The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) announced it has reached the $1 million pledged in support of the Smithsonian's new state-of-the-art "America on the Move" transportation exhibition.
"America on the Move" opens Nov. 22 at the National Museum of American History, located in Washington, D.C. It will encompass nearly 26,000 sq ft on the first floor of the museum, taking the place of former exhibitions in the old Road Transportation, Railroad and Civil Engineering Halls. The exhibition will feature approximately 300 objects.
"America on the Move" will focus on how transportation has changed American lives and landscapes. Organized chronologically, the exhibition will use more than a dozen vignettes to showcase the Smithsonian's popular transportation collections in historic settings. Among the historical moments explored are the coming of the railroad to a California town in 1876, the role of the streetcar and the automobile in creating suburbs outside of cities and the transformation of a U.S. port with the introduction of containerized shipping in the 1960s. The Interstate Highway System also will be a part of the exhibition.
ARTBA members who donated at least $25,000 will be recognized by name in the "America on the Move" exhibition area.
Initial support for the exhibition came through a $3 million congressional appropriation made in 1997. The funds came to the museum through the U.S. Department of Transportation and provided the necessary financial support to develop the exhibition script and design before any private sector fundraising began.
General Motors provided $10 million and AAA $5 million. Other major donors included: The History Channel; State Farm Cos. Foundation; National Asphalt Pavement Association; AAA; American Public Transportation Association; Association of American Railroads; United Parcel Service Foundation; and ExxonMobil.
