Visual Arts
How Lego Is Constructing the Next Generation of Engineers
With programmable robots and student competitions, Lego is making “tinkering with machines cool again”
May 2013 |
By Franz Lidz
The Real Deal With the Hirshhorn Bubble
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum looks to expand in a bold new way
May 2013 |
By Joseph Giovannini
Never Underestimate the Power of a Paint Tube
Without this simple invention, impressionists such as Claude Monet wouldn’t have been able to create their works of genius
May 2013 |
By Perry Hurt
How Do You Make a Painting Out of Sounds?
Jennie C. Jones has the answer. Her first solo museum show opens at the Hirshhorn in May
May 2013 |
By Jamie Katz
Spotlight
The latest Smithsonian exhibitions showcase Civil War photography, Buddhist figures and Time magazine cover portraits
May 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Egypt’s Murals Are More Than Just Art, They Are a Form of Revolution
Cairo’s artists have turned their city’s walls into a vast social network
May 2013 |
By Waleed Rashed
Before There Was Photoshop, These Photographers Knew How to Manipulate an Image
Jerry Uelsmann and other artists manually blended negatives to produce dreamlike sequences
May 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Saturn’s Mysterious Hexagon Is a Raging Hurricane
At the heart of Saturn's hexagon, a giant hurricane
April 30, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Decoding the Range: The Secret Language of Cattle Branding
Venture into the highly regulated and fascinating world of bovine pyroglyphics
April 30, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Events April 30-May 2: Origins of the Renaissance, Native Crafts and History Reanimated
This week, hear how a Roman emperor may have started the Renaissance, make your own Native art and meet digital animation artist Kota Ezawa
April 29, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
The Strange Beauty of David Maisel’s Aerial Photographs
A new book shows how the photographer creates startling images of open-pit mines, evaporation ponds and other sites of environmental degradation
April 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Decoding The City: The Road Graffiti Placed by Utility Workers
These infrastructural lines mark the pathways of pipes and wires beneath the paved surface -- but what does each color mean?
April 26, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Story of Elizabeth Keckley, Former-Slave-Turned-Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
A talented seamstress and savvy businesswoman, she catered to Washington's socialites
April 24, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
The Eyes Have It
In the wake of the Boston bombing, Amy Henderson explores parallels between Edison's revolution of electricity and today’s mediascape that helped solve the crime
April 23, 2013 |
By Amy Henderson
Before and After: America’s Environmental History
For the EPA's State of the Environment Photography Project, people are returning to sites photographed in the 1970s. They are snapping the scenes yet again—to document any changes in the landscape
April 22, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
VIDEO: Earth Art on the Mall
Four artists left their mark for the Smithsonian's first ever land art installation as part of a new exhibit about African artists and the earth
April 22, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Events April 23-25: Cyrus Cylinder, Collage Art and a Craft Show
This week, hear about one of history's most important artifacts, see how assemblage changed the definition of art and peruse crafts by 121 artists
April 22, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Intriguing Science Art From the University of Wisconsin
From a fish's dyed nerves to vapor strewn across the planet, images submitted to a contest at the university offer new perspectives of the natural world
April 19, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What Modern Art Looks Like As Yummy Dessert
Pastry chef Caitlin Freeman uses inspiration from modern art to whip up cakes, cookies and other desserts
April 19, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
