Billings Gazette

CODY - Visitors to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center may soon be seeing rare and priceless artifacts on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, thanks to a new partnership between the two museums.

The BBHC announced Friday that it has been accepted as an affiliate of the Smithsonian, a status granted to 159 museums in 40 states, Panama and Puerto Rico.

The Smithsonian's affiliate program allows nonprofit and state-run organizations access to Smithsonian collections and resources, including artifacts from among the 136 million objects in its collections.

"Not only does the center benefit from the collections and resources of the Smithsonian, but we also benefit from the expertise of those here at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center," said Laura Hansen, a regional coordinator for the Smithsonian.

Hansen was in Cody on Friday to announce the affiliation at a meeting of the BBHC board of trustees

"This designation is a first for a Wyoming museum, and we look forward to significant partnerships with the Smithsonian for years to come," said Bruce Eldredge, executive director for the center.

He called the affiliation an "important step that will help bring collections, scholars and other resources of the nation's museum to Cody and the Wyoming region."

Hansen said the affiliate program began after the strong positive response to a 1996 traveling exhibit that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Smithsonian, based in Washington, D.C.

With less than 3 percent of the Smithsonian's artifacts on display at any time, the institution created the program as a "way to take the artifacts out of Washington," said Hansen.

The arrangement also fosters a closer connection between curators and experts in Cody and Smithsonian staff members in Washington, D.C., she said.

Besides sharing objects and artifacts, researchers may work together on preservation, education, outreach and career development.

Hansen said that not all affiliates are museums. They include arts councils, school districts and cultural organizations.

She said selecting the BBHC as an affiliate "is a recognition they're doing a top-notch job caring for their collections, but also for their programs and the things they do here to bring history alive."

"Being a Smithsonian affiliate gives us access to all kinds of resources - objects, exhibits, specialists - that can help us provide even better exhibits and programs to our audiences," said Robert Pickering, the center's deputy director.

Hansen said she had not yet discussed specific objects, collections or programs the Smithsonian might make available to the center, but added that she would begin those discussions soon.

The partnership is open-ended, and can last as long as both parties find it beneficial. The BBHC began the application process earlier this year.

Since 1997, affiliates have borrowed more than 7,000 artifacts from Smithsonian collections, including the Apollo 13 space capsule, Amelia Earhart's flight suit, and more than 100 mineral specimens.

The Smithsonian Institution is a nonprofit, public trust that receives nearly $680 million, or about two-thirds of its annual budget, from the federal government.