Editorial: Museum perfect fit for Vegas

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's greatest chronicler of the span between dinosaurs and space travel. There are few more hallowed institutions in this country than the world's largest museum, which makes its home in Washington, D.C.

But not all Americans are able to travel to the nation's capital. Even those who visit the Smithsonian will see less than 2 million of the 141 million artifacts in the institute's collection. The museum simply does not have the space to display all of its holdings.

That is why the Smithsonian, to its credit, established an affiliation program that currently includes 62 displays nationwide. Examples are the jazz exhibits in New York and in Kansas City, Mo. In three months we will be able to add to that list the Las Vegas Art Museum on West Sahara Avenue, which will house Smithsonian art. There are also plans by the Nevada Atomic Testing History Institute next year to display Cold War era artifacts donated by the Smithsonian.

We should not stop there. We think local museum officials ought to get behind an idea of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to add the Stewart Avenue post office to the affiliation program. The Sun's Erin Neff reported that when program director J. Michael Carrigan visited Las Vegas Thursday he encouraged local partnerships to bring exhibits to the city.

There are many potential exhibits that would be a perfect fit for the post office. A celebration of our reputation as the world's greatest entertainment center might be one possibility. So might a boxing exhibit. Other good fits would be displays of artifacts related to gaming, mining, railroads and Western lore.

A Smithsonian affiliation program on Stewart Avenue would give downtown a needed cultural shot in the arm. Local schoolchildren would also come out winners because of the obvious educational benefits.

When there is talk about improving quality of life in the Las Vegas Valley, most of the discussion focuses on the need for more parks, less traffic congestion and cleaner air. But we should not ignore the need for more local museums. Nothing but good would come from converting the downtown post office into a Smithsonian affiliate.