One Smithsonian

Addressing complicated issues and global problems such as zoonotic diseases, climate change, and the rapid loss of natural resources resulting from human activities and population pressures requires work that spans disciplines and organizational boundaries. The Smithsonian’s potential to tackle complex challenges, as well as to innovate in design, technology, and other pursuits, is greatest when our museums, galleries, Zoo, research centers, education centers, and mission-support offices work together as One Smithsonian.

This section of the Dashboard highlights forward-thinking, interdisciplinary, and cross-Smithsonian activities that tackle pressing issues and chart new paths that the Smithsonian is particularly well suited to address due to its unique combination of science, history, art, and culture experts and global partnerships. Learn more at Torch, Smithsonian Global, Smithsonian Insider, and Smithsonian.com. 

Artwork illustrating Sidedoor Stradivarius episode

Sidedoor Podcast

The Smithsonian podcast Sidedoor returned for its ninth season on March 1. Sidedoor investigates behind-the-scenes stories of the Institution, with host Lizzie Peabody and Smithsonian experts offering commentary. The season kicks off with a musical tale of high drama about the Smithsonian’s first collection of Stradivarius violins. Since its debut, Sidedoor has had nearly 13 million downloads. It is a collaboration between the Smithsonian and PRX, a public media pioneer whose programming includes This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, Latino USA, Snap Judgment, The World, and the Radiotopia podcast network. 

4-H Council Logo

4-H Council Partnership

On May 30, the National 4-H Council and the Smithsonian announced a partnership to provide new opportunities for teens across the nation to learn and explore. Elements will include both online resources and on-the-ground activities such as Smithsonian museum visits and national 4-H events. A youth development initiative of the nation’s Cooperative Extension System and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4-H offers programs that benefit nearly six million young people in every county and parish of the United States, as well as international collaborations that serve one million youth in 50 countries.

The musical group The Ozark Mountain Daredevils on stage

Folklife Festival

Visitors to the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will experience this country’s diverse cultural landscape in two featured programs: “The Ozarks: Faces and Facets of a Region” and “Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S.” The Festival will open on June 29 and run through July 9. Most activities will take place on the National Mall, and admission is free to the public. Performances and demonstrations by musicians, dancers, cooks, artisans, storytellers, and others will run from 11:00 through 5:30, with special concerts on several evenings starting at 6:00. The festival is produced by the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with the National Park Service.  

Smithsonian Organization and Audience Research/OCIO