Exhibitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

View news releases below or see all of our publicly released upcoming exhibitions.

Man raises his arms while appearing to sing

Credit: Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“Spirit in the Dark” Opens Friday at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Exhibition Examines Religion Through Ebony and Jet Photographs of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Malcolm X and More
11.16.2022
African American Museum Exhibitions
Graphic with text "Afrofuturism, A history of Black futures. Exhibition opens March 24, 2023"
National Museum of African American History and Culture Announces New Exhibition Exploring Stories and Futures of Black Liberation
“Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures” Opens March 24, 2023
11.09.2022
African American Museum Exhibitions
Artwork depicting a riverbank with various stakes driven into the sand

“Riverbank I,” Ravi Agarwal (b. 1958), India, 2007, Inkjet print, H x W (unframed): 106.7 × 159.7 cm (42 × 62 7/8 in), Gift of Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S2019.6.4 

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Presents “Unstill Waters: Contemporary Photography from India”
Works by Indian Artists Speak to Global Environmental and Social Issues
11.08.2022
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
Exterior of National Museum of the American Indian
Prairie du Chien Treaty of 1829 To Go On View at the National Museum of the American Indian
11.08.2022
American Indian Museum Exhibitions
Green decorative art piece in nouveau style next to print pamphlet in a graphic style
"Hector Guimard: How Paris Got Its Curves" and "Deconstructing Power: W. E. B. Du Bois at the 1900 World's Fair" To Open This Fall at Cooper Hewitt
Upcoming Exhibitions Provide Visitors With New Insights Into Early 20th-Century Paris and the First Black American-led Display in a European World's Fair
11.02.2022
Cooper Hewitt Exhibitions
Underside of rocket launcher

Saturn V F-1 liquid fuel rocket engine and the 1/4 cutaway F-1 liquid fuel rocket engine in the “Destination Moon” exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Credit: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum/Jim Preston

National Air and Space Museum Receives $1 Million Gift From Aerojet Rocketdyne Foundation
Gift Supports Newly Reopened “Destination Moon” Gallery
11.02.2022
Air and Space Museum Exhibitions
Three portraits of distinct styles positioned in a row

Credit: (L) “Venus Williams, Double Portrait” by Robert Pruitt, conté crayon, charcoal, pastel and coffee wash on paper, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired in part through the generosity of Mark D. Ein. Copyright 2022 Robert Pruitt. (C) “José Andrés and the Olla de Barro that Feeds the World” by Kadir Nelson, oil on linen, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired through the generosity of Teresa Carlson and André Pienaar; Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s The Hearthland Foundation; Cheryl and Ron Howard; Patty Stonesifer and Michael Kinsley; The Wilder Family. Copyright 2022 Kadir Nelson. (R) “AVA” by Kenturah Davis, oil stamp on kozo paper, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired in part through the generosity of Agnes Gund.

National Portrait Gallery Announces “Portrait of a Nation: 2022 Honorees,” Exhibition of Newly Commissioned Portraits, To Open Nov. 10
Debut of New Commissions by Contemporary Artists Hugo Crosthwaite, Kenturah Davis, David Hockney, Kadir Nelson, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Robert Pruitt, and the Premiere of a Newly Acquired Photograph by Ruven Afanador
11.01.2022
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Collection of random objects strewn across a white surface
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Opens “Nature of the Book”
Exhibition Uncovers the Art, Science and History of Hand-Press Bookmaking
11.01.2022
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Exhibitions
Architectural detail of Hirshhorn Museum
Hirshhorn Museum Extends “One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection” Through Spring 2023
Museum To Introduce Online Distribution of Advanced Timed Passes Nov. 9
10.26.2022
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Three dimensional portrait made with fiber art

Credit: “Milk” by Elsa María Meléndez. Canvas with silkscreen, embroidery, ink, and other textiles. 2020 Collection of the artist. Copyright Elsa María Meléndez.

National Portrait Gallery Announces Elsa María Meléndez as Winner of the 2022 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition’s People’s Choice Award
“The Outwin 2022” Exhibition To Tour Starting Spring 2023
10.26.2022
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Brutalist architectural details of Hirshhorn Museum courtyard
Hirshhorn Receives Transformative Gift of Chinese Photography
“A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China” To Include Promised Gift of 141 Artworks, Opens Nov. 4
10.21.2022
Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions
Row of cellphone cases against a white background

James Di Loreto / Smithsonian Institution. (Cell phone cases from left to right) Dinosaur Fossils in Blue by Meghan Hageman, Buffalo Medicine by John Isaiah Pepion, Piikani Band of the Blackfoot Confederacy, ¡Sin Lucha No Hay Victoria! (No Guts, No Glory!) by Lena Run, Progress Pride by Dani Guarino, Notorious B.I.G. Icon–Biggie Smalls by Thomas O’Neill, The Journey by Stephen Hogarth, Dancing Dragonflies by Michelle Lowden, Acoma Pueblo, Hi! by Jay Fleck.

 

New Smithsonian Exhibition to Explore the Unseen Connections of Cellphones
“Cellphone: Unseen Connections” Will Offer Visitors a Chance to Contemplate the Intersection of Technology, Nature and Culture at Their Fingertips
10.20.2022
Natural History Museum Exhibitions
Crocheted multi-colored sculpture laying flat against grey background

Credit: Crocheted Protest Sign Displayed at Lafayette Square, Washington, DC, London Kaye, 2020. Fiber and synthetic fiber. Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Anacostia Community Museum Presents “The Utopia Project: Inspiration for Creative Activism”
The Interactive Gallery Experience Opens Nov. 1
10.20.2022
Anacostia Community Museum Exhibitions
Exterior of Heye Center building
“Developing Stories: Native Photographers in the Field” Reveals Contemporary Issues Through the Lenses of Three Indigenous Photographers
10.19.2022
American Indian Museum Heye Center Exhibitions
Black and white photo of a woman in top hat

Judy Garland, 1951. Credit line: Courtesy Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. All Photographs by Richard Avedon 

No cropping or text over images is permitted. A black borders must be visible.

“(re) Framing Conversations: Photographs by Richard Avedon, 1946–1965” Opens Dec. 9 at the National Museum of American History
10.12.2022
American History Museum Exhibitions
Sculptural glass spire in front of modern architectural features of National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum Reopens With Eight New Galleries Oct. 14
10.06.2022
Air and Space Museum Exhibitions
Person cradles baby on their chest

Credit: “Self-portrait with Elinor (screen)” by Jess T. Dugan, inkjet print, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

National Portrait Gallery Presents “Kinship”
Exhibition Features Artists Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Ruth Leonela Buentello, Jess T. Dugan, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jessica Todd Harper, Thomas Holton, Sedrick Huckaby and Anna Tsouhlarakis. On View Oct. 28–Jan. 7, 2024
09.28.2022
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
Exterior of National Museum of African Art building
National Museum of African Art Celebrates Nigerian Culture and Creativity With +234 Connect Festival
09.26.2022
African Art Museum Exhibitions Public Programs
Four images of Mary Chase Perry Stratton, Charles Lang Freer, Agnes Meyer, Dikran Kelekian

Left to right: Mary Chase Perry Stratton, Charles Lang Freer, Agnes Meyer, Dikran Kelekian

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Announces “Freer’s Global Network: Artists, Collectors, and Dealers”
Groundbreaking Exhibition Uncovers and Amplifies the Many Voices and Perspectives That Inform the Museum Collection’s History
09.22.2022
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
View of space collection exhibit in Air and Space Museum

View inside the nearly finished “Early Flight” exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. "Early Flight" will be on view when the museum's west end reopens on Oct. 14, 2022. Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Free Timed-Entry Passes for National Air and Space Museum Available Sept. 14
Eight New Galleries Will Open to the Public Oct. 14
09.07.2022
Air and Space Museum Exhibitions
Woman laughs while crouched on a ledge in what appears to be a worksite

Credit: Maya Lin working on Civil Rights Memorial, 1989. Courtesy of Adam Stoltman

National Portrait Gallery Presents “One Life: Maya Lin”
On View Sept. 30–April 16, 2023
08.31.2022
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions
illustration of large white building and stylized clouds

“Sunrise in Udaipur,” ca. 1722–23, The City Palace Museum - Udaipur, Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF), Udaipur, 2012.20.0015, detail

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Announces “A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur”
Exhibition Presents a New Way of Thinking About and Viewing Indian Paintings With Artworks That Reveal How Artists Conveyed Emotions and Ecologies in Groundbreaking Ways
08.29.2022
Asian Art Museum Exhibitions
Space capsule appears to land on the moon surface, with a slice of he Earth visible in the far distance

The Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia displayed in the new "Destination Moon" exhibition, opening Oct. 14, 2022. Credit: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

National Air and Space Museum Will Open Renovated West End Oct. 14
Eight New Galleries Will Open to the Public This Fall
08.02.2022
Air and Space Museum Exhibitions
Two portraits side by side. One of Harriet Beecher Stowe sitting down. The other of John Lewis standing up.

Credit: “Harriet Beecher Stowe” by Alanson Fisher, oil on canvas, 1853. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (L). “Congressman John Lewis” by Michael Shane Neal, oil on linen, 2020. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Jeffery and Cindy Loring in memory of Congressman John Lewis. Copyright: Michael Shane Neal (R).

National Portrait Gallery and The Atlantic Announce “Perspectives: The Atlantic’s Writers at the National Portrait Gallery”
Special Multi-Platform Collaboration To Premiere July 1
06.29.2022
Portrait Gallery Exhibitions

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