Discover the Remarkable Paintings of Three Japanese Americans Whose Life Stories Are Told Through Their Work
A new exhibition spotlights a trio who pushed the boundaries of American art and illustrated the experiences of World War II incarceration
The Surprising Artwork That Inspired Netflix’s ‘The Piano Lesson,’ a New Movie Based on August Wilson’s Award-Winning Play
A Romare Bearden print served as a starting point for the American playwright’s 1987 drama, which follows a Black family’s struggle to decide the fate of an ancestral heirloom
Quincy Jones Was a ‘Musician’s Musician’ Who Was Uniquely Beloved in the Cutthroat Music Industry
A Smithsonian curator reflects back on the artistic legend, a “Renaissance man” with 28 Grammys to his name, who died Sunday at 91 years old
Cities Are Projecting Their History Onto Streets and Buildings After Dark
Pedestrians in Montreal, Grand Rapids and other locations can time-travel thanks to installations that map historical scenes directly onto the cityscapes
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
Celebrate Day of the Dead With These 15 Scenes of Festivities and Remembrance
These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show how communities in Mexico and beyond mark Día de los Muertos.
To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Tools
Texts like the “Sortes Astrampsychi” promised insights on clients’ love lives, career prospects, financial woes and families
The Ouija Board Can’t Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertainty
The game was born from Americans’ obsession with Spiritualism in the 19th century. Since then, it’s functioned as a reflection of their deep-seated beliefs and anxieties for more than a century
This 19th-Century ‘Toy Book’ Used Science to Prove That Ghosts Were Simply an Illusion
“Spectropia” demystified the techniques used by mediums who claimed they could speak to the dead, revealing the “absurd follies of Spiritualism”
Discover the Mysteries of Italy’s Park of Monsters, a 16th-Century Garden Filled With Strange, Colossal Stone Creatures
The Sacro Bosco’s meaning is the subject of debate, with scholars alternatively describing the sprawling complex as a memorial, an allegorical site or a tribute to ancient civilizations
When the Nazis Seized Power, This Jewish Actor Took on the Role of His Life
After he was forced off the German stage in 1934 by antisemitic hecklers, Leo Reuss found a daring way to hide in plain sight
![Medieval women’s lives were “more vibrant than people expect,” says lead curator Eleanor Jackson, “and [visitors] will be surprised by the sheer variety of roles” that they occupied in the fields of politics, religion and the arts.](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/2NPqh-qxttl7xzrvlDT0LrJKmMs=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5a/f9/5af9fe6d-db74-4a76-9c5a-6be01eb636d1/lead-image.jpg)
These Rare Artifacts Tell Medieval Women’s Stories in Their Own Words
A new exhibition at the British Library explores the public, private and spiritual lives of such figures as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan and Hildegard of Bingen
How the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Went From Its Modest Start to an American Tradition Rivaling Stuffing and Pumpkin Pie
A century on, the country’s most beloved Thursday spectacle reaches new heights
This Savvy Librarian Was the True Force Behind New York’s Iconic Morgan Library
It fell to Belle da Costa Greene, a Black woman whose racial identity was kept secret for decades, to catalog J.P. Morgan’s immense collection of books and art
From Candy to Lightbulbs, Felix Gonzalez-Torres Showed Life and Loss Through Everyday Objects
A new exhibition co-presented by the National Portrait Gallery and the Archives of American Art explores the seminal artist’s work
Meet the Italian ‘Fruit Detective’ Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table
Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis
Back in the 19th Century, Your Election Ballot Could Double as a Work of Art
During and after the Civil War, inventive illustrations allowed Democrats and Republicans to turn American ballots into powerful propaganda
Could Anyone Bring an Extinct Animal Back to Life? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
How an Indigenous Weaver’s Mastery of Color Infuses Her Tapestries With a Life Force
The work of Diné artist DY Begay, now on view at the National Museum of the American Indian, blends tradition and modernity
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day With 20 Beautiful Photos That Capture the Richness of Native Culture
The diversity of the Native American experience is honored by the newly christened federal holiday
These 17 Pictures Tell the Stories of Black Athletes in America
A new book from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the images and impacts of athletes on and off the playing field
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