Brent Glass joined the Smithsonian Institution as the director a top three museum.
WASHINGTON -Since 2002, Brent Glass has been the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Glass oversaw renovation of the museum’s center portion in 2006 and opened the museum to the public in November 2008. That year, Glass launched more than 20 exhibitions, 80 public programs and 2,500 theater performances. The museum holds more than 3 million artifacts and received roughly 40 percent more visitors after the renovation.
Formerly the executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Glass was asked by the Smithsonian Institution to apply as the National Museum of American History’s director. After a 9-month application and interview process, Glass got the job in December 2002 and was named Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the museum in 2008.
Path to Power
Glass’s interest in history began during a family vacation to Washington, D.C.
“We came to see all the monuments, but I remember just being really inspired by the Smithsonian,” said Glass.
He said his love of history was nurtured by public school teachers in his hometown of Woodmere in Long Island, New York.
After pursuing his undergraduate and post-doctorate degrees in history, he became the executive director of the North Carolina Humanities Council from 1983 to 1987. He spent the next 15 years at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, where he managed 25 historical sites and museums including the State Historic Preservation Office.
Education
Glass attended public school in Long Island, New York. He pursued his undergraduate education at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania where he majored in history. He then proceeded to New York University to get his master’s in American Civilization in 1971.
Despite his chosen majors, Glass only knew he wanted a career in museums when he pursued his doctorate degree, also in history, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
At A Glance:
Current Position: Director, National Museum of American History (Since 2002)
Career History: Executive Director, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (1987-2002); Executive Director, North Carolina Humanities Council (1983-1987)
Birthday: September 27, 1947
Hometown: Woodmere, New York
Alma Mater: Lafayette College, B.A. in History, 1969; New York University, M.A. in American Civilization, 1971; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Ph.D. in History, 1980
Spouse: Cathryn Keller
Office: 14th Street and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20560
Email: glassb@si.edu
“I only really developed an interest in museums when I was in my mid-twenties,” said Glass.
He considered lecturing at a university but instead chose to educate through museums.
“I’m teaching all the time,” said Glass. “It’s just the classroom is the museum.”
Public history is what Glass defines as history outside of the university, where you have a more public audience in museums, historic sites and archives.
Modern Educator
Glass said museums are often undervalued and underutilized as educational resources. He encourages people to visit museums not just for fun but also to learn.
“One of the great thrills that I get in our museum is standing in an exhibit and seeing a parent pointing to something,” said Glass. “Explaining something about that object and adding on to what we have on an exhibit label.”
In light of this, one challenge Glass said the museum faces is determining what collections are going to be displayed and, more importantly, what stories are going to be told.
“As big as the museum is, it’s not big enough to show everything we have,” said Glass. “So, what’s nice about the internet is that we can put more information on our website than what we can put on the floor of our museums.”
Since Glass became the director, the museum’s online presence has also greatly increased. Through their official blog, e-newsletter, and updates on Facebook and Twitter, the museum reaches an additional 14 million people a year.
“It’s important to me that we present history as something that is dynamic and alive rather than something that is remote and distant and not relevant to people’s lives today.”
The Future
Glass expressed that he will continue to pursue his mission to garner enthusiasm in history among the youth. In 2008, Glass appeared on the Colbert Report show three times. In one episode, he accepted Stephen Colbert’s portrait into the Smithsonian’s Treasures of American History exhibit at the Air and Space Museum.
“It was very fun and he has a younger audience that we would very much like to reach,” said Glass.
In order to bring in even more visitors, the museum plans on renovating the west wing and the east wing soon after. Similar to the remodeling in 2006, It will bring in more light and emphasize the progression from one exhibit to another.
With this in mind, Glass said he has no plans on leaving because he has enough work in the museum to keep him busy for another eight years.