Smithsonian Affiliations has established partnerships with 144 museums and other organizations in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Panama and Puerto Rico since it was established in 1996. A Smithsonian Affiliation is conferred by application to institutions whose collections and mission are similar to those of the Smithsonian.
The Affiliation continues SCM’s ongoing efforts to bring the finest quality exhibitions and programming to Sonoma County residents. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Met will have access to the Smithsonian's collections and resources.
The Smithsonian’s collections-based Affiliations program fosters long-term loan of artifacts and will enable SCM to incorporate Smithsonian resources in more than one format, allowing for alternative means of exhibiting the Smithsonian’s more than 136 million object collection. Smithsonian Affiliates are encouraged to integrate Smithsonian collections into their exhibitions, educational initiatives and research programs.
Since 1996, Smithsonian Affiliates have borrowed more than 7,000 artifacts from the Smithsonian collections including the Apollo 13 space capsule (Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson, Kansas), Amelia Earhart’s flight suit (The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, Dallas, Texas), Ray Bolger's scarecrow costume from The Wizard of Oz (Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha, Nebraska), and more than 200 mineral specimens have been loaned to several Affiliates.
SCM’s members will also benefit greatly from the partnership. SCM memberships will now double as Smithsonian memberships; meaning that SCM members will receive special discounts at Smithsonian museum shops.
Click here to read about the Smithsonian in Your Neighborhood.
The annual Smithsonian Affiliations program fee is sponsored by Daphne Smith.
