Smithsonian Associates

07/12/2025

Throughout her long career as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) celebrated and memorialized Black people—especially Black women. Catlett’s tenacious vision and work ethic helped to shape the aesthetics of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Michele L. Simms-Burton, a former professor of African American studies, joins us August 7 to examine why Catlett was among the most formidable artists of the 20th century.

Register: https://s.si.edu/ElizabethCatlett

Image: Elizabeth Catlett’s 12-color lithograph, “Children with Flowers” (1995) is part of Smithsonian Associates’ Art Collector’s Program collection.

07/10/2025

Our galaxy likely contains more planets than stars, so what are the odds of finding distant Earth-like worlds that teem with life? Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, joins us July 22 to examine how astronomers and scientists are investigating the possibilities. ✨

Our galaxy likely contains more planets than stars, so what are the odds of finding distant Earth-like worlds that teem with life? Is it possible inhabitants of another planet are trying to contact us—and would we be able to recognize extraterrestrial life if it exists? Kelly Beatty, senior ed...

07/09/2025

Travel with us to Richmond next Thursday, July 17! A guided tour of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition, “Frida: Behind the Myth,” is the centerpiece of a day that includes time to enjoy the museum’s extensive holdings. After lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, visit the Latin Ballet of Virginia, where you meet company dancers and explore various styles of Latin dance, along with their cultural significance. Arts journalist Richard Selden leads this all-day tour.

Despite being one of the most documented artists of the 20th century, Frida Kahlo remains an elusive figure, clouded by a mythology that was partly of her own making. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition “Frida: Behind the Myth” explores the defining moments of Kahlo’s life....

07/08/2025

There are 1,223 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each one offering a glimpse into the evolution of complex civilizations, empires, and religions. In our monthly series, historian Justin M. Jacobs gives an in-depth overview of both well-known and lesser-known locations. Join us for the first session tomorrow evening!

Register: https://s.si.edu/UNESCOWorldHeritageSites

July 9: Bamiyan Buddhas
August 27: Angkor Wat
September 10: The Acropolis
October 8: Taj Mahal

07/04/2025

We’re about to be noddin' our heads like, "Yeah," because it’s a party in the USA in 2026! 🎆The United States turns 250 years old next year, and the Smithsonian is marking the occasion with new exhibitions, anniversary celebrations, and so much more.

Keep a look out for:

🚜 New 250th exhibitions! First up is “State Fairs: Growing American Craft” at the Renwick Gallery of our Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery in August 2025

🚀 The journey to the complete reopening of our National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution continues this summer with five new galleries opening July 28. The full renovation will be complete by July 2026, in celebration of the museum’s 50th anniversary.

🏰 The Smithsonian Castle will pause renovations to reopen from Memorial Day through Labor Day in 2026. Enjoy a visitor’s center, café, shop, and a special exhibition.

Keep up with even more exciting 250 updates: https://www.si.edu/250

07/03/2025

The years in which the United States fought for and then created its identity as a new nation might be simply seen as “history,” a period and people far removed from today’s America.

We invite you this month to rediscover the transformative late 18th and early 19th centuries through the lives of key individuals who both shaped their era and helped build the foundations of America in its 249th year. Happy 4th! 🇺🇸

Smithsonian Associates monthly program guide. Smithsonian Associates is the largest museum-based education program in the world, offering more than 1,000 individual programs each year to excite the le

07/01/2025

View our July program guide! Register for lectures, seminars, performances, studio arts classes, and study tours: https://s.si.edu/July2025

July 4, 2025, brings us one year closer to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 🇺🇸 As we mark the anniversary of America’s emergence as a nation, our 60th anniversary programming spotlight focuses on individuals and events that shaped the struggle for independence. View pages 2-3 for details.

🎆 Save the date! Get ready to celebrate 60 years of wonder with us during a fantastic fall celebration! Join us in person in Washington, D.C. or with live-streamed events throughout the weekend of October 17th-19th! 🎆

06/30/2025

Our summer wine adventure series with sommelier Erik Segelbaum kicks off July 18! Pick up your tasting kit from Shilling Canning Company and get ready for an immersive deep dive into Spanish wine. From fresh bright coastal wines to intense wines from inland regions to unique fortified wines, Spain truly has something for every palate and every plate. 🍷

Register: https://s.si.edu/SummerWineAdventures

Summer Wine Adventures Series:

July 18: Spain in the Brain
August 15: Sensational Sicily
September 12: The Ancient World: Israeli Wines Explored

06/27/2025

We’re headed to Annapolis this summer! Join us in August as we spend a day exploring the rich rich history and traditions of the Navy with a walking tour of the United States Naval Academy. You also visit the U.S. Naval Academy Museum on campus and enjoy a scenic afternoon cruise on area waterways. ⚓️

Spend a day exploring the rich history and traditions of the Navy with a walking tour of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The tour includes the domed Naval Academy Chapel, Bancroft Hall with its 1, 639 dorm rooms, and Herndon Monument, the granite obelisk that first-year students work....

06/26/2025

Take a break from your art creating routine and use this time to revive and reimagine unfinished or unsuccessful pieces. Using mixed-media materials and techniques, explore ways to alter works to arrive at new interpretations.

06/24/2025

Join us at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center this Thursday, June 26, as we celebrate Catalonia’s rich wine heritage with Barcelonian sommelier Lucas Payà, a global wine educator and one of the foremost authorities on Spanish wine. You can expect a master class and tasting experience that explores a culture where wine is not just a drink but a story of place, tradition, and innovation! 🍷

Catalonia’s wines boast an extraordinary range of styles and personalities, driven by unique terroirs, indigenous varieties, and time-honored techniques. Celebrate this rich wine heritage as Barcelonian sommelier Lucas Payà, a global wine educator and an authority on Spanish wine, hosts...

06/20/2025

We have a fun summer season of art classes, both in-person and online! Classes that begin next week include include Basic Weaving, Orchids for Beginners, Deconstruct/Reconstruct Workshop, Quilting Together, Introduction to Portrait Painting, and Sketching the Smithsonian, a weekly lunchtime drawing series.

View the full schedule: https://s.si.edu/StudioArts

Art by instructors Sharon Robinson and Morgan Kuster.