Smithsonian Gets Curator of American Religious History

The Washington Post reported last week that the Smithsonian Institution for the first time since the 1890's has hired a Curator of American Religious History.  The post is held by Peter Manseau, the son of a former nun and a priest. (Background.) Funded by a $5 million grant from the Lilly Foundation, Manseau will curate new exhibits on American religious history and add important religious objects to the museum’s collections.  He is planning a 5-year series of events and exhibitions, the first of which will open in June 2017 at the National Museum of American History in Washington.