The Material Culture Forum’s 25th Anniversary celebration and 95th meeting was held on December 3, 2013 at the National Museum of American History’s Warner Theater and centered around an exploration of The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects, the newest book by Smithsonian Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture, Richard Kurin.
The evening began with a free and public scavenger hunt in the museum to locate some of the 101 objects, the winner of which received a free, signed copy of the book.
Mary Augusta Thomas, Deputy Director at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and Chair of the Material Culture forum, began the evening with a warm welcome and introduction.
John Gray, the Elizabeth MacMillan Director at the National Museum of American History, introduced the evening’s presenters and program.
Presentations and Discussions included:
“Bison: Natural History and Conservation,” by Donald E Moore III, PhD, Associate Director for Animal Care Sciences at the National Zoological Park.
“We Called Them, ‘TATANKA,’” by Emil Her Many Horses, Associate Curator at the National Museum of the American Indian.
“William Temple Hornaday and the American Buffalo: Preserving an Iconic Species,” by Pamela Henson, Historian at the Institutional History Division of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
“Bison in Bronze,” by Karen Lemmey, Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
“The Buffalo as a Numismatic Icon,” by Karen M. Lee, Curator at the Numismatic Collection of the National Museum of American History.
“American Buffalo STAMPede,” by Daniel Piazza, Curator of Philately at the National Postal Museum.
A panel discussion ended the evening as the program presenters were joined by:
Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture and Author of The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects, and his research team: Brian Daniels, Heather Ewing, Laurie Ossman
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