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Latest Features

The internationally recognized paper artist Jiyong Chung works in the Korean craft of Joomchi (above: Balance IV, detail), a technique that was born of necessity centuries ago.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Three Craft Artists Share How the Pandemic Has Reshaped Life and Art

Gigantic and extinct, Steller’s sea cows would have played an important role in shaping their environment.

SCIENCE

How Steller's Sea Cows Impacted the Environment They Left Behind

Adam Driver (left) plays Jacques Le Gris, a French squire accused of raping Marguerite, wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (right, played by Matt Damon).

HISTORY

The True History Behind 'The Last Duel'

"As an artist and an art lover," says the artist Nicolas Party, his site-specific, 829-foot work, Draw the Curtain, "is a way to pay homage" to the many art museums located in Washington, D.C. The Hirshhorn invited Party to help to disguise construction scaffolding as it undergoes a lengthy renovation.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

A Peek Behind the Curtain of Hirshhorn's Largest Artwork Ever

An artist's concept of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER.

SCIENCE

Five Things to Know About NASA's Lunar Rover 'VIPER'

Stretching 4,800 square feet in size, the piece coincides with the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child initiative and is also part of World Space Week.

TRAVEL

A Monumental Portrait of NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Crops Up in Atlanta

In October 1971, Disney World "cast members" pose with celebrity Mickey Mouse at one of the theme park's grand opening ceremonies. 

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

In the Magic Kingdom, History Was a Lesson Filled With Reassurance

Titled Avant-Garde, the monumental shaped canvas alludes to Liu as a “guard” of a socialist reality she did not condone.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Revolutionary Portraiture of Hung Liu

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine October 2021 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Smart News

New Research Dispels Theory That First Americans Came From Japan

Scientists found no distinct relationship after examining ancient teeth of both populations

2.

Smart News

Who Is the Enslaved Child in This Portrait of Yale University's Namesake?

Scholars have yet to identify the young boy, but new research offers insights on his age and likely background

3.

Science

Ode to an Orca

A photographer takes the plunge into forbidding waters off Norway for an extraordinary encounter with orcas

4.

History

The True History Behind Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel'

A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime

5.

Science

The Mind-Bending Math Behind Spot It!, the Beloved Family Card Game

The simple matching game has some deceptively complex mathematics behind the scenes

Smithsonian Voices
Conservation Commons

A Tweeting Tree and Climate Refugia in This Week's Earth Optimism

Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Exploring Latinx Stories in American Art

Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

A Catalan Choir Reinterprets Musician Raimon’s Anti-Fascist Lyrics

National Museum of Natural History

The Oldest Airborne Animal Was a Reptile With 'Weird' Wings

Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

Collaboration and Community: Working Together for the Future of Armenian Festivals

Conservation Commons

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day With These Indigenous-Focused Conservation Reads

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Special Report
<p>The Smithsonian's Race and Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past initiative centers on six pillars.</p>

Race in America

To mark the Smithsonian's multi-year initiative, Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, which will confront the history and legacy of race and racism through live and virtual events, pop-up exhibitions, digital resources, and other offerings, Smithsonian magazine has compiled this collection of relevant coverage.

View Full Report

Secretary Lonnie Bunch on Why the Smithsonian Is Talking About Race

158 Resources for Understanding Systemic Racism in America

The Relationship Between Race and Wellness Has Never Been More Pressing

Missing Caption

Travel with Smithsonian

Let the Journey Begin

Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'Was the Deepwater Horizon Disaster Preventable?

Was the Deepwater Horizon Disaster Preventable?

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'This Object in History: Fernandomania

This Object in History: Fernandomania

Preview thumbnail for video 'This Ancient Egyptian Mega-Tomb Is the Largest of Its Kind

This Ancient Egyptian Mega-Tomb Is the Largest of Its Kind

Photo of the day

A farmer is going home after laying out red chilies on plastic sheets under the bright sunlight during the harvesting season. Ton's of chilies are laid out to dry, creating a patchwork effect on open fields of Bangladesh. Sailor of Red Chili Sea

History

Adam Driver (left) plays Jacques Le Gris, a French squire accused of raping Marguerite, wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (right, played by Matt Damon).

The True History Behind 'The Last Duel'

A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime

Photo of 1982 excavation at North Shore site

Before Rhode Island Built Its State House, a Racist Mob Destroyed the Community That Lived There

In&nbsp;Six, Henry VIII&#39;s wives (top row, L to R: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour; bottom row, L to R:&nbsp;Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr)&nbsp;reclaim their stories.

The True History Behind 'Six,' the Tudor Musical About Henry VIII's Wives

Science

An artist&#39;s concept of NASA&rsquo;s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER.

Five Things to Know About NASA's Lunar Rover 'VIPER'

The device will hunt for resources, including water, vital to future space exploration

A gharial has the same skull shape as some extinct crocodiles. This skull shape has likely evolved three different times during the history of crocodiles.

Modern Crocodiles Are Evolving at a Rapid Rate

Plastic debris covers much of the sand on Henderson Island.

Plastics Make Beaches Hotter During the Day and Colder at Night

Innovation

The embryo of a small-spotted catshark, safe inside its egg case, is being raised at the aquarium Oceanogr&agrave;fic Val&egrave;ncia by Associaci&oacute; Lamna, a nonprofit that promotes shark conservation and research. At this stage, the young shark&#39;s gills are still external and it is growing from the sustenance provided in the yolk, visible at the bottom of the egg case.

Biologists Rescue Unborn Baby Sharks at Fish Markets

Scientists are collecting egg cases from recently caught pregnant sharks, raising the babies and releasing them into the wild

An artist&#39;s concept of NASA&rsquo;s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER.

Five Things to Know About NASA's Lunar Rover 'VIPER'

Throughout the project, Beethoven&rsquo;s genius loomed.

How Artificial Intelligence Completed Beethoven's Unfinished Tenth Symphony

Arts & Culture

Adam Driver (left) plays Jacques Le Gris, a French squire accused of raping Marguerite, wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (right, played by Matt Damon).

The True History Behind 'The Last Duel'

A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime

Tompson (far left)&nbsp;with colleagues Dot Smith, Walt Disney and Donna Luppo in an undated photo

Ruthie Tompson, Who Shaped Disney's Most Beloved Films, Dies at 111

The internationally recognized paper artist Jiyong Chung&nbsp;works in the Korean craft of Joomchi&nbsp;(above: Balance IV, detail), a technique that was born of necessity centuries ago.

Three Craft Artists Share How the Pandemic Has Reshaped Life and Art

Travel

Stretching 4,800 square feet in size, the piece coincides with the United Nations&#39; International Day of the Girl Child initiative and is also part of World Space Week.

A Monumental Portrait of NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Crops Up in Atlanta

The earthwork is the latest in land artist Stan Herd's impressive, decades-spanning portfolio

&quot;As an artist and an art lover,&quot; says the&nbsp;artist Nicolas Party, his site-specific, 829-foot work,&nbsp;Draw the Curtain,&nbsp;&quot;is a way to pay homage&quot; to the many art museums located in Washington, D.C. The Hirshhorn invited Party to help to disguise&nbsp;construction scaffolding as it undergoes a lengthy renovation.

A Peek Behind the Curtain of Hirshhorn's Largest Artwork Ever

The Fleming Villa at GoldenEye.

Follow Ian Fleming's Footsteps Through Jamaica

At the Smithsonian

The internationally recognized paper artist Jiyong Chung&nbsp;works in the Korean craft of Joomchi&nbsp;(above: Balance IV, detail), a technique that was born of necessity centuries ago.

Three Craft Artists Share How the Pandemic Has Reshaped Life and Art

Traditional and innovative specialists make ready for the upcoming virtual Smithsonian Craft Show and Sale

&quot;As an artist and an art lover,&quot; says the&nbsp;artist Nicolas Party, his site-specific, 829-foot work,&nbsp;Draw the Curtain,&nbsp;&quot;is a way to pay homage&quot; to the many art museums located in Washington, D.C. The Hirshhorn invited Party to help to disguise&nbsp;construction scaffolding as it undergoes a lengthy renovation.

A Peek Behind the Curtain of Hirshhorn's Largest Artwork Ever

In October 1971, Disney World &quot;cast members&quot; pose with celebrity Mickey Mouse at one of the theme park&#39;s grand opening ceremonies.&nbsp;

In the Magic Kingdom, History Was a Lesson Filled With Reassurance