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Around the Mall

Learn the story behind Dale Chihuly's Blanket Cylinder Series at the Renwick Gallery.

Events January 17-19: The Loving Story, Blanket Cylinder Series and Beat the Blues

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. USDA

At Long Last, King Memorialized on the Mall

In honor of MLK day, the president of the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation speaks about seeing the project to fruition

Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend

Weekend Events January 13-15: Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday, To the Mountaintop and Native Dance

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Introducing Ask Smithsonian

Now, with ‘Ask Smithsonian,’ the magazine gives you the chance to ask your own questions—and have them answered by Smithsonian experts

Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss

A Q&A with Physicist and Author Lawrence Krauss

A renowned theoretical physicist comes to speak at the Natural History Museum

Still from Ali Kazma's "O.K.," 2010

The Hirshhorn Turns Labor Into Art with “Black Box: Ali Kazma”

Turkish video artist Ali Kazma captures the actions of a man who seems to be the most efficient stamper of paper ever at the Hirshhorn’s Black Box Theater

See Warhol through an artist's eyes in Talking With Andy on January 11

Events January 10-12: Mission Impossible, Talking about Andy, Webby Talk

This week, experience Mission: Impossible in IMAX, rediscover the iconic work of Andy Warhol, and learn about the most innovative work happening on the Web

Morse's 1837 telegraph receiver prototype, built with a canvas-stretcher

How Samuel Morse Got His Big Idea

On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse publicly demonstrated his telegraph for the first time. But how did he get the idea in the first place?

Come make your own stamp collection at a drop-in workshop at the Postal Museum.

Weekend Events Jan 6-8: “This is Not a Film,” Stamps, Masterworks of Three Centuries

This weekend, watch an Iranian film, attend a stamp collecting workshop or listen to eclectic Baroque chamber music

The Boxleys' totem pole, "The Eagle and the Chief," is currently being completed by the artists on public view in the Potomac Atrium of the American Indian Museum.

The Art of the Totem Pole

A father-and-son duo of master Tsimshian carvers create a totem pole for the American Indian Museum

The Quadrantid meteor shower, as visible at twilight

How To See Tonight’s Meteor Shower

Take advantage of this rare chance to see the Quadrantid meteor shower

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Events Jan 3-5: Discovery Room, Creating a Totem Pole and Tarantula Feedings

This week, participate in hands-on science activity, watch a totem pole being made and see live tarantula feedings

Come see the ZooLights holiday festival on January 1st

Weekend Events Dec. 30-Jan 1: Treasures at the Museum, Flights of Fancy, and Last Day of ZooLights

This New Year’s weekend, meet a children’s book author and archivist, come to aviation story time, and catch ZooLights before it’s over

A budding star spits out jets of superheated gas and dust in the Carina Nebula

A Guided Tour of the Universe

A new exhibition at the Natural History Museum gives visitors a dazzling view of our evolving universe

The Luce Foundation Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Events Dec. 27-29: Winter Break Programs, Camp Kwanzaa

This week, take part in the Portrait Gallery’s special winter break and celebrate Kwanzaa

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A Season for Giving: 5 Diplomatic Gifts to the U.S. in the Smithsonian Collections

This holiday season, check out some of the most memorable diplomatic gifts given to U.S. presidents

Learn about writer and art collector Gertrude Stein as part of the Portrait Story Days series.

Weekend Events Dec. 23-25: ArtLab+ Showcase, Portrait Story Days, and Christmas

This week, see young people’s creative works, learn about Gertrude Stein, and have a merry Christmas

A comparison of the two newly-discovered planets with Venus and Earth

What the Earth-Sized Planet Discovery Means

The lead scientist in the new planet discovery explains the significance of the find

The cover and record "The Sounds of Earth," included aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 probes.

Carl Sagan and “The Sounds of Earth”

On the 15th anniversary of astronomer Carl Sagan’s death, we celebrate one of his most lasting impacts: a time capsule for humankind

A model of Conrad F. Bartling's 1888 fence-building machine

The Return of Patent Models to the Original Patent Office Building

A new exhibition at the American Art Museum features models of a variety of unusual 19th-century devices

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