The Smithsonian Institution is planning a new exhibit focusing on "American Enterprise" and has issued a call for public involvement; the curators are seeking "interesting ideas about new artifacts to collect, topics to pursue, [and] related personal experiences." The target opening date is 2014. The announcement states,
The exploratory website is now available; the blog portion is also up and running.The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is planning a new long-term exhibition that will explore a key area of the American experience—the history of business and innovation. “American Enterprise” is the working title for the exhibition, which will trace the development of the United States from a largely dependent territory to the largest national economy in the world (1750s–2010s). The central goal of the exhibition is an understanding of the American business history story focusing on opportunity, competition and innovation in the American marketplace— the dynamic interplay of consumers and producers. The museum is working to raise private funds for the exhibition, which is scheduled to open in 2014.
As part of the planning process, the museum’s curatorial team will be hosting an exploratory website to open the research and exhibition process to the public. Through regular blog posts readers will learn about research trips and the issues and artifacts that the team is considering. Over the next few years, the public will slowly see “American Enterprise” take shape with the hope that they will be engaged and comment.
