Robert Sullivan: Smithsonian needs to get back to basics
[Robert Sullivan, former associate director for public programs of the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, is vice president of Chora, a museum consulting firm in Washington.]
The Smithsonian has just awakened from a leadership nightmare. On this groggy morning after, it finds itself soiled by commercialism, Disneyfication and politicization, and sorely in need of a meticulous scrubbing.
Supporters of now-departed secretary Lawrence M. Small have characterized the former banking executive's tenure at the Smithsonian's helm as a "clash of cultures," positing crisp, data-based corporate values on Small's side and airy, ivory-tower academic values on the other. Nothing is further from the truth. The Smithsonian is blessed with competent, high-performing staff who have been misled and disrespected by a dysfunctional bureaucracy and misguided decision-making. All of this was orchestrated by Small and his administration after he became the Smithsonian's 11th secretary in 2000.
The questionable deals and values of the Business Ventures Unit that Small promoted have tainted and compromised the Smithsonian without generating any significant increases in income over the past seven years. An obsession with protecting congressional support and appropriations led to the censoring of exhibitions and the avoidance of "controversial" topics, while the desire to create a high-volume tourist destination meant that content was dumbed down and interpretive themes were oversimplified.
Consider these recent failures: The inflated attendance and income projections used to justify the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- the National Air and Space Museum's companion facility near Dulles International Airport that opened in late 2003 -- were woefully optimistic, and the resulting income shortfall has become a financial strain on the institution. The confusing, light-on-content exhibits of the Museum of the American Indian have failed to sustain public interest; attendance has sunk by 50 percent since the museum opened in 2004. The American Art Museum finally opened last year -- two years behind schedule and $30 million over budget. The National Museum of American History is closed for renovation, but the lack of money means that upgrades planned for its exhibits are at severe risk....
Read entire article at WaPo
The Smithsonian has just awakened from a leadership nightmare. On this groggy morning after, it finds itself soiled by commercialism, Disneyfication and politicization, and sorely in need of a meticulous scrubbing.
Supporters of now-departed secretary Lawrence M. Small have characterized the former banking executive's tenure at the Smithsonian's helm as a "clash of cultures," positing crisp, data-based corporate values on Small's side and airy, ivory-tower academic values on the other. Nothing is further from the truth. The Smithsonian is blessed with competent, high-performing staff who have been misled and disrespected by a dysfunctional bureaucracy and misguided decision-making. All of this was orchestrated by Small and his administration after he became the Smithsonian's 11th secretary in 2000.
The questionable deals and values of the Business Ventures Unit that Small promoted have tainted and compromised the Smithsonian without generating any significant increases in income over the past seven years. An obsession with protecting congressional support and appropriations led to the censoring of exhibitions and the avoidance of "controversial" topics, while the desire to create a high-volume tourist destination meant that content was dumbed down and interpretive themes were oversimplified.
Consider these recent failures: The inflated attendance and income projections used to justify the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- the National Air and Space Museum's companion facility near Dulles International Airport that opened in late 2003 -- were woefully optimistic, and the resulting income shortfall has become a financial strain on the institution. The confusing, light-on-content exhibits of the Museum of the American Indian have failed to sustain public interest; attendance has sunk by 50 percent since the museum opened in 2004. The American Art Museum finally opened last year -- two years behind schedule and $30 million over budget. The National Museum of American History is closed for renovation, but the lack of money means that upgrades planned for its exhibits are at severe risk....