Embassy of Monaco to the United States Reception in honour of new Secretary of Smithsonian Institution

Photo caption: From left to right: Mr John McCarter, Chair of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution; H.E. Ms Maguy Maccario Doyle, Ambassador of Monaco to the United States and Dr David J. Skorton, new Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution © Embassy of Monaco to the United States

 

On 29 March in Washington, D.C., Monaco’s Embassy organised a reception in honour of the new Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,* Dr David J. Skorton.** The reception, held at the Ambassador’s Residence, provided an opportunity to present the leader of the world’s largest museum and research centre complex to more than 70 diplomatic, government, cultural and artistic figures from the US capital.

Among the guests were United States Chief of Protocol Ambassador Peter Selfridge and his wife Parita Shah, as well as numerous ambassadors and senior diplomats, many from countries*** which have a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution.

Other personalities, such as President and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts Mr Arvind Manocha, Vice President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Ms Alicia Adams, President and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum Ms Joan Wages, and Music Director of the Washington National Opera, the Kennedy Center Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice Philippe Auguin, also had an opportunity to chat to Dr Skorton and discuss potential opportunities for collaboration.

In her speech, Monaco’s Ambassador to the United States H.E. Ms Maguy Maccario Doyle stressed that “partnerships with our American friends strengthen our shared commitment to democratic values. During my two years in Washington, I have learned that the history, culture, art and science presented by the Smithsonian Institution highlight some fascinating aspects of America.” She recalled that H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince had visited the Museum of Natural History in 2009, and signed a framework agreement to enable his Foundation and the Smithsonian to collaborate in the fields of conservation and sustainability.

* Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the biggest museum and research complex in the world, comprising 19 museums and galleries, the national zoological park and nine research centres. The Smithsonian collections showcase the heritage and art of the United States throughout the world, and the enormous diversity of the natural and cultural world. The range of artefacts held in the Smithsonian collections is remarkable – from ancient Chinese bronzes to the first US flag, from a 3.5-billion-year-old fossil to the Apollo lunar landing module, from the glittering ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz to presidential souvenirs. Academics and researchers from the Smithsonian and elsewhere use these vast collections in their work to further human knowledge.

** David J. Skorton was appointed 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and took up the role in July 2015. A cardiologist and expert in congenital heart disease and cardiac imaging, Dr Skorton was the 19th President of the University of Iowa and the 12th President of Cornell University in New York State.

*** Belarus, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, France, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Korea, Kosovo, Mexico, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago