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Arts & Culture

One of the oldest pairs of jeans in the world is this set of Levi’s, made around the 1880s and still tough as dirt.

How Denim Became a Political Symbol of the 1960s

The blue jeans fabric conquered pop culture and fortified the civil rights movement

Chef Danielle Renov offers up festive Hanukkah ideas from her new cookbook during a Smithsonian Associates Streaming program on December 6.

Smithsonian Voices

Get Ready for the Holiday Season With These Virtual Smithsonian Programs

Studio arts workshops, holiday décor making and a guided wine tasting with an award-winning sommelier to kick off the season

Nāoli Weller, a nursery school teacher at Nāwahī, leads her class in traditional songs. In the room hang signs that help pupils master the Hawaiian language.

The Inspiring Quest to Revive the Hawaiian Language

A determined couple and their children are sparking the renewal of a long-suppressed part of their ancestors’ culture

Theresa Secord (Penobscot, b. 1958). Ear of corn basket, 2003. Maine. 26/1694. By looking at Thanksgiving in the context of living cultures, we can make the holiday a more meaningful part of teaching and learning, in school and at home.

Smithsonian Voices

Five Ideas to Change the Way Thanksgiving Is Taught in Classrooms and at Home

Students can use Thanksgiving and their new tools for thinking about culture to learn and share more about their own family’s history and traditions

The online market is flooded with coveted books, toys and antiques.

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Avid Collectors Find Joy in Their Prized Possessions

At home with their collectibles, many people are expanding, shrinking or reorganizing their treasure troves

The Hope Diamond came to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 1958. Since then, museum scientists have uncovered a lot about the diamond’s intriguing past.

Smithsonian Voices

Get to Know the Hope Diamond’s Keeper

Learn the story of this infamous blue diamond, and the countless things mineralogy can reveal about the past and future

An estimated 750 million people worldwide tuned in to the July 1981 ceremony.

Based on a True Story

14 Fun Facts About Princess Diana’s Wedding

The royal nuptials—and the couple’s tumultuous relationship—feature heavily in season four of Netflix’s “The Crown”

In a typical year, the Columbus Washboard Company in Logan, Ohio, sells about 80,000 washboards.

Only One Factory in the United States Still Makes Washboards, and They Are Flying Off of Shelves

Sales of the antique tools have boosted since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with people wanting to avoid a trip to the laundromat

Based on a True Story

The True History of Netflix’s ‘The Liberator’

The new animated series tells the story of the U.S. Army’s most integrated World War II unit

A march in support of the Vote 18 movement in Seattle in 1969 and buttons advocating for youth enfranchisement in the Smithsonian's collections.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How Young Activists Got 18-Year-Olds the Right to Vote in Record Time

In 1971, more than 10 million 18– to 20-year-olds got the right to vote thanks to an amendment with bipartisan support

Farms have been processing their heritage turkeys earlier to keep them small.

Turkey Farmers Scramble to Meet Need for Smaller Thanksgiving Birds

They’ll just be thankful when the year is over

Martin Johnson Heade, Black-eared Fairy, ca. 1863-1864, oil on canvas, 12 1/4 x 10 in.

Smithsonian Voices

Scholars Are Finding New Clues to Understanding a Gorgeous Hummingbird Series of Artworks

The 19th-century artist Martin Johnson Heade abandoned his effort to paint his ‘Gems of Brazil,’ but why?

This month's book picks include A Demon-Haunted Land, South to Freedom and The Light Ages.

Books of the Month

The Heiress Who Stole a Vermeer, Witchcraft in Post-WWII Germany and Other New Books to Read

These five November releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Those who missed the site-specific version of artist Koo Jeong A's density can now conjure it up at home, hovering over the couch or floating over their beds.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

With Augmented Reality, You Can Now Superimpose Publicly Exhibited Artworks in Your Home

Art institutions are embracing AR during the Covid-19 pandemic—and making art more accessible in the process

In the ninth edition of the Renwick Invitational, artists Lauren Fensterstock, Timothy Horn (above: Gorgonia 12, 2016), Debora Moore and Rowland Ricketts offer viewers entrancing new perspectives on the natural world.

Nature and Artifice Collide at the 2020 Renwick Invitational

In an era of isolated anxiety, “Forces of Nature” offers room to breathe

Keara Teeter treating William H. Johnson’s Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard

Smithsonian Voices

A Conservator Weighs in on the Preserving of Artist William H. Johnson’s ‘Fighters for Freedom’ Series

By preserving these artworks, the artist’s message will continue to inspire future generations and elicit meaningful dialogue about the meaning of freedom

Sommelier Erik Segelbaum leads a guided tasting of the perfect wines to pair with the season’s traditional foods on November 20.

Smithsonian Voices

Perfect Food and Wine Pairings and 26 Other Smithsonian Programs Streaming in November

Paul Glenshaw examines the iconic work ‘The Shaw Memorial’ by Augustus Saint Gaudens, and other offerings

An elegant solution—raise money from donors to underwrite the purchase of food locally for polling stations in each city—tacos in Milwaukee, barbecue in Atlanta, cupcakes in Houston, empanadas in Portland, burritos in L.A.

Chefs Are Helping Hungry Voters Waiting in Line at the Polls

One clear winner this election season? Everything from empanadas to barbecue, courtesy of star chef José Andrés and his partners

Telling a joke has its roots in the Irish tradition of Samhain

This Halloween Is Scary Enough. Tell a Joke Instead

The tradition in St. Louis is for trick-or-treaters to focus on humor more than horror

Carlos A. Cortéz, "José Guadalupe Posada," 1981, signed 1983, linocut on paper mounted on paperboard

Smithsonian Voices

How Día de los Muertos Is Celebrated in the United States

Chicano artists and activists blend cultural and visual traditions

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