Working at the Smithsonian
odd: label: Introduction
content: The Smithsonian is a cherished symbol of knowledge, a repository for treasures and national memories, a shrine of human accomplishment and natural wonders. The Smithsonian was founded for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge" and took root in an American, democratic society as an organization dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge in the public eye, and for the public good. The Smithsonian celebrated its 150th year with America's Smithsonian - a major exhibition that traveled to twelve cities across the nation - and with television specials and minutes, a birthday celebration on the Mall in August, and a host of other exhibits, World Wide Web programs, and scholarly conferences.

On the occasion of the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary, the 1996 Festival celebrated the culture of the Smithsonian workplace. The Festival had celebrated the folklife of many different occupational groups in the past, from cowboys to trial lawyers. In this program, the focus was not on one occupation, but on the diverse jobs that make up the Institution: from astrophysicists to animal keepers, security officers to exhibit preparators, registrars to administrators. All were involved, one way or another, with carrying out the Smithsonian's mission: the increase and diffusion of knowledge. At the Festival, Smithsonian personnel demonstrated just how they carry out this mission, by turning the Institution "inside out," as scientists, curators, conservators, exhibit makers, security officers, accountants, and administrators showed the public how the Smithsonian works. Their work also testified to the importance of knowledge as a basis for understanding the world, the significance of an educated citizenry, and the civic value of long-lived, high-quality public institutions. Festival visitors, in turn, could contribute their own "Smithsonian Memories" in a special tent.

While each job at the Smithsonian embodies its own skills and culture, it is also necessarily entwined with other complementary jobs. Each worker has his or her "way of knowing" at the Smithsonian, but also must know whom else to rely on to get things done in a proper and timely fashion. And each way of knowing illuminates a different dimension or sector of the Institution as a whole. The mission of the Institution is specific yet broad enough to engage a wide variety of occupational perspectives, imaginations, and aspirations. Indeed, the Smithsonian is part government, part museum, university, and business, and reflects the organizational culture of each. However, whether Festival audiences were listening to workers in jobs such as security officer, transport driver, metalworker, plasterer, curator, or administrator, the same themes emerged: working at the Smithsonian means doing a variety of tasks, or serving a variety of needs, in ways that clearly contribute to the functioning of the whole.

Betty J. Belanus, Emily Botein and Marjorie Hunt were Curators of the program; Peter Seitel was Buildings and Grounds Curator, and Olivia Cadaval and Pam Henson were Smithsonian Memories Curators; Lynn Wojcik was Smithsonian Memories Coordinator.

Working at the Smithsonian was made possible by the Smithsonian Institution 150th Anniversary Committee and with funds from the Smithsonian National Board.
label: Fieldworkers and photographic support
content: Fieldworkers

Susan Arshack, Betty Belanus, Carla Borden, Emily Botein, James Deutsch, John Franklin, Marjorie Hunt, Rich Kennedy, Richard Kurin, Rebecca Maksel, Carmina Mortillaro, Michael Murray, Diana Baird N'Diaye, Diana Parker, Erin Roth, Bob Sayers, Peter Seitel, Beverly Simons, Barbara A. Strickland, Egle Zygas

Photographic support

Lori Aceto, Bill Baxter, Joan Boudreau, Joanna Britto, Mark Bryan-Brown, David Burgevin, Tim Cannon, Chip Clark, Jessie Cohen, Jim Cornell, Elsie Cunningham, Courtney DeAngelis, Pam Dewey, John Dillaber, Harold Dorwin, Doc Dougherty, John Eisenberg, Mike Fetters, Paula Fleming, Cathy Flynn, Howard Gillette, Mark Haddon, Ed Keating, Martha Knouss, Chrisley McCarson, Scott Miller, Douglass Mudd, Laura Nash, Evi Oehler, Julie Piraino, Melissa Reiser, Mary Rice, David Romanowski, Frances Rowsell, Lynn Sahaydak, Stephanie Smith, Ann Stetser, Carolyn Thome, John Tsantes, Rick Vargas, Anne Wagner, Helena Wright, Barbara Wolanin, Amanda Young
label: Presenters
content: Andrew Connors, James Deutsch, Erin Roth, Tom Vennum
label: Participants
content: Anacostia Museum

Harold Dorwin

Robert Hall

Portia James

Steve Newsome

Sharon Reinckens

Wade Stuart

Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies

Karin Hayes

Richard Kurin, 1950-

Jeff Place

Reynald Searles

Anthony Seeger

Kenn Shrader

Conservation Analytical Laboratory

Mary Baker

Harriet Beaubien

Ron Bishop

David Erhardt

Martha Goodway

Carol Grissom

Marion Mecklenburg

Charles Tumosa

Noreen Tuross

Dianne Van Der Reyden

Pam Vandiver

Lambertus van Zelst

Melvin Wachowiak

Don Williams

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Konstanze Bachmann

Joanne Kosuda-Warner, 1956-

Barbara Livenstein

Cordelia Rose

Alfred Simon

Stephen H. Van Dyk, 1950-

Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Jeffrey Baxter

John Bradley

Thomas Chase

Scott Coleman

Louise Allison Cort, 1944-

Vidya Dehejia

Cornell Evans

Richard Franklin

Colleen Hennessey

James Horrocks

Craig Korr

Thomas Lentz

Lucia Pierce

Patrick Sears

Richard Skinner

Francis Smith

James Smith

Martha Smith

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

William Adams

Leland Aks

Sidney Lawrence, 1948-

Christopher Wilson

Museum Support Center

Vince Wilcox

National Air and Space Museum

Mark Balmer

Bruce Allan Campbell, 1964-

Geoffrey Chester

Ian Cooke

Robert Craddock

Thomas Crouch

Michael Fetters

Louis Fleming

Frank Florentine

Jeff Goldstein

Mary Henderson

Gary Houston

Patricia Jacobberger-Jellison

William Jacobs

Peter Jakab

Andrew Johnston

Melissa Keiser

Cathleen S. Lewis, 1958-

Kim Martin

Ted Maxwell

Helen McMahon

Valerie Neal

David Paper

Dominick Pisano, 1943-

David Romanowski

Rosemary Steinat

Priscilla Strain

Suvinee Vanichkachorn

Amanda Young

James Zimbelman

National Air and Space Museum, Garber Facility, Silver Hill

Gail Everson

Steve Hemlin

Stacey Kluck

Tamura Moore

James Oakley

Richard Siday

Martin White

National Museum of African Art

Leasa Farrar-Frazer

Christraud Geary

Alan Knezevich

Edward Lifschitz, 1945-

Steve Mellor

Dana Moffett

Peter Pipim

Roslyn Walker

National Museum of American Art

Fern Bleckner

Andrew Connors

Ann Creager

Merry Foresta

Jerry Hovanec

Martin Kotler

Kate Maynor

John Reuter

John Zelenik

National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery

Jeremy Elwell Adamson, 1943-

Allen Bassing, 1932-

National Museum of American History

Peter Albritton

Richard Barden

Howard Bass

Jeanne Benas

Dwight Bowers

Harold Closter

Camilla Clough

Terry Conable

Spencer R. Crew, 1949-

Pete Daniel

Smita Dutta

Bernard S. Finn, 1932-

Jane Gamble

Marion Gill

Hank Grasso

John Edward Hasse, 1948-

Ellen Hughes

Reuben Jackson

Stephen Jones

Claudia Kidwell

Carolyn Long

Edith Mayo

Charlie McGovern

Susan Myers

Stan Nelson

Scott Odell, 1935-

Donald Phillips

Beth Richwine

Ann Rossilli

Rodris Roth

Ed Ryan

Anne Serio

Tony Skowron

Barbara Clark Smith

Lonn Taylor, 1940-

Tom Tearman

Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss

David Todd

Jim Weaver

Polly Willman

Bill Withuhn

Omar Wynn

National Museum of the American Indian

Kathleen Ash-Milby

Eulalie Bonar

Douglas E. Evelyn, 1941-

Andrea Hanley

Charlotte Heth

George Horsecapture

Marty Kreipe De Montaño

Mary Jane Lenz

Scott Merritt

Tim Ramsey

Alyce Sadongei, 1959-

Tanya Thrasher

Jim Volkert

Rick West

Sonya Wolf

National Museum of Natural History

Marjorie Akins

Joallyn Archambault, 1942-

Mary Jo Arnoldi

Carole Baldwin

Maria Ballantyne

Deborah Bell

Mike Braun

Matthew Cane

Jonathan Coddington

Margaret Collins

Elisabeth Craft

Don Davis

Elizabeth Dietrich

Carla Dove

Chisato Dubreuil

David Dubreuil

Nate Erwin

Natalie Firnhaber

Richard Fiske

William W. Fitzhugh, 1943-

Vicki A. Funk, 1947-

James Glenn

Frank Greenwell

Charles Overton Handley, 1924-

Greta Hanson

Don Harvey

Betty Hays

Gary Hevel

Lee Hitchcock

Elaine R.S. Hodges, 1937-2006

Jake Homiak, 1947-

Deborah Hull-Walski

Adrienne Kaeppler

Bebe Katims

Thomas Killion

Victor Kranz

Conrad Labandeira, 1950-

Roxie Laybourne

Stephen Loring, 1950-

Sally Love

Vichai Malikul

Carolyn Margolis

Roy McDiarmid

Laura McKie

Rosemary Monagan

Keiko Moore

Dan Henry Nicolson, 1933-

Beth Norden

Doug Owsley

Lynne Parenti

David Leo Pawson, 1938-

Glenn Rankin

Clyde F.E. Roper, 1937-

Tim Rose

Molly Ryan

Mary Sangrey

Janna Scherer

Margaret Schweitzer

Lorena Selim

Rita Sharon

Bryan Sieling

Theresa Singleton

Bruce Smith

Dennis Stanford

William Sturtevant

Alice Tangerini

Paul Taylor

Thomas Thill

Richard Thorington

Gus Willard Van Beek, 1922-

George Venable

Michael Wise

Priscilla Williams

Stanley Yankowski

Ellis Leon Yochelson, 1928-2006

Melinda Zeder

Liz Zimmer

National Portrait Gallery

Amy Henderson

Ellen Gross Miles, 1941-

National Postal Museum

Wendy Aibel-Weiss

Jim Bruns

Linda Edquist

Nancy Pope

Daisy Ridgway

National Zoological Park

Jonathan Ballou

Benjamin Beck

Judith Block

Melanie Bond

Daryl Boness

Johnny Brown

Wayne Callender

Richard Cambre

Larry Collins

Robert Davis

Lynn Dolnick

Chuck Fillah

Jim Fitzpatrick

Robert Fleischer

Marie Galloway

Edwin Gould, 1933-

Roscoe Harper

Eugene Hicks

Rick Hider

Robert Hoage

Carl Jackson

David Jenkins

Peggy Johns-Shiflett

David Kessler

Devra Kleiman

John Lehnhardt

Kathy Lehnhardt

Jim Machuga

Dale Marcellini

Bruce Miller

Harry Miller

Richard Montali

Linda Moore

Mike O'Brien

Olav Oftedal

Alan Peters

Charles Pickett

Earl Pinkney

Scott Posey

Miles Roberts

Mike Schwartz

Prince Seabron

John Seidensticker

Miles Simmons

Lisa Stevens

Ben Turner

Billy Turner

Robin Vasa

Louis "Trooper" Walsh

Stuart Wells

Christen Wemmer

Carl Wheatley

Chuck Woolf

Bill Xanten

Office of Architectural History and Historic Preservation

Amy Ballard

Cynthia Field

Michael Hendron

Peter Muldoon

Richard Stamm

Office of the Comptroller

Blanchard White

Justin Estoque

Office of Environmental Management and Safety

Walter Bailey

Office of Exhibits Central

Harry Adams

Susan Arshack

Nina Awkard-Capers

Hugh Bennett

Mary Bird

Harold Campbell

James Carr

Diana Cohen

Daniel Fielding

Seth Frankel

Mike Headley

Veronica Jenkins

George Johnson

Paula Kaufman

Mike Kelton

Richard Kilday

Tina Lynch-Safreed

Eve MacIntyre

Reed Martin

Rolando Mayen

Lora Moran-Collins

Carol Anne Otto

Rick Pelasara

Robert Perantoni

George Quist

Rosemary Regan

Chris Reinecke

Carol Reuter

James Reuter

Paul Rhymer

John Siske

Liz Smalls

Tim Smith

Susan Smith-Pinelo

Carolyn Thome

Anthony Valentine

William Walton

Eric Washington

Mary Wiedeman

Dwight Wilson

Debbie Yang

Rachel Young

Jon Zastrow

Office of the General Council

Lauryn Grant

Office of Government Relations

Palita Abeyta

Manuel Melendez

Office of Health Services

Avelina Rose

Anne Shepard

Sharon Striker

Juanita Tutt

Office of Human Resources

Monte Cones

Office of International Relations

Francine Berkowitz

Leonard Hirsch

Office of Physical Plant

Nancy Bechtol

Tom Blair

Joseph Brice

Thomas Brown

Robert Burgess

Thomas Cacciatore

Gregory Carpenter

James Clark

Ron Coombs

Francis Cooper

Judie Cooper

Jesse Cox

Greg Culler

Bob Davis

Victoria Di Bella

John Dickerson

Kurt Donaldson

Randy Dudley

Ray Dudley

Jerry Estep

Barbara Faust

Deborah Ferris

Don Grambling

Dennis Greive

Barry Gullixon

Mark Hardin

Shelly Harlan

Stanley Hilton

Thomas Hollister

Young Ok Hong

Walter Howell

Meredith Hubel

Donald Johnson

Sean Jones

Sung Kim

Patrick Larkin

Meyer Laskin

Joel Lemp

Paul Lindell

Derrell Lyles

Vincenzo Marinucci

Robert Marshall

Paula McCloskey

Christopher McGill, Sr.

Patrick Miller

Lauranne Nash

Debra Nauta-Rodriquez

Robert Nicholson

Donnie Pierce

Pat Ponton

Rod Prady

Richard Price

Rosa Proctor

Michael Riordan

Ardell Robinson

Jeff Schneider

Anthony Smith

Karen Swanson

Ted Tieff

Sally Tomlinson

Teddy Villapando

Howard Wink

Tom Winston

Holly Wright

Office of Planning and Budget

Margaret Gaynor

Office of Printing and Photographic Services

Carl Hansen

Eric Long

Hugh Talman

Rick Vargas

Office of Protection Service

William Adams

Paul Blair

Carvester Booth

Martha Cavanaugh

Emanuel Chase

Lawrence Chatman

Ronald Colaprete

Myron Curtis

William Gaghan

Elease Hall

Harold Hancock

Preston Herald

Charles Johnson

William Johnson

James Kelly

William Lassiter

Dave Liston

Jerome Luczak

Peter Mac Kessy

Henry McFadden

Frank Navarro

Antonio Quintos

Eric Scott

Ray Sebulsky

Adolph Smith

Kenneth Thomas

Deborah Watkins

Ricardo Williams

James Wooten

Office of the Provost

Wilton Dillon

Mary Lynne McElroy

Michael Lang

Mary Tanner

Office of Public Affairs

Mary Combs

Hamlet Paoletti

Linda St. Thomas

Office of Special Events and Conference Service

Ted Anderson

Office of Wider Audience Development

Marshall Wong

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Nathaniel Carleton

James Cornell, 1938-

Alexander Dalgarno

Linda French

Robert P. Kirshner, 1949-

Myron Lecar

Ursula Marvin

Jonathan Williams

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

David Correll

Bert Garrison Drake, 1935-

Candy Feller

Mark Haddon

Anson Hines

Thomas Jordan

James Lynch

Patrick Neale

Geoffrey Parker

Greg Ruiz

Richard Smucker

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Martin Kalfatovic

Sherry Kelley

Nancy Matthews

Rhoda Ratner

Barbara Smith

Valerie Wheat

Marca Woodhams

Smithsonian Institution Press

Frances Roswell

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Vivien Ta-Ying Chen

Anna R. Cohn, 1950-

Matou Goodwin

Liz Hill

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

Russ Greenberg

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Stanley Rand

Raineldo Urriola

Travel Services Office

Carol Ailes

Judy Petroski

Visitor Information and Associates' Reception Center

Richard Anderson

Greta Brown

Roberta Buchanan

Sheila Harris

Judy Peterman

Mary Grace Potter

Katherine Ridgely

Louise Steele

Gilmer Vanpoole

Former and Retired Smithsonian Workers

Renee Altman

Bruce Beehler

A.C. Clarke

Jackie Dulaney

Maria Christina Garcia

Elaine Heumann Gurian, 1937-

Donald S. Lopez, 1923-

Jeffrey LaRichie

David McFadden

Louis Purnell

Margaret Santiago

Steptoe Wren

Agnes Yore
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.1996, Series 5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials