May 10th, 2001
Smithsonian Is Promised $38 Million, With Strings
By Elaine Sciolino
The New York Times
The whims of wealthy people have long shaped museum exhibitions. But Ms. Reynolds’s project underscores the extent to which private money can dictate the structure and content of exhibitions at an institution like the Smithsonian, which gets 70 percent of its funding from the government. In this case, the gift will allow Ms. Reynolds to apply her own definition of achievement by giving her a substantial say in determining who will be honored in the exhibition.