Richard Kurin is Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture. In this role, he oversees the Anacostia Community Museum; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art; Cooper- Hewitt, National Design Museum (New York City); Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; National Museum of African American History and Culture; National Museum of African Art; National Museum of American History; National Museum of the American Indian and its George Gustav Heye Center (New York City); National Portrait Gallery; National Postal Museum; and Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery.
He also is responsible for the administration of the Smithsonian Latino Center, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Photography Initiative and Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
In addition, Kurin oversees National Programs, in which he supervises the Smithsonian's Center for Education and Museum Studies; the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), which travels exhibitions to more than 250 communities across the United States each year; the Smithsonian Affiliations Program, a network of more than 150 museums cooperating with the Smithsonian; and The Smithsonian Associates, which annually offers nearly 1,000 lectures, performances and other programs to more than 40,000 Resident Associate members and the general public. He also oversees the Institution's management of its Smithsonian Networks partnership with Showtime.
Kurin served as Acting Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture from October 2007 to January 2009. Though Kurin joined the Smithsonian in 1985, his service to the Institution began in 1976, when he was a consultant for the Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife. He coordinated programs for the Festival of India and the Aditi exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History and has directed the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage for almost two decades. The center is responsible for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival held ever summer on the National Mall; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and its digital Web site "Smithsonian Global Sound"; and the Ralph Rinzler Archives, a documentary collection of traditional culture from across the United States and around the world. These and other cultural heritage programs have received prestigious grants from the Save America's Treasures Program, the Rockefeller, Ford and Paul Allen Foundations, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. They also have earned the center numerous Grammy, Emmy, Academy and Webby awards and nominations.
Kurin has served as the executive producer for several major special events, including the National World War II Reunion on the Mall to mark the dedication of the World War II Memorial (2004) and the grand opening celebration and six-day festival on the Mall for the National Museum of the American Indian in 2004. He also co-produced the Smithsonian's 150th Anniversary "Birthday Party on the Mall," presidential inaugural festivals and the Southern Crossroads Festival in Centennial Olympic Park for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. He also has assisted in the production of the Black Family Reunion since inception in 1986.
He currently serves on the U.S. Commission for UNESCO and was a member of the organization's founding international jury for its Masterpieces of Intangible Cultural Heritage program. He has been awarded the Smithsonian Secretary's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service and, in 1999 he received the Botkin Prize for lifetime achievement in public folklore by the American Folklore Society.
Kurin is the author of "Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem" (HarperCollins, 2006) and "Reflections of a Cultural Broker: A View from the Smithsonian," as well as several other books and dozens of scholarly articles; was the keynote speaker for the International Council of Museums; gave the 2007 Founder's Lecture for Harvard University's Peabody Museum; and taught at The Johns Hopkins University Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
Kurin, whose specialization is South Asia ethnography, cultural policy and museum representation, is a former Fulbright-Hays fellow. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Buffalo and his doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago.