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National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and National Rivers Hall of Fame Named Smithsonian Institution Affiliate
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and its National Rivers Hall of Fame has recently been accepted into the prestigious Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program.
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum complex with a collection of more than 142 million objects in 16 museums and 8 research centers. As an affiliate, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium will have access to the Smithsonian’s vast collection from American cultural artifacts to fine art.
The expanded facility in Dubuque, Iowa is will open in the summer of 2003 and is proud to join the select number of organizations to achieve this unique distinction. The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is the only river museum in the country to attain this honor.
" The Affiliations Program is a very effective way for the Smithsonian Institution to reach beyond the geographical limits of its own museums," said Michael Carrigan, Director of Smithsonian Affiliations. "We hold in high regard the professionalism and expertise of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium staff and are confident that our affiliate relationship with them will help us better serve the entire country as ‘America’s Museum."’
"We are thrilled about the many possibilities and opportunities this relationship affords us," said Jerry Enzler, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Executive Director. "To be associated with the Smithsonian Institution is a testament to the viability and significance of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium."
As the lead project of Dubuque’s $188 million-dollar river renovation effort, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and hall of fame will be home to thousands of fish and other animals such as alligators, otters, and several species of birds. The museum will highlight both cultural and natural river history and will emphasize the many relationships people have to the Mississippi River. State of the art immersion theaters, interactive wetlabs, touchpools, towboats, a living wetland, a Boat and Breakfast, and scores of exhibits will bring the river to the people and the people to the river.
