If you were to spend a mere 45 seconds admiring every one of the Smithsonian’s treasures, it would take you more than 193 years—if nothing is added in the meantime. So where are all of the items that are not on display kept? And, more important, how are they kept?
That’s why, since 1983, the Smithsonian has run the Museum Support Center (MSC), a state-of-the-art storage and conservation facility not usually open to the public. No specimen is too small and no object too large to be accurately organized, filed, and stored in more than half a million square feet of storage space. The Suitland, Maryland, site consists of five buildings, each about the size of a 3-story-tall football field. They include enormous tanks for cleaning whale skulls, chambers to preserve Antarctic meteorites, art from throughout the ages, and a botany collection spread across five greenhouses.
This tour presents a rare opportunity to take a look at the inner workings of the different departments of the MSC. Each trip to the MSC is unique, and reflects the exhibits and items being prepared at that time.
A catered gourmet box lunch will be provided.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., N.W.
This tour requires up to 2 miles of walking and a considerable amount of standing.
You might also enjoy:
Four Masters and Their Masterpieces: Michelangelo, Rubens, Monet, and Van Gogh
Sat., Mar. 23 at 9:30 AM
All-Day Seminar
Four innovators, four distinctive creative personalities, and countless enduring works. Spend a day exploring their lives and artistic legacies.
Buy tickets>>
See more programs on Art and Architecture.
