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At the Smithsonian

The Contemplative Court at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Innovative Spirit fy17

In This Quiet Space for Contemplation, a Fountain Rains Down Calming Waters

One year after the Nation’s first black president rang in the opening of the African American History Museum, visitors reflect on its impact

Two tree frogs share an intimate moment. The eye-popping yellow of the male only emerges in mating season.

The Color-Changing Marvel of Tree Frogs Looking for Love

A new study sheds light on the wild world of “dynamically dichromatic” amphibians

Ask Smithsonian

When Did East Asian Countries Adopt the Western Calendar and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Capoeira roda in the Arts and Industries Building at the 2017 Folklife Festival.

How Brazilian Capoeira Evolved From a Martial Art to an International Dance Craze

The athletic movements may have inspired modern break dancing

In the dress (now in the Smithsonian collections), on September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King crushed Bobby Riggs with her serve and volley game, winning the match 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

How Billie Jean King Picked Her Outfit for the Battle of the Sexes Match

King beat self-proclaimed male chauvinist Bobby Riggs and her victory still stands as an accomplishment for feminism

Garfield Elementary's award-winning drumline performs with the cheerleading squad in celebration of the Anacostia Community Museum's 50th anniversary.

How This Washington, D.C. Museum Redefined What Museums Could Be

Fifty years after its founding, the Smithsonian’s beloved Anacostia Community Museum continues to tell stories heard nowhere else

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Freer|Sackler: Reopens

Freer|Sackler: Reopens October 14

Stories and updates for the upcoming celebrations at the Freer and Sackler Galleries

A page from a New England Primer printed in Massachusetts in 1811, with the text "Life and the Grave two different lessons give/Life shows us how to die, death how to live."

Children Used to Learn About Death and Damnation With Their ABCs

In 19th-century New England, the books that taught kids how to read had a Puritanical morbidity to them

The Ship of Tolerance, Zug by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, 2016

This Former Soviet Art Duo Crafts Worlds of Whimsy and Delight

Miniature models, the wellspring of the celebrated large installations of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, are at the Hirshhorn

One of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry Murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The murals can be explored in detail in Google's new digital collection.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by Diving Into Google’s Huge Latino Art and History Archive

It features more than 2,500 new works and 69 new exhibits

A Minecraft rendering of the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C. Participants in Minecraft: Education Edition online festivities will be able to let their own imaginations run wild this Museum Day.

Family Travel

Fans of Minecraft Are Sure to Dig this Nationwide Museum Fest

The indie hit is the perfect game for a day devoted to unearthing knowledge

Mei Xiang in 2016

No Panda Cub From the Zoo’s Mei Xiang This Year

After a summer of close monitoring, zoo officials announced the 19-year-old animal wouldn’t be giving birth

The Hirshhorn purchased all four current installments of artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s ongoing video series Me and My Mother,” including any future installments.

Why the Artist Ragnar Kjartansson Asked his Mother to Spit On Him

The Icelandic performance piece Me and My Mother is latest Hirshhorn acquisition

The Juggling Genius of Paul Cinquevalli

Remembering a showman who gave his life to his craft

J. Ralph (left) and Sting (right), the night's honorees. Visible in the foreground is Sting's 1978 Stratocaster guitar, which is now a part of the Smithsonian collections.

Acclaimed Musicians Sting and J. Ralph Spread Social Justice Through Song

The Smithsonian honors two composers whose work and philanthropy are inextricably linked

In Charlottesville, Virginia, city workers drape a tarp over the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Emancipation park to symbolize the city's mourning for Heather Heyer, killed while protesting a white nationalist rally in August.

Commentary

We Legitimize the ‘So-Called’ Confederacy With Our Vocabulary, and That’s a Problem

Tearing down monuments is only the beginning to understanding the false narrative of Jim Crow

Despite the predicted declines, at least five species of bees would survive in areas that would still be suitable for growing coffee, says the new study.

With Smart Planning, Coffee and Bees Can Survive Climate Change

In a new study, a Smithsonian scientist says coffee-growers have options

Damai's son will be named at the San Diego Zoo following a period of consultation with his original caretakers. A Sumatran tiger, the little guy is an important member of an endangered species.

Baby Tiger Travels by Southwest Jet, in Search of a Better Life in San Diego

Incompatible with his birthmother, a National Zoo cub seeks friendship in San Diego

The replica (left) and original were first displayed together at the 2012 clan conference in Sitka, Alaska.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

This Replica of a Tlingit Killer Whale Hat Is Spurring Dialogue About Digitization

Collaboration between museums and indigenous groups provides educational opportunities, archival documentation—and ethical dilemmas

This resplendent Tibetan shrine room will greet visitors to the Sackler Gallery's upcoming "Encountering the Buddha" exhibition.

From Egyptian Cats to Crime Scenes, Here’s a Preview of the Smithsonian’s Upcoming Shows

Gallery-goers in D.C. and NYC are in for a mental workout with shows that deliver on everything from the experimental to the traditional

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