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Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Five screen video installation

A Meditation on the Legacy of Frederick Douglass by Artist and Filmmaker Isaac Julien

Sir Isaac Julien’s moving image installation interweaves period reenactments across five screens to create a vivid picture of nineteenth-century activist, writer, orator, and philosopher Frederick Douglass.

Visitors look at a timeline of William H. Johnson's life

Who Are Today’s Fighters for Freedom?

SAAM's educators invite students and visitors to reflect on William H. Johnson's portraits and make connections to our world today.

Painting with a dark blue center circle surrounded by concentric circles of reds, oranges, and yellow

Reflecting on the Natural Wonders of an Eclipse

Before heading outside to witness the eclipse, immerse yourself in one of the most iconic artworks in SAAM’s collection

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Exploring Border Stories with Artist Tanya Aguiñiga

"Metabolizing the Border" explores the physical and psychological experiences migrants face while crossing the borderlands.

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Discovering William H. Johnson’s Hidden Stories

SAAM educator Phoebe Hillemann reflects on creating resources to spark curiosity for learners of all ages who view William H. Johnson’s "Fighters for Freedom" series

Two people stand in front of a pink neon sign that states "This Present Moment Used to Be the Unimaginable Future"

This Present Moment Is Here and Now

New exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of SAAM’s Renwick Gallery

SAAM's Senior Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey and Dean Howarth take a closer look at mastodon bones in the exhibition Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture. Charles Willson Peale's painting in the background shows similar bones. Photo by Carol Wilson

Capturing Humboldt in the 21st Century Using an 18th-Century Tool

Discover how one teacher is inspired by the world of Alexander von Humboldt

Installation photography of New Glass Now, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2021, Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum; Photo by Albert Ting.

Discover Mind-Blowing Glass Art Through Selfies and Pics at the Renwick Gallery

Stop scrolling and discover the sparkling, flashing sights of <em>New Glass Now</em>

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Native American Arts in Focus: Sustaining Traditions—Digital Memories

Discover how artist Kelly Church is ensuring that centuries of Indigenous traditions are preserved for future generations with her beautifully woven basketry.

James Akers, The Wild One (B)

Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition Brings Fresh Global Perspectives to the Renwick Gallery

"New Glass Now" showcases artists challenging the status quo, offering new perspectives, and experimenting with what the medium of glass can do!

Angel Rodríguez-Díaz, The Protagonist of an Endless Story, 1993, oil on canvas, 72 x 57 7/8 in. (182.9 x 147.0 cm.), Museum purchase made possible in part by the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1996.19, © 1993, Angel Rodriguez-Diaz.

Exhibition Showcases How Artists Challenge Mythic Conceptions of the American West

Now on tour! <em>Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea</em>, a collaboration among SAAM and four partner museums, offers counterviews of “the West” and showcases modern and contemporary artists who are who are reclaiming the narratives of their region.

Oree Originol, Justice for Kayla Moore and Justice for Layleen Polanco, from Justice for Our Lives, 2014-2020, 78 digital images, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Patricia Tobacco Forrester Endowment, 2020.51A-MM, © 2014, Oree Originol.

Chicanx Queer Visions: Fighting for Change and Exploring Identity

Artists in SAAM's exhibition <em>¡Printing the Revolution!</em> explore pressing issues of the LGBTQ+ community

Oree Originol, Justice for Our Lives, 2014-Present, 78 digital images, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Patricia Tobacco Forrester Endowment, 2020.51A-MM, © 2014, Oree Originol. Photo of Installation by Albert Ting.

Protest and Remembrance: Chicanx Artists Confront Police Brutality

Artists honor victims of social injustice and create a space for communal grieving

Eric J. García, Chicano Codices #1: Simplified Histories: The U.S. Invasion of Mexico 1846-1848, 2015, offset lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Lichtenberg Family Foundation, 2020.21.1R-V, © 2020, Eric J. García

Chicano Artists Challenging History and Reclaiming Cultural Memory

Chicano artists use graphics to reframe history with new perspectives

Lauren Fensterstock, The totality of time lusters the dusk, 2020, glass, Swarovski crystal, quartz, obsidian, onyx, hematite, paper, Plexiglas, wood, cement, lath, and mixed media, dimensions variable, (Courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery. Photo by Ron Blunt)

Lauren Fensterstock in Focus: Finding Inspiration in the End of the World

New artwork explores how weather and celestial activity have been used as metaphor

Xavier Viramontes,

Chicano Graphic Arts and the Making of the Landmark Exhibition "¡Printing the Revolution!"

Exploring the origins of the exhibition that combines innovative printmaking practices with social justice

“I’ll take Alexander von Humboldt for $500, Alex.”

Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings on Lessons Learned from Alexander von Humboldt

“I’ll take Alexander von Humboldt for $500, Alex.”

Chiura Obata,

Chiura Obata: Artist Interrupted

In our time of social distancing, Obata's handwritten notes have us thinking about how we communicate with one another, and how important a simple note can be.

What's a mastodon doing at SAAM? Dr. Advait Mahesh Jukar, a Deep Time Fellow and Paleontologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, answers our questions.

Hips Don't Lie: The American Incognitum

Dr. Advait Mahesh Jukar, a Deep Time Fellow and Paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, talks with us about mastodons.

Chapter three begins with an image of a black walnut branch and its hanging flowers.

Designing for Humboldt: Five Questions with Karen Siatras

How a graphic designer at SAAM was inspired to incorporate Humboldt's ideas about nature into the exhibition catalogue

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