Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
On October 22, some 85 of our badged volunteers (about half of the whole group) attended our annual appreciation event, which this year was a Saturday morning breakfast. We've included a photo album of the party on the right side of this post, so take a look. Many thanks to Event Rep Melissa Cannarozzi for serving as our photographer for the day!
The theme was “autumn” and everyone was personally thanked with a heartfelt address by the Associates Director, Fredie Adelman. Then we had a bit of a “premiere” in the form of a special "Thank You!" video featuring many of our Associates staff giving their appreciation for volunteers with unscripted messages. This was produced by our very own Bryan Blair, who has served as a Concessions Rep this past year. He is a videographer by day for the Navy, and we will be sorry to see him go for an overseas deployment come January. Thank you so much for sharing your technical skills and creative talent, Bryan!
This year we had two other first-time features: The recognition of our inaugural class of “Honorary Event Reps.” These five ladies each with 20+ years of service, will now continue to volunteer, but less frequently, perhaps as few as six times a year. Congratulations, Shirley Loo, Helen Anderson, Elsa Schauble, Prue Mason and Marjorie Fisher.
The second new aspect was the formal announcement of a new pin design for years of service. 2016 marks the last year of the blue or gold pins with tiny stones. At our next party, those with 5, 10, 15, etc. years of service will receive the new pin design – with a different color of the rainbow as the background color for the Smithsonian logo. The 25th Year of Service will be recognized with a silver colored pin. The new pins also include the number of years engraved on them, so the separate tabs showing the years of service are no longer needed.
The following volunteers were honored for their excellence in service:
Michael Adams, Concessions Rep
Valerie Virta, Studio Arts Rep
Dale Theurer, Bus Tour Rep
Iris Reynolds, Event Rep
Peter Yagura, Office Volunteer
Deirdre Holder, Special Events Rep
Each of them received a certificate, a handwritten note of thanks outlining why they were selected by our staff, and a “bag of swag” of Smithsonian themed gifts.
The following volunteers were recognized for their milestone years of service and received their pins from Fredie and Jenna:
5 years: Pamela Sanderlin, Melinda Harrison,
Mark Raisher, Leslie Borsuk, Ric Kautz
10 years: Bill Faragher,
Ardella Guth, Leslie Boss
15 years: Bobbie Hertzfeldt
20 years: Judy Castagna, Rosalyn King,
Arthur Edmunds, Prudence Mason
25 years: Jan Downing
30 years: Jane Gardner
35 years: Harvey Walden
40 years: Richard Davidson, John Yanish
The recipients of Volunteer Milestone Years of Service Pins who attended the Appreciation Breakfast: What a fine looking group!
It was a lovely occasion, with good food, good conversation, and good company. Thank you to all who came and celebrated with us, and thanks to every single volunteer who donated their time and energy to our programs in the 2016 fiscal year. It may amaze you to know that collectively:
- 300 “Rep” volunteers donated 12,603 hours of their time at 494 programs. They served 62,133 participants.
- 37 Office volunteers gave 4,116 hours to assist 14 staff members.
- 139 Sleepover volunteers contributed over 2,050 hours at 15 Sleepovers, engaging 2,013 children and adults.
- 42 Studio Arts volunteers supported 147 courses totaling 4,068 hours of service
- 20 Bus Reps handled logistics for 96 study tours, amounting to 1,247 hours of time.
When you include the teen volunteers who helped with (89!) Summer Camps, the total number of Associates Volunteer Hours for Fiscal Year 2016 was 25,864.
Congratulations – this was a banner year by all calculations!
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Concessions Cart Continues into the New Year
Since the Ripley Center's Concessions Cart began operating on weeknights in October of 2015, we've become popular with our ticket holders who arrive hungry or thirsty. Though the ongoing efforts of 18 volunteers, we staff the cart each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, from 6 pm until 7:15 pm, when the concourse fills up with program attendees. Many thanks to this friendly group of volunteers who not only meet a "creature comfort" need, but also serve as a source of information about Associates Memberships and the benefits available with upgraded levels of support. (Pictured at right: Nancy McGuire and Michael Adams.)
If you would like to join the teams that offer concessions, let Jenna know. These volunteers, in appreciation for working these shorter shifts, receive their first choice program pick for their Event Rep shifts. That's a perk many of them especially enjoy.
Also, we welcome two new staffers who will handle the selection and purchase of food and drink items we sell: Bridget Grier, on the left and Heather Jaran on the right. (Amanda Chavenson has become a Programmer.) So next time you see these two ladies, please say hello and thank them for their work to make concessions a continued success!
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Welcome to the Class of 2017 Studio Art Reps!
All these artistically inclined folks are in our training classes and will help instructors and students at our winter studio art courses. If you see them in action, please say hello and welcome them.
Andrew Sinclaire Babi Gupta
Cathy Ma Connie Knowlton
Katryna Carter Lindsay Malecha
Melanie Bulavinetz Nikki Washington
Peggy Karshishian Stephanie Donohoe
Susan Nikseresht Valentina Deng
Yue Liang
We continue to seek additional Studio Art Rep volunteers, and some of these ones listed here are a result of another volunteer’s referral. Word of mouth is a valuable recruiting trick of the trade! So, stop by Jenna’s office to take a new studio arts recruitment brochure to share around – you can post the brochure at information racks in community centers, in your apartment building bulletin board, or senior centers you know, or other such places. Let’s cast a wide net and find new volunteers who, like you, will love being part of the Smithsonian Associates family!
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The Smithsonian's New National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens to Great Fanfare!
by Guest Blogger, Kiren Jahangeer
On September 24, 2016, the highly anticipated National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) had its Grand Opening, and since then welcomed over 620,000 visitors.
The vision of the museum rests on four pillars:
- It provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions
- It helps all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences
- It explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture
- It serves as a place of collaboration that reaches beyond Washington, D.C. to engage new audiences and to work with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created.
(Pictured above, two girls display a banner as crowds line up for opening weekend visits, taken by Jenna Jones)
Much thought went into the construction of this museum and the inclusion of subtle yet powerful architectural details. The opaque bronze exterior allow different amounts of light in at certain points in the museum, sometimes leaving full gaps to allow visitors to view a monument. These openings, or ‘lenses,’ offer respite and allow for pause at selected moments along the exhibition experience. These framed perspectives also serve as a reminder that the museum presents a view of the country through the lens of African American history and culture. In that same vein, the North entrance to the museum is a slightly uphill pathway, moving through a granite wall, which represents the arduous struggle in the past. The South entrance with its water feature represents a reflection of one’s self and the future that lies ahead.
Visitors have been spending between 3 to 5 hours inside the museum, more than staff anticipated. Even the café was not prepared to handle the crowds! The museum hopes to have docent led tours starting in the new year, and is still exploring the possibility of removing the timed-ticket entry procedure. Our own Jenna Jones, who volunteers with NMAAHC, had this to say about her experiences: “It has been rather exciting to serve as a “Program Assistant,” with duties much like our Associates Event Rep duties. In December I worked an event for social studies teachers here in DC for a national conference. They were so excited to see the museum on a Sunday evening, without the crowds, and attend a very nice reception. I met people from Atlanta, Montana, California, Maine and New Orleans, among other places.”
On a more personal note, an exhibition in one of the three history galleries, Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876-1968, was curated by Dr. Spencer Crew, former Director of NMAH, and my favorite professor at GMU. The exhibition content covers the post-Reconstruction period to the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. In a recent interview, Dr. Crew discussed how certain events set the tone for the civil rights movement. “One of the seminal moments we talk about with that transition is the murder of Emmitt Till. That is one of the key catalysts that helps spur people to say ‘You know what? We’re not going to accept this anymore. We’re not just going to let this go quietly.” (Till, 14, was lynched in Money, Mississippi for reportedly whistling at a white woman). Among other iconic artifacts, this exhibit includes the dress Rosa Parks wore when she refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
The museum has ‘sold out’ all timed passes through March, however, volunteers are able to enter the museum at any time w/ their Smithsonian ID badge, just another great perk of volunteering with Smithsonian Associates!
Here are some tips about how the public, and your guests, can gain access to visiting the museum, as stated on NMAAHC's website:
- The museum will no longer distributes same-day, in-person passes at 9:15 a.m. daily.
- Same-day, online, timed passes will be available only through the museum’s website, beginning at 6:30 a.m. daily.
- A limited number of walk-up passes will be available starting at 1 p.m. on weekdays.
- No walk-up passes will be available on weekends due to high visitation.
- Non-commercial groups of 10 or more will be able to schedule their visit up to one year in advance through the museum website.
And here's some more coverage of the opening ceremonies, including photos and video clips, as reported in the Smithsonian Institution's "The Torch."
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The Transformative Power of Art
Each month, Secretary David Skorton writes a column for the Torch, the online news source for the Smithsonian community. For this month’s column, Dr. Skorton explains why incorporating the arts into our strategic plan is vital to our vision of the Smithsonian’s future.
By Secretary David J. Skorton
How do we define our shared humanity? What role can the Smithsonian play in the exchange of world-changing ideas? How do we incorporate the creative arts into our vision? These are just a few of the questions we are considering as the Smithsonian moves forward on a new plan to define our future.
The arts—visual, material, verbal, musical, performing, literary and culinary—define our humanity. They enable us to express and understand ideas, beliefs and feelings. Through our newest Grand Challenge—Magnifying the Transformative Power of Arts and Design—we expect to strengthen our reputation as a leader in the presentation and appreciation of the creative arts. At the same time, we will be exploring innovative, imaginative ways to incorporate the arts into the world-class activities and experiences we already offer to the public.
How to best incorporate the arts into our strategic direction, now and in the future, is just one of the discussion points being raised by members of the 2017−2022 Strategic Planning Committee. To gather input from throughout the Institution, committee members are meeting with groups of staff to discuss the “Smithsonian Experience,” the current Grand Challenges, future goals, activities and partnerships. A major, overarching objective—that the Smithsonian be “recognized as the leading catalyst for meaningful conversation on issues affecting our nation and the world”—is generating a lot of discussion.
The concept of bringing people together to learn and exchange ideas is inherent in our mission—we do this every day in all of our units through our research and the content we deliver online. But there is an even greater opportunity to shine a light on our research, exhibitions and educational activities by becoming more vocal on national and international stages.
One of my great joys as Secretary is to observe the exceptional breadth and diversity of Smithsonian activities. Whether I’m learning of a ground-breaking discovery that will affect millions or watching a single child light up when she grasps the significance of a centuries-old artifact, I am amazed and proud of all that we do to teach people and benefit our planet. Our current Grand Challenges address the scope of all the Smithsonian has to offer and, as technology evolves and we embrace a more global perspective, we may modify, enhance or adjust the existing framework in order to challenge ourselves in new ways.
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