American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center Dedicated to local, international, and political art. Wednesday-Sunday 11:00AM-4:00PM.

Housed in the dynamic and multidisciplinary Katzen Arts Center, the American University Museum builds its programming on the strengths of a great college and great university. We focus on international art because American University has a global commitment. We show political art because the university is committed to human rights, social justice, and political engagement. We support the artists i

n our community because the university takes an active and responsible role in the formation of our contemporary art and culture. We present exhibitions that mirror American University’s aspiration to be the premier Washington-based, global university. Our programming puts the best art of our region in a national and international context. Our collections enable us to present the art history of Washington, while our Kunsthalle attitude brings the most provocative art of our time to our place.

Opening Reception Sept. 5!Gallery Talk Sept. 6 @ 2pm!Beautiful yet unsettling, artist Ahn Chang-Hong’s noon-mool (tears)...
09/02/2026

Opening Reception Sept. 5!
Gallery Talk Sept. 6 @ 2pm!

Beautiful yet unsettling, artist Ahn Chang-Hong’s noon-mool (tears) transforms preserved forms into reflections on mortality, memory, and vulnerability. Our flagship exhibition showcases three-dimensional works and selected earlier paintings to trace the evolution of Ahn's artistic practice across decades. The artist’s persistent engagement with social realities, human fragility, and existential anxiety creates an immersive and unforgettable exhibition that invites visitors to grapple with profound questions.

Visit the two floors that comprise noon-mool this Saturday, September 5 from 6-9 PM at our opening reception or come take a deep dive into Ahn's work at our Gallery Talk Sunday, September 6 at 2PM - or do both!
-
-
-
Ahn Chang-Hong, Sorrow 2025’10, 2025. Mixed media on photo panel, 51.2 x 51.2 inches

Join AU Museum for the opening of "Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr!"Drawn to the wealth of visual pos...
09/01/2026

Join AU Museum for the opening of "Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr!"

Drawn to the wealth of visual possibilities street life offered, lawyer turned photographer Norman Carr sought to make pictures that captured what was both unique and universal about a site. The black-and-white photographs of this exhibition transform everyday scenes into richly layered compositions, using reflections and light to explore place, perception, and the distinctive way he saw the world.

See the world through Carr’s eyes this Saturday at our Fall '26 Opening Reception from 6-9 PM at AU Museum!
-
-
-
Norman Carr, Untitled (Hovering Hat) (detail)—Near Old Rockville Art Center, Maryland, May 2004. Gelatin silver print, 19 x 12.625 in.

Artist Ayesha Kamal’s large-scale mixed-media paintings draw inspiration from verses of the Holy Qur'an, Asma-ul-Husna (...
08/31/2026

Artist Ayesha Kamal’s large-scale mixed-media paintings draw inspiration from verses of the Holy Qur'an, Asma-ul-Husna (The Beautiful Names of Allah), and centuries of Islamic artistic tradition. By exploring the enduring relationship between faith, artistic expression, and cultural heritage, "Beyond Words: The Sacred Art of Ayesha Kamal" celebrates the continuing evolution of Islamic calligraphy as a vibrant contemporary art form while fostering meaningful dialogue across cultures and communities.

Encounter these stunning images at our Fall '26 Opening Reception - 6 to 9 PM at AU Museum!
-
-
-
Ayesha Kamal, Asma-ul-Husna and Ayat ul Kursi IV, 2022. Mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches.

Special Gallery Talk — Sunday, September 6Just one day after the opening of our Fall ’26 Exhibition Cycle, AU Museum off...
08/30/2026

Special Gallery Talk — Sunday, September 6

Just one day after the opening of our Fall ’26 Exhibition Cycle, AU Museum offers a rare opportunity to learn about and meet artist Ahn Chang-Hong during his brief time in Washington, DC.

Widely regarded as one of Korea’s most significant contemporary artists, Ahn is known for his unflinching explorations of memory, violence, mortality, and the fragility of human existence.

The flagship exhibition of our Fall ’26 season, "noon-mool" (tears) spans two floors of the museum, tracing the evolution of Ahn’s practice and culminating in his acclaimed recent Taxidermied Animals series—works that are at once beautiful and deeply unsettling.

Join us at 2pm for this special opportunity.
-
-
-
Ahn Chang-Hong, Sorrow 2025’10
2025. Mixed media on photo panel, 51.2 x 51.2 inches
Ahn Chang-Hong, Mask, 2018. Mixed media on FRP, 61.2 x 43.3 x 19.7 inches.
Ahn Chang-Hong, Faces, 2018. Mixed media on cement, 6.3 x 9.45 inches.
Ahn Chang-Hong, Blindness 2016 ‘3, 2016. Acrylic on synthetic resin, 83.85 x 46.06 x 43.3 inches.
Ahn Chang-Hong, Love in 1994, 1994. Acrylic on canvas, 25.59 x 39.37 inches

📅 Are you a planner? Like to know what you’re doing well in advance? Maybe a little Type A? We understand. That’s why we...
08/26/2026

📅 Are you a planner? Like to know what you’re doing well in advance? Maybe a little Type A?

We understand. That’s why we’re giving you a head start: the AU Museum Fall Events page is officially LIVE on our website! 🎉

Get those pens ready! 🖊️ (Notice we didn’t say pencils. 😉)
https://www.american.edu/cas/museum/events.cfm

📦 Something big is unboxing at the AU Museum. Or should we say "somethings?" These items are fresh off the boat from Kor...
08/25/2026

📦 Something big is unboxing at the AU Museum. Or should we say "somethings?"

These items are fresh off the boat from Korea and will be part of our massive, two story exhibition Ahn Chang-Hong: noon mool.

Stay tuned—and mark your calendar for our opening reception on September 5! 📅✨

⏰ Today's the Day!It's your final chance to experience our Summer '26 Exhibition Cycle before it closes TODAY, August 9....
08/09/2026

⏰ Today's the Day!

It's your final chance to experience our Summer '26 Exhibition Cycle before it closes TODAY, August 9.

✨ Don't miss:
• ARTISTICA! Where Hollywood Meets Art History by Bonnie Lautenberg
• An American Vision by A. Brockie Stevenson
• Where Water Keeps Time by Janis Goodman
• What Questions Do We Ask? by Gail Rebhan
• Prima Vista by Susan Goldman
• Ghost in the Machine by Timothy Makepeace
• People, Places, and Otherwise by Richard Dana

Visit the Museum today from 11 AM–4 PM and take in these remarkable exhibitions before they close.

We can't wait to welcome you for one last look!
-
-
-

Still deciding what to do this weekend? 🎨 This is your last chance!It's the final weekend to experience our Summer 2026 ...
08/07/2026

Still deciding what to do this weekend? 🎨 This is your last chance!

It's the final weekend to experience our Summer 2026 Exhibition Cycle before it closes August 9th. Art critic Mark Jenkins explores all seven shows in the cycle with this Discerning Eye article
https://ow.ly/ciPl50ZxiXp

Make a day of it—we'd love to see you at the museum!

Miss the Ghost in the Machine walking tour with artist Tim Makepeace? Fear not. Tim has kindly provided a video for us. ...
08/06/2026

Miss the Ghost in the Machine walking tour with artist Tim Makepeace? Fear not. Tim has kindly provided a video for us. Have a look!
https://ow.ly/AGiZ50Zxe5V

This summer, your beach walk might end with a handful of shells🐚. For artist Janis Goodman, it begins a work of art.When...
08/06/2026

This summer, your beach walk might end with a handful of shells🐚. For artist Janis Goodman, it begins a work of art.

When the tide recedes at Greenlaw Cove in Maine, Goodman heads to the exposed mudflats with sticks, shells, and branches in hand. She draws directly into the earth, creating intricate, temporary compositions that the returning tide will soon wash away.🌊

These fleeting moments aren't the finished artwork; they're only the beginning. Back in her studio, Goodman transforms the memory, movement, and rhythms of those ephemeral drawings into monumental graphite works that capture the ever-changing relationship between land and water.

Experience the remarkable process behind Where Water Keeps Time: Graphite Drawings by Janis Goodman, where impermanence becomes inspiration and every drawing reflects decades of observing a single landscape in constant transformation.

📍 American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, on view through August 9, 2026
-
-
-
Janis Goodman drawing in the mudflats at low tide, 2006. Photo by Dennis Weller.
Janis Goodman tossing rocks into the cove, 2025. Photo by Laura Rostad.

Address

4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20016

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+12028851300

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center:

Shortcuts

Share

Category