Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Arts & Culture

Ruee Gawarikar's Goddess of Visas is a humorous take on the otherwise tedious and often anxiety-ridden process of applying for a work visa. Accordingly, the style of the work is exaggerated, ironic and dramatic.

What It Means to Live Life Working in the U.S. on a Visa

A piece of paper affixed to a passport is the subject of a new Smithsonian online exhibit

Suffragettes form a part of Emily Davison's funeral procession through London. She was a fellow campaigner who was trampled to death when, as a protest gesture, she tried to catch the reins of King George V's horse as it ran in the 1913 Epsom Derby.

Women Who Shaped History

The True History of Suffragette

Emily Wilding Davison was a tireless and ingenious activist for the cause of women’s suffrage in Britain

The distinctive black outfit, with topping ears, now held in the collections of the American History Museum, was made just for actress Julie Newmar, and clung to her frame.

When Batman Went “Bam!” and “Pow”

The original Catwoman, Julie Newmar recalls fitting into that distinctive costume—now at the Smithsonian

Bill Cherry, one of the headlining acts during the week.

Go Behind the Scenes at America’s Most Lucrative Elvis Presley Tribute Contest

Get all shook up with the winners of this year’s Tribute to the King

Austin Reed learned to write as a juvenile prisoner. His handwritten manuscript runs 304 pages.

The Earliest Memoir by a Black Inmate Reveals the Long Legacy of Mass Incarceration

The story of “Rob Reed” is finally published, 150 years after his release

Our Changing Seas III, 2014

Art Meets Science

Does This Sculpture Depict a Coral Reef Collapsing or Recovering?

Artist Courtney Mattison’s spiral-shaped piece explores the uncertain future for coral reefs

Women Who Shaped History

How Frida Kahlo’s Love Letter Shaped Romance for Punk Poet Patti Smith

Sealed with a kiss, the 1940 note reflects the “earthly human love” between Kahlo and fellow artist Diego Rivera

How the Phonograph Changed Music Forever

Much like streaming music services today are reshaping our relationship with music, Edison’s invention redefined the entire industry

Brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai

Why Robert Redford Loves America’s National Parks

The famed actor and director celebrates the great outdoors of the United States in a new documentary

Seven of the Most Innovative Gyms in the World

Go way beyond free weights and stationary bikes at these clever workout facilities

Dr. Maxime Aubert, archeologist and geochemist, uses his headlamp to examine the cave art at Leang Lompoa in Maros, Indonesia.

A Journey to the Oldest Cave Paintings in the World

The discovery in a remote part of Indonesia has scholars rethinking the origins of art—and of humanity

“I just wrote my best song,” Paul Simon told Art Garfunkel.

How “The Sound of Silence” Became a Surprise Hit

The Simon and Garfunkel song catapulted the duo to stardom

Femme au beret orange et au col de fourrure (Marie Thérèse), by Pablo Picasso, 1937

New Exhibition Featuring Picasso, O’Keeffe, Hopper and Many Others Brings Modernism Into Focus

The artistic risk and adventure of 20th-century modernism is explored at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Richard Dreyfuss on Being Bernie Madoff

The versatile actor opens up about playing the banker in a new television miniseries and his close encounters with sharks and space aliens

Zodiac woodcut

How Are Horoscopes Still a Thing?

No, there’s no science behind an astrologer’s prediction for 2016, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be accurate

Everybody Loves Lists

Our Top Ten Videos of 2015

From Hitler’s home videos to the suffocating upbringing of an American princess, here are the most-watched videos on Smithsonian.com this year

Indians with Umbrellas, 1971.

How Native American Artist Fritz Scholder Forever Changed the Art World

An exhibit in Denver looks at why we should all be grateful that Scholder broke his word

An Underwater Museum in Egypt Could Bring Thousands of Sunken Relics Into View

The proposed site might revive tourism in Alexandria and also further research into the ancient ruins

Ellsworth Kelly, "Red Yellow Blue V," 1968

Why Ellsworth Kelly Was a Giant in the World of American Art

The artist’s minimalism put the essence of his subjects above all

Page 159 of 370