Category Archives: Smithsonian

Museums Seek Clarity, Face Challenges to Budgets and Relevance

Posted on September 3, 2013 by

Lately I’ve been taking advantage of the comp museum admission perk through my employment with New-York Historical Society.  I’ve saved a good deal of cash at New York’s premier cultural institutions with inflated admission prices ($25, MoMA; $20, Frick Collection; … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, collections, culture, exhibition, museums, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Endangered Breton Language Faces Extinction

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

In previous posts I have explored the alarming issue of language loss as it relates to the preservation (and extinction) of collective human knowledge and world cultures. Whether reporting the death of the last living member of the Bo language group, discussing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Breton, culture, endangered language, France, identity, intangible cultural heritage, Smithsonian | Leave a comment

Museum Collecting Guide as Cultural Heritage

Posted on June 7, 2010 by

Today I was given a copy of the 1977 Guide to Field Collecting of Ethnographic Specimens, an information leaflet written by the late William C. Sturtevant, Curator of North American Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History. For a Smithsonian publication, … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, collections, culture, museums, Smithsonian, UNESCO | 1 Comment

Smithsonian’s World Cultures Idea Fair

Posted on June 5, 2010 by

One June 3 I was a participant in the Smithsonian’s Consortia for World Cultures Idea Fair. Structured like a speed dating event for those interested in cultural heritage, the 4-hour conference featured speakers from the Smithsonian’s various museums who discussed programs … Continue reading →

Posted in cultural conservation, culture, Culture in Peril, heritage, Idea Fair, Smithsonian | Leave a comment