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Office of Policy and Analysis: Partnerships Online
Carried out by the Smithsonian’s Office of Policy & Analysis, in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Asian Cultural History Program and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the International Programs & Partnerships works with institutions around the world to advance knowledge through conferences, seminars, lecture, collaborative research, training and online publications.
Museum Capacity Building - Partnerships Online
OP&A's international museum capacity building efforts have led to several cooperative projects with overseas museums, resulting in jointly produced online publications, exhibitions, and databases, including the following examples carried out with partner museums in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
Ancient Heritage in the AGT Pipelines Corridor
The Smithsonian’s informal consortium of OP&A, ACHP, OCIO and others, with support from BP, continues its international
collaboration with scholars and partners who are studying this widely divergent climatic, geological and biogeographical area
populated by numerous ethnic groups. Partners in the ACHP Consortium for this project include the Smithsonian’s
Office of Policy and Analysis, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Our counterparts in the
AGT region (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey) include the Gobustan National Historical Artistic Preserve, the Azerbaijan Institute of
Archeology and Ethnography and the Georgian National Museum. In conjunction with this project's museum capacity building component,
OP&A hosts other virtual exhibitions jointly developed with museums of Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Gobustan National Park and Preserve
The Office of Policy and Analysis developed a website on the magnificent rock carving art of Gobustan. The website features a major collection of
drawings from the Upper Paleolithic (Mesolithic, Neolithic, Eneolithic), Bronze, and Dark Ages. The carvings include images of anthropomorthic and
zoomorphic images, composite scenes, images of means of transportation and signs and symbols. The website also discusses the tools utilized, the techniques
of execution of rock art work, and the flora and fauna displayed. This site was developed in conjunction with the site museum at the Gobustan Historic and Natural
Preserve (Baku, Azerbaijan), as part of OP&A’s international museum capacity building efforts.
Discover Kazakhstan: The Expeditions of Chokan Valikhanov
The Office of Policy and Analysis, working in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Asian Cultural History Program (ACHP) and the Office of the Chief
Information Officer (OCIO), launched this online exhibition, a multiyear project that presents the scientific expeditions and contributions of the
great Kazakh geographer and ethnographer, Chokan Valikhanov (1835-1865). Beginning in 2010, the 175th anniversary year of Valikhanov’s birth, this
online space will offer archival and published documents and materials, to be augmented over a two-year period.
This OP&A exhibition has grown out of the longstanding partnership between the Smithsonian and the State Museums of Kazakhstan, another area of OOP&A’s international capacity building efforts carried out with other units of the Smithsonian.
Chavchavadze Family
In conjunction with other international museum capacity building efforts, the Smithsonian and the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia
created a site about the Chavchavadze family, a remarkable family that represents the highest aspirations of Georgians and made extraordinary
contributions to the nation’s creativity, freedom, and vitality. This family’s history forms the subject matter of the Tsinandali (Georgia)
site museum. This website is intended to raise questions about Georgia and its relationships to the West and about ideals of justice,
morality, culture, and citizenship. Although it only explores selected aspects of the great Chavchavadze family, it is designed to encourage
others to discover more about the Chavchavadzes and other extraordinary Georgians. The site provides a range of teaching activities and has
been utilized by school teachers, thus meeting the needs of communities throughout Georgia.
Dadiani Dynasty
This website introduces readers to the Dadiani family and to Samegrelo, from ancient times to the
present. This family’s place within the region's history forms the subject matter of the Dadiani Palace Museum in Zugdidi, Republic of Georgia.
Like its companion site on the Chavchavadze family of eastern Georgia, this site contains texts, photographs, and maps that strive to capture the
spirit of an extraordinary family and its times. It is aimed at scholars, students, and members of the general public who want to learn about
Samegrelo’s historical journey. It affords a chance to bridge and make connections between Samegrelo and other regions of Georgia.
