This year’s Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ 40th Anniversary Ruby Gala, “Paint the Town REaD” will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2008 in the spectacular Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian Institution’s Donald F. Reynolds Center for the Arts. That is the building that houses the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. This will be a very special evening, unlike any other in Washington, where hundreds of committed and influential people come together to increase awareness, recognize achievements and raise funds to support the ongoing efforts of the Libraries. This year, we are proud to announce that internationally-acclaimed best selling author David Baldacci will join us as the featured guest.
Join us for the VIP Reception at 7:00pm or the Main Event at 8:00pm. Dress is black-tie; women and men are encouraged to wear red or red accents in keeping with the "ruby red" theme. Click Attend the Gala to purchase tickets.
The Smithsonian Libraries serve as an integral component of the world’s largest and most prestigious museum and research complex, the Smithsonian Institution. The Libraries’ nationally renowned collection, housed in 20 branches, ranges from art and history to science and technology, collectively over one and a half million volumes, including 40,000 rare books. Among other treasures are the personal library of James Smithson, books and letters of Galileo, the voyages of Captain Cook, and Edward S. Curtis’s famous portraits of Native Americans. Each year, the Libraries offer a dynamic exhibition program and continue to build the Digital Library, which receives well over forty million hits a year from around the world. Your sponsorship will help support the work of the Institution’s curators and scientists and keep all these treasures accessible to a growing public constituency.