1: Increased Public Engagement (Diffusion of Knowledge)

Enlarge the Smithsonian’s audiences, expand its degree of engagement with the public in Washington and throughout the country, and improve the quality of the Smithsonian’s impact on its audiences.

Other Information:

The Institution has been spectacularly successful over the years in attracting audiences. Four Smithsonian museums, located just a few blocks apart on the National Mall, are among the most visited museums in the world: the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, and the new National Museum of the American Indian. The challenge is to create extraordinary experiences for the millions of visitors who flock to these and other Smithsonian attractions. Since the Smithsonian’s 2003 Strategic Plan, we have given the public new reasons to visit the Institution, including two exciting new museums and several major new exhibition halls: The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia (opened December 2003) and the Center’s James S. McDonnell Space Hangar (opened November 2004). The National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall, opened September 2004. Two remarkable permanent exhibition halls at the National Museum of American History, The Price of Freedom: Americans at War (opened November 2004) and America on the Move (opened September 2003). The critically-acclaimed Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (opened September 2003) at the National Museum of Natural History. By the end of the fi rst decade of the 21st century we will have done even more to expand and enhance our public off erings in Washington: In July 2006, we will reopen the dazzlingly renovated Patent Offi ce Building—now the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture—which houses the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The National Zoo’s Asia Trail project will upgrade nearly 25 percent of the developed area of the Zoo. Asia Trail I, scheduled to open in fall 2006, will provide new homes for the giant pandas, sloth bears, fishing cats, red pandas, giant salamanders, small clawed ott ers, and clouded leopards. Asia Trail II will renovate the historic elephant house and create an expanded outdoor environment for the elephants. The National Museum of American History will undergo a major architectural transformation, including a complete redesign of the museum’s central core, a state-of-the-art gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner, and a thorough renovation of the building’s infrastructure. The museum will close to the public for construction in September 2006, and is scheduled to reopen by summer 2008. At the National Museum of Natural History, the Ocean Hall exhibition will open in 2008, renovation of the Dinosaur Hall will start in the same year, and the Human Origins exhibition will open in 2009. The Board of Regents has designated a site for our newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, on the National Mall. In the approaching years, we also intend to upgrade our exhibitions, ensuring that all of them Are of the highest quality; Provide accurate, up-to-date information; Focus on topics that are relevant to the public; Are accessible to all of our diverse audiences and take into account different learning styles and visitor preferences; and Tell compelling stories. The Smithsonian belongs to all Americans, not just those who are able to physically visit our museums. For this reason, we are continually developing strategies to make the Smithsonian an increasing presence across the United States. We are extending the Institution’s reach through partnerships with affi liated museums, associations with communities, more traveling exhibitions, and a stronger Internet presence. For example, the Smithsonian Affi liations Initiative now boasts 145 affi liates in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Panama. The recent partnership with CBS/Showtime to create Smithsonian on Demand, a digital cable television channel to show Smithonian-branded documentaries, will enable us to reach out to millions more visitors than we ever could before. Further, we seek to att ract younger and more ethnically diverse audiences by fi nding special ways to connect with them. We will strengthen our educational programs and integrate them more fully with other outreach activities. (See the Strategic Plan for Education in Appendix 3.) Our goal is not merely to attract greater numbers of visitors—both physically and virtually— but to surpass their expectations, inspire them, and enhance their understanding of our shared national heritage and identity.

Objective(s):

1.1: Education

1.2: Other Public Programs

2.1: Exhibitions

3.1: Collections

Content