Exhibitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

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

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Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gail Anderson, copyright Gail Anderson.

National Museum of African American History and Culture To Display Space Devoted to Black Design
05.30.2024
African American Museum Exhibitions
Bronze relief of a large figure holding long stick and smaller figures holding various items flanking him.

Edo artist, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, Plaque, Mid-16th to 17th century, Copper alloy.

National Museum of African Art Displays Nine Benin Bronzes on Loan From the Government of Nigeria
Special Exhibition To Mark the Museum’s 60th Anniversary
05.23.2024
African Art Museum Exhibitions
A textile with a black silhouette of a woman leaping in the air.

Emma Amos, “Winning,” 1982, acrylic on linen with hand-woven fabric, 75 × 64 in. (190.5 × 162.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, museum purchase made possible by the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 2019.15, Copyright 1982, Ryan Lee Gallery, New York.

New Exhibition at the Renwick Gallery Celebrates Women Artists Who Revolutionized Fiber as a Powerful Medium for Contemporary Art
05.20.2024
Renwick Gallery Exhibitions
Black and white picture of Abraham Lincoln in ornate gold oval frame.

Abraham Lincoln by George Clark, ambrotype campaign pin, 1860. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

National Portrait Gallery Presents “Picturing the Presidents: Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection”
05.16.2024
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Painting of green landscape in daylight with man in hat crouched in the distance.

“Blossom Time” (detail), Willard Metcalf (1858–1925), United States, 1910, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1915.27a-b

National Museum of Asian Art Presents “Shifting Boundaries: Perspectives on American Landscapes”
Engaging a Multiplicity of Viewpoints, Exhibition Looks at Paintings of New England From a New Angle, Considers Human Impact, Indigenous Histories and Environmental Changes
05.08.2024
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
Two men in dark puffy jackets and glasses stand against wall of colorful grafitti.
New Date: “OSGEMEOS: Endless Story” To Open Sept. 29
First US Museum Survey and Largest US Exhibit of Artwork by Brazil’s OSGEMEOS Will Showcase Almost 1,000 Artworks, Sept. 29–Aug. 3, 2025
04.26.2024
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Black, silver, and steel motorcycle with kickstand down against white background.

Robert M. Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk Motorcycle. Photograph by Jaclyn Nash, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

“Zen and the Open Road” To Feature Most Famous Forgotten Motorcycle
On View in the National Museum of American History’s Transportation Gallery
04.09.2024
American History Museum Exhibitions
Older written document with creasing on paper from age and cursive handwriting.

National Archives, Washington, DC | Transcript: Originally published in Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, 1904; digitized by Oklahoma State University.

Quapaw Treaty of 1818 To Go On View at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
04.03.2024
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
Multicolored quilt with repeating patterns and large blue square in center.

Unidentified Maker​​, Crazy Star; ca. 1920​​, Arthur, Illinois​​, cotton and wool; 74 x 63 ½ in. (detail), Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown, Promised gift to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

New Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Examines Traditional and Innovative Designs by Amish Women Quilters
Presentation Features Recent Gift From Collectors Faith and Stephen Brown
03.27.2024
American Art Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions
Turquoise-colored ceramic with painted small orange koi fish and a slice of lime, small gray and white bird on top.
Smithsonian Craft Show Opens May 1
The Country’s Best Contemporary Craft for Purchase at Juried Event
03.27.2024
Exhibitions Public Programs
Sepia-toned picture of woman smiling, dancing on a stage with hands on opposite knees.

“Josephine Baker” by Waléry, gelatin silver print, 1926. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

National Portrait Gallery Presents “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939”
On View April 26–Feb. 23, 2025
03.27.2024
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Computer graphic with dark blue background and colored silhouettes of athletes in various positions.
Smithsonian Sports Invention Exhibition Will Have People Rethinking Their Game
“Change Your Game”/“Cambia tu juego” Opens March 15 at the National Museum of American History
03.11.2024
American History Museum Exhibitions
Graphic with blue background, title in center, and various smaller objects including purple dress, microscope, and journal.
Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Launches First Digital Exhibition
Lynda Carter Joins for a Virtual Look Inside the Exhibition March 14
03.07.2024
American Women's History Museum Exhibitions
Black and white image of a group of young students sitting at desks in an arts classroom.

Lois Mailou Jones in her classroom at Howard University, Credit: Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Anacostia Community Museum Presents Exhibition About Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C.
“A Bold and Beautiful Vision” Opens March 23
03.07.2024
Anacostia Community Museum Exhibitions
Full body portrait of woman wearing hair covering in broad swaths of color.
William H. Johnson’s “Fighters for Freedom” Series Reunited for the First Time in More Than 75 Years at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Exhibition Is Drawn From the Museum’s Extensive Collection of Works by the Black Modernist Painter and Important Figure of the Harlem Renaissance
03.07.2024
American Art Museum Exhibitions
Multiple images of various objects including a wooden chair, green floor lamp, map of New York City, granite side table.
Exhibition at Cooper Hewitt to Celebrate Recent Acquisitions to the Collection
"Acquired! Shaping the National Design Collection" On View March 16 Through Sept. 2, 2024
02.27.2024
Cooper Hewitt Exhibitions
Close-up photograph of gold surface with bumpy texture and repeating pattern.

Embossed gold jar (detail), Ōnuma Chihiro (b. 1950), Japan, Shōwa era, 1988, hammered copper with amalgam gilding (kinkeshi), National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Bequest of Shirley Z. Johnson, S2022.8.37a–c Copyright Ōnuma Chihiro.

National Museum of Asian Art Announces Its Newly Acquired Shirley Z. Johnson Collection of Contemporary Japanese Metalwork
Objects From This Unprecedented Gift Will Be on View in the Upcoming Exhibition “Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork”
02.26.2024
Exhibitions New Acquisitions
Image of two paintings side by side, woman on left wears a black dress in dark room and woman on right wears blue dress.

Left: John Singer Sargent, “Mrs. Kate A. Moore,” 1884. Oil on canvas; 71 5/8 x 45 3/4 in. (181.9 x 116.2 cm). Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972 (72.257). Photo: Lee Stalsworth.

Right: Amoako Boafo, “Cobalt Blue Dress,” 2020. Oil on canvas; 78 3/8 x 60 1/2 in. (199.1 x 153.7 cm). Gift of Sandra and Howard Hoffen, 2022 (2022.016). Photo: Rob Blunt.

“Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960” Inaugurates the 50th Anniversary of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Exhibition of 270 Artworks Charts the Development of the National Collection
02.21.2024
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
A man embraces a woman from behind in a black and white image.

Clark Gable and Joan Crawford by George Hurrell, gelatin silver print, 1936. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired in part through the generosity of an anonymous donor.

National Portrait Gallery Presents “Star Power: Photographs From Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell”
On View March 1–Jan. 5, 2025
02.01.2024
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Computer-generated mockup of multiple people, of various ages and appearance, in museum gallery looking at real planes.

World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation Gallery Rendering. Smithsonian Institution.

National Air and Space Museum Provides Update on Renovation Project
Museum Shares Names and Renderings of Final 12 Galleries To Open
01.30.2024
Air and Space Museum Exhibitions
A woman seated at a table, sewing a bodysuit with a patch of the American flag and patch with the acronym NASA.

"Sewing a fine seam—finishing touches are applied to one section of the new spacesuit for NASA's Apollo lunar missions on this long-arm sewing machine, built specially for manufacturing the spacesuits." Hazel Fellows, seated, machine-sewing pieces of an Apollo A7L spacesuit on the production line at International Latex Corporation (ILC), Federica (Dover), Delaware; released Aug. 9, 1968. Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Celebrates Women’s History Month 2024 With Inaugural Digital Exhibition and New Initiatives
01.30.2024
American Women's History Museum Exhibitions Public Programs
Facade of building with colorful sculpture and large doorway.
“From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson” Extended to Jan. 6, 2025, at National Museum of African Art
01.16.2024
African Art Museum Exhibitions
Photograph of live orchid planted in colorful, patterned pot admist other lush greenery.
Smithsonian Gardens To Present 28th Annual Orchid Exhibition
Installation Includes Commissioned Works by Artist Phaan Howng and Explores Conservation Efforts
01.10.2024
Smithsonian Gardens Exhibitions Public Programs
Square yellow button with two silhouettes facing each other and candles in between.

Pinback button celebrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Credit: Collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

Kwanzaa and Holiday Specials Highlight December Programming at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
11.27.2023
African American Museum Exhibitions Public Programs

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