ANNUAL REPORT 2011 2012 EXECUTIVE MESSAGE During my more than 14-year tenure at the National Constitution Center, it has been a privilege to be part of the transformation of a truly powerful idea. Uniquely dedicated to bringing In addition to its Board, the National Constitution the U.S. Constitution accessibly Center owes a debt of gratitude to all of its friends and to life, this now-internationally supporters—from individual members and volunteers recognized institution has to institutional funders and its Corporate Council. The not only established itself transformation I am honored to be a part of has always as an accredited museum; been (and continues to be) a group effort, the result it has also become a vibrant of remarkable generosity from many and diverse civic education headquarters and town hall, engaging stakeholders. On behalf of the Constitution Center, it is millions every year through a variety of platforms that my great pleasure to thank this group not only for their meet “We the People” where they are, both onsite financial support, but their time, energy and goodwill and online. throughout 2011 and 2012. Highlighted in the following pages are just some It continues to be a pleasure working with and for all of of the strides the Constitution Center made in you, and I look forward to being part of this institution’s 2011 and 2012—from building creative capacity in many new, transformative successes yet to come. developing original exhibitions to launching a variety of thoughtfully targeted education initiatives to increasing programmatic reach as a leading venue Very truly yours, for national debates on contemporary constitutional issues. These and other accomplishments were only possible with the support and guidance of our dedicated Board of Trustees. Vince Stango Chief Operating Officer “[Art of the American Soldier] makes clear that even in the age of digital photography, the artist’s eye often ILLUMINATING “ [Art of the American Soldier] makes clear that even in the age of digital photography, the artist’s eye often captures what the lens cannot.” — The Wall Street Journal THE PAST Art of the American Soldier | September 2010 – March 2011 THROUGH MULTIFACETED FEATURE EXHIBITIONS Fighting for Democracy: Who is the “We” in “We the People”? | October 2011 – January 2012 In January 2011, the National Constitution Center joined On My Honor: 100 Years of Girl Scouting | May – December 2012 the esteemed ranks of the fewer than 5% of its peers nationwide to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). In its accreditation and sketches—created by more than 1,000 soldier- report, AAM cited the artists who served during World War I through recent Constitution Center as enlistments in Iraq—this exhibition represented the “an outstanding example first major public presentation to showcase and of an institution that uses thoughtfully interpret an unparalleled collection of a wide variety of tools … artworks that had spent decades in archival storage. to expand its audience.” At the heart of the National Constitution Center’s presentation The Constitution Center’s decision to present the of Fighting for Democracy, a team of actors—including Akeem Critical among these Davis, pictured here—brought to life the true stories of seven Japanese American National Museum’s Fighting tools are the museum’s patriotic Americans who chose to make great sacrifices for Democracy was driven by a special opportunity for their country during World War II, even while certain feature exhibitions, fundamental rights were being denied them at home. for deliberate experimentation. Building on the utilizing increasingly Constitution Center’s unique strengths in museum diverse interpretive theatre, this document-based exhibition was creatively approaches to connect visitors of all backgrounds enhanced to the point of transformation. Anchored by with accessible and thought-provoking experiences. an original 30-minute multimedia production, Fighting The fifth original feature exhibition to debut at the for Democracy at the Constitution Center truly gave Constitution Center in as many years, Art of the voice to its subject matter. Interweaving performance American Soldier demonstrated beyond a doubt the and narration with three live actors in seven roles, this museum’s well-developed creative capacity and historically accurate piece infused peer-generated visionary promise. Echoing visitor feedback, the content with the energy of new media and was praised Wall Street Journal declared that Art of the American by visitors as something vividly felt—sparking personal Soldier “makes clear that even in the age of digital reflection on civil rights, immigration, and other issues photography, the artist’s eye often captures what the of ongoing relevance and debate. lens cannot.” Curated from roughly 15,000 paintings Additional 2011 – 2012 Exhibitions From the Absence of Many Spies, Traitors, & Saboteurs Discover the Real The President’s House From Asbury Park to the to the Presence of All Fear and Freedom in America George Washington Their Untold Stories in Quilts Promised Land: The Life and The Unfinished Business March 2011 – January 2012 New Views from Mount Vernon July – September 2011 Music of Bruce Springsteen of Women’s Equality July – September 2011 February – September 2012 October 2010 – March 2011 INFORMING THE PRESENT INCREASE IN ONSITE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT THROUGH INNOVATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION INITIATIVES 57 Despite growing consensus on the importance of civic Tapping into increased civic interest during the buildup to the presidential election, learning, the U.S. Department of Education’s 2010 benchmark in early 2012 the museum reimagined its voting booth exhibit, which previously assessment of students’ progress in civics found only 22% of invited museumgoers to ‘vote’ for their favorite U.S. president. After contemporizing eighth graders to be at or above proficiency. and reinventing the space with new layers of interactivity—focused on understanding Twenty-eight percent release schedule to important dates on America’s civic policy positions on their own merits, distinct from the espousing candidates—student failed to meet even a calendar, presented with supporting discussion materials, interaction with this exhibit increased from 12% in 2011 to a remarkable 69% in 2012, basic achievement level and launched with an interactive feature that allows with average engagement time more than doubling for both student and adult visitors. (which includes being viewers across the country to chat with subject experts able to explain “why it is in real time. Through collaborations with promotion and important that citizens distribution partners including Channel One News, use of A seventh-grade student from Brandywine Springs School in share the values and Constitution Hall Pass grew steadily—reaching classrooms Wilmington, Delaware, adds his signature to the museum’s principles expressed in the in 48 states and the District of Columbia and attracting commemorative 225th-anniversary Constitution. nation’s core documents”). hundreds of thousands who tuned in ‘live’ for “Constitution Such findings—along with similarly worrisome results Day 2012: The Presidency.” from surveys of adults’ civic literacy—demonstrate a On January 25, 2011, the museum’s Constitution Daily blog clear need for innovative approaches to civic education. officially launched with real-time coverage of President With this in mind, in 2011 and 2012 the Constitution Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address. Dedicated Center dedicated significant resources to developing new to offering smart commentary and conversation about programming platforms, expanding both the scope and contemporary constitutional issues, this online platform reach of the museum’s civic education initiatives. for civic education and engagement saw its direct Piloted in September 2010 with a Constitution Day webcast readership more than quintuple through 2012, with featuring Sandra Day O’Connor, the museum’s Constitution Constitution Daily content reaching an additional 360,000 Hall Pass program was conceived to engage middle- and people during September of that year through the start high-school students nationwide. Growing to include a of an ongoing distribution partnership with Yahoo News. resource archive of eight video lessons by September Managed and written primarily by Constitution Center 2012, this free and ongoing web-based program has staff, the museum’s blog also regularly features original received significant praise from educators who appreciate contributions from outside scholars, lawyers, public its unique effectiveness as a distance-learning tool. Each officials, and other informed voices to represent a true original 15- to 25-minute video is connected by theme and cross-section of constitutional interpretation. INSPIRING THE FUTURE THROUGHTHROUGH SUBSTANTIVESUBSTANTIVE DIALOGUEDIALOGUE ONON TIMELY TIMELY ISSUES ISSUES SELECT 2011 2012 PROGRAMS Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on Democracy with Adam Liptak Throughout 2011 and 2012, the National Constitution October 19, 2010 Center continued to serve as an inclusive forum for public discourse, inviting leading voices and experts Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld of all stripes to weigh in on a variety of topics—from in Conversation with Presidential Historian national security to Supreme Court controversies to Michael Beschloss the many and varied aspects of 21st-century elections. February 9, 2011 Offering an democracy.