Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden B. Johnson and Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley successfully campaigned for a new museum on the National Mall. In 1966, an Act of Congress established the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution. Most of the funding was federal, but Hirshhorn later contributed $1-million toward construction. Joseph and his fourth wife, Olga Zatorsky Hirshhorn, visited the White House. The groundbreaking was in 1969 and Abram Lerner was named the founding Director. He oversaw research, conservation, and installation of more than 6,000 items brought from the Hirshhorns' Connecticut estate and other properties to Washington, DC. Joseph Hirshhorn spoke at the inauguration
Smithsonian Theaters Smithsonian Theaters Smithsonian Theaters is an operating unit of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business division for the Smithsonian Institution, United States. The unit operates three IMAX theaters and one Infiniti Digital Dome Planetarium, each presenting shows relevant to the museum in which it is located. The Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater is the flagship facility of Smithsonian Theaters, and is located on the first floor of the National Air and Space Museum National Mall Campus. It plays films related to aviation and space. The theater is host to lectures on topics spanning the purview of the museum. John Glenn hosts a