VOICE ONE:
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special
English. Today we present another in our series about continuing education
programs for older Americans. We tell about the Smithsonian Associates
.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Every day, thousands of people walk along the grassy area in the center of
Washington D.C. called the National Mall. They are on their way to visit the
museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Visitors of all ages want to see and
learn from the millions of objects that are part of the Smithsonian's
collection.
Some adults enter a small building next to the Smithsonian's red brick castle
on the Mall. Many are carrying notebooks and pens. Others are carrying bags of
art supplies. Most of them are older and have retired from their jobs.
They are going to underground classrooms in the S. Dillon Ripley Center to
continue their education. They are learning about such subjects as history,
science and international issues. Or they are developing new skills in areas
such as photography, drawing or making jewelry.
VOICE TWO:
S. Dillon Ripley was head of the Smithsonian Institution from nineteen
sixty-four to nineteen eighty-four. He wanted to expand the Smithsonian through
programs that bring the museums to life so people could learn and have fun doing
it. His purpose, he said, was to "change the image of the place as a dusty attic
populated solely by researchers counting beetles."
During his twenty years in office, Secretary Ripley added seven
research facilities and eight museums including the National Air and Space Museum.
He started the Smithsonian Magazine that is read by people around the world.
In 1965, he began a public education program, the Smithsonian
Associates. He believed the Smithsonian should be educating the public at the
same time it supported independent scientific research.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Since it began, the Smithsonian Associates has provided thousands of
educational and cultural programs. Each year the organization offers almost one
thousand activities to people who live in the Washington area. The activities
include classes, talks, performances, films and trips.
The Smithsonian Associates education program was an experimental idea when
Mr. Ripley began it. Today it is a proven success. It is the nation's largest
museum-based continuing education program.
VOICE TWO:
About 80,000 individuals who live in the Washington area belong to the
Smithsonian Resident Associates Program. They pay every year to be members.
Every month they receive a magazine describing programs offered during the
coming months. Members pay for the classes or lectures. The cost for classes is
much less than it would be to take them at a university. Many of the Smithsonian
events offer speakers or performers who do not appear anywhere else in the
Washington area.
About half of the resident Smithsonian Associates members are age fifty-eight
or older. Christine Cimino is a public affairs officer for the organization. She
says many of its programs are aimed at older members who have more time to
attend the events.
Members of the Associates are highly educated. 95 percent of them have
graduated from college.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world. Its
collections cover almost every possible subject. So do the educational programs
of the Smithsonian Associates. The major areas of interest are art and
architecture, food, history, literature, science and religion.
Christine Cimino says that programs about art have been the most popular.
History is second, followed by science programs. Many people are interested in
studio arts where they learn how to make art, not just look at it.
Painting, drawing, quilting and photography classes have been offered for
years. Classes in digital photography have been added recently and are filled
with members of all ages. Some adults decide after they retire that they want to
improve their photographs. So they take one of the many photography classes the
Smithsonian Associates offers. People taking the classes can use a large
darkroom for developing and printing photographs and a computer laboratory for
digital media.
VOICE TWO:
Many subjects have been included in the Smithsonian Associates program for
years – such as Greek history, the Bible and new discoveries in archeology.
Other subjects are newer and are linked to changes in popular culture.
For example, Ms. Cimino says more self-help talks and classes are being
offered now. She says older members are interested in learning about what they
should do to keep their memories sharp.
Adults who are about to retire want to know about ways to improve their
financial situation. Those who have already retired want to find out about
interesting places for travel. People of all ages are interested in programs
about cooking and new restaurants in the area. And classes about ways to deal
with the tension of daily life are popular with everyone.
The people who teach the classes are experts in their subjects. Many have
written books. They come from all over the United States and from other
countries. After they speak, members of the Associates can ask them questions
and buy their books. Ms. Cimino says classes used to meet for a few hours each
week for six weeks. But now, many classes are held in one day, during a weekend,
or four nights in one week. The reason, she says, is that people are too busy –-
even adults who have retired.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
In one month's time, the Smithsonian Associates offers a huge selection of
education programs. It is possible to find a class, a lecture or a performance
to attend almost every day of the month.
For example, a two-day seminar about Genghis Kahn's Mongolia was offered on
the first weekend of one month. The next Saturday, there were three all-day
seminars -- the Origins of the Bible, Russian Art, and the Neuroscience of Human
Relationships. Other weekend seminars later that same month included How to Make
the Most of Your Memory; America's Constitution; and Space, Time and the
Multiverse.
VOICE TWO:
Single lectures during that month covered many other subjects: The Voyage
of the Mayflower in 1620. The American Air Campaign Against Nazi Germany.
Tasting Portuguese Wine. Mysteries of the Middle Ages. Deepak Chopra on Life
After Death. A reading of Homer's poem, the "Odyssey," at the Embassy of Greece.
A series of once a week classes meeting that month provided Smithsonian
Associates members with a chance for more in-depth learning. There were classes
about The Golden Age of Cities, American Popular Music, and The Art of Thinking.
One class was The Power of Ritual in Religion. Each week a different expert
discussed the important ceremonies and principles of the five major religions:
Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Buddhist.
Studio Arts classes included Architectural Photography, Beginning Drawing and
Sumi-E and Shodo: Traditional Japanese Ink Painting and Calligraphy. There were
also several trips that month. Members could visit nearby Civil War
battlefields. Fly to Niagara Falls for a day. Or explore glass factories in West
Virginia for four days. At night, they could hear Music of the Jazz Masters, R.
Carlos Nakai's Magic Flute or classical music by the Twentieth Century Consort.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Several groups of adults are leaving the Smithsonian Associates classrooms in
the Ripley Center. They are busy commenting on what they learned that day. The
discussions continue as the older students walk across the Mall to return to
their homes.
A man carrying brushes and an almost finished oil painting says he is having
fun learning to paint. He wanted to try it for years but never had the time when
he was younger. A woman carrying a notebook says she was worried she would miss
the excitement of work when she retired. But she says continuing to learn
through Smithsonian Associates programs makes life interesting and keeps her
feeling young.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Marilyn Christiano and produced by Mario Ritter.
I'm Barbara Klein.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Steve Ember.
Join us again next week for
EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.
Smithsonian
Associates
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