Description: In the 1950s US National Museum staff revitalized exhibits across the Smithsonian, completely transforming the Arts & Industries Building.
Description: Amy Henderson, Curator Emerita at the National Portrait Gallery, studies the lively arts and celebrity culture; writing books and exhibits on Elvis Presley, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Graham, and pioneers in early broadcasting. #Groundbreaker
Description: Louise Daniel Hutchinson (1928-2014) was founding Research Director at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, now the Anacostia Community Museum, and was a pioneer in both oral and community history. #Groundbreaker.
Description: Marie C. Malaro was a lawyer in the Smithsonian's Office of General Counsel and published two landmark books on ethics and legal issues facing museums. #Groundbreaker
Description: Zora Martin Felton was founding Director of the Education Department at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum for over thirty years. She served as Acting Director of the museum in 1989. #Groundbreaker
Description: Lisa Stevens, National Zoological Park, was senior curator for mammals and managed all aspects of the giant panda program. In over thirty years at the Zoo she worked with more than thirty different species. #Groundbreaker
Description: Biologist and primate keeper, Melanie R. Bond, was the first woman gorilla keeper at the National Zoo and co-authored the "Orangutan (Pongo) Care Manual" for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. #Groundbreaker
Description: Amina Dickerson, Director of Education at the National Museum of African Art, 1974 to 1982, established African Heritage Month at the Smithsonian and led work to make the museum educational programs more accessible. #Groundbreaker
Description: Curator Dr. Karen Milbourne, National Museum of African Art, studies the arts of western Zambia and contemporary African art. Her exhibition "Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts" won an Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) Excellence in Exhibitions award. #Groundbreaker
Description: Senior Curator and Historian Portia James (1953-2015) pioneered a community-based approach at the Anacostia Community Museum and led the exhibitions, publications and collections programs. She researched African American material culture. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Helen James, Curator of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, studies fossil evidence of birds and developed ways to use modern techniques, such as carbon dating, to understand evolutionary and ecological context. #Groundbreaker
Description: As National Museum of African American History and Culture opens, let’s look at the first efforts to establish a National African American Museum.