List of Smithsonian Museums

The Smithsonian Museums are the most widely visible part of the Smithsonian Institution. The birth of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to the acceptance of James Smithson's legacy, willed to the United States in 1826. Smithson died in 1829, and in 1836, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress of the gift, which they accepted. In 1838, Smithson’s legacy, which totaled more than $500,000, was delivered to the US Mint and entered the US treasury. After eight years, in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was established.^[1]

The Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as "The Castle," was completed in 1855, to hold the entire Smithsonian collection and offices. It also served as the home for the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Joseph Henry.^[2] The National Museum, which is now known as the Arts and Industries Building, was the next Smithsonian building to be built. It was opened in 1881 to provide the Smithsonian with its first proper facility for public display of its growing collections.

Since the completion of "The Castle" and the Arts and Industries Building, the Smithsonian Museums have expanded to a total of 19 museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park.^[3] There are roughly 137 million objects (works of art, natural specimens, cultural artifacts, etc) currently in the museum's collections,^[3] and over 25 million people visit the museums every year.^[3]

Currently one museum, The Arts and Industries Building is closed in preparation for a substantial renovation,^[4] and another, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, is currently in the design phase.^[5]

The museums

Museum	Type of Collection	Location	Date Opened	Picture
Anacostia Community Museum	African American culture	Washington, D.C. (Anacostia)	1967[6]
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Half of the National Museum of Asian Art)	Asian art	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1987[7]
Arts and Industries Building	currently closed with no exhibitions	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1881[8]
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum	Design history	New York City (Museum Mile)	1897[9]
Freer Gallery of Art (Half of the National Museum of Asian Art)	Asian art	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1923[7]
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden	contemporary and modern art	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1974[10]
National Air and Space Museum	Aviation and Spaceflight history	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1976[11]
National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center	Aviation and Spaceflight history	Chantilly, Virginia	2003[11]
National Museum of African American History and Culture	African American history	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	not yet built
National Museum of African Art	African Art	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1964, established 1979, incorporated
National Museum of American History	American History	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1964[12]
National Museum of the American Indian	Native American History	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	2004[13]
National Museum of the American Indian's George Gustav Heye Center	Native American Art	New York City (Bowling Green)	1994[14]
National Museum of Natural History	Natural History	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1858, founded 1911, moved to current building[15]
National Portrait Gallery	Portraiture	Washington, D.C.(Penn Quarter)	1968[16]
National Postal Museum	United States Postal Service and philately history	Washington, D.C.	1993[17]
Renwick Gallery	American craft and decorative arts	Washington, D.C.	1972[18]
Smithsonian American Art Museum	American Art	Washington, D.C.(Penn Quarter)	1968[18]
Smithsonian Institution Building	Visitor center	Washington, D.C. (National Mall)	1855[2]
Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo)	Zoo	Washington, D.C. (Rock Creek Park)	1889[19]

Museums on the National Mall

The above is a satellite image of the National Mall in Washington, D.C showing, among other landmarks, the 11 Smithsonian Museums located on it. On the upper side of the Mall on this photograph the National Museum of American History (2), National Museum of Natural History (3), National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden (4), the West Building of the National Gallery of Art (5), and the East Building of the National Gallery of Art (6) can all be seen. On the bottom Half the National Museum of the American Indian (10) which was under construction at the time this photo was taken, the National Air and Space Museum (11), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (12), Arts and Industries Building (13), Smithsonian Institution Building (14), Freer Gallery of Art (15), Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (16), and the National Museum of African Art (17) can all be seen.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is slated to be built on the plot of land to the left of the National Museum of American History (2) on the upper half of the picture.^[5]

Additional museums and exhibits

The Smithsonian also holds close ties with more than 161 museums in 39 states, Panama, and Puerto Rico.^[3] These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated Museums. Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in the form of long-term loans from the Smithsonian. These long-term loans are not the only Smithsonian exhibits outside of the Smithsonian Museums. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions. 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country in 2008.^[3]

External links

• Smithsonian Institution
• Smithsonian Affiliated Museums

References

1. ^ [www.si.edu/about/history.htm History: History of the Smithsonian]. Smithsonian Instutition. Accessed October 12, 2009
2. ^ ^{a b} Smithsonian Institution Building, The Castle. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed October 12, 2009
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Facts about the Smithsonian Institution. newsdesk.si.edu (Pressroom of the Smithsonian Institution). Accessed October 12, 2009
4. ^ Museums. Smithsonian Institution. Accessed October 12, 2009
5. ^ ^{a b} Building Design Update. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Accessed October 12, 2009
6. ^ Mission and History Anacostia Community Museum. Accessed December 6, 2009
7. ^ ^{a b} History of the Galleries. Freer and Sackler Galleries. Accessed December 6, 2009
8. ^ Arts and Industries Building. The Smithsonian Institute. Accessed December 6, 2009
9. ^ About The Museum. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Accessed December 6, 2009
10. ^ History of the Hirshhorn. Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.Accessed December 6, 2009
11. ^ ^{a b} National Air and Space Museum Chronology. National Air and Space Museum. Accessed December 6, 2009
12. ^ [americanhistory.si.edu/about/mission.cfm Mission and History]. National Museum of American History. Accessed December 6, 2009
13. ^ "National Museum of the American Indian FAQ's". http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=faqs#sixteen. 
14. ^ "George Gustav Heye Center". http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=ny&third=george. 
15. ^ "National Museum of Natural History Museum History". http://www.mnh.si.edu/about/history.htm. 
16. ^ "National Portrait Gallery Building Chronology". http://www.npg.si.edu/inform/chron.htm. 
17. ^ "National Postal Museum – About the Museum". http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1c_history.html. 
18. ^ ^{a b} "About the Museum SAAM". http://americanart.si.edu/visit/about/. 
19. ^ "History of the National Zoo". http://nationalzoo.si.edu/AboutUs/History/. 

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