What’s On
As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are temporarily closed to the public. Outdoor gardens and exhibitions are open, no passes required. As we gradually reopen the Smithsonian starting May 5, we’re putting safety first and requiring free timed-entry passes. See our reopening schedule for hours of operation and safety measures in place to protect everyone’s health.
Upcoming Featured Events
Art and Design
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Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020
Reopening 2021 – TBD Renwick Gallery
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¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now
November 20, 2020 – TBD American Art Museum
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Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States
November 13, 2020 – May 23, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Recent Acquisitions: Gifts from the Corcoran Gallery of Art
October 9, 2020 – October 24, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Her Story: A Century of Women Writers
September 18, 2020 – January 23, 2022 Portrait Gallery
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Janet Echelman's 1.8 Renwick
September 18, 2020 – 2022 Renwick Gallery
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The Automobile and American Art
September 18, 2020 – Indefinitely American Art Museum
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Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists
October 11, 2019 – May 2, 2021 American Art Museum
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Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
March 12, 2019 – March 6, 2022 Renwick Gallery
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Former President Barack Obama by Artist Kehinde Wiley
February 13, 2018 – mid-May 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Former First Lady, Michelle Obama by Artist Amy Sherald
February 13, 2018 – mid-May 2021 Portrait Gallery
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America's Presidents
September 22, 2017 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
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Folk and Self-Taught Art
October 21, 2016 – Indefinitely American Art Museum
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Visual Art and the American Experience
September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American Museum
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Experience America
August 14, 2014 – Permanent American Art Museum
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The Struggle for Justice
February 12, 2010 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
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Twentieth-Century Americans
July 1, 2006 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
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American Art through 1940
July 1, 2006 – Indefinitely American Art Museum
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Art Since 1945
July 1, 2006 – Indefinitely American Art Museum
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Modern and Contemporary Art
July 1, 2006 – Indefinitely American Art Museum
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Luce Foundation Center for American Art
July 1, 2006 – Permanent American Art Museum
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Bravo!
July 1, 2006 – Indefinitely Portrait Gallery
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Champions
July 1, 2006 – Indefinitely Portrait Gallery
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Window on Collections: Many Hands, Many Voices
September 21, 2004 – Permanent American Indian Museum
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Sculpture Garden and Plaza
October 4, 1974 – Indefinitely Hirshhorn
Outdoor Gardens and Exhibitions
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Food for the People: Eating and Activism in Greater Washington
April 17, 2021 – September 17, 2022 Anacostia Community Museum
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Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets
February 1, 2021 – May 31, 2021 Anacostia Community Museum
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Habitat
May 10, 2019 – December 31, 2021 Smithsonian Gardens
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Common Ground: Our American Garden
June 28, 2017 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Urban Bird Habitat Garden
July 25, 2012 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Native American Landscape
September 21, 2004 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Victory Garden
Spring 2001 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden
October 7, 1998 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Pollinator Garden
June 30, 1995 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Mary Livingston Ripley Garden
May 25, 1988 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Enid A. Haupt Garden
May 22, 1987 – Permanent Smithsonian Gardens
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Sculpture Garden and Plaza
October 4, 1974 – Indefinitely Hirshhorn
National Zoo
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Celebrate Smokey: 75 Years of Fighting Wildfires
May 23, 2019 – TBD National Zoo
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American Bison
August 30, 2014 – Permanent National Zoo
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American Trail
September 1, 2012 – Permanent National Zoo
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Elephant Trails
September 3, 2010 – Permanent National Zoo
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Kids' Farm
June 12, 2004 – Permanent National Zoo
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Great Cats
October 1, 1998 – Permanent National Zoo
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Think Tank
October 27, 1995 – Permanent National Zoo
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Cheetah Conservation Station
August 19, 1992 – Permanent National Zoo
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Primates
April 15, 1981 – Permanent National Zoo
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Va.
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Clouds in a Bag: The Evelyn Way Kendall Ballooning and Early Aviation Collection
January 28, 2017 – TBD Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar
September 2011 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Human Spaceflight
November 1, 2004 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Applications Satellites
November 1, 2004 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Space Science
November 1, 2004 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Commercial Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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General Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Interwar Military Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Korea and Vietnam Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Aerobatic Flight
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Cold War Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Pre-1920 Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Rockets and Missiles
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Sport Aviation
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Ultralight Aircraft
December 15, 2003 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
Closing Soon
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Creating Icons: How We Remember Women's Suffrage
March 6, 2020 – May 2, 2021 American History Museum
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Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists
October 11, 2019 – May 2, 2021 American Art Museum
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Uncle Tom's Cabin: Early and Notable Editions
February 28, 2020 – May 6, 2021 African American Museum
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Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States
November 13, 2020 – May 23, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets
February 1, 2021 – May 31, 2021 Anacostia Community Museum
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Resound: Bells of Ancient China
October 14, 2017 – July 5, 2021 Sackler Gallery
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Documenting Diversity: How Anthropologists Record Human Life
Spring 2020 – July 18, 2021 Natural History Museum
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Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces
January 21, 2017 – October 18, 2021 American Indian Museum
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Recent Acquisitions: Gifts from the Corcoran Gallery of Art
October 9, 2020 – October 24, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Habitat
May 10, 2019 – December 31, 2021 Smithsonian Gardens
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Girlhood (It's Complicated)
October 9, 2020 – January 2, 2022 American History Museum
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Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia
October 14, 2017 – January 17, 2022 Sackler Gallery
Kids' Favorites
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Girlhood (It's Complicated)
October 9, 2020 – January 2, 2022 American History Museum
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The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time
June 8, 2019 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Mega-toothed Shark
May 24, 2019 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Sports: Leveling the Playing Field
September 24, 2016 – Indefinitely African American Museum
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African Elephant
September 4, 2015 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Patrick F. Taylor Object Project
July 1, 2015 – Permanent American History Museum
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Immersion Room
December 12, 2014 – Indefinitely Cooper Hewitt
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Connect with U.S. Stamps
September 22, 2013 – Permanent Postal Museum
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American Trail
September 1, 2012 – Permanent National Zoo
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As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games
August 22, 2012 – Permanent American Indian Museum
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Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt
November 17, 2011 – Indefinitely Natural History Museum
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Sant Ocean Hall
September 27, 2008 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution
February 15, 2008 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Airmail in America
February 22, 2006 – Permanent Postal Museum
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Human Spaceflight
November 1, 2004 – Permanent Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
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Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World
September 21, 2004 – Late 2021 American Indian Museum
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Kids' Farm
June 12, 2004 – Permanent National Zoo
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America on the Move
November 22, 2003 – Permanent American History Museum
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Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals
November 15, 2003 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Explore the Universe
September 21, 2001 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals
September 20, 1997 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Space Race
May 16, 1997 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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How Things Fly
September 20, 1996 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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Insect Zoo, O. Orkin
September 10, 1993 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Moving the Mail
July 30, 1993 – Permanent Postal Museum
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Gunboat Philadelphia
July 3, 1965 – Permanent American History Museum
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The Dolls' House
Opened 1951 – Indefinitely American History Museum
Featured, Don't Miss
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Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States
November 13, 2020 – May 23, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Girlhood (It's Complicated)
October 9, 2020 – January 2, 2022 American History Museum
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Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
March 12, 2019 – March 6, 2022 Renwick Gallery
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Ruby Slippers and American Culture Displays
October 19, 2018 – 2020 American History Museum
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Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces
May 25, 2018 – Indefinitely American Indian Museum Heye Center
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Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World
May 18, 2018 – Fall 2021 Natural History Museum
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Former President Barack Obama by Artist Kehinde Wiley
February 13, 2018 – mid-May 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Americans
January 18, 2018 Through 2022 American Indian Museum
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Mark Bradford: Pickett's Charge
November 8, 2017 – 2021 Hirshhorn
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Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts
November 4, 2017 – Permanent African Art Museum
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America's Presidents
September 22, 2017 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
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American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
June 28, 2017 – Permanent American History Museum
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Many Voices, One Nation
June 28, 2017 – Permanent American History Museum
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Greensboro Lunch Counter
June 28, 2017 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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Objects of Wonder
March 10, 2017 – TBD 2021 Natural History Museum
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Slavery and Freedom
September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American Museum
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Musical Crossroads
September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American Museum
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Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall
July 1, 2016 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire
June 26, 2015 – Extended American Indian Museum
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Experience America
August 14, 2014 – Permanent American Art Museum
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Gems of American Philately
September 22, 2013 – Permanent Postal Museum
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Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There
April 12, 2013 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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Food: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000
November 20, 2012 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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Barbara Kruger: Belief + Doubt
August 20, 2012 – TBA Hirshhorn
American Women's History
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The Only One in the Room: Women Achievers in Business and the Cost of Success
November 20, 2020 – TBA American History Museum
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Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States
November 13, 2020 – May 23, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Girlhood (It's Complicated)
October 9, 2020 – January 2, 2022 American History Museum
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Her Story: A Century of Women Writers
September 18, 2020 – January 23, 2022 Portrait Gallery
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Janet Echelman's 1.8 Renwick
September 18, 2020 – 2022 Renwick Gallery
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Creating Icons: How We Remember Women's Suffrage
March 6, 2020 – May 2, 2021 American History Museum
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Uncle Tom's Cabin: Early and Notable Editions
February 28, 2020 – May 6, 2021 African American Museum
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All Work and No Pay: A History of Women's Invisible Labor
March 4, 2019 – TBD American History Museum
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Special Olympics at 50
July 10, 2018 – TBD American History Museum
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Former First Lady, Michelle Obama by Artist Amy Sherald
February 13, 2018 – mid-May 2021 Portrait Gallery
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The Four Justices
October 28, 2013 – Indefinitely Portrait Gallery
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The First Ladies
November 19, 2011 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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The Struggle for Justice
February 12, 2010 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian Music
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America's Listening
October 19, 2018 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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Resound: Bells of Ancient China
October 14, 2017 – July 5, 2021 Sackler Gallery
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Sounding American Music
June 21, 2017 – TBD American History Museum
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Musical Crossroads
September 24, 2016 – Permanent African American Museum
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Big Band
March 31, 2015 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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Grand Piano made by Bluthner, Leipzig, Germany, 1900
August 13, 2014 – Indefinitely American History Museum
Asia Meets America
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Resound: Bells of Ancient China
October 14, 2017 – July 5, 2021 Sackler Gallery
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Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia
October 14, 2017 – January 17, 2022 Sackler Gallery
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Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands, 1968–2020
August 27, 2021 – May 29, 2022 Portrait Gallery
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Elephant Trails
September 3, 2010 – Permanent National Zoo
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Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Sackler Gallery
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Many Voices, One Nation
June 28, 2017 – Permanent American History Museum
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Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Engaging the Senses: Arts of the Islamic World
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Promise of Paradise: Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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The Beginnings of Buddhism in Japan: Buddhist Art in Japan
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Imperfectly Beautiful: Inventing Japanese Ceramic Style
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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The Power of Words in an Age of Crisis: Buddhist Art in Japan
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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In the Shadow of an Apocalypse: Buddhist Art in Japan
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Rediscovering Korea's Past: Korean Ceramics
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Setting the Bar: Arts of the Song Dynasty
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Center of the World: China and the Silk Road
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry: Chinese Bronzes
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades
October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Power in Southeast Asia
October 21, 2017 – TBA Sackler Gallery
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The Peacock Room in Blue and White
May 18, 2019 – Indefinitely Freer Gallery of Art
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Hokusai: Mad about Painting
November 23, 2019 – January 2021 Freer Gallery of Art
Featured Online Exhibitions
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Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States
November 13, 2020 – May 23, 2021 Portrait Gallery
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Girlhood (It's Complicated)
October 9, 2020 – January 2, 2022 American History Museum
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The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today
October 26, 2019 – March 13, 2020 Portrait Gallery
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Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces
May 25, 2018 – Indefinitely American Indian Museum Heye Center
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Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World
May 18, 2018 – Fall 2021 Natural History Museum
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Americans
January 18, 2018 Through 2022 American Indian Museum
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City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People's Campaign
December 15, 2017 – February 3, 2019 American History Museum
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Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts
November 4, 2017 – Permanent African Art Museum
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America's Presidents
September 22, 2017 – Permanent Portrait Gallery
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American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
June 28, 2017 – Permanent American History Museum
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Many Voices, One Nation
June 28, 2017 – Permanent American History Museum
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Cultivating America's Gardens
May 4, 2017 – September 16, 2018 American History Museum
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Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II
February 17, 2017 – July 31, 2019 American History Museum
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Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks
June 9, 2016 – March 3, 2019 Postal Museum
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The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire
June 26, 2015 – Extended American Indian Museum
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Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation
February 27, 2014 – August 16, 2015 Natural History Museum
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Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There
April 12, 2013 – Permanent Air and Space Museum
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Food: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000
November 20, 2012 – Indefinitely American History Museum
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Systems at Work
December 14, 2011 – Permanent Postal Museum
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Sant Ocean Hall
September 27, 2008 – Permanent Natural History Museum
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Binding the Nation
July 30, 1993 – Permanent Postal Museum
