Description: From 1967 to 1991, Mary E. Massey broke barriers for women at the Smithsonian by demonstrating her skills in spaces typically reserved only for men. Though Massey arrived at the Smithsonian as an elevator operator, by her retirement, she was the building manager for the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. In a column reserved for the Smithsonian
Description: Folklorist, visual artist, and curator, Dr. Diana Baird N’Diaye, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, is a honorary professor at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and researches anthropology, folklore, fashion (dress), and visual art in Africa, the Caribbean, and the U.S. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Elizabeth Broun, Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, 1989–2016, oversaw major renovations, welcomed groundbreaking exhibitions, and diversified the museum’s collections. She served as the museum’s Chief Curator and Assistant Director, 1983–88. #Groundbreaker
Description: Scholar of military history, Dr. Kate Clarke Lemay, Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, has a dual doctorate in American art history and American studies, and is shortly releasing a book about how we remember war through material culture. #Groundbreaker