Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice Gallery Talk

Smithsonian American Art Museum 750 9th St. N.W., Washington, DC, United States

Join senior curator Virginia Mecklenburg for a highlights tour of SAAM's exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice. Painted in the mid-1940s, these images honor the stories of African American historical figures who worked to bring peace to the world while facing the realities of racism, oppression, and violence. Learn more about the backgrounds of “Fighters” […]

Free
Recurring

SAAM Fellows Lectures

Smithsonian American Art Museum 750 9th St. N.W., Washington, DC, United States

Join the 2023–2024 SAAM Fellows as they present new scholarship on a range of topics and time periods, media and messages. This multi-afternoon program will highlight a new generation of scholars who are engaging the Smithsonian’s collections and archives in order to tell new stories about American art. The lecture will be held in person […]

Free

Artist Spencer Finch in Conversation

Smithsonian American Art Museum 750 9th St. N.W., Washington, DC, United States

Join multidisciplinary artist Spencer Finch in conversation with Sarah Newman, SAAM’s James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art. Finch is best known for his large-scale, site-specific works that explore changing landscapes, such as the Hudson River and Great Salt Lake. Through his work, he touches on the ideas of memory, environmentalism, the passage of time, and […]

Free

Pattern and Paradox: The Quilts of Amish Women

Smithsonian American Art Museum 750 9th St. N.W., Washington, DC, United States

Explore the creative practice of Amish quilters in the United States. Pattern and Paradox: The Quilts of Amish Women looks beyond quilting as a utilitarian practice. It reveals historical quilting among the Amish as an aesthetic endeavor that walked a line between cultural and individual expression. The quilts paradoxically twin the plain with the spectacular, […]

Free

Beyond the Studio Workshop: Cherry Blossoms with Nicolas Shi

Smithsonian American Art Museum 750 9th St. N.W., Washington, DC, United States

Kick off cherry blossom season with a workshop presented with Nicolas Shi, the official artist of the National Cherry Blossom Festival! A longtime resident of Washington, DC, Shi’s work is influenced by his upbringing in El Salvador, his Chinese heritage, and his formal education in the United States. In this two-hour workshop, he will discuss […]

$15