COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
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COLLECTIONS CONFERENCES NEAR AND FAR

On November 29 and 30, the Smithsonian and Google Labs united for a two-day engagement at the 

Smithsonian’s Castle and Google Offices in Washington, D.C.—Exploring Artificial Intelligence with Museum 

Collections. There were 44 participants from 22 Smithsonian units divided into eight different cohort themes, 

each brainstorming Artificial Intelligence (“A.I.”) use cases across several topics. The meeting included a 

presentation for the Smithsonian audience on how A.I. has been applied to cultural heritage and industry 

challenges, and a workshop for Smithsonian stakeholders to develop project concepts applicable to various 

digitized collections and disciplines. Following the conference, one or more project concepts will be identified 

for the Smithsonian and Google Arts and Culture team to formalize a collaboration. 

In late November, in Berlin, Germany, the Global Summit of Research Museums—entitled The Transformative 

Potential of Research—brought together leaders from museums worldwide to reflect and discuss the nature, 

responsibilities, and future of research in museums and collections. The summit was attended by 160 people 

from 22 countries. The Smithsonian was represented by four directors. Convened by the Leibniz Association, 

this conference was a follow-up activity to the visit of Leibniz leadership to the Smithsonian in October 2017. 

And finally, in late October, more than 150 Smithsonian staff from 30 offices participated in the first annual 

Collections Collaboration Community (“C

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”) Conference. The gathering provided an opportunity for collections 

staff to collaborate pan‐Institutionally through open discussions about important collections‐related topics, 

such as deaccessioning, visitor interaction and object safety, open access to collections metadata, sharing 

documentation and loans strategies, and sustainability in collections management and preservation practices. 

Secretary Skorton, Scott Miller (Deputy Under Secretary for Collections and Interdisciplinary Support), Ellen 

Stofan (Director of the National Air and Space Museum), and Stephanie Stebich (Director of the Smithsonian 

American Art Museum) opened the conference with a panel discussion. 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

DEAR EVAN HANSEN MEMORABILIA ADDED TO BROADWAY COLLECTION

In a special ceremony on November 27, the 

Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

received a donation of objects from the Tony and 

Grammy Award-winning Broadway musical Dear Evan 

Hansen. The musical tells the story of Evan Hansen, 

played by Taylor Trensch, a high school senior with 

social anxiety. The donation was presented on-stage 

following the production’s curtain call to help 

celebrate the show’s two-year anniversary on 

Broadway.

The museum received Evan Hansen’s signature blue-striped polo and the iconic arm cast with the “Connor” 

signature. Also included in the donation is a button from The Connor Project—a fictional organization dedicated 

to the memory of Connor Murphy—one of the principals in the show, a printed copy of the titular Dear Evan 

Hansen letter, and an original piece of sheet music for “Waving Through a Window,” signed by Oscar, Grammy 

and Tony Award-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and Tony- and Grammy-winning orchestrator 

Alex Lacamoire.
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“Dear Evan Hansen is a testament to the continued vitality of the Broadway musical,” said Ryan Lintelman, 

entertainment curator at the National Museum of American History. “This show explores poignant 

contemporary issues such as mental health, social media, suicide, and the travails of being a teenager in the 

21st century through innovative staging, memorable pop-rock music and compelling performances.”

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on December 4, 2016, after its world premiere 

at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in July 2015. The musical has broken all box office records and has 

resonated with critics and audiences alike. Dear Evan Hansen is a winner of six 2017 Tony Awards and a 2018 

Grammy Award. The museum already has a lengthy collection of Broadway memorabilia, with gifts as recent as 

the green silk suit Lin-Manuel Miranda made famous in Hamilton: An American Musical, to sheet music that 

dates back to what’s considered the first American stage musical, The Black Crook.

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

MARCEL DUCHAMP COLLECTION

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden received what may be the single 

most significant gift to the museum since the two gifts made by the museum's 

founder Joseph H. Hirshhorn. To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the 

French artist Marcel Duchamp on October 2, Washington, D.C., collectors 

Barbara and Aaron Levine announced a promised gift of 50 Duchamp works and 

a library of more than 150 volumes, along with other archival ephemera.

The gift establishes the Hirshhorn as among the nation's best Duchamp 

resources, alongside the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of 

Modern Art in New York City. Works from the promised gift will go on display in 

October 2019 for one year, accompanied by a major publication. 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

$1M GIFT SUPPORTS NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS MEMORIAL

In November, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

received a $1 million gift from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community 

for the National Native American Veterans Memorial. The memorial, which 

will be built on the grounds of the museum, was commissioned by Congress 

to give “all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous 

tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United 

States.”

Native Americans serve at a higher rate per capita than any other population 

group. This will be the first national landmark in Washington, D.C., to focus on 

the contributions of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians 

who have served in the military.

Marcel Duchamp (above, ca. 1960). Miscellaneous photographs collection. 

Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

National Native American Veterans Memorial. Design 

by Harvey Pratt, illustration by Skyline Ink, courtesy of 

the National Museum of the American Indian.
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“We are very grateful to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for their generous support of the 

National Native American Veterans Memorial,” said Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the museum. “Their gift 

will enable the creation of a memorial that honors the service and patriotism of Native veterans, soldiers, and 

their families.”

“From the Revolutionary War through today, Native Americans have participated in every major U.S. military 

conflict,” said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Charles R. Vig. “Their heroism has saved 

countless lives, and our tribe is pleased to help recognize them in such a prominent place on the National Mall.”

The memorial design is by Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), a multimedia artist and 

retired forensic artist, and a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran. The design features an elevated stainless steel circle 

resting on an intricately carved stone drum. It also incorporates water for sacred ceremonies, benches for 

gatherings, and four lances where veterans, family members, tribal leaders, and others can tie cloths for prayers 

and healing.

The groundbreaking for the memorial is slated for September 21, 2019, and the dedication for November 11, 

2020.

SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE

BREAKTHROUGH COULD HELP SAVE CORAL REEFS FROM EXTINCTION

For the first time, scientists at the Smithsonian 

Conservation Biology Institute (“SCBI”) have successfully 

cryopreserved (or frozen) and thawed coral larvae from 

the mushroom coral (Fungia scutaria). They published 

their findings October 24 in Scientific Reports. This 

breakthrough will allow scientists to biobank coral in its 

early developmental stages. In addition, these larvae can 

be thawed and settled at any time of the year, rather 

than only during the once-yearly spawning period. By 

banking coral larvae, conservationists can safeguard atrisk species and their genetic diversity and prevent 

extinctions, thus making it possible to bolster the genetic 

pool and health of wild populations years—or even 

centuries—later. This is a major step forward in the ability 

to conserve the biodiversity of the world’s coral reefs.

“If we combine biobanking with other conservation efforts to help corals recover from bleaching, we might be 

able to give them a real fighting chance at survival—and potentially even help them adapt to changing oceans,” 

said Jonathan Daly, lead author on the paper and post-doctoral fellow at SCBI and the Hawaii Institute of Marine 

Biology. “Innovative technology like this is going to be crucial to saving the biodiversity of corals worldwide.”

For several decades, Smithsonian scientists have been collecting, managing, and storing at ultra-low 

temperatures frozen biomaterials, including samples of DNA, somatic cells, blood products, germ-plasm, 

embryos, and other animal, plant, and soil products. When properly managed, these frozen collections help 

advance scholarly knowledge, preserve biodiversity, and improve our understanding of biodiversity genomics, 

taxonomy, breeding, genetic management, and public health.

Confocal images of a Day 3 larvae showing fluorescence from 

GFP (left) and distribution of DyLight-coated gold nanorod 

particles surrounding the larva in cryoprotectant (right).