CNN: As America celebrates its 250th, Smithsonian leader Lonnie Bunch treads a fine political line
The show brings together rare artifacts, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s draft speech and an early Statue of Liberty model, to explore America’s ideals.
- On June 2, the Smithsonian Institution will open 'American Aspirations' at the renovated Smithsonian castle, a temporary exhibition marking America's 250th birthday with historical artifacts exploring the nation's ideals and contradictions.
- Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III insisted in a Thursday interview that the museum maintains its autonomy despite Trump administration pressure to remove what officials term 'woke' ideology from exhibits.
- Featuring artifacts like Thomas Jefferson's desk and Amelia Earhart's flight suit, the exhibit explores the 'ideals, ambitions, and contradictions' shaping the United States. Bunch stated it is 'not a story of just slavery,' but 'America's struggle to be the nation that we want it to be.'
- The White House has not requested any changes or updates to exhibits following the Smithsonian's document submission for federal review, Bunch told CNN. He said 90% of the Smithsonian is 'exactly where you want it to be.'
- While critics have accused the Trump administration of eroding democratic ideals, Bunch maintains the museum is 'a work in progress.' Some artists previously reported concerns about an atmosphere of 'censorship' at Smithsonian museums, though leadership emphasizes independent scholarship.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The Washington Post
INTELLINEWSWith Smithsonian under scrutiny, its leader curates a complex history show
Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has co-curated “American Aspirations” as the Smithsonian faces federal pressure. “Nobody has told us what to do,” he said, “and to be honest, I won’t let anybody tell us what to do.”
The Smithsonian Museum in Washington is taking on the challenge of condensing two and a half centuries of American history into about thirty artifacts, from Thomas Jefferson's pen to Sally Ride's space suit. The mahogany office on which Thomas Jefferson scratched the Declaration of Independence, a incandescent light bulb, a combination of leather flight [...] Article 250 years of America in thirty objects: the bet of the Smithsonian appeared fir…
Light, flight, and rights: 250 years of US history in 30 objects
Light, flight, and rights: 250 years of US history in 30 objects Estelle.Bronkhorst Fri, 05/29/2026 - 12:00 WASHINGTON - How do you choose just 30 artefacts from millions to encapsulate 250 years of American history?That's the question the government-funded Smithsonian Institution posed itself as the United States gears up for the anniversary of the nation's July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. Among the answers: a small ink-stained mahog…
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