The Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon exhibition opened January 19, 2007 at the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley Center, Concourse Gallery. This exhibit, the first Vietnamese American historical exhibit at the Smithsonian, tells the story of the Vietnamese American experience in America, from the significant influx in 1975 to the present. By showcasing themes of challenges, contributions and change, the exhibit emphasizes the vibrant diversity of this ethnic community.

OEC Designer Lynn Kawaratani and OEC Editor Rosemary Regan were integral to the success and completion of this project. Working collaboratively with the Asian Pacific American Program, OEC helped to keep this exhibition moving forward. The Special Exhibitions Division wore two hats in this production serving as both the project management for the exhibition and as the opening venue for the show. SITES plans to travel the show nationally for 3 years after it closes in Washington.

An evening VIP tour with curator Vu Pham and a gala opening event in the Smithsonian Castle were some of the festivities. Designers Chloe Dao and Bao Tranchi attended the gala, which was hosted by CNN Anchor Betty Nguyen.

top photo: Fashion designer Chloe Dao, from season 2 of Project Runway, and guest Amelia Liebhold get to know each other at the gala reception. Photograph by Dan Meijer.

bottom photo: Betsy Burstein Robinson, SED project manager, sets up the diorama of a refugee shelter during installation. Photograph by Dan Meijer.

OEC’s Special Exhibitions Division (SED) opened Clash of Empires: The British, French and Indian War, 1754-1763 on December 15. Truly a collaborative effort, the exhibit was originally organized by the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center (a Smithsonian Affiliate), in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and the Canadian War Museum/Museum of Civilization. The exhibit opened in Pittsburgh and traveled to Ottawa before coming to the Smithsonian’s International Gallery.

The exhibition marks the 250th anniversary of the British, French, and Indian War and explores this 3-sided struggle for North America and its effects worldwide. It tells the story of the war that gave 22-year-old George Washington his first taste of military experience and set American colonists on the road to revolution. Clash of Empires features nearly 300 rare artifacts on loan from 63 lenders around the world and nine life-like models of historic figures from the conflict.

SED worked with the Heinz History Center for over a year and a half on the logistics of bringing this complex show to Washington.

The exhibition was originally to close on March 15, but due to strong visitorship, it will remain on view through Sunday, July 15, 2007.

top photo: This life figure, representing an anonymous French Officer at the capitulation of New France in September 1760, was created by Gerry Embleton. Photograph by Ken Rahaim.

middle photo: Andy Masich, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, which operates the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, gives a tour of Clash of Empires at the opening. Photograph by Ken Rahaim.

bottom photo: General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of an Indian by Benjamin West, is exhibited for the first time in North America. Courtesy of Derby Art Museums and Gallery, UK

Other high-resolution images of objects in the exhibit can be seen at the Smithsonian Newsdesk.

“You don’t sing to feel better.

You sing ’cause that’s a way of understanding life.”
August Wilson, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” 1981

The Office of Exhibits Central is working hard to complete five copies of a new exhibit for Museum on Main Street, a partnership project of the Smithsonian Institution, state humanities councils, and rural museums across America. New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music features photos, objects, and recordings of blues, country, folk, and gospel, with a little zydeco and tejano to spice things up.

OEC has worked on this show for the last two years — consulting with the curator and editing the text, designing the kiosk structures, graphic layout, and interactives, printing and installing graphics on a variety of media, building interactives and surface treatments, and making reproductions of traditional musical instruments are only some of the aspects of the exhibition that OEC staff have brought their expertise to.

New Harmonies debuts this coming spring in Idaho, Mississippi, Guam, Washington, and Illinois.

top photo: Five copies of the gospel kiosk installed to make sure that all components are correct before shipping.

bottom photo: Theresa Keefe, graphics specialist, adheres a print of Woody Guthrie to a panel.

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