Art surrounds us. Welcome to our page! Please feel free to share thoughts about our posts, ask us questions, or tell us about your visit.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden welcomes visitors at all levels of understanding to experience the transformative power of contemporary art. The museum collects, preserves, and presents international modern and contemporary art in all media, distinguished by in-depth holdings of major artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By collaborating with artists on exhibitions, programs, and special projects, the Hirshhorn provides an important national platform in Washington, DC for the vision and voices of artists. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm (closed December 25) and is located at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW; admission is free. We hope you’ll contribute to this interactive forum and to our ongoing conversation about the work we do to further the Smithsonian's mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. While on-topic discussion is encouraged, we ask that you express yourself in a civil manner and treat other users with respect. The Smithsonian also monitors and may remove posts consistent with its terms of use, as described at http://si.edu/Termsofuse#user-gen. For our Privacy Policy: http://www.si.edu/Privacy
Operating as usual
Behind on laundry? Entertain the kids while sorting, washing, and folding, turning chores into a colorful composition game. Head to our website to find our Clothing Composition project and get making! We’ve been sharing kids projects using materials you’ll already have at home. Share your creations #HirshhornInsideOut!
Find more kids projects on the website and sign up for our Hirshhorn Kids email newsletter for a weekly idea drop.
Just announced! We're hosting a screening series on our website, starting May 14. "Lost in Place: Voyages in Video" will give you at-home access to 11 video works that delve into the complex relationships between people and the places they inhabit. When shown together more than a year into the global pandemic, these works become utterly relatable—no art expertise needed.
You'll meet new acquisitions like Jacolby Satterwhite's "Birds in Paradise" and old #hirshhorn favs like Ragnar Kjartansson's "S.S. Hangover" and Superflex's "Flooded McDonald's."
Stay tuned here for inside looks throughout, guided by the exhibition's curator, Marina Isgro.
Video: Hiraki Sawa, "Dwelling," 2003. Single-channel video; black and white; sound; 9:20 min. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 2006 (06.2). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery
[Video description: Black and white video showing small, toy-sized airplanes taking off, landing, and flying around different parts of a living space. The sound of airplane engines plays in the background.]
What have you been hoping for? This past year has shown us what really matters. Now, with a fresh sense of hope in the air, let’s come together and share our wishes for the future. Tomorrow is your last chance to participate in our virtual activation of @yokoono’s global artwork.
Wishes by Karin Schneider, @jessechun, @dadadog.stuart , @kentmonkman, @bybkim, @jonah_bokaer.
#WishTreeDC #Hirshhorn #ContemporaryArt #InteractiveExhibit #OnlineArt #YokoOno
Cuban-American artist Teresita Fernández, who is based in New York, creates immersive, sculptural installations and monumental public projects defined by a rethinking of landscape that emphasizes the connection between place and material. Using gold, malachite, graphite, ironore, and other minerals that have loaded ties to colonization, she exposes the hidden histories of violence embedded in the landscape. Her subtle, conceptual practice is characterized by a quiet unraveling of site, power, visibility, and erasure in which she layers diverse cultural references to unearth what she calls “stacked landscapes.”
In her recent show Maelstrom, at Lehmann Maupin, Fernández created works that unapologetically visualize the enduring violence and devastation ignited by colonization. Focusing on the Caribbean archipelago—the first point of colonial contact in the Americas—the works in the show challenge viewers to consider a more nuanced reading of people and place, one that looks beyond dominant, continental narratives and instead considers the region as emblematic of an expansive and decentralized state of mind. The artist conjures images of catastrophic weather and natural disasters as metaphors for centuries of injustice, US military intervention, ecological destruction, and systemic oppression as a means of reflecting on the sociopolitical turmoil and abandon to which the region and its populations have been (and continue to be) subjected.
Fernández joins Hirshhorn associate curator Marina Isgro to discuss how she brings together concepts, materials, rigorous research, and evocative imagery.
Join @teresita.fernandez for (At Home) On Art and Eco-Trauma, part of our ongoing Talking to Our Time series at 7pm ET/4pm PT tonight. The artist will be joined by @hirshhorn associate curator Marina Isgro for a conversation about how she weaves concepts, physical materials, rigorous research, and evocative imagery to create immersive, sculptural installations that ask the viewer to reflect on a landscape, its hidden narratives of oppression, and their connection to it. Register on Zoom to be among the first to submit a question for @teresita.fernandez. Livestream on @hirshhorn YouTube and FacebookLive. Real-time captioning (CART) and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided. If you have questions about accessibility for this program, please email [email protected].
📸 : Natalia Mantini. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and London #contemporaryart #hirshhorn @lehmannmaupin
In her new book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, author Julia Sweig uncovers Lady Bird Johnson’s complex and captivating role as a political partner to her husband, President Lyndon Johnson. The story is told in Lady Bird’s own words through the largely unknown audio diaries that she kept during her five-plus years in the White House. Lady Bird’s tapes show her to be a formidable storyteller and historian, a critical advisor and strategist to her husband, and a conscious creator of legacy.
Join Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, and Melissa Chiu, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, for a wide-ranging interview with Sweig on the life and legacy of Lady Bird Johnson, and for a closer look at the untold story of Lady Bird’s behind-the-scenes role in the founding of the Hirshhorn Museum.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Sweig is an award-winning author of books on Cuba, Latin America, and American foreign policy. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, The Nation, and the National Interest, among other outlets. Her book Inside the Cuban Revolution won the American Historical Association’s 2003 Herbert Feis Award. She served as senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for fifteen years and concurrently led the Aspen Institute’s congressional seminar on Latin America for ten years. She holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is a nonresident senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas–Austin and lives with her family outside of Washington, DC.
Entertaining kids doesn’t require fancy art materials. Put recyclables to good use with a Marcel Duchamp-inspired project that doubles as a musical instrument. Head to our website to find our Hidden Noise Maker project and get making! We’re sharing kids projects using materials you’ll already have at home. Share your creations #HirshhornInsideOut!
Find more kids projects on the website and sign up for our Hirshhorn Kids email newsletter for a weekly idea drop.
@yokoono turns the power of humanity and community into art with her “Wish Tree.” It’s your turn to participate in this virtual presentation of the artwork. Post your wish and tag #WishTreeDC and @hirshhorn to be part of this global project! Through April 30.
Wishes by Huma Bhaba, @ken_lum, @studioprouvostsocialclub, @ugorondinone0 , Haim Steinbach, Hiroshi Sugimoto, @kotaezawa
#WishTreeDC #Hirshhorn #ContemporaryArt #InteractiveExhibit #OnlineArt #YokoOno
How do we unravel the politics of a place? Join artist @teresita.fernandez for (At Home) On Art and Eco-Trauma, a conversation with our associate curator Marina Isgro, part of @hirshhorn Talking to Our Time series, that will center on the artist’s use of landscape to unearth notions of identity, belonging, access, and agency. The online conversation starts at 7pm ET/4pm PT on Wednesday, April 28. What’s your read? Register in advance on Zoom to submit a question before or during. Livestream on @hirshhorn YouTube and FacebookLive.
Cuban-American artist Teresita Fernández creates immersive, sculptural installations and monumental public projects defined by a rethinking of the connection between place and material. Using minerals like gold, malachite, graphite, iron ore, she exposes the violent, colonial histories embedded in the landscape, as well as in our bodies, and states of mind, as she did in “Maelstrom,” her recent exhibition @lehmannmaupin.
📸: Natalia Mantini. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and London. #contemporaryart #hirshhorn @lehmannmaupin
@yokoono reminds us that we’re all living on the same planet through her “Wish Tree.” While we can’t come together in person this #EarthDay, we can still celebrate the beauty of our planet and advocate for its well being through #WishTreeDC.
Share your wish for the future, tagging #WishTreeDC and @hirshhorn through April 30.
Wishes by Liz Larner @regenprojects, Tomas Saraceno @studiotomassaraceno
#WishTreeDC #Hirshhorn #ContemporaryArt #InteractiveExhibit #OnlineArt #YokoOno
Rachel Harrison’s work combines art historical and pop cultural references through an eclectic use of materials. Her sculptures appear at once carefully constructed and arbitrarily arranged, using humor to create an open-ended and thought-provoking experience for the viewer. These complex works often juxtapose brightly colored organic shapes with objects from every day life, such as a shopping cart, USB stick, flag, or photograph of Mel Gibson from Braveheart, highlighting the important notion that art is never separate from the world around it.
The artist will be joined in conversation by art history professor Darby English, author of the catalog essay “A Way Beyond Art” for the 2019 Whitney Museum exhibition Rachel Harrison Life Hack. Harrison and English will discuss her work Pretty Discreet, in the Hirshhorn collection, as it first appeared in the 2004 exhibition Latka/Latkas at Greene Naftali, in addition to her more recent installations.
In @newyorkermag, @avante.art pronounced the Rachel Harrison’s artwork “both the zestiest and the least digestible in contemporary art.” Hungry for more? Let’s gather at noon ET today/9 am PT with the artist for (At Home) On Art and Everyday Life, part of our ongoing Talking to Our Time series. Harrison will be joined by art historian Darby English and (we hope) you! The conversations kicks off at 12pm ET/9 am PT. Register on Zoom to be among the first to submit a question. Livestream on @hirshhorn YouTube and FacebookLive.
📸: “Pretty Discrete” (2004) in the @hirshhorn collection #rachelharrison #contemporaryart #hirshhorn @greenenaftali
[image description: an abstract sculpture the size of a minivan made from unpainted wood, metal and soft pink-colored plaster]
Does every day feel the same? Put your feelings into dot-filled artworks inspired by Yayoi Kusama. Head to our website to find our Repeat to Infinity project and get making! We’ve been sharing stress-busting art projects to do with kids. Share your creations #HirshhornInsideOut
Find more kids projects on the website and sign up for our Hirshhorn Kids email newsletter for a weekly idea drop.
It’s your turn! Mine inspiration in the words of @yokoono, “Think of a wish. Write it down on a piece of paper … Ask you friend to do the same. Keep wishing.” Tag your addition #WishTreeDC and join @cao_fei @eileen.miles @jbalvin @jonahbokaer @judith_bernstein @hankwillisthomas @krzysztof_wodiczko and @marlothomas
#WishTreeDC #Hirshhorn #ContemporaryArt #InteractiveExhibit #OnlineArt #YokoOno
Is art ever separate from the world around us? Join artist Rachel Harrison for (At Home) On Art and Everyday Life, a conversation with art historian @darbyenglish, part of @hirshhorn Talking to Our Time series. The discussion will touch on installations by the artist including “Pretty Discrete” in our permanent collection. The live online convo starts at 12pm ET/9 am PT. What’s your take? Register in advance on Zoom to submit a question. Livestream on @hirshhorn YouTube and FacebookLive.
Rachel Harrison’s work combines art historical and pop cultural references through an eclectic use of materials. Her sculptures appear at once carefully constructed and arbitrarily arranged, using humor to create an open-ended and thought-provoking experience for the viewer. These complex works often juxtapose brightly colored organic shapes with objects from everyday life, such as a shopping cart, USB stick, flag, or photograph of Mel Gibson from Braveheart, highlighting the important notion that art is never separate from the world around it.
📸: “Pretty Discrete” (2004) in the @hirshhorn collection #rachelharrison #contemporaryart #hirshhorn @greenenaftali
[image description: an abstract sculpture the size of a minivan made from unpainted wood, metal and soft pink-colored plaster]
Think of a wish. Write it down. Tag it #WishTreeDC.
It’s your turn! Join with global artists like @kentmonkman, @jonah_bokaer, Huma Bhabha and @hankwillisthomas to celebrate @yokoono to make her beloved “Wish Tree for Washington, DC” (2007) bloom virtually through April 30. Be sure to tag your handwritten wish #WishTreeDC to be featured.
Movement is a proven mood-lifter, especially for kids. Make art with your body in one of our messiest projects...with a surprisingly easy clean-up! Head to our website to find our Walk This Way project and get making! We’ve been sharing stress-busting art projects to do with kids. Share your creations #HirshhornInsideOut
Find more kids projects on the website and sign up for our Hirshhorn Kids email newsletter for a weekly idea drop.
What will you wish for? Yoko Ono’s “Wish Tree for Washington, DC” (2007) is one of our most beloved artworks. While our sculpture garden is open, her artwork isn’t ready for in-person wish-writing. Still, we can come together to share our hopes and dreams. @yokoono has given @hirshhorn permission to open “Wish Tree” for the first time on @Instagram with #WishTreeDC (April 15-30). Let’s wish virtually:
1. Make a wish.
2. Write it down.
3. Take a photo or video your handwritten wish.
4. Post the photo or video to Instagram tagging #WishTreeDC #YokoOno #Hirshhorn
5. Ask your friends to do the same. Find all #WishTreeDC wishes on our website.
Like many of Ono’s artworks, “Wish Tree” is transformative. Every summer, visitors to write and tie wishes to the branches of a living dogwood until it ‘blooms’ with thousands of paper tags, an archive of hopes in our garden. Starting today through April 30, instead of tying written wishes to the tree’s branches, tag your wish #WishTreeDC so we can share inspiration for the world to enjoy. Since 2007, the Hirshhorn staff has ‘pruned’ every wish tied to the artwork. As directed by the artist, we send them to Ono’s “Imagine Peace Tower” in Reykjavik, Iceland. A gift from the artist in 2007, Wish Tree for Washington, DC has collected more than 100,000 wishes. Ono’s global Wish Tree projects have inspired more than a million wishes, but never online.
Find all #WishTreeDC wishes on our website. We will tie as many as we can to the artwork and share every virtual wish with the artist.
Danh Vo makes powerful use of fragments – fragments of objects and fragments of stories – to explore issues of self-identity and cultural heritage. His early experiences of fleeing political tensions in Vietnam with his family and assimilating into European culture in Denmark left a lasting impression that form the foundation of his practice.
Vo often displays fragments of objects and documents that represent Western values to create emotionally and symbolically charged sculptures that explore how meaning changes with context. His 2011 project We the People saw the Statue of Liberty reconstructed on a 1:1 scale in fragments that have since been scattered across the world to emphasize the abstract nature of freedom, while his large-scale installation of the skeleton of a 200-year-old Catholic church from Vietnam that was erected for Massimiliano Gioni’s The Encyclopedic Palace at the Venice Biennale brought to mind the impact of colonialism on the foundational identities of non-Western countries.
Vo joins Hirshhorn curator-at-large Gianni Jetzer to discuss the role that objects can play in defining and interrogating our cultural heritage.
Independence Avenue At Seventh Street, SW
Washington D.C., DC
20024
Nearest Metro Stop: L'Enfant Plaza (Blue, Orange, Yellow, and Green lines). Use the Smithsonian Museums exit to Maryland Avenue and Seventh Street SW.
| Monday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
| Sunday | 10:00 - 17:30 |
hirshhorn.si.edu
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden:
Army Medical Museum and Library
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Building, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 13th St. and Fern Pl.National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian I
950 Independence AvenueYinka Shonibare MBE exhibition opens at Natio
950 Independence Avenue, SWSmithsonian National Museum of African Art Li
950 Independence Ave SE
Washington Project for the Arts
2124 8th St NW