museum of Fine Arts, 

 Boston; and four curators from Washington, D.C., museums. The symposium was 

 presented in conjunction with Culture and Commentary: An Eighties Perspective, the 

 exhibition and catalogue that Halbreich, serving as guest curator, assembled for the 

 museum. 



March 



Exhibition: The Hughes H- 1 racer, the aircraft designed by Howard Hughes that set both 

 absolute speed and transcontinental speed records during the 1930s, was placed on 

 display in the National Air and Space Museum's Golden Age of Flight gallery. 



March 



Briefing: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for External Affairs facilitated the 

 briefing "Global Change in the Geological Record" for incoming members of the 

 National Council of the National Museum of Natural History. The briefing was hosted 

 by Senator Albert Gore, Jr. (D-Tenn.). 



March 



Public Service Announcement: A 30-second public service announcement for television 

 featuring Robert Redford was produced by the Office of Public Affairs and distributed to 

 300 stations throughout the country for use beginning around the time of Earth Day 

 1990. The spot aired in all 50 states and continued to be used in some areas for at least 

 six months. 



March 



Publication: The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute published Ecologia de un 

 Bosque Tropical, the Spanish-language version of Ecology of a Tropical Forest, edited 

 by Egbert G. Leigh, Jr., A. Stanley Rand, and Donald Windsor. This book will 

 disseminate results of research on Barro Colorado Island to Spanish-speaking audiences 

 throughout Latin America. 



March 



Publication: Investigating Artistic Environments in the Ancient Near East, a series of 

 papers edited by Ann Gunter, assistant curator of ancient Near Eastern art at the Arthur 

 M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art, was published with generous support 

 from Mrs. Arthur M. Sackler. The papers had been presented at an international 

 symposium held at the Sackler Gallery in 1988, also supported by Mrs. Sackler. 



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