PHOTO COURTESY HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could force changes at the Smithsonian Institution on exhibits he claims advances “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

What does that mean for the Heinz History Center, which has been affiliated with the Smithsonian since 2000?

“The Heinz History Center does not anticipate any direct impact related to the recent executive order,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Heinz History Center, in a statement. “The order references the National Park Service and Smithsonian museums. The History Center’s Smithsonian affiliation is a long-term collaborative partnership that brings world-class Smithsonian artifacts, exhibitions, and programs to Western Pennsylvania.

“As we prepare to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the History Center and the Smithsonian will continue to work closely on a wide array of programs, including workshops, professional development, artifact loans and publications,” he continued.

The History Center is the only museum in Western Pennsylvania affiliated with the Smithsonian but it receives no federal funds through the institution, said Brady M. Smith, chief communications officer for the history center. Nor does the History Center have to close — like the Smithsonian’s museums and centers do — when the U.S. government is shut down temporarily for lack of funding..

As part of the partnership with the Smithsonian, the History Center has some of its items on display here, such as the world’s oldest jeep and one of the first commercial radio transmitters, according to the History Center website.

In addition, when you join the history center, you also become a member of the Smithsonian, which provides such perks as free admission (although most Smithsonian museums and centers are open free to the public anyway), a subscription to the Smithsonian magazine and discounts on online shopping.

In signing the executive order, Trump claimed “that Americans have witnessed a concerted effort to rewrite American history and force our nation to adopt a factually baseless ideology aimed at diminishing American achievement.”

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, with 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo. It receives two-thirds of its annual $1 billion budget from the federal government, allocated by Congress.

The order directs Vice President JD Vance, who is a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to work to “eliminate improper, divisive or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo.”

The order directly criticized exhibits on display at the American Art Museum, the relatively new National Museum of African American History and Culture and one it said is planned by the American Women’s History Museum, which is not yet open.