Curating the American Past

November – Wednesday, November 16 – 6PM EDT

Visit The George Washington University Museum’s Vimeo page by clicking here to access this recorded session.

Author Pete Daniel discussed Curating the American Past, a memoir following a quarter century as curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.  Increasingly during his decades at the Smithsonian, demanding donors and compliant museum administrators ignored museum standards and forced celebratory exhibits on the museum, demonstrating a startling lack of vision. In contrast, Daniel staunchly defended museum standards and insisted that American history is not altogether celebratory. By the time he retired in 2010, he feared that the museum had lost its integrity. 

In this virtual talk, Daniel explained the work of collecting and preparing exhibitions for a national museum, but also the daily routine of inquiries, attention to accession files, sometimes “deadly” meetings, mentoring museum fellows and more.   

About the Museums Today Series

Each month during the academic year, museum leaders lead lively online discussions about critical issues in the field. This series is presented in partnership with The George Washington University Museums. Browse upcoming programs