by Joann Stevens, Guest Blogger
The April 7th Smithsonian Volunteer Appreciation Day was a virtual joy, a love fest to volunteers who kept the institution afloat during years of closures forced by the global pandemic. We enthusiastically await their in-person return to the Mall.
Some 124 Smithsonian Associate volunteers, for example, provided over 8,100 volunteer hours for 1,100 programs in 2021.
Appreciations ranged from accolades by museum administrators and Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III to graphic “thank you” notes, a digital gallery featuring volunteers’ artwork, several from Smithsonian Associates, and leadership discussions about emerging and long existent Smithsonian museums.
“You are truly the unsung heroes of the Smithsonian,” said Secretary Bunch offering his personal thanks to volunteers’ who supported SI during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some 15,000 volunteers participated in enrichment programs, he said, and one million pages of collection objects such as letters, newspapers, and other material objects, were transcribed.
With the country “in need of finding common ground” for issues such as racial injustice, climate change, and engaging rural communities, the Secretary said Smithsonian volunteers are helping forge new pathways to diverse learners across the nation and the globe.
He cited the Smithsonian Rural Initiative which fosters engagement with history, SI collections, and rural communities, as well as the Smithsonian Climate Action Plan that practices sustainability at SI even as it advances learning about biodiversity, climate change and sustainable living.
Museum staff, curators, and educators are being encouraged to expand outreach to diverse religious, cultural and social institutions, fraternities and sororities, to build greater diversity among volunteers, said Secretary Bunch, “to make us more responsive and inclusive, to show that the Smithsonian embraces all Americans.”
A Q&A session with volunteers across SI prompted discussion about the Smithsonian’s future in digital learning, community advocacy to bridge divides among “those who believe in science and those who don’t,” and to showcase the Smithsonian as a place that models “leadership and ethical standards.”
Secretary Bunch’s responses were direct and hopeful as he talked about the Smithsonian’s “ability to accelerate technology” for digital learning in response to the pandemic, thus enabling the Smithsonian “to serve” more people digitally than the 30 million who visited the brick-and-mortar complexes.
Believing “We are a better nation when we embrace the totality of our past,” Bunch said “this is an opportunity to help people understand themselves and their history.” He cited the roles of the emerging museums and the recent repatriation decision to return Benin Bronzes to Nigeria stolen in the late 19th century.
“My goal is to make sure we’re modeling the (museum) profession globally” as responsible stewards, the Secretary said.
The exchange with Secretary Bunch was followed by a conversation with leaders developing two emerging museums on the mall: Eduardo Diaz, Interim Director, the National Museum of the American Latino, and Lisa Sasaki, Interim Director, The Smithsonian Women’s Museum.
Three breakout content sessions were preceded by an exhibition of fine and abstract art of various mediums created by volunteers. Smithsonian Associate volunteers Rebecca Rose, Gretchen Whitney, Helen Silberminz, and Kim Carter among those showcased.
Jenna Jones, Volunteer Coordinator, Smithsonian Associates, facilitated a discussion and viewer Q&A with Matilda McQuaid, Acting Curatorial Director of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York City. Their session “Stories for NY: Sarah & Eleanor Hewitt, Designing A Modern Museum” offered stories and photographs highlighting the mission and methods used by the granddaughters of the founder of The Cooper Union to amass collections for and open the museum.
A video of the Smithsonian Appreciation Day celebration events will be available online soon, so stay tuned!
Also - On Monday, April 25th at 4 pm the Smithsonian Associates is hosting a special Volunteer Zoom with all our hiatus volunteers. It will be an opportunity for these longtime pre-Covid volunteers to reconnect with programming staff and the membership team. Invites will go out by email. This is not for remote or in person volunteers who are currently actively volunteering. We hosted a volunteer appreciation for remote volunteers in November, the "Thank-a-Thon."
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