Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Theodore Roosevelt scholar and historian Clay Jenkinson tells the story of Roosevelt’s beloved west and the national park that bears his name in a Smithsonian Associates Streaming program on March 4. (National Park Service)

Smithsonian Associates

Theodore Roosevelt’s North Dakota and 27 Other Smithsonian Programs Streaming in March

The parasitoid samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus, is one of many microscopic wasps being studied and sometimes used as biocontrol agents in the fight against invasive species. (Elijah Talamas, USDA)

National Museum of Natural History

How Tiny Wasps Became Agricultural Defenders

James Miller has used his personal passion for wildlife to draft other youth to the cause.

Earth Optimism

Meet James Miller: A Cambridge Student and Aspiring Champion for Biodiversity

Album cover, Sound, 1966; Designed by Laini Abernathy (American) for Delmark Records (Chicago, Illinois); Lithograph on folder paper; 31.8 × 31.8 cm (12 1/2 × 12 1/2 in.); Gift of Caitlin Condell

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Laini Abernathy, Black Graphic Designer

Many contemporaries argued that Black men had more than earned the right to vote through their military service in the Civil War. (NMAH)

National Museum of American History

In 1868, Black Suffrage Was on the Ballot

This fossilized dinosaur head and vertebrae were discovered in 1883 but only recently gained its name, Smitanosaurus agilis. (Smithsonian)

National Museum of Natural History

Scientists Give Old Dinosaur a New Name

Maggie Lena Walker (Scurlock Studio Records, NMAH Archives Center).

National Museum of American History

How Maggie Lena Walker Became the First Black Woman to Run a Bank in the Segregated South

At the Smithsonian, educators have used the pedagogy of game-based learning to create innovative programs and activities that open the door to vast content and collections for learners of all ages. (National Museum of Natural History)

Smithsonian Education

Changing the Game with Game-Based Learning

Black Banjo Reclamation Project founders Hannah Mayree and Carlton “Seemore Love” Dorsey, with banjos made by Brooks Masten of Brooks Banjos in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Avé-Ameenah Long)

Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

A Quest to Return the Banjo to Its African Roots

Scientists described a new species of Bryde’s-like whale using the skeleton of a whale that washed ashore in the Florida Everglades in 2019 and is now part of the Smithsonian’s marine mammals collection. (NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC Permit No. 779-1633-0)

National Museum of Natural History

Scientists Describe New Species of Rare Bryde’s Whale

Smithsonian Education

How Museums Can Be Spaces for Reflection and Connection (Even with Their Doors Closed)

Perseverance Rover on Mars ( NASA Illustration)

National Air and Space Museum

Six Ways to Celebrate Perseverance This February

Sasun, a local guide, takes in the view of Mount Ughtasar. (My Armenia Program)

Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

See Armenia Through the Eyes of a Local Guide

The broad-tailed hummingbird uses its fiery throat feathers, called a gorget, to attract a mate. (Kati Fleming, CC BY-SA 3.0)

National Museum of Natural History

Eight of Nature’s Wildest Mating Rituals

January was a month full of firsts for giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji. The growing bear played with enrichment toys, took his first bites of sweet potato and bamboo, and had his first encounter with snow!

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

January's Best Giant Panda Moments—In Video

(James Renwick Jr., Sketch of the north tower of the Smithsonian Castle, 1846. Smithsonian Institution Archives. Graphic treatment by Deanna Luu)

Your IMPACT | Your Smithsonian

Our Foundation is Our Future

Jim McDowell holds his jug, “Emmett Till.” (Photo By Rimas Zailskas, courtesy of Asheville Made Magazine)

Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

Facing History: Lessons from the Potter’s Wheel

The trunk of Frank's car after three hours of collecting.

National Museum of American History

The Cold Morning of the Day After

National Museum of American History

Director of the National Museum of American History Reflects on the Challenges of Our Historic Times

Julia Kwon’s interactive art projects facilitate solidarity and community

Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Making the Most: In the Studio with Julia Kwon