Office of the Secretary of the Smithsonian

beadwork art of the solar systm captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

This Stellar Smithsonian Program Will Bring the Wonders of the Universe to the Classroom

The new initiative will help students in rural areas learn more about astronomy. Can it inspire the next generation of scientists?

Nichelle Nichols

How One of the Smithsonian's Newest Museums Is Looking at the Unsung Heroines of American History

Even before it has a home on the Mall, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum is sharing stories of overlooked pioneers

Welcome to Territory, by the Lenape Center with Joe Baker, features turkey-feather capes suspended from the ceiling

At the Smithsonian's National Design Museum, a Home Is What You Make of It

In a new exhibition at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, artists explore just what makes a space feel like home

people holding hands while standing in ocean water

The Global Story of Slavery in the Americas Comes to the Smithsonian

"In Slavery's Wake," an international exhibition set to debut next month, illuminates the unfinished work of securing freedom

an absentee ballot used during the Civil War

How the Civil War Spawned the Mail-In Ballot

At the National Postal Museum, a new exhibition traces the long history of a newly popular way of voting

Smithsonian exhibition in Japan

Thirty Years Ago, a Smithsonian Exhibition in Japan Told the Whole American Story

The choices we made then still resonate today

Native Americans celebrate on the National Mall

Why This Year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival Honors Indigenous Americans

The annual summer tradition will celebrate the National Museum of the American Indian and the people it honors

Secretary Bunch and Melissa Chiu

Tracing a Century of History Through Art

The Hirshhorn and the Anacostia Community Museum both opened stunning and distinct exhibitions with unexpected parallels this March.

Volunteer Curt Breckenridge removes plaster used to display a tyrannosaur fossil

An Appreciation of the Volunteers Who Devote Their Time to the Smithsonian

Whether fielding questions from visitors or digging for answers behind the scenes, volunteers help the museums thrive

two black and white portraits of actors

Relive the Glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age With These Photos

The work of a pioneering celebrity photographer shines a spotlight on the iconic era

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Robert S. Duncanson and James P. Ball Were the Height of Black Artistry in 19th-Century America

A new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum reunites the work of two titans of their fields

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

What Comes Next for the Smithsonian's New Human Remains Task Force

As the Smithsonian grapples with a dark legacy, a new task force will recommend ethical policies for handling human remains

Canal

Reflections From a Dutch National Reckoning

After a trip to Amsterdam and discussions on a forthcoming National Slavery Museum in the Netherlands, I was struck by our universal and perpetually incomplete project of memorializing the past

a classroom of students take instructions from their teacher

How the Smithsonian Is Educating the Next Generation

From the National Mall to rural schoolhouses, we're bringing learning to students of all ages

a person stands in a decorated dress and vail on a beach with the sea behind them

Imagining an African Atlantis

A new exhibition envisions a world in which the Middle Passage created lives instead of claiming them

an oil painting of a woman in black dress with an orange sky behind her

Who Claims the American West?

A new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum challenges the old mythology of the frontier

Secretary Bunch meeting by the Castle at the 2022 Folklife Festival

The Folklife Festival and the Spectacular Diversity of American Identity

A look back on how one of the Smithsonian’s greatest traditions came to be and what to expect this summer

Mack McCormick working on his book, spring 1970

A New Exhibition Poses Questions About a Historian's Responsibility to Their Subjects

A renowned blues archive, on view at the National Museum of American History, uncovers a rich musical story with many provocations

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