Corporate Sponsorship at the Smithsonian

Re your July 23 editorial, “The (Name Here) Museum,” concerning the naming of an exhibit hall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History: You urged that “exhibitions, not sponsors, should come first.” We agree. The curatorial team of “America on the Move,” the exhibition that General Motors is partially funding, can assure the public that this is exactly the case. The exhibit was developed before any private funds were raised. We’re certain that when the public sees the exhibition--which includes, by the way, a section on Los Angeles--it will be clear to all that “America on the Move” is solely a Smithsonian show.

“America on the Move” will cost some $20 million. There are limited federal funds for exhibitions, so generous gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations are the only way the Smithsonian can produce exhibitions. General Motors is an outstanding corporate donor: It writes the check and lets us curate the exhibition. Putting its name on the new hall is an appropriate way of acknowledging a generous gift. Acknowledging donors is a long-standing museum tradition, and it is Smithsonian policy.

Steven Lubar

Project Director

“America on the Move”

National Museum of American

History, Smithsonian

Institution, Washington