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These exhibits deal with American material culture and relate both to Smithsonian collections and to the kinds of objects likely to be found in collections throughout the country. Some of the subjects to be covered include glass, silver, stamps, furniture, and textiles.

"The American Experience" is the theme of the second series -- twenty-four Exhibit Portfolios. This series is concerned with American cultural history from Native Americans to contemporary art and will be particularly useful in schools and libraries. The Portfolios are planned to be used individually or mixed as needed, and each can be expanded by the addition of photographs, books, documents, clippings, and related artifacts.

II. [[underline]]Object-oriented Exhibitions[[/underline]]

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), which has operated continuously over the past twenty-one years, circulates approximately 100 exhibitions with objects a year. Some of the exhibitions currently in circulation include American Coverlets, Bikes, Mississippi Folk Architecture, Objects for Preparing Food, and The Magnificent West: American Heritage.

During the Bicentennial period, SITES will expand its program considerably, scheduling and circulating the Poster-Panel Exhibits and developing a special series of Bicentennial exhibitions with objects. There is an immense demand for such material (the first Bicentennial exhibition on Manuscripts of the American Revolution, which has just become available, is already fully booked). Other exhibitions planned include U.S. Maritime Capability in the Revolutionary Period, The Men and Machines of American Journalism, The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution, Centennial-1876, The Sketches for Great American Paintings, and Tall Grass Prairies.

III. [[underline]]Anacostia Exhibits Design and Production Laboratory[[/underline]]

[[underline]]The Exhibits Design and Production Laboratory[[/underline]] of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum will produce a series of special exhibitions for the Bicentennial. These exhibitions, which will circulate at a minimum cost nationwide, will be concerned with the American scene from a minority perspective and with minority contributions to American culture. Some will be designed for museums; others will be capable of reproduction in sets for use in community centers, store-fronts, and other non-museum settings.