SITES presented Russia, The Land, The People: Russian Painting, 1850–1910 at the Renwick Gallery in 1986, the first exhibition exchange with the Soviet Union following the signature of a cultural agreement in November 1985. Also, as part of the exchange, SITES organized New Horizons: American Painting 1840-1910 for tour to four cities in the Soviet Union.

In 1987, SITES presented the inaugural exhibition, Generations, in the new International Gallery, and also received a MacArthur Foundation grant—at that time the largest ever awarded to the Smithsonian for an exhibition.

The grant supported development of and programming for Tropical Rain Forests: A Disappearing Treasure, which opened in the International Gallery in May 1988 and toured to 15 major natural history museums in the U.S. A Spanish-language version, Nuestros Bosques, Nuestra Herencia, was developed by a consortium of Latin American scientists and educators for tour throughout Latin America.

SITES’ current director, Anna R. Cohn, was appointed in 1988. Previously, Cohn had served as guest curator and project director for The Precious Legacy and Generations. Under her direction, SITES has focused on creative methods for reaching new audiences, recognizing and appreciating the diverse cultures that exist in the U.S., and emphasizing Smithsonian collections and research in SITES exhibitions.

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