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In addition to the foregoing, five support positions have been filled, and the Museum anticipates the recruitment of an additional 17 positions during the next several months. Of these positions, which include both the programming and curatorial areas, 15 persons will be recruited for the Washington, D.C. office and two for the New York office of the Museum.

[[underlined]] Facilities [[/underlined]]

Substantial progress also has occurred regarding planning for the New York and Washington, D.C. facilities of the Museum. The target date for opening the George Gustav Heye Center at the old U.S. Custom House in New York remains late 1992. To that end Museum staff have maintained a design and construction schedule that would allow the Center to open in November 1992. The Museum staff also have developed and are implementing an exhibition planning, design, production, and installation schedule that would result in a 1992 opening exhibition. The above-mentioned construction schedule, however, has a number of critical interim deadlines that are contingent on several funding and other commitments of the City of New York and the State of New York. Whether the opening of the George Gustav Heye Center remains on schedule is dependent on the ability of the City and State of New York to meet their respective commitments. 

Although a disproportionate share of the Museum's limited human resources have been diverted to planning for the George Gustav Heye Center, staff continues with major planning initiatives relating to the Washington, D.C. facilities of the Museum. After a thorough review, however, of all relevant circumstances, including the completion schedule for the George Gustav Heye Center, the time required to recruit additional staff, budgetary, and other considerations, the Director of the Museum and his staff have concluded that the schedules for completion of these facilities need to be moved forward by one to two years. This modification to the initial schedule, which was developed prior to the Director's appointment, has been discussed with the Museum's Board of Trustees and also has been communicated within the Smithsonian Institution and to key political supporters on Capitol Hill.

[[underlined]] THE EXPERIMENTAL GALLERY [[/underlined]]

On February 1, 1991, after more than eighteen months of planning, the Experimental Gallery will open in the south hall of the Arts and Industries Building. The inaugural exhibitions will be "[[underlined]] Casitas: [[/underlined]] A Cultural Alternative," "Project Face to Face," and "Principles of Flight," an exhibition component try-out.

[[underlined]] "Casitas: [[/underlined]] A Cultural Alternative," which is produced by the Bronx Council on the Arts, depicts [[underlined]] casitas, [[/underlined]] a Caribbean architectural form and the uses of this form by the Puerto-Rican community in Puerto Rico and in the Bronx. These little houses are used by the community for social gatherings and special occasions. The exhibition will have English and Spanish labels and is designed to attract the local Latino community which currently comprises less than 2% of the Smithsonian's audience. Public programs to be held in conjunction with the exhibition include workshops, round table discussions and a Spring concert. [[underlined]] "Casitas [[/underlined]] ..." closes June 30.

The National Air and Space Museum is developing its first hands-on interactive exhibit gallery to help visitors understand how planes fly. It