Summary Proceedings of the Board of Regents 

May 8, 2006

WELCOME TO NEW REGENT

The Chancellor opened the meeting by extending a warm welcome to Dr. Phillip Frost of 

Florida, the newest member of the Board of Regents. 

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Regents’ Executive Committee met on April 27, 2006, and approved the proposed agenda 

for the May 8, 2006, meeting of the Board of Regents. 

REPORT OF THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL BOARD

The Smithsonian National Board held its 2006 Mid-Winter Meeting on January 26–28, 2006, in 

Washington, D.C., where members had the opportunity to welcome 13 chairpersons from various 

museum and research units of the Smithsonian, as well as a number of Smithsonian National 

Board alumni. During its business meeting on January 28, the Smithsonian National Board 

offered its support for the Nomination Committee’s recommendation to appoint 13 new members 

and reappoint four current members to the Board. Accordingly, the Regents approved the 

following motion: 

VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints Judy Hart Angelo, Barbara Barrett, Jane 

Cafritz, John H. French III, Paul Neely, Morris W. Offitt, Michael E. O’Neill, Russell E. 

Palmer, Jr., William M. Ragland, Jr., Ronald A. Rosenfeld, Theiline P. Scheumann, 

Douglas C. Walker, and Mallory Walker and reappoints Bradford Freeman, Irene Y. 

Hirano, Richard D. Kinder, and Beatrice Taylor to the Smithsonian National Board for 

three-year terms effective, respectively, October 2006 and May 2006. 

APPOINTMENTS TO SMITHSONIAN ADVISORY BOARDS

VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints Elizabeth J. Comstock, Ronald M. Daignault, 

 Madeleine Rudin Johnson, Francine S. Kittredge, and Henry R. Muñoz III, and 

 reappoints Harvey M. Krueger, Irvine Rafael MacManus, and Ruth Ann Stewart to the 

 Board of Trustees of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum for three-year terms 

 effective immediately. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints John R. Curtis and H. Christopher Luce and 

reappoints Constance C. Miller to the Board of Trustees of the Freer Gallery of Art and 

the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for four-year terms effective September 15, 2006. 
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VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints Kathryn S. Fuller and Sandra Day O’Connor 

 to the Board of the National Museum of Natural History for three-year terms effective 

 immediately. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents reappoints J. Alex Haller, Jr., Mary Genevieve Hagan 

 Ledecky, Lisa Myers, David Perry, and Shirley Sichel and reappoints W. Clark Bunting 

 and Clinton A. Fields to the Advisory Board of the National Zoological Park for three-

 year terms effective, respectively, September 30, 2005, and September 30, 2006. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents reappoints Allan J. Riley to the Commission of the 

 Smithsonian American Art Museum for a four-year term effective July 1, 2006. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints Robert B. Whitlatch to the Advisory Board 

 of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center for a three-year term effective 

 March 30, 2006. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents appoints Fred Buenrostro, David L. González, 

 Virginia Gonzalez-Hough, Pedro José Greer, Jr., Jose M. Gutiérrez, Guillermo Jasson, 

 and Jose A. Mejia to the Smithsonian National Latino Board of the Smithsonian Latino 

 Center for three-year terms effective May 8, 2006. 

AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF SMITHSONIAN ADVISORY BOARDS

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the proposed revisions to the Bylaws of the 

 Board of Directors of Smithsonian Business Ventures. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the proposed revisions to the Bylaws of the 

 Board of Trustees of the Archives of American Art. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the proposed revisions to the Bylaws of the 

 Board of Trustees of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the proposed revisions to the Bylaws of the 

 Board of Trustees of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the proposed revisions to the Bylaws of the 

 Smithsonian National Latino Board of the Smithsonian Latino Center. 

Changes to the Bylaws of the Board of Directors of Smithsonian Business Ventures allow the 

Board Chair to serve two consecutive two-year terms in order to support better long-range 

planning and oversight for Smithsonian Business Ventures’ operations; the amendment also 

gives the Board the flexibility to elect or not elect Vice Chairs. Revisions to the Bylaws of the 

Board of Trustees of the Archives of American Art are based on the recommendations made in 

the study Smithsonian Advisory Boards: An Underutilized Asset (2002) and allow members who 

have provided exceptional service to be appointed to a third term, simplify the language on 

appointments, and provide for the orientation of new members. 

Changes to the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum 

increase the size of the Board from 32 to 40 members, offer a general update and clarification of 

provisions on the appointments of members and committees, provide for the orientation of 
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members, and delete the Bylaws’ attachment, which has been superseded by current Smithsonian 

collections management policies. Revisions to the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of the 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden increase the size of the Board from 23 to 28 general 

members and restructure the Collections Committee. Changes to the Bylaws of the Smithsonian 

National Latino Board for the Smithsonian Latino Center add a second Vice Chair position, 

extend officer terms from one to three years, and reflect changes in the names of the Center and 

its advisory board. 

REPORTS OF SELECTED ADVISORY BOARDS

As part of an ongoing effort to facilitate communications between the Smithsonian’s advisory 

boards and its Board of Regents, the Regents reviewed reports from the advisory boards of the 

National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center; the National Air and Space 

Museum; and the Smithsonian Latino Center. 

REPORT OF THE AUDIT AND REVIEW COMMITTEE

Committee Chair Roger Sant offered an oral report of the Audit and Review Committee’s 

April 17, 2006, meeting. During that meeting, Deputy General Counsel Marsha Shaines updated 

the Committee about the positive outcome of a five-and-a-half-year review by the IRS. Mr. Sant 

then reported that two separate divisions of the IRS subsequently contacted the Institution to 

initiate new engagements. The first inquiry is not considered to be of great consequence, as it 

primarily would focus on withholding and reporting requirements not reviewed during the 

previous inquiry. It is anticipated that the second engagement will be dropped. 

A comprehensive update on the Institution’s collections had been prepared for the Committee’s 

review but presentation of the full report was postponed until the June meeting of the Board of 

Regents. The Audit and Review Committee was updated about planning for information 

technology disaster recovery and noted its approval of the effective redundancies built into the 

system, as well as the routine backups of data. Chief Financial Officer Alice Maroni then 

updated the Committee on the management of the projects under her purview. The audit for 

fiscal year 2006 is anticipated to be finished by December 15, 2006 — a new record for the 

Institution. However, it was noted that the government auditors who will participate in the fiscal 

year 2006 A-133 audit once again are not willing to accelerate their process. Unlike its financial 

statement audit, the Smithsonian has no control over the pace of the A-133 audit, which is 

performed separately. 

Mr. Sant said that there was no additional news about the implementation of the Institution’s 

modernized financial system, except for the fact that it is on schedule and meeting its projected 

benchmarks. The meeting of the Committee concluded following an outline by Ms. Maroni of 

some of her financial management initiatives. 
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LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES

Smithsonian-Related Legislation 

The Board did not raise any questions or concerns regarding the report on Smithsonian-related 

legislation. An update on the Smithsonian’s efforts to participate in a national response to the 

avian flu threat was included, as well as other legislative actions of interest to the Smithsonian. 

2006 SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL

Alberta, Native American Basketry, Latino Music, African American Music

The Secretary presented an overview of the forthcoming Folklife Festival on the National Mall. 

An event that attracts over one million people, the annual festival offers an eclectic mix of three 

or four different sets of activities or themes. He noted that this year’s program will include 

“Alberta at the Smithsonian”; “Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions”; a 

continuation of the well-received Latin music series “Nuestra Musica,” which will focus on 

Latino Chicago this year; and an African American concert series. 

DONOR RECOGNITION AND CORPORATE SUPPORT

The Regents approved the following resolutions for donor recognition and corporate support, 

which were developed in accordance with the fund-raising principles, policies, and procedures 

approved by the Board of Regents and applicable Smithsonian directives: 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity of the American 

International Group (AIG) to the National Air and Space Museum and to Phase Two 

construction of its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and gratefully approves recognizing 

AIG by placing a plaque in the Center naming AIG as the sponsor of the Commercial 

Aviation Exhibit Station. This plaque shall remain in place for a period of ten years. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of Bernard 

and Barbro Osher to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and gratefully names a 

gallery in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in their 

honor. The gallery will be named the Barbro and Bernard Osher Gallery at least until the 

next major renovation of the building is required. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of the Morris 

and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the 

National Portrait Gallery and gratefully names a gallery in the Donald W. Reynolds 

Center for American Art and Portraiture in honor of the Foundation. The gallery will be 

named The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Gallery at least until the next 

major renovation of the building is required. 
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VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity of Target Corporation to 

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the Smithsonian Institution and gratefully 

approves the naming of the Target National Design Education Center in its honor for two 

years. This recognition will appear on signage at the entrance to the facility and on other 

signs, as appropriate. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of Allan J. 

and Reda Riley to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and gratefully approves the 

naming of a gallery in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture 

in their honor. The gallery will be named the Allan J. and Reda Riley Gallery for 20 

years or until the next comprehensive and total renovation of the building is required, 

whichever occurs later. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of Shelby 

and Frederick Gans to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and gratefully names the 

frames conservation studio in the Lunder Conservation Center of the Donald W. 

Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in their honor. The studio will be 

named the Shelby and Frederick Gans Frames Conservation Studio at least until the next 

renovation of the Museum’s conservation facility is required. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents authorizes the change of the name of the Smithsonian 

American Art Museum’s second floor, northeast corner gallery in the Donald W. 

Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. Previously named the Ted Slavin 

Gallery, the space will be renamed the Ted Slavin and Patricia Berman Gallery at least 

until the next major renovation of the building. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the creation of the Smithsonian American 

Art Museum Endowment to support the Museum’s programmatic initiatives and the 

funding of it with gifts identified for that purpose. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the creation and naming of the W. Richard 

West, Jr., Endowment for Traveling Exhibitions. Further, the Endowment will be funded 

by gifts identified by the Museum for that purpose. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of the 

Lemberg Foundation and Esme Usdan to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 

and by means of the Foundation’s gift, gratefully establishes an endowment to support 

the Museum’s exhibitions program. This endowment is to be named The Esme Usdan 

Exhibition Endowment Fund. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents approves the creation and naming of the Vietnamese 

American Heritage Endowment. Further, the endowment will be funded by gifts identified 

by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program for that purpose. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of the Crown 

Equipment Corporation to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and, by means of the 

company’s gift, gratefully establishes an endowment for the Museum’s exhibitions. The 

endowment is to be named the Crown Equipment Exhibitions Endowment. 
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VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity of the Tiffany & Co. 

Foundation to the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Natural History and, by 

means of the Foundation’s gift and consistent with its wishes, gratefully creates and 

names the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Endowment for the purpose of purchasing 

gemstones for the National Gem Collection. Gems purchased for the National Gem 

Collection using funds from this endowment shall be known as the Tiffany & Co. 

Foundation Collection. An exhibition case in the National Gem Collection Gallery 

shall house the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Collection gems, and other gems, for not less 

than 20 years, and a label in the exhibition case shall state that the case contains 

gemstones from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Collection. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of Sam Rose 

and Julie Walters to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and, by means of their gift, 

gratefully establishes an endowment for the Museum’s programmatic initiatives. The 

endowment is to be named in perpetuity the Julie Walters and Sam Rose Endowment. In 

addition, the Regents gratefully name a gallery in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for 

American Art and Portraiture in the donors’ honor. The gallery is to be named the Julie 

Walters and Sam Rose Gallery, at least until the next major renovation of the building is 

required. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity and dedication of Elsie V. 

Benson to the National Museum of Natural History and, by means of her gift, gratefully 

creates and names in perpetuity the Richard H. Benson Fund for Support of Students in 

Paleobiology, which will be for the benefit of students studying Paleobiology and 

Micropaleontology in the Department of Paleobiology at the Museum. Further, the 

fellowships awarded by this endowment shall be named in perpetuity the Richard H. 

Benson Fellowships. 

VOTED that the Board of Regents recognizes the generosity of Mary Anna Wills to the 

National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, and permits her 

bequest gift of $170,000 be used by the Museum to support “free public programs that 

address the topics of classic American popular song and classic American theatre 

music.” 

UPDATE ON THE PLANNING FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN 

AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

Deputy Secretary Burke updated the Regents on planning efforts for the new National Museum 

of African American History and Culture. She noted that Director Lonnie Bunch is augmenting 

staff and working with the Museum’s Council on programmatic planning. General Counsel John 

Huerta and other lawyers have initiated efforts to transfer the designated site, which was selected 

by the Board of Regents during its January 2006 meeting, from the control of the Interior 

Department Park Service to the Institution. In addition, environmental assessments are under 

way, for which Requests for Proposals have been created. A more accurate budget for the 

construction of this historically significant museum will be developed using the aforementioned 

environmental studies and subsequent engineering analyses. 
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UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES TO CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF THE 

DONALD W.REYNOLDS CENTER FOR AMERICAN ART AND 

PORTRAITURE 

Deputy Secretary Burke next apprised the Regents on the forthcoming opening of the Donald W. 

Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. As construction and renovation efforts give 

way to the final installation of the museums’ exhibits, work continues towards the opening 

ceremonies on July 1, 2006. Construction of the enclosed courtyard also is well under way: the 

columns are in place, the framing that will carry the roof is beginning to be installed, and the 

scaffolding is up. Another set of hearings is scheduled to address landscaping issues with the 

National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission on Fine Arts, and discussions 

continue with other regulatory agencies. As these meetings now are proceeding in a more linear 

fashion, the Institution anticipates that the courtyard will open by the fall of 2007. Secretary 

Small also acknowledged the tremendous contributions of Mr. Kogod, who has helped guide the 

Institution through the complicated process of renovating the historic building. 

UPDATE ON THE REVITALIZATION OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF 

AMERICAN HISTORY,KENNETH E. BEHRING CENTER

The update on the revitalization of the National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. 

Behring Center, was presented by Deputy Secretary Burke. The Museum will close to the public 

on September 5, 2006, and the long-awaited renovation of the Museum’s central core, including 

the reinstallation of its signature object, the Star-Spangled Banner, will commence. In addition to 

updating obsolete mechanical systems, the Museum’s revitalization will open up the central core 

to increase both light and accessibility within the building. Ms. Burke reported that the design 

phase of this effort has been completed, the relocation of collections already has begun, and the 

“soft demolition” of areas not open to the public will be under way by September. During the 

approximately two-year period that the Museum will be closed to the public, the Museum and 

the National Air and Space Museum will launch a major “Treasures” exhibition of such iconic 

objects as Lincoln’s hat and the Ruby Slippers. The exhibition will be held at the National Air 

and Space Museum on the Mall. 

REPORT OF THE FINANCE AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Committee Chair Alan Spoon offered the Report of the Finance and Investment Committee. The 

Committee reviewed the proposed Endowment payout and reaffirmed the Institution’s policy, 

which provides for a 5.0% payout on the five-year average market value of the Endowment. 

Accordingly, the Regents approved the Committee’s recommendation: 

VOTED that the Board of Regents accepts the recommendation of the Finance and 

 Investment Committee and approves a payout rate of $35.95 per share for all 

 Endowment funds for fiscal year 2007.
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Mr. Spoon then provided an update on the Investment Committee’s efforts to restructure the 

Institution’s investments in order both to reduce risk and to increase returns. He also noted that 

the size of the Institution’s endowment demands oversight by a director of investments and that 

the active recruitment of such a person is in progress. 

Chief Financial Officer Alice Maroni next offered the Regents a mid-year review of the 

Smithsonian’s financial health, noting that the Institution has done well in the first six months of 

fiscal year 2006. The Endowment has performed soundly, fund raising is robust, and Federally 

funded facilities revitalization initiatives continue. Solicitations of restricted funds are on track 

and a modest surplus is anticipated in the unrestricted Trust budget, owing in large measure to 

controls on spending. Revenues and expenses for the year are forecast to be below budget, 

largely due to the across-the-board cut by Congress at the end of last year’s legislative session. 

The Institution is finding funds within its existing budget to cover the mandated pay raise that 

was not fully funded by Congress in the fiscal year 2006 appropriation. 

Ms. Maroni also reported that the Smithsonian has instituted an aggressive conservation program 

in response to this year’s dramatic utility rate increases and that management is considering other 

measures to address this problem. However, the Institution’s most pressing financial challenge, 

as reported in prior meetings of the Board of Regents, is that of its facilities revitalization and 

maintenance backlog. Although efforts to address this critical problem continue, Federal funding 

in fiscal year 2006 for facilities revitalization was 31 percent less than that received in fiscal year 

2005. 

Mr. Spoon concluded the report of the Finance and Investment Committee by offering an 

overview of the Smithsonian’s external debt. He reported that the Institution has reduced its 

external debt during fiscal year 2006 and that the Committee views the Institution’s debt status to 

be appropriate and manageable. 

STATUS OF SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION FISCAL YEAR 2006 GOALS

Deputy Secretary Burke offered a status report on the progress of the Institution’s fiscal year 2006 

goals as of February 28, 2006. When commenting on the Institution’s facilities and revitalization 

initiatives, Ms. Burke reported that a number of major milestones are being achieved in fiscal year 

2006. The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art will open on July 1, 2006, Asia Trail I will 

open at the National Zoo in September 2006, and preparations continue for the 2007 launch of Asia 

Trail II construction, which is being funded as a public/private partnership. Two major projects at 

the National Museum of Natural History, the Ocean Hall and the Butterfly House, also are 

progressing on schedule. 

The National Museum of American History will close to the public in September 2006. The project, 

which will be funded by a mixture of public and private monies, will transform the building’s 

central core and install the Star-Spangled Banner in a new exhibition gallery, for which private fund 

raising continues. The National Air and Space Museum will host a “Treasures of the National 

Museum of American History” exhibition during American History’s closure. 
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The Regents next were updated about efforts to increase the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design 

Museum’s exhibition space and better support its educational mission. Another Smithsonian space 

that is being evaluated for a revitalization initiative is the Castle’s Great Hall, for which design plans 

will be 35 percent completed by the end of the year. The relocation of Smithsonian units from 

another landmark building, the Arts and Industries Building, will conclude by October 2006. 

The completion of Pod 5 at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, is pending and will 

allow the Institution to move an enormous quantity of collections stored in highly flammable 

alcohol off of the Mall site of the National Museum of Natural History. Also in progress are paninstitutional initiatives to develop consistent and rationalized storage space for all of the Institution’s 

collections; it likewise was noted that the topic of the June 2006 long-range planning meeting of the 

Board of Regents in fact will be an overview of the Smithsonian collections and their management. 

The Regents then were told that a sneak preview of the Walt Disney–Tishman African Art 

Collection will open at the National Museum of African Art on May 17, 2006, and that a major 

exhibition of the collection will follow in September of 2007. 

There was no further discussion about the Institution’s fiscal year 2006 goals, as Chief Financial 

Officer Maroni previously had offered a comprehensive mid-year financial report. Initiatives to 

increase diversity at the Institution next were reviewed, and included discussion of the Office of 

Human Resources’ far-reaching recruitment searches to secure diverse pools of candidates for 

Smithsonian positions, suppliers, and contractors. 

The update on fiscal year 2006 goals concluded with a brief discussion of the Institution’s efforts to 

verify the provenance of its holdings. Under Secretary for Art Ned Rifkin assured the Regents that 

the Institution continues to exercise prudence when addressing cultural property issues. 

STATUS REPORT OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON FACILITIES 

REVITALIZATION

To a member, the Board of Regents and its ad hoc Committee on Facilities Revitalization are 

unanimous in the belief that no other problem facing the Institution is as important as its facilities 

revitalization and maintenance funding shortfall. In response, the Committee is actively seeking a 

meeting with the President in order to discuss the issue of Federal funding for the Smithsonian’s 

facilities revitalization problem. It was agreed that bipartisan representation by both the House and 

Senate Regents would demonstrate the shared conviction that additional Federal monies are needed 

to address the Institution’s critical facilities issues. 

The Committee determined that a brief message should be accompanied by three Smithsonian 

artifacts that demonstrate the treasures that the Smithsonian is trying to protect. The Regents also 

reviewed dramatic “before and after” pictures of buildings constructed in the same time and manner 

as the Institution’s landmark Arts and Industries building, which has been closed to the public and is 

in the process of being mothballed due to safety concerns. As all but the Arts and Industries building 

have experienced snow-induced roof collapses, the Regents decided that inclusion of these images 

also would support the presentation to the President. 
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Accordingly, the following motion was approved: 

VOTED that the Board of Regents, recognizing the urgency and likely dire consequences 

of the Smithsonian Institution’s facilities revitalization and maintenance funding 

shortfall, strongly supports the steps outlined in the paper Message to the President and 

endorses its prompt communication to the President of the United States. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION AND ADJOURNMENT

Before entering into Executive Session, the Regents agreed to continue, in open meeting, the 

Committee of the Whole’s comprehensive discussion of the Smithsonian On Demand agreement 

between Smithsonian Business Ventures and Showtime Networks, Inc. The Regents were uniform 

in their support for the agreement and in their opinion that it would not limit access to the 

Smithsonian’s assets and in fact would increase the public’s exposure to the Smithsonian. In 

particular, the Board wished to address the concerns noted in a letter recently received from 

Representatives Norman D. Dicks and Charles Taylor, Ranking Minority Member and Chairman, 

respectively, of the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The 

Regents developed a draft response to the communication from Representatives Dicks and Taylor, 

which ultimately was completed on Tuesday, May 9, and sent that day. 

The Board of Regents adjourned the meeting at 3:25 p.m. and entered a short Executive Session. At 

4:00 p.m., the Secretary conducted a press conference regarding the Regents’ discussions about the 

Smithsonian On Demand agreement. 

REGENTS’ DINNER AND MONDAY MORNING EVENTS

On Sunday evening, the Regents, senior officers, and their spouses hosted a dinner at the 

Renwick Gallery to honor major contributors to the Smithsonian’s art programs. The evening 

also offered the opportunity to view the Gallery’s current exhibition Grant Wood’s Studio: 

Birthplace of “American Gothic” and the recently reinstalled George Catlin paintings in the 

second-floor Grand Salon. 

A meeting of the Committee of the Whole convened on Monday morning, during which the 

Regents reviewed the business agreement between the Institution and Showtime Networks, Inc. 

As previously noted, the subject was further discussed during the afternoon Board of Regents’ 

meeting. During lunch in the Castle Library, Hirshhorn Director Olga Viso presented a 

fascinating illustrated presentation entitled “Artists at Work: What It Means to be a Museum 

Devoted to the Art and Artists of Our Time.”