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95–907 2015

THE STATE OF THE SMITHSONIAN 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JUNE 17, 2015 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 

Available on the Internet: 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/administration/index.html 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Chairman 

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi 

RICHARD NUGENT, Florida 

RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois 

BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia 

MARK WALKER, North Carolina 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

Ranking Minority Member 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

SEAN MORAN, Staff Director 

KYLE ANDERSON, Minority Staff Director 


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THE STATE OF THE SMITHSONIAN 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a.m., in Room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller 

(chairman of the Committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Davis, Walker, and 

Vargas. 

Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; John Clocker, Deputy 

Staff Director; Bob Sensenbrenner, Deputy General Counsel; John 

L. Dickhaus, Legislative Clerk; Erin McCracken, Communications 

Director; Mary Sue Englund, Director of Operations; Cole Felder, 

Counsel; Kyle Anderson, Minority Staff Director; Matt Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy Advisor; Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff 

Director/Director of Legislative Operations; Mike Harrison, Minority Chief Counsel; and Eddie Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk. 

The CHAIRMAN. I now call to order the Committee on House Administration for today’s hearing on the Smithsonian Institution. 

We appreciate Acting Secretary Horvath coming with all of his 

staff. We appreciate them bringing him. 

Before I make my opening statement, let me just say I think we 

have all had an opportunity to look at some of the coolest things 

here. As you see, this is a bit unusual for a committee hearing to 

have Smithsonian artifacts here, but everyone will get a chance 

after the hearing to take a look at them all. 

They are really unbelievable. I mean, you have got some meteorites here—sort of makes you think of Jurassic Park or something, 

right?—and the first artificial heart, a picture that the Smithsonian was just telling me they got off of eBay, actually, of Harriet 

Tubman, which they apparently had to do almost nothing to. It was 

in such great condition. Somebody took a lot of pride in keeping 

that picture. 

Everyone will have a chance to take a look at some of these artifacts, but we thought it would be a way to sort of set the stage, 

if you will, for what goes on at this unbelievable national treasure 

of the Smithsonian. In fact, I told some of your staff, when I leave 

here, I am going to try to get a job at the Smithsonian. It is such 

a cool thing. I am kidding. But, wow, really, really amazing. 

Today we are holding this hearing to discuss the current priorities of the Smithsonian Institution as well as challenges and opportunities on the horizon. 


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Congress established the Smithsonian Institution in 1846 to 

carry out the will of English Scientist James Smithson. Smithson 

sought, quote, ‘‘to found at Washington, under the name of Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion 

of knowledge,’’ unquote. 

Since that time, the Smithsonian has developed into the largest 

museum and research complex in the world, with 19 museums, 9 

research centers and, of course, the National Zoo. The 

Smithsonian’s collections include more than 138 million items 

which form the basis for the Institution’s exhibits, educational programs, and research activities. 

Last year more than 28 million people visited Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, 99 million viewed their Web site, and 

more than 6,000 volunteers joined 6,300 employees to accomplish 

the work of the Institution. 

The Smithsonian is much more than our Nation’s attic. It plays 

an important role in collecting, preserving, and making accessible 

our Nation’s history and culture as well as advancing critical scientific discovery and research. 

And while the Institution encompasses the renowned museums 

on the National Mall, which all of our constituents appreciate visiting at absolute zero cost, it also includes research facilities in 

Panama, an astrophysical observatory in Massachusetts, traveling 

exhibits at affiliated museums across the U.S., and a strong international presence across the globe. 

The size and scope of the Smithsonian presents enormous opportunities to achieve their mission of continually increasing the reach 

of knowledge. This Committee commends the Smithsonian for their 

unrelenting effort in identifying those future opportunities. 

One major opportunity for the Smithsonian is to leverage their 

collections to enhance education and to inspire lifelong learning. 

Education is fundamental to the Smithsonian’s mission and certainly one of the most important services the Institution can provide. 

The Committee is very interested to hear how the Smithsonian 

is revitalizing education, especially in the case of increased digital 

access for schools through 3-D printing, and plans for expanding 

those activities. There are also significant challenges in managing 

such a complex entity as the Smithsonian. 

One ongoing challenge is to serve as stewards of their vast collection, which includes priceless objects of immense historical, cultural, and scientific value, and which range in size, scope, and diversity from the smallest organisms and insect specimens to various artwork mediums and live animal exhibits. The Smithsonian 

collections are fundamental to achieving the Institution’s mission 

now and in the future. 

This Committee held a hearing last Congress, and we heard from 

the then-Smithsonian Inspector General who identified collection 

stewardship as one of the most pressing issues for the Smithsonian. Management indicated work was ongoing to improve current 

collections management and to plan for the future. So we look forward to hearing about that progress. 

In addition to collections stewardship and education, we would 

like to receive an update on how the Institution is preparing for the 


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National Museum of African American History and Culture and 

that opening, which is targeted for completion next year, I believe, 

and about a recent announcement as well regarding the Smithsonian exhibition space possibly being part of a cultural complex in 

London. 

The Smithsonian Institution is cherished by all Americans, and 

each of us feels a personal responsibility to ensure the success of 

this valued institution and its continued operation for future generations. The Smithsonian is truly one of the great treasures of our 

Nation and the world, and we look forward to the Institution’s continued service. 

So, again, we thank our witness for his attendance. I will formally introduce him in just a moment. 

Our ranking member, Mr. Brady, was not able to attend, and I 

would like to recognize Mr. Vargas, the gentleman from California, 

who represents him today, for his opening statement. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Again, I want 

to thank you for holding—I think that my microphone is having 

some feedback problems or issues here. There you go. I apologize 

for that. 

Again, thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to 

be here and thank you for holding this oversight hearing today and 

for giving the Smithsonian a chance to show off some of its treasures earlier this morning, as you were noting. So, again, thank you 

very much for that. 

This is a period of rising expectations for the Smithsonian Institution. A new Secretary will arrive in a few weeks, and the Smithsonian African American museum will open in less than a year 

from now. And, by the way, it is magnificent. Every time I drive 

or walk by there I get very excited. It really is looking magnificent. 

Also, an historic national campaign in raising a record amount 

of private funds for the Institution and a museum of American 

Latino within the Smithsonian has been recommended by a national commission that will be reviewed by our Committee this 

year. 

A proposed national women’s history museum is about to be 

studied by another commission, and the visitors’ advanced levels at 

the Smithsonian museum are on the rise. 

The value of the Smithsonian endowment is at a record high, and 

the cost of admission of the American people is still zero. 

I commend Acting Secretary Horvath—again, thank you very 

much—for your ability to step in quickly and to assure the continuity during the period between Secretary Clough’s departure 

and Dr. Skorton’s transition out of Cornell University. 

This is a busy season for our constituents who visit the Smithsonian during the warmer months, and we often hear from them how 

much they enjoyed the experience. 

I have to say that I was able to go recently to the National Portrait Gallery and was very excited to see the Athenaeum, Gilbert 

Stuart’s magnificent painting of George Washington, and also to 

see the Landsdowne. And my understanding is the Landsdowne is 

about to go in for some needed work. 


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But it was very exciting to see those two magnificent paintings 

there, although I believe the Athenaeum is shared with the Boston 

museum. I think it is half and half. I think that is the deal. 

But, again, I welcome you here to this hearing. It is such a joy 

to have you here. We are very, very proud of your Institution and 

the work that all of you have done. 

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

Do any other members wish to make an opening comment or 

statement? Okay. 

At this time I would like to introduce our witness. Albert 

Horvath became the Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian on January the 1st of this year following the retirement of Secretary 

Wayne Clough. He will serve in this position until the end of this 

month. 

We had an opportunity to have you in our office last week. You 

said it was a very fast-paced last several months, very eye-opening, 

and interesting. But, as was mentioned, David Skorton will take 

over as the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian on July the 1st. 

As Acting Secretary, Mr. Horvath oversees the thousands of staff 

members and multiple projects that are underway within the 

Smithsonian Institution. 

Before becoming the Acting Secretary, he was the Under Secretary for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer 

of the Smithsonian, where he managed administrative offices, including facilities and maintenance, human resources, security, and 

financial operations. We are happy to say that that is the position 

that he will be returning to as well following his tenure as Acting 

Secretary. 

Before coming to the Smithsonian in 2011, his career spanned 

more 30 years in the administration at five different universities 

and the Mellon Bank. So we certainly thank the Acting Secretary 

for being with us today. 

At this time we recognize you for your statement, sir. 

STATEMENT OF ALBERT G. HORVATH, ACTING SECRETARY OF 

THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Mr. HORVATH. Thank you very much. Chairman Miller and members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to testify this 

morning. 

In 1846, Congress established the Smithsonian as a public-private partnership dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. Roughly 60 percent of our annual funding comes from Federal appropriations, 40 percent from philanthropy and other 

sources. 

The Federal commitment provides the critical foundation for all 

that we do and is helpful in attracting private support. We are 

grateful for the continued confidence of the administration, the 

Congress, and the American people. 

I assure you that the confidence is more than justified. The state 

of the Smithsonian is strong. We are making great progress and 

will welcome our 13th Secretary on July 1, Dr. David Skorton, currently president of Cornell, who will push for even more progress. 


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Since January 1, I have been privileged to serve as Acting Secretary. Upon Dr. Skorton’s arrival, I will return to my previous 

post as Under Secretary for Finance and Administration and Chief 

Financial Officer. 

I will do so firmly convinced that the Smithsonian is more efficient and entrepreneurial than ever. It is also more effective in offering close-up authentic experiences of what it means to be an 

American. 

For example, on May 8, I stood atop our American History Museum to witness the World War II flyover celebrating Victory in 

Europe Day. I am sure many of you saw the historic planes flying 

over the National Mall. 

Our National Air and Space Museum director, General Jack 

Dailey, participated. The former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps was in the P-51 Mustang in the formation that executed 

the missing man maneuver. 

The next day some of the participating planes were on display 

at our Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for 

all to see. The Center also houses, among many treasures, the 

Space Shuttle Discovery, which flew over the National Mall 3 years 

ago. 

Online, we offer a three-dimensional scan of the Wright Flyer 

that any teacher, student, or lifetime learner can download free of 

charge. 

As I looked west that day, I saw our National Museum of African 

American History and Culture rising out of the ground. Museum 

curators have collected more than 33,000 artifacts, including the 

Spirit of Tuskegee airplane. The museum is targeted to open in the 

fall of 2016. 

We continue to implement our 2010 strategic plan that focuses 

on our four grand challenges. We have an ambitious agenda. The 

first phase of the renovated west wing of our American History 

Museum reopens on July 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery reopens on the November 13 after significant 

revitalization. 

We can offer so much to so many people because the Smithsonian 

is the largest museum and research complex in the world with passionate professionals and volunteers devoted to their work. 

We have 19 museums and galleries, 20 libraries, 9 research centers, the National Zoo, and 201 affiliate museums in 45 states, 

Puerto Rico, and Panama. We are open 364 days a year and admission is free. We operate in more than 130 countries. 

If you can’t come to us, we are coming to you through digital 

technology. Our more than 200 Web sites attract 100 million 

unique visitors. 

We have 6.6 million followers on Facebook and Twitter alone. 

Last year our museums and galleries had almost 27 million visits 

and another 4.5 million people visited our traveling exhibits in all 

50 States. 

Our collections total 138 million objects, including 127 million 

scientific specimens, 340,000 works of art, 2 million library volumes, more than 2,000 live animals, and much more. Some of those 

treasures you see on the table in front of you. 


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We protect and present some of the Nation’s greatest treasures, 

everything from the Star-Spangled Banner to the Hope Diamond, 

the Landsdowne portrait of George Washington to the skeleton of 

T-Rex, Edison’s light bulb to Nat Turner’s Bible. We take stewardship of these treasures very seriously, as reported to this Committee 2 years ago. 

Since that time, we have made many improvements and completed an in-depth study of collection space needs that will inform 

our long-term capital plan. 

Our 500 scientists are making important discoveries, especially 

regarding biodiversity issues through our ForestGEO, or Global 

Earth Observatories, network. It is a worldwide partnership monitoring the health of 6 million trees in 24 countries. 

Our new Tennenbaum Marine Observatories initiative, or 

MarineGEO, seeks to replicate that success and assess the health 

of coastal areas and the oceans. 

We offer American, Asian, and African art. We deliver educational materials to students and teachers in all 50 States. More 

than 2,000 learning resources, all tied to State standards, are 

available online for free. 

For 30 years our Smithsonian Science Education Center has been 

improving K through 12 education in our Nation’s schools through 

its innovative STEM program. 

We do have concerns about the age and upkeep of our 12 million 

square feet of facilities, particularly at our Air and Space Museum, 

our zoo, our Freer Gallery of Art, our Arts and Industries Building, 

The Castle, and other sites. We will need your continued support 

in those areas to ensure the vitality of these spaces, many of which 

are historic. 

Our 6,400 dedicated employees and 5,500 generous volunteers 

are creative, resourceful, and dedicated to our mission. That is why 

for the fifth year in a row the Smithsonian was ranked as one of 

the best places to work in the Federal Government. All of us are 

honored to be part of this great American Institution. 

As we face both exciting new opportunities and imposing challenges, we will carefully steward the critically important resources 

provided by the Federal Government. 

Again, I thank you for this opportunity, and I look forward to 

your questions. 

[The statement of Mr. Horvath follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. 

You mentioned that you had 138 million artifacts. As you may 

or may not know, the Miller family has a bit of history with one 

of those 138 million. 

My husband, who was a fighter pilot in Vietnam over 30 years 

ago, delivered an F-100 Super Saber Jet, which is on display there 

now at Udvar-Hazy. So all the old fighter pilots like to hang 

around and look at old jets, that is for sure, and remember the 

glory days there. 

At any rate, my first question for you is really—I was looking 

through your strategic plan here. As you mentioned, you really 

want to increase and revitalize education, I have a particular interest in that, as I think I mentioned to you when you were in my 

office. 

Southeast Michigan, where I come from, was really so incredibly 

hard hit during the very painful economic transition, our kids could 

hardly even get on a bus to take a field trip anywhere. 

One of the things we really tried to do during that time—many 

of us in some of these areas—was to just make sure that—with this 

fantastic wealth of knowledge and all of these things that are happening, whether it is the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian, 

et cetera, how we can have resources for the teachers to make that 

part of the curriculum. 

You know, kids are so used now to accessing everything electronically, and as you mentioned about these 3-D printers, they 

really are amazing, what they are doing in the schools. 

So could you talk a little bit about that part of your revitalizing 

education portion of your strategic plan and how you can help with 

education throughout the entire country here, really making sure 

that kids have access to all of these fantastic avenues of knowledge. 

Mr. HORVATH. Certainly. The Smithsonian, at its core, is an educational institution. We have these wonderful objects. We do tremendous research. But one of our main objectives is to be able to 

get this information out as broadly and widely as possible. 

We have had a long tradition of education being an important aspect of what we do. As mentioned, for 30 years, through the Smithsonian Science Education Center, we have been providing science 

curriculum free of charge throughout the country tailored to local 

standards for teachers, for students, for school districts. We feel it 

is important to try and help address the issues of STEM education 

and the like across the country. 

A place where a couple of our priorities in the strategic plan 

come together is education and digitization. So one of the buzz 

phrases that we have developed at the Smithsonian is, ‘‘If you can’t 

come to the Smithsonian, we want to get the Smithsonian to you,’’ 

and one of the strategies to do that is through digitization. 

So all of these wonderful objects that we have, we are trying to 

digitize all of them, make them available to people across the country, in fact, across the world, for students, K through 12, higher 

education, lifelong learners, and provide these objects so that they 

can be studied and worked with in classrooms across the U.S. and 

not only in our spaces in Washington, D.C. 


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We are working on 3-D printing so that not only can you render 

3-D objects online, but then also transfer them to printers and have 

your students create their own models of the Wright Flyer or the 

Space Shuttle. We are, in fact, in the middle of digitizing the Space 

Shuttle at this time. 

So all of these activities and many, many more we are focused 

on, again, to try to continue to play an important role in furthering 

education across the country. 

The CHAIRMAN. Could you tell us a little bit—I guess the National Zoo has, really, your most visitors and you have more visitors there than any of your other facilities. But among the museums, it is the Air and Space, I believe, that has the most amounts 

of visitors. But at any—— 

Mr. HORVATH. Air and Space and Natural History always are 

neck and neck. 

The CHAIRMAN. Neck and neck. Okay. 

Well, I understand that sort of the outer envelope, if you will, of 

the Air and Space is in need of some serious structural repairs. 

Maybe you could tell us a bit about how you are planning for that 

and what we need to be aware of here. 

Mr. HORVATH. Certainly. We have a long-term capital plan. We 

have, as I mentioned, 12 million square feet of space. And so keeping those buildings vital and functional is an important priority for 

us. 

A renovation of the building systems of Air and Space has long 

been in our plan, and we had envisioned it being our next big priority following the completion of the National Museum of African 

American History and Culture. 

As we began the process of assessing the work that we would 

need to do in our feasibility study, we unfortunately uncovered the 

fact that the outer envelope, the facade that is comprised of Tennessee pink marble, is actually thinner in size than it should have 

been. And, unfortunately, after 40 years of wear and tear, it is 

starting to crack and bow. 

We have now had three independent assessments by experts, and 

they have all concluded that that stone needs to come down and 

be replaced. It is just too thin to be repaired. And so all of that 

stone will need to be replaced. That is in addition to the other work 

that we had contemplated we would need to do anyway, like upgrading our air handling systems, completing repairs on the roof 

and the like. 

The building opened in July of 1976. It was built with a notion 

that we would receive about 3 million visitors a year. We now receive about 6 or 7 million. So it has received a lot more wear and 

tear than was envisioned. And, obviously, our knowledge about 

what it takes to maintain precious and delicate objects like this has 

advanced as well. 

And so, unfortunately, we are looking at a price tag of probably 

$500 million to fully renovate that building. It is a project that we 

are currently in the process of designing. We would hope to begin 

the renovation work sometime in 2017. 

And our plan is to try during the course of that renovation to 

keep portions of the building open to the public because, again, 

since it is one of the most heavily visited museums in the world, 


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we don’t want to take all of those objects offline if we can possibly 

avoid that. 

The CHAIRMAN. Wow. That is a huge price tag. 

Mr. HORVATH. Yes, it is. 

The CHAIRMAN. Okay. I appreciate that. 

The chair recognizes Mr. Vargas for questions. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. 

Madam Chair, I can’t help but get excited when you talked about 

your family’s involvement with the Smithsonian. I would be remiss 

to say that, in San Diego, we have affiliated museums. We also 

have the San Diego Air & Space Museum that is affiliated with the 

Smithsonian. 

And it is the same thing there. You get a lot of the pilots. They 

not only hang around there, but they also teach the kids how to 

work on planes and how to repair them, create them. And it is really exciting. I have had a chance to go there a few times, and they 

really do a great deal. 

So I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Smithsonian because 

I think there is four or five institutions, actually, in Balboa Park 

that are affiliated with the Smithsonian. 

When you are talking about, if the citizens can’t come to the 

Smithsonian, the Smithsonian will come to them, I know that you 

do that with affiliated museums. And we appreciate that certainly 

in San Diego and, I am sure, throughout the country. 

I do want to ask a couple of questions. Does the Smithsonian 

have a public position on the creation of a potential museum, a 

American Latino museum? And if Congress were to authorize it, 

could the Smithsonian absorb the work involved with the project? 

Mr. HORVATH. Should Congress authorize and approve funding 

for a Smithsonian American Latino museum, we would be honored 

to add such a museum to our portfolio and we would do everything 

in our power to do an exceptional job in delivering the museum to 

the American people. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you. 

Same question. What effect has sequestration had on the 

Smithsonian’s operations over the last few years, if any? 

Mr. HORVATH. The budgetary uncertainty around the Federal 

budget has certainly forced us to do a lot of scenario planning and 

rethinking about priorities and potential new programs. 

We were able to weather the sequestration that was implemented a couple of years ago because we had done a lot of preparation. But we knew, if there were long-term and additional reductions made, we would have to fundamentally rethink some of the 

basic operating premises of the Institution. 

As you might imagine, given some of our facilities’ challenges, 

like the one I just mentioned previously, we are obviously keenly 

aware of how important continued strong Federal funding will be 

for us to not only deal with some of those more acute problems, but 

to allow us to continue to push forward in terms of digitization, collection care initiatives, expansion of education programs and the 

like. 

So, at present, we continue to develop a number of different 

strategies, depending on the levels of funding. We have also spent 

quite a bit of time and effort to ensure that our ability to raise nonVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Aug 28, 2015 Jkt 095907 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A907.XXX A907

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Federal funds, private funds through philanthropy, through sponsored project support and other means, is as advanced and as effective as possible. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you. 

By the way, a little pet peeve of mine. Sequestration. I wasn’t 

here when they voted on it. But it comes from the Latin term 

‘‘sequi,’’ to set aside. 

That is why you sequester a jury. It doesn’t mean across-theboard cuts. But, anyway, that is just a little pet peeve of mine. I 

don’t know why they use that term. But, anyway, it is the term 

they chose. 

We are all very excited, all of us, about the opening of the National African American museum next year. Are there any special 

events planned around it that the public should be aware of? 

Mr. HORVATH. We are in the midst of planning for the grand 

opening of the museum next fall. And so we are at the early stages. 

We intend to begin doing some preliminary kinds of events leading 

up to that. The museum itself is not waiting for the building to be 

finished. 

We just opened a new exhibit in American History to begin showing some of the collection that has been amassed over the course 

of the last several years called ‘‘Through the African American 

Lens.’’ And I would encourage everyone who has an opportunity to 

go and see it. 

And so, in expectation of the museum opening and not just generating excitement from the seemingly day-to-day changes that 

take place in the construction, we are trying to do programming 

and the like to get people excited and ready for the opening of the 

museum. 

Mr. VARGAS. Okay. I am out of time. My time is up. And, again, 

thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate it. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

Mr. Harper from Mississippi. 

Mr. HARPER. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

And thank you for your service in such an important role. I have 

to say, last night, I hope everyone got to go to the Congressional 

Night at the National Portrait Gallery. It was an incredible location and very well done. So thanks to all that were involved in 

that. 

Now, there is always concern on the upkeep of buildings and 

making sure that we don’t defer maintenance. That happens sometimes just because the money is not there. 

And I know we have a new museum that has been talked about 

that will open next year, a very exciting time. There are others 

that are being discussed. 

But there is also a concern that, as we go forward and we build 

new museums, that we have the ability to maintain them and do 

the upkeep and maintenance. So this is going to be a major lift. 

But, as far as families, the Air and Space Museum is one that 

everyone likes to go to. And it is very special because there is a 

plane there from my congressional district, from Meridian, Mississippi, the Key brothers’ airplane called the ‘‘Ole Miss,’’ for which 

they set the record for longest time in the air, 27 days, back in 

1935. 


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And their partner, mechanic, inventor, and friend, Mr. A.D. Hunter, invented the shutoff valve so you could safely transfer the fuel, 

which even today, with just some minor modifications, is still what 

is used today. 

And you have got this single-engine plane that they stayed in for 

27 days with a catwalk built around it because they had to climb 

out and service the engine during flight. 

So during construction we are confident that will be fully displayed. But, anyway, that is another deal there. But it is true. 

Every exhibit has a great story. And so we are very thankful for 

that and those opportunities that are there. 

How do you foresee going forward—and I know Chairman Miller 

discussed this. You are planning on keeping this open, at least in 

part, during those construction years. How many years will that 

Air and Space renovation take place? 

Mr. HORVATH. We are still in the midst of very detailed design 

and planning. Right now our best estimate is it will take about 4.5 

years of renovation time, and we will try to do it in phases through 

the building. 

It is a little complicated because all of the building systems are 

integrated, but that is part of the challenge of what we are trying 

to study at this point. 

So, again, it is very, very important for us to try as much as possible to keep portions of that building open so that our visitors can 

continue to benefit from the tremendous artifacts that we have. 

Mr. HARPER. And other buildings are aging as well—— 

Mr. HORVATH. Right. 

Mr. HARPER [continuing]. And will have those needs as well. 

Is there a plan for which we will make sure that maybe we don’t 

wind up with a big hit and maybe you see doing these along in 

stages where we don’t wind up with a $500 million one-time or 

over-a-few-years major renovation? 

Mr. HORVATH. Yes. There are a couple of examples where we 

have been doing that over the last several years. At the Natural 

History Museum, everyone knows the dinosaur hall is currently 

closed. That is partially driven by the desire and need to renovate 

that portion of the building as well as do some needed maintenance 

on the artifacts. 

We have taken the same approach at American History. So back 

in 2008 we reopened the center core of the building, now the StarSpangled Banner hall. We are working on the west side of the 

building and are very excited about reopening the first floor of that 

renovated space in July. And we have taken the same approach at 

the National Zoo. 

So to the extent that, in some of the larger, more complex buildings where taking on the entire building would be astronomical in 

terms of cost, we have tried to parse them out. 

In some cases, like at the Air and Space Museum, because of the 

way the building was built, it is just not as practical to be able to 

close portions of it and work on it in various points in time. 

One of our biggest challenges is making sure that we continue 

to address the most pressing needs and try to use a combination 

of both maintenance as well as facilities capital funding to be as 

thoughtful as possible and keep our buildings in good shape. 


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Mr. HARPER. And my time is almost over, but let me ask you 

this. 

138 million items, probably more. Not everything we probably 

want to keep. You know, I am a bit of a pack rat; so, I don’t want 

to throw anything away. 

But when you are deciding new items to go into the collection, 

if you could just very quickly, is there a basic criteria that you have 

for how that is decided on? 

Mr. HORVATH. Certainly. We look at the importance of that object to the collection and the particular discipline that it supports. 

We ensure that we can safely and effectively keep it. And we also 

make sure that we have the expertise to study it and to tell its 

story. 

Mr. HARPER. So not everything makes the cut, obviously. 

Mr. HORVATH. Not everything makes the cut. No. 

Mr. HARPER. All right. Thank you very much. 

I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Davis. 

Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, Chairman Miller. And I wish you well on 

your next endeavor, going to work for the Smithsonian, as you 

mentioned. 

Please, sir, check her references. 

Don’t cut my mic, Judge Vargas. 

First off, I want to say thank you, Mr. Acting Secretary. My twin 

boys, who are 14, going into the ninth grade, were part of a large 

high school group that was out just last week and enjoyed many 

of your facilities. Some of the feedback was that, obviously, besides 

hanging out with me, going to the Smithsonian was actually one 

of their favorite activities. 

And it is something that we see many folks and families go 

through every day here. It is what you do on a regular basis. I 

think this Committee—hopefully, today you understand we truly 

appreciate what you do and what the many men and women who 

work at your facilities do on a regular basis to show what our Nation is all about. So thank you for that. 

Education was a key point of your opening testimony. And I noticed you mentioned some of the STEM programs, that the Smithsonian works with school districts throughout this Nation, especially K through 12 education. 

Can you actually go into a little further what you do at the 

Smithsonian to ensure that our students who may not be able to 

make it out here to Washington, D.C., or to other facilities in the 

Nation—how do they have access to your facilities? And how do 

your STEM programs work? And, also, how do teachers who may 

not be involved with them know how to contact you to get involved? 

Mr. HORVATH. We have tremendous educational resources at the 

Smithsonian, some attached to the specific museums or research 

centers, some that are coordinated in more central ways. 

One of our big initiatives across the board and, of course, in education is to take what we have and get it to folks, regardless of 

where they are geographically throughout the country. 

So the Smithsonian Science Education Center for 30 years has 

been putting together curriculum that is tied to State standards 

that teachers in school districts can implement and use to teach 


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science to kids from K through 12. It is hands-on learning and it 

is supplemented by a number of lesson plans and activities that 

can be downloaded. All of that material is provided for free. 

We have a large Smithsonian traveling exhibition service which 

takes Smithsonian content throughout the country. And so, at 

many museums, large and small, across the country you can benefit from the same kind of content that you see in Washington, 

D.C., at your local museum throughout the country. 

More and more we are trying to put a lot of our material online 

so that, even if you are not using some of the more formal materials that we provide, a teacher can download information, and can 

use a variety of support material that we provide to integrate into 

their classroom. 

So we view education as central to our mission and as a way of 

really enlivening these objects and telling their story and using 

them in a way that helps inspire kids to learn. 

Mr. DAVIS. Well, I appreciate what you do to make that happen, 

again, for many students who don’t get a chance to come out here 

and experience what we see and sometimes take for granted on a 

daily basis. 

What can we do as an institution to help encourage more activity, more usage, of your programs? 

Mr. HORVATH. I think you are doing it. The more we can engage 

people in our facilities, in our programs, to understand the richness, the breadth and the depth of what we do, I think together 

we can learn about places where perhaps we aren’t filling a gap 

where we could fill a gap. 

We recognize that we can’t do everything, but we believe that we 

can have a significant impact on improving the delivery of STEM 

education throughout the country and in teaching history, particularly about the history of the American experience and the like. 

Mr. DAVIS. All right. One last question. 

Do you have an idea—if you can, give me an estimated percentage of how many school districts you are putting your STEM education program into nationwide. 

Mr. HORVATH. I can get you specific numbers as part of the final 

testimony. I don’t have those numbers offhand. But we—— 

Mr. DAVIS. That would be great. 

Mr. HORVATH [continuing]. Make them available to anyone who 

wants them, and we actively engage with folks across the country. 

Mr. DAVIS. Well, thank you very much for your time. 

Madam Chairman, I am going to yield back so that our star 

pitcher from the congressional baseball game can have time to ask 

questions. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. 

Mr. Walker, our star pitcher. 

Mr. WALKER. Thank you, Ms. Chairman and Mr. Catcher. 

I am fascinated by the Smithsonian over the years, something 

that predates even our Civil War by nearly 15 years. 

I believe you have been there about 5 years. Is that correct? 

Mr. HORVATH. Four. Yes. 

Mr. WALKER. Four years. 


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One of the things you talked about—I have got a couple of questions I want to get to, but something you brought up I want a little 

bit more information on. 

We talked about the African American museum that is opening. 

What is the open date? Do we have that projected? 

Mr. HORVATH. It is fall of 2016. We don’t have a specific date yet. 

Mr. WALKER. Okay. And my question specifically regarding that: 

Exhibits and history there, will we remove those? 

For example, I was just thinking of George Washington Carver 

as you were talking and all the different inventions and what an 

amazing man he was. 

Do we remove that from one Smithsonian to put it—or do we duplicate it? Can you talk about that process. Because I don’t want 

one missing—one or the other, if you only have time to go to one 

or the other. Do you understand where I am coming from? 

Mr. HORVATH. I do. 

Mr. WALKER. Okay. 

Mr. HORVATH. On a pretty frequent basis, move collections 

around our various museums. So the American Art Museum actually tells the story of America through art as opposed to specific 

historic artifacts. So we will sometimes move paintings from there 

to the American History Museum. 

So there will be times when we will move certain objects back 

and forth, depending on the nature of the exhibition that is on or 

the particular story that we are trying to tell. So things will move 

around on a routine basis. 

Mr. WALKER. And I appreciate your answer. 

My concern is that we make sure that all students are getting 

a great history from some of the people of ethnic backgrounds who 

have impacted us and that they didn’t miss that even if they were 

hitting one and not hitting the other one. 

A lot of technological advances in the last few years. Can you discuss strategy as far as connecting the Smithsonian, continuing to 

make it attractive to the younger generation. 

We see so many times in the corporate world—or my background 

is the ministry world—where we don’t make the adaptations to 

connect with the next generation. 

Can you talk about that. Is there marketing strategy? How do we 

move forward with that? 

Mr. HORVATH. It is a big thrust for us, ensuring that we have 

an institution that appeals to people who look like me and people 

a lot younger, like my son. 

One example of what we have been able to do is the recently renovated and reopened Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. We 

closed that museum for 3 years, fully renovated it, and reopened 

it in December 2014 to great fanfare by integrating tremendous 

amounts of technology into the visitor experience. 

There is a new object called the ‘‘Pen,’’ which you can get when 

you walk in the door. And as you go along through the various exhibits, you touch a particular part of the exhibit and it downloads 

that object into an account for you, which you can then, when you 

are finished, email to yourself and continue to curate your collection when you get home or learn more about it because you only 

had a limited amount of time at the museum. 


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We are looking at the African American History and Culture Museum as well to integrate making of interactive digital and video 

experiences into the more traditional experience of physical objects. 

So we are taking that very, very seriously and looking to—— 

Mr. WALKER. Do you find that as a difficult balance? Because you 

don’t want to dumb-down some of the exhibits and some of the historical aspects of it, and I guess that is part of the process as far 

as trying to find the right balance. Is that a fair assessment? 

Mr. HORVATH. I think what we are looking for are opportunities 

to really amplify the objects. One of the latest apps that we created 

in Natural History is called ‘‘Skin and Bones.’’ It is very cool. 

You take your phone. You look at a particular skeleton, and on 

your phone that skeleton comes to life. And you can see what that 

skeleton looked like when it was on the ground, and it does some 

virtual-reality movement and the like. 

So we think the technology can really enhance the experience by 

giving you a much richer opportunity to dig in and to learn more. 

Mr. WALKER. I appreciate you guys working hard to be proactive 

in the days ahead. 

Thank you, Ms. Chairman. 

Thank you, Mr. Horvath. 

I yield back. 

Mr. HORVATH. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. Talking about skeletons, 

let me just ask you a question here about the Natural History Museum, and the T-Rex exhibit. You know, it is too bad you had to 

close the entire dinosaur exhibit down, but I guess I understand 

that. 

But when is it all going to be open again? 

Mr. HORVATH. 2019. 

The CHAIRMAN. 2019. 

Mr. HORVATH. 2019. Yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. So you can’t open any part of it without all of 

it opening? 

Mr. HORVATH. No. All of the renovation that we need to do is 

pretty extensive. It is a fairly large piece of the building. And the 

exhibits themselves, the skeletons and the like, are undergoing a 

fairly sensitive restoration as well. That is pretty painstaking 

work. 

So what we are trying to do, again, through technology and other 

means is to try to satisfy that dinosaur itch that a lot of people 

have because that is one of the most popular exhibitions that we 

have in the Smithsonian. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. It really is. 

Just one last question and we will conclude the hearing here. 

But we have had an opportunity to talk a bit about the possibility—I suppose you are going through the process right now of 

looking at the possibility of doing something over in London. 

Perhaps you could tell us just a little bit about that so we have 

it on the record that you are looking into the process—I know your 

regents have talked about it a bit—and whether or not you think 

that is something that is a good idea. 


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I mean, we have got sort of deferred maintenance on some of 

these other facilities. Should we be doing that? What is the reason 

for that, et cetera? 

Mr. HORVATH. Certainly. As you might imagine, we are presented with opportunities on a regular basis to do interesting 

things. This opportunity in London was presented to us by the 

Mayor of London about a year or so ago. 

His vision in the redevelopment of the facility that housed the 

2012 summer games includes the creation of a cultural and educational quarter that would be populated with a number of cultural 

and education institutions, and his desire was to have the Smithsonian be part of that. It is an interesting idea. It certainly is interesting to think about doing something in the land of Smithson. 

And early on we considered it and went back to them with a certain set of criteria. First, we would need a significant amount of 

financial support in order to do this. Secondly, we would not ask 

Congress for any additional funding to support this; so, it would 

have to be something that would be supported by private funding. 

And we would have to be sure that it fit within the mission of the 

Smithsonian. 

I think we were able to satisfy ourselves on the ‘‘mission-centricity’’ of it. We are a very global entity already. A lot of that international work is focused on scientific research. This would be the 

first opportunity for the Smithsonian to be able to tell the story of 

America abroad. So it has a tremendous amount of appeal in that 

way. 

We indicated that we would need to have space provided to us. 

We could not raise funding for that. And the Mayor and his team 

have identified a significant amount of private support that would 

enable that to happen. 

And the final piece of the assessment that we are in the midst 

of right now is really looking at the financial model that we would 

need to implement and whether it would be able to sustain us for 

a long period of time. 

So we are still in the investigative phase. We are excited about 

the prospect. We haven’t made a final decision. And, as you might 

imagine, we have been in close contact with Dr. Skorton to ensure 

that his input is part of the overall process and that he feels comfortable with the progress or decisions that we are making along 

the way. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much for that. We will want to 

be kept in the information loop as that process goes forward certainly, but I think that is a very interesting idea. 

Without objection, I would say that all members will have 5 legislative days to submit to the chair additional written questions for 

the witness, which we will forward and ask the witness to respond 

as promptly as they can so that those answers might be made part 

of the record. 

We certainly appreciate your attendance here today and appreciate your continuing service at the Smithsonian. We want to 

thank, as Mr. Davis said, all of the employees of the Smithsonian, 

some of who are here today. 


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You have a tremendous group of dedicated and committed individuals that really, really make it all happen there. So we certainly 

appreciate their service as well. 

Without objection, the hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:20 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 


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