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State Historical Society to Host Smithsonian Sunday Program on June 8

State Historical Society to Host Smithsonian Sunday Program on June 8

The Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society will host a special webcast of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum program entitled, “Sign of the Times: Music and Design, 1960s-1980s” at 2 p.m. CDT on Sunday, June 8, at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

The program, in the center’s education room, is hosted by the Cooper-Hewitt. Panelists Pat Kirkham (NYU’s Bard Graduate Center), Paula Scher (Pentagram), Ben Watson (Herman Miller) and Stephen Duncombe (NYU) explore highlights of Cooper-Hewitt's collection, from graphic design to furniture and product design in order to take a scholarly approach toward looking at how popular music and design influenced the material culture and lifestyle of the 1960s--1980s.

“This is a very interesting program,” said Jay Smith, director of the Museum of the State Historical Society. “It is a visually appealing program that clearly demonstrates how different media sources can influence art, design, clothing, music and other forms of American Popular Culture. In looking at the 1960s-1980s our audience will recognize much of the imagery from their own experiences of the era. ”

There is no fee to view the program, but standard admission fees apply for visitors wanting to go into the museum galleries. “Sign of the Times: Music and Design, 1960s-1980s” was originally broadcast on May 2, 2014, at the Cooper-Hewitt.

The State Historical Society became a Smithsonian Affiliate in January 2013, and it is the only affiliate in South Dakota. Since 2013, the museum has hosted a “Smithsonian Sunday” program on the second Sunday of each month.

About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.

About Smithsonian Affiliations
Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums, educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. The long-term goal of Smithsonian Affiliations is to facilitate a two-way relationship among Affiliate organizations and the Smithsonian Institution to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. More information about the Smithsonian Affiliations program and Affiliate activity is available at https://affiliations.si.edu.