Amber Cowan's Dioramas of Vintage Glass Will Transport You to Whimsical Worlds
The artist’s novel take on contemporary glasswork earned her the Smithsonian Women’s Committee 2023 Delphi Award
With Renovated Galleries, the Smithsonian Expands Its Approach to Contemporary American Art
The historic hall in the American Art Museum where President Abraham Lincoln held his second inaugural...
Alma Thomas' Signature Style Is Full of Color and Tiled Brushstrokes
After a career as a schoolteacher, the Washington, D.C.-based painter flourished, creating vibrant patterns inspired by...
How a Smithsonian Curator Discovered the Hope Diamond’s Many Secrets
The storied past of the 45.52-carat sapphire-blue gemstone hails back to the days before the French...
Revisit 51 Years of Giant Pandas at the National Zoo, From Beloved Babies to Fun in the Snow
The Panda House's eight occupants have played a key role in conservation efforts over the decades
How an Orca Skeleton Made Its Way From Florida to the Smithsonian
Washed up in a rare stranding event, the newly collected specimen will offer rich exploration for...
The Painted Poetry of Jessica Diamond
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum hosts the artist’s largest installation yet
Could Humans Survive Unprotected Outside of Earth's Atmosphere for Even Ten Seconds?
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Video Artists Set the American Experience to Music
The Smithsonian American Art Museum brings its latest time-based media art to the widest possible audience,...
Scientists Cryopreserve and Revive Coral Fragments in a World First for Conservation
The new freezing technique could reinvigorate corals suffering from warming oceans—or even preserve human organs in...
A Century Ago, Glenn Curtiss Was the 'Fastest Man on Earth'
Before he changed aviation forever, the daredevil achieved an unparalleled speed record on land
To Mark the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' Speech Goes on Display
The draft on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture was...
An In-Depth Look at Latino History Among the Stars and Skies
This summer, a podcast series from the National Air and Space Museum discusses Operation Pedro Pan,...
These Artists Are Redefining the American West
A new Smithsonian American Art Museum show surveys the work of Black, Asian American, Indigenous, LGBTQ+...
How the War of 1898 Changed History Forever—in the United States and Beyond
When the nascent naval power invaded Puerto Rico, three artists captured the moment, each explaining its...
Pepón Osorio Pushes the Bounds of Public Art
The Puerto Rican artist emphasizes community in installations crafted from everyday objects
Making Strong Points Through Vivid Color Has Been Artist Robert Houle's Life Work
The first major retrospective of the Anishinaabe artist in the United States shows how he combines...
How the Mother of Modern Weaving Transformed the World of Design
Dorothy Liebes was committed to making quality textiles available to consumers of all classes
See a Life-Size Portrait of Queen Lili‘uokalani, the Last Reigning Monarch of Hawai‘i
The William Cogswell painting, now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, was likely a means...
How Cellphones Connect Us All
A new Natural History Museum exhibition explores how the devices link us to Earth and to...
The Architectural Genius of the Geodesic Dome and the Challenge of Putting It All Back Together
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History puts the engineering innovation back...
Six Native Artists Share Their Honors and Burdens in This Year's Renwick Invitational
The emerging and established Native American and Alaska Native creators bring innovation to traditional art practices
The 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Explores the Many Ways Americans Express Their Spirituality
Tibetan Buddhist monks, Yiddish musicians and many more creatives will share their cultural practices with visitors...
Why Are Chickens So Bad at Flying? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
The Deep Cultural Significance of the Art of Felt
A river of fabric? Janice Arnold’s installations, inspired by the people of Central Asia, go to...
These Objects Tell the Story of Human-Driven Climate Change
Smithsonian curators dig into the collections to find artifacts that illustrate how we arrived at this...
How George Washington Wrote His Farewell Address
A candle stand used by the first president illuminates his extraordinary last days in office
A Massive Archive Tells the Story of Early African American Photographers
Arresting portraits, now a part of the Smithsonian collections, illuminate the little-known role these artists played...
Celebrating 75 Years of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
The vast, eclectic public archive of American music—and other sounds—is featured on a new episode of...
What Disney Theme Parks Tell Us About Ourselves
An American History Museum exhibition looks at how the resorts have changed over time to reflect...
Meet the Inhabitants of the Mythic World of Drexciya
Artist Ayana V. Jackson creates an undersea realm honoring those who jumped or were thrown overboard...
