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Abigail Pocasangre

Abigail Pocasangre is a digital design manager and web editor for the Smithsonian’s Office of Advancement.

Stories from this author

In Slavery's Wake Exhibition Photo

Legacies of Resilience

A National Museum of African American History and Culture Exhibition frames the history of slavery in a global context

Pam Henson Interview

Preserving Living Memory

Smithsonian oral histories unblock American voices

Panda

A Texas Tradition

Learn about escaramuzas, a Texas tradition, by taking a closer look at Mexican American Verónica Dávila's dress featured in the National Museum of American History's exhibition, <em>Girlhood (It's Complicated)</em>.

Amazon Fish

Fishes of the Amazon

Current methods of identifying fish species require scientists to examine specimens through a microscope or conduct DNA testing. But what if identification could be achieved simply by taking a cell phone photo?

Exoplanet

Life on Exoplanets

Could there be life on planets outside our solar system? For astrophysicists, it’s a big unanswered question, and one that AI technology can help investigate.

Space Suit Digitization

A 3D Space Suit

To tell the story of the first American in space, the Smithsonian Digitization Program Office and the National Air and Space Museum are digitizing in 3D—with the help of AI—one of the museum’s most iconic objects: astronaut Alan Shepard’s 1961 Mercury space suit.

Citizen's Forest Park Chan-kyong 003 (1).png

A Contemporary Look at Asian Art

South Korean artist Park Chan-kyong brings new perspectives to the National Museum of Asian Art this fall with the opening of <em>Park Chan-kyong: Gathering</em>, the inaugural exhibition in the museum’s just-opened modern and contemporary galleries.

SAAM-AVV_photo_by_Albert_Ting (Edited)

Sight Lines

The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s reimagined galleries for modern and contemporary art invite visitors to reconsider what American art is and can be.

LandAirSea-banner.jpg

Air, Land and Sea: New Tools for Resilience

In the air, on land and in the sea, the Smithsonian is building new tools for resilient ecosystems—innovative approaches and technologies that will provide knowledge and open up avenues to understand and protect our planet.

History Comes Alive Graphic

Beyond the Textbook

Nebraska Educators and the Smithsonian Bring Learning to Life

Prince's Guitar

On With The Show

The National Museum of American History's newest exhibition explores the power of pop culture.

Lynn Whitmore

Sustaining People and the Planet

What do you know about what you eat? Where does it come from? How was it grown, fished or harvested, and by whom? From Virginia farmlands to Alaskan headwaters and Panamanian shores, the Smithsonian is working with scientists, farmers and fishermen to illuminate the connections between food and sustaining a diverse planet—working with nature to protect and nourish the land, streams and oceans that feed us.

Grace Young

Conserving Food Cultures

Food History Weekend 2022 Spotlights Advocates, Innovators

Los científicos ciudadanos

Woodlawn House: Un Nuevo Capítulo

La edificación más antigua de la colección del Smithsonian abre al público por primera vez.

citizen scientists

Woodlawn House: A New Chapter

The oldest building in the Smithsonian’s collection opens to the public for the first time.

Galeria Latina

La Historia Latina es La Historia Estadounidense

La Galería latina de la familia Molina—un sueño desde mucho tiempo se hace realidad en el Smithsonian.

Latino Gallery

Latino History is American History

The Molina Family Latino Gallery—A long-held dream comes to life at the Smithsonian.

Visionary Sisters Make "A Modern Museum" comic with border

Visionary Sisters Make a 'Modern Museum'

The making of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum started with two sisters. Learn more about the sisters, their family and the origins of the nation's design museum.

Jiro Ueda 1

Where Art Meets Science

A behind the scenes look at art conservation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

NMAfA–Ngaire Blankenberg–Portrait

A Global Perspective

A Conversation with Ngaire Blankenberg

A Window In Curators–film strip

A Window In

We spoke with three Smithsonian art curators about recent acquisitions that capture the spirit and vision of each museum’s vast and growing collection.

LEFT: Malaquias Montoya, Yo Soy Chicano, 1972 (reprinted in collaboration with Dignidad Rebelde, 2013). Gift of Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores García © 1972, Malaquias Montoya (2019.51.1) RIGHT: Rupert García, Frida Kahlo (September), ​​​​​from Galería de la Raza 1975 Calendario, 1975. Gift of the Margaret Terrazas Santos Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum © 1975, Rupert García (2019.52.19)

Change Makers

The power, lasting impact of activist Chicano artists

A prairie warbler greets the spring in New Jersey. PHOTO Cameron Darnell

Deciphering the Mysteries of Migratory Birds

Each spring across the forests, lakes and suburbs of North America, millions of birds take a long journey north in search of summer nesting territory.

(ILLUSTRATION Evan Keeling)

Moments of Innovation

The Smithsonian was founded in the early days of a brand-new democracy, as the United States was developing its identity as a nation that applies new ideas and scientific inquiry to better society. From the beginning, the Smithsonian helped shape that identity. The institution still does, innovating to meet the evolving needs of the American people. Explore moments of innovation that shaped the Smithsonian over 175 years.

(IMAGE Deanna Luu)

Building the Smithsonian

Explore the Smithsonian’s iconic buildings from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to the forests of Panama and beyond.

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

Our Foundation is Our Future

Explore some inspiring threads of continuity in the Smithsonian’s pursuit of its mission during the course of 175 years

The Smithsonian came into being around the same time as the medium of photography (Graphic created by Deanna Luu)

175 Years of Photography at the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian came into being around the same time as the medium of photography

Pandemic as Portal

The New Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for arts and culture institutions worldwide. At the Smithsonian, we are confronting challenges and embracing opportunities presented by “a new normal.”

In June 2020, a protest against racial injustice and police brutality made its way through the streets of Washington, D.C. Photographer Talia Hawley submitted this photo as part of the Anacostia Community Museum’s Moments of Resilience storytelling project. PHOTO Talia Hawley

Healing A Nation

In a year marked by widespread protests against racial injustice and calls to reckon with America’s racial past, the Smithsonian is taking a big step toward helping the country heal. A new Race, Community and Our Shared Future initiative—to launch nationwide this winter with generous support from founding partner Bank of America—will explore how Americans understand, experience and confront race.

Crimilda in cap and gown, Courtesy of Western Michigan University Special Collections, Crimilda Pontes Graphic Arts Archive.

Crimilda Pontes: The Original Designer of the Smithsonian Sunburst

A celebration of the woman who originally designed the iconic Smithsonian sunburst.

left to right: Herrenhauser Embreea Orchid (Embreea herrenhusana). Smithsonian Gardens; Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Gwaneum bosal), Goryeo period, c. 1220–85. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, on loan from National Museum of Korea. 3D scanning data used to create this digital model generously provided by the National Museum of Korea.

Smithsonian Open Access: Unlocking Our Treasures

This month the Smithsonian becomes Creative Commons Zero (CC0). This means we are opening the digital doors, making our content available under user-friendly copyright laws. Artists, researchers and anyone with an internet connection can download, remix, reuse and share Smithsonian collections—just about any way they like.

Smithsonian Education

Diverse Voices, New Narratives: Education at the Smithsonian

Smithsonian museums and research centers are bringing more diverse voices and perspectives to educational programs. Here, two Smithsonian educators talk about presenting new narratives, challenging stereotypes and creating role models.

Dr. Mae Jamison, 1992, NASA.

Because of Her Story

What if you tried to write the American story using only half the alphabet? Even if you could include a few more letters the important ones, the most visible ones or some that haven't been given their due you'd be hard pressed to capture what happened.

Darren Walker

Catalyst Darren Walker, A Leader for Social Justice

Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation. Under his leadership, the foundation has given generously to help build the National Museum of African American History and Culture; the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to support culture labs that foster a deeper understanding of Asian Pacific Americans; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum for
two groundbreaking exhibitions, Design for the Other 90% and Access + Ability; and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. This fall, Walker was honored by Cooper Hewitt with the Director’s Award for his courageous vision for fighting social inequality, inspiring leadership and unwavering support of organizations that build a more inclusive and strong civil society.

The Smithsonian Latino Center’s first gallery, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, will open at the National Museum of American History in 2021

Making History Together—Building a Latino Gallery for the Nation

The Smithsonian Latino Center’s first gallery, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, will open at the National Museum of American History in 2021 to showcase the Latino Experience in the United States and connect the community’s rich past with its dynamic present.

IwamotoScott, Voussoir Cloud, SCIArc Gallery (Los Angeles, California, 2008). PHOTO Judson Terry. In IwamotoScott Architecture's 2008 installation Voussoir Cloud, heavy wood blocks become translucent petals depending on the changing light of day. The firm won the 2019 National Design Award for Interior Design.

Design Minds

The National Design Awards celebrate 20 years of inspiration.

Thirteen “Because of Her Story” interns spent the summer uncovering stories of remarkable American women and learning museum practice. Pictured: Stella Hendricks, intern, National Portrait Gallery. (Michael Barnes)

“Because of Her Story” Interns Look to Historical Role Models

As they wrapped up their Smithsonian assignments this month, interns reflected on their summer experience and individual research projects, which included studying the skeletal remains of 19th century African American women; planning a major traveling exhibition on the history of American girlhood; and writing about the women who worked on the Apollo space program.

Thirteen “Because of Her Story” interns spent the summer uncovering stories of remarkable American women and learning museum practice. Pictured: Stella Hendricks, intern, National Portrait Gallery. (Michael Barnes)

“Because of Her Story” Interns Look to Historical Role Models

As they wrapped up their Smithsonian assignments this month, interns reflected on their summer experience and individual research projects, which included studying the skeletal remains of 19th century African American women; planning a major traveling exhibition on the history of American girlhood; and writing about the women who worked on the Apollo space program.

PhotoQuest/Getty Images

Women of Apollo

Though the "public face" of the U.S. space program in the 1960s was male, many women played essential roles in building the Apollo program and making the Moon landing a success. As we mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, here are a few women whose stories deserve to be celebrated.

Firooz Zahedi, Ellen DeGeneres, 1997. Gift of Time magazine, National Portrait Gallery (NPG.99.TC23.1) ©Firooz Zahedi

LGBTQ Women Who Made History

In celebration of Pride Month, we honor LGBTQ women who have made remarkable contributions to the nation and helped advance equality in fields as diverse as medicine and the dramatic arts. Here are a few of their stories, represented by objects in the Smithsonian collections.

(Dino Morrow Photography)

Hawai'i’s Women Canoe Carvers

In Hawai'i, the art of carving outrigger canoes has traditionally been a male pursuit. Many women have captained and paddled the canoes, but few have learned to build them—an undertaking that requires carving a vessel of 25 feet or more out of a massive tree trunk. In an effort to bring a new wave of women into the trade, the Smithsonian recently organized a canoe carving workshop in Hilo, Hawai'i, as part of the annual Merrie Monarch Festival celebrating Hawaiian culture.

Effie Kapsalis is the Senior Digital Program Officer for the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.

A Conversation with Effie Kapsalis

Effie Kapsalis has a cool job. As the Senior Digital Program Officer for the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, she works with curators and researchers to uncover girls' and women's stories embedded deep within the Smithsonian and give them a new life—and long-deserved recognition—online. Recently, we talked with her about the Smithsonian's "digital-first" approach to women's history, correcting the Wikipedia gender imbalance and finding inspiration from an early 20th century museum elevator operator who became an expert on insects.

Participants at a 1971 whale biology conference. Sheila Minor is pictured in the second row, center left. Photo via @mycandacejean

Uncovering Hidden Stories

When an illustrator recently posted a blurry, black and white photo (below) of a group of scientists attending a 1971 whale biology conference, the question reverberated across Twitter. Who was the sole unidentified figure and only woman in the picture, partially hidden behind a male colleague?

Ariana Curtis

Ariana Curtis: Museums and the Everyday Woman

When Débora Nazareno, an Afro-Indian woman who lived in remote Ecuador in the early 20th century, sat in her hand-carved boat seat to tell stories to her grandson, little did she know the seat would be the first object donated to a new Smithsonian museum nearly a century later.

Gail Anderson

Gail Anderson: A Lifetime in Design

In October 2018, New York-based designer, writer and educator Gail Anderson received the Lifetime Achievement National Design Award, bestowed by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The award recognizes Anderson’s innovative body of work and longtime leadership in the design field; her 30-plus-year career has spanned magazine covers to theatre posters and postage stamps.

Constance Stuart Larrabee (left) and friend photographing among Ndebele women, near Pretoria, South Africa, 1936. All photos used in this story are courtesy Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Photographing Africa: A Woman’s View

From the time she received a Kodak Brownie at age 10, South Africa-raised Constance Stuart Larrabee captured the world around her with an unsparing eye, ensuring her place as one of the 20th century’s foremost photojournalists