Smithsonian Institution in the United States

See:

Smithsonian Institution 2
Smithsonian Institution 3
Smithsonian Institution 4
Smithsonian Institution 5

The Smithsonian Institution is an independent trust instrumentality of the United States
which comprises the world’s largest museum and research complex; includes 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and research facilities in several States and
the Republic of Panama; and is dedicated to public education, national service, and
scholarship in the arts, sciences, history, and culture.

The Smithsonian Institution was created by an act of Congress on August 10, 1846
(20 U.S.C. 41 et seq.), to carry out the terms of the will of British scientist James
Smithson (1765–1829), who in 1826 had bequeathed his entire estate to the United
States “to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution,
an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”
On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy and pledged the faith of the
United States to the charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson’s legacy,
which amounted to more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the
mint at Philadelphia. Congress vested responsibility for administering the trust
in the Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian Board of Regents,
composed of the Chief Justice, the Vice President, three Members of the
Senate, three Members of the House of Representatives, and nine citizen
members appointed by joint resolution of Congress. To carry out Smithson’s
mandate, the Institution executes the following functions: conducts scientiﬁc
and scholarly research; publishes the results of studies, explorations, and
investigations; preserves for study and reference more than 136 million artifacts,
works of art, and scientiﬁc specimens; organizes exhibits representative of the
arts, the sciences, and American history and culture; shares Smithsonian resources
and collections with communities throughout the Nation; and engages in
educational programming and national and international cooperative research.
Smithsonian activities are supported by its trust endowments and revenues;
gifts, grants, and contracts; and funds appropriated to it by Congress. Admission
to the museums in Washington, DC, is free.

Activities

Anacostia Community Museum
The Museum, located in the historic Fort Stanton neighborhood of southeast Washington, serves as a national resource for exhibitions, historical documentation, and interpretive and educational programs relating to African American history and culture.

For further information, contact the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE.,
Washington, DC 20020. Phone, 202–633–1000. Internet, http://www.si.edu/anacostia.

Archives of American Art

The Archives contains the Nation’s largest collection of documentary materials reﬂecting
the history of visual arts in the United States. On the subject of art in America,
it is the largest archives in the world, holding more than 16 million documents.

The Archives gathers, preserves, and microﬁlms the papers of artists,
craftsmen, collectors, dealers, critics, and art societies. These papers include
manuscripts, letters, diaries, notebooks, sketchbooks, business records, clippings,
exhibition catalogs, transcripts of taperecorded interviews, and photographs
of artists and their work. The Archives is located at 750 Ninth Street NW., in
Washington, DC.

For further information, contact the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560. Phone, 202–275–2156. Internet, http:// archivesofamericanart.si.edu.

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

The Museum is the only museum in the country devoted exclusively to historical
and contemporary design. Collections include objects in such areas as applied
arts and industrial design, drawings and prints, glass, metalwork, wallcoverings,
and textiles. Changing exhibits and public programs seek to educate by
exploring the role of design in daily life. The Museum is open daily, except
Mondays and holidays. The general admission fee is $12, $7 for students
and senior citizens with ID, and free for members and children under 12.

For further information, contact Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, 2 East Ninety-First Street, New York, NY 10128. Phone, 212–849–8400. Internet, http://www.si.edu/ndm.