Exhibitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

View news releases below or see all of our publicly released upcoming exhibitions.

Sculpture in pointed oval shape made out of light wood and white feathers.

Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk, 1944–2019), Feather Canoe, ca. 1993. Peeled willow saplings, feathers, copper wire, 22 x 74 x 12 in. National Museum of the American Indian 41/6541

National Museum of the American Indian Announces Truman Lowe Exhibition
03.19.2025
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
Woman in a floor-length black dress poses for cameras on the red carpet.

Gladstone changed into this glittering black dress for the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Quilled rosettes and blue mountain motifs accent the quillwork neckline. Courtesy of Gucci, Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork, and Lily Gladstone. Photo credit Doug Peters/PA Images via Getty Images.

Lily Gladstone’s Oscar Gowns To Be Displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian
02.20.2025
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
Close-up of blue velvet gown with beaded x shapes.
NMAI Gladstone Gowns - Close-up of Gown

Detailed image by Smithsonian Imaging Services, DPO/ODT

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Woman walking the red carpet in a dark blue velvet gown.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
NMAI Gladstone Gowns - Academy Awards Ceremony

Gladstone wore this show-stopping gown during the 96th Academy Awards ceremony. The cape features 216 hand-quilled and beaded petals. Of the design, Gladstone lauded, “I can literally feel the love poured into each quill and bead—the dress is alive with it.”

Download (3.26 MB)
Close-up of a singular, round-cut red diamong against a light background.

The Winston Red Diamond, an exquisite 2.33 carat Fancy red diamond - one of the finest in the world. Photo by Robert Weldon, courtesy of Ronald Winston.

Smithsonian Acquires One of the World’s Largest “Fancy Red” Diamonds
Winston Red Diamond Will Be Unveiled to the Public at the National Museum of Natural History Alongside a Rainbow of Colorful Diamonds
02.18.2025
Natural History Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions
A group of four people tour a museum gallery with yellow walls, black labels on the wall and a piano.

Photo by Matailong Du

“A Bold and Beautiful Vision” Exhibit Extended for a Year at the Anacostia Community Museum
Additional Public Programming Will Be Offered
02.12.2025
Anacostia Community Museum Exhibitions
Graphic with dark green background, white text and illustrations of orchids.
“Orchids: Masters of Deception” Exhibit at U.S. Botanic Garden Showcases Deceptive Flowers
02.03.2025
Exhibitions
Black and white fuzzy panda bear climbs on outside tree structure.

Male giant panda Bao Li in his habitat at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Oct. 24, 2024. Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Two New Giant Pandas Debut at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Celebration Continues With “District of Panda Party” and Release of Limited-Edition Giant Panda M&M’S
01.24.2025
National Zoo & SCBI Exhibitions Public Programs
Man in a black suit and red tie sits a dark wooden table in the Oval Office.

“President Donald J. Trump for Time Magazine in 2019” by Pari Dukovic, inkjet print, June 17, 2019 (printed 2020). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright 2019 Pari Dukovic.

National Portrait Gallery To Install Photograph of President-elect Donald J. Trump Before Inauguration
01.13.2025
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Abstract painting in blues, oranges, and purples showing silhouette of hands and a woman amid geometric shapes.

“Universe of Freedom Making” by Daniel Minter, 2024. Credit: Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Opens International Traveling Exhibition Dec. 13
Exhibition Invites Visitors on a Journey of Collective Healing While Exploring the Enduring History of Slavery and Colonialism
12.10.2024
African American Museum Exhibitions
Vintage photo of a young couple with a man in military uniform and woman in white outfit.

Masako and Irvine McConney Sr. drove from California to New York in 1955. Along the way several hotels and restaurants denied Irvine entry, so they slept and ate in the car. Courtesy of the McConney family.

Smithsonian Highlights the Experiences and Impact of Japanese War Brides in New Traveling Exhibition
“Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide” Begins National Tour Dec. 14 at Irving Archives and Museum in Irving, Texas
12.10.2024
Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions
Entrance to museum gallery designed as fake bank vault.
New Numismatic Rarities on View in “The Value of Money”
Exhibition Showcases One of the Smithsonian’s Most Treasured Collections
12.05.2024
American History Museum Exhibitions
Museum gallery with five silver and white tower sculptures with varying designs on them.

Photo by Brad Simpson, 2024, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of African Art Opens Exhibition by Artist Tsedaye Makonnen
12.05.2024
African Art Museum Exhibitions
Painting of a man lying on his stomach near a peace lily plant.

Miki Hayakawa, One Afternoon, ca. 1935, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in., New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, Gift of Preston McCrossen in memory of his wife, the artist, 1954, 520.23P

Nationally Touring Exhibition That Rewrites the History of Modernism in the US Arrives at Smithsonian American Art Museum in November
Exhibition Includes Three Trailblazing Japanese American Women Artists
10.29.2024
Exhibitions
A group of four women wearing blue dresses with feathers stand in a line looking forward.
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Smithsonian
10.23.2024
Exhibitions Public Programs
Giant panda Bao Li in China

Male giant panda Bao Li in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China, May 16. (Photo credit: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.)

Giant Pandas Arrive at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute From China
Bao Li and Qing Bao Will Make Their Public Debut Jan. 24, 2025
10.15.2024
National Zoo & SCBI Exhibitions Public Programs New Acquisitions
Illustrated scene of two men and one woman in traditional Japanese fashion amidst a garden.

Yūzū Nenbutsu Engi (Origins of the Yuzu Nenbutsu Sect) 融通念仏縁起 (detail), Handscroll, Kamakura or period, 14th century, Japan, Ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1959.13.

National Museum of Asian Art Presents Japan in Focus This Fall
Art in the Galleries and Public Programs Will Invite Visitors To Immerse Themselves in Japanese Culture
10.15.2024
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
Old document on long paper with handwritten caligraphy.

Treaty with the Western Cherokee, 1828. Image courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Treaty With the Western Cherokee, 1828 To Go On View at the National Museum of the American Indian
10.11.2024
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
Man with dark skin and grayish t-shirt stands with hands clasped.

Portrait of the artist Adam Pendleton. © Adam Pendleton. Photo: Matthew Septimus.

Hirshhorn Announces Landmark Exhibition “Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen” in Honor of Museum’s 50th Anniversary
Artist’s First Solo Exhibition in Washington, D.C., On View April 4, 2025–Jan. 3, 2027
10.08.2024
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Graphic with black background, white outline of building with front colonnade and large blocky white text.

Credit: “The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today” presented by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery Announces Artist List and Prizewinners for Museum’s Seventh Triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition
“The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today” Exhibition To Open May 3, 2025, Followed by a Tour to Other U.S. Cities
10.08.2024
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Purple background with large red text and smaller black text underneath.
"Making Home" Opens Nov. 2 with 25 Site-Specific Installations
10.02.2024
Cooper Hewitt Exhibitions
Sculpture of human body with different, colorful patterns covering different sections.

Roberto Lugo, DNA Study Revisited, 2022, urethane resin life cast, foam, wire, and acrylic paint, 66 × 27 × 17 in. (167.6 × 68.6 × 43.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 2024.19

First Exhibition To Examine the Intertwined Histories of American Sculpture and Race Opens Nov. 8 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
10.01.2024
American Art Museum Exhibitions
Moving image of a textile with red background and stylized figures.

“The Grim Work of Death” by Christopher Myers. Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Copyright Christopher Myers.

Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion Portrayed in Striking Artwork at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
New Tapestry Recounts the Prophesy, History and Mythology of an Uprising
09.25.2024
African American Museum Exhibitions
Room with a large, curved wall with screens showing data visualizations and other images.

A large Hyperwall—a giant video screen used to display NASA’s Earth Information Center data—will be the centerpiece of “NASA’s Earth Information Center at the National Museum of Natural History.” James Di Loreto, Smithsonian.

Smithsonian and NASA Partner to Open Exhibition Exploring Ever-Changing Earth from Space and on the Ground
“NASA’s Earth Information Center at the National Museum of Natural History” Showcases Larger-than-Life Screen Pairing Real-Time Graphics with Short Feature Videos to Visualize Interconnected Changes on the Planet
09.24.2024
Natural History Museum Exhibitions

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