Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Year of the Tiger

Marvel at some 40 photographs by wildlife photographer Michael Nichols, from the National Geographic book Year of the Tiger.

November 11, 1998 – April 26, 1999

Natural History Museum

Word Play: Contemporary Art by Xu Bing

View Chinese artist Xu Bing's seminal, best-known piece A Book from the Sky (Tianshu), along with books, scrolls, and wall posters all using 2,000 unreadable imitation "Chinese characters" that were invented by the artist to express humankind's struggle with communication.

October 21, 2001 – May 12, 2002

Asian Art Museum Sackler Gallery

Wonder Woman: Symbol of the 80s

Examine the comic book character, "Wonder Woman", through this exhibition.

March 11, 1982 – May 4, 1982

American History Museum

Wish Tree for Washington, D.C.

A summer favorite, Ono’s interactive artwork invites visitors to tie handwritten wishes to branches of a living Japanese dogwood tree.

June 23, 2018 – September 3, 2018

Hirshhorn Museum

Winners of the 1997-1998 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest

The 50 state winners of the 1997-1998 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest are on view.

July 11, 1997 – July 30, 1997

Postal Museum

Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea

Experience Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, a larger-than-life exhibit of 17 marine wildlife sculptures—from jellyfish to sharks—made entirely of plastic pollution directly recovered from oceans. The sculptures represent more than 315 billion pounds of plastic in oceans, illustrating the devastating effects of the ocean's deadliest predator—trash.

May 27, 2016 – September 5, 2016

National Zoo

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye!

This small exhibition features historic Transformers toys and props used in the major motion picture.

January 22, 2010 – June 1, 2017

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Toys from the Nuremberg Spielzeug Museum

Delight in more than 75 toys from Nuremberg, an important German toy-manufacturing center since the 14th century. See dolls and doll carriages, doll-houses and their furnishings, blocks, pop-up books, a model railroad, games, mechanical, and optical toys.

March 4, 1986 – May 11, 1986

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Toys and Childhood

This showcase presents a selection of cast-iron and tinplate toys from the museum’s collection dating from the 1870s to the 1950s, illustrating the ever-evolving nature of American childhood and home life and bringing to light aspects of play.

November 20, 2015 – January 22, 2017

American History Museum

Titanoboa: Monster Snake

See a model of Titanoboa cerrejonensis, an extinct snake measuring 48 feet long and weighing 2,500 pounds, which was discovered at a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute-organized dig at the Cerrejon Mine in Colombia.

March 30, 2012 – January 6, 2013

Natural History Museum

Tigers!

Two large cases and a diorama explores the competition between Bengal tigers and humans over habitat in India -- a significant cause of the endangerment of tigers.

November 13, 1998 – October 3, 2001

Natural History Museum

The Wonder of Light: Touch and Learn

View objects from the museums' collections related to light - a symbol of discovery.

October 29, 2010 – February 6, 2012

Smithsonian Castle

The Smithson Land Express

Watch two electric trains, with engines modeled after those in the American History Museum's collection, travel on separate tracks over bridges and through tunnels in an imaginary place called Smithson Land.

November 15, 2001 – April 21, 2002

Arts and Industries Building

The Rex Room

See what it takes to put a T. rex on view while the museum processes and scans this huge skeleton, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 15, 2014 – October 20, 2014

Natural History Museum

The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930

African American inventors, from prominent figures such as George Washington Carver to anonymous innovators, have made important contributions to American technology.

May 21, 1989 – May 31, 1990

Anacostia Community Museum

The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction

Rats pose a challenge globally and locally, including in Washington, DC.

November 16, 1969 – January 25, 1970

Anacostia Community Museum

The Peacock Room Comes to America

Restored to its appearance in 1908, the Peacock Room's special exhibition highlights "points of contacts" between American and Asian art.

April 9, 2011 – January 3, 2016

Asian Art Museum Freer Gallery

The Moten Black Collectors Hall of Fame

Through an ongoing partnership between Lucy Ellen Moten Elementary School and the Anacostia Museum, students collect and prepare objects for display at the museum.

May 31, 1994 – June 19, 1994

Anacostia Community Museum

The Kids Bridge

Visit a hands-on interactive exhibition from the Children's Museum of Boston which allows kids to explore issues about identity, ethnicity, race, and racism.

September 30, 1992 – March 1, 1993

Arts and Industries Building

The Incredible Bionic Man

See the Bionic Man, a 6-foot-tall robot built entirely from bionic body parts and implantable synthetic organs.

October 18, 2013 – December 10, 2013

Air and Space Museum

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

A whimsical display of colorful crocheted coral clusters, made of both yarn and found materials, honors the disappearing wonder, beauty, and diversity of living coral reefs.

October 16, 2010 – April 24, 2011

Natural History Museum

The Graceful Envelope: 2001

On view are approximately 50 hand-crafted envelopes -- with the theme "200 Years of the Nation's Capital" -- submitted by calligraphers from around the world for the museum's 7th Annual Graceful Envelope contest.

July 19, 2001 – August 25, 2001

Postal Museum

The Graceful Envelope: 1999

These 75 hand-crafted envelopes were selected from those submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world for the museum's 5th annual Graceful Envelope contest.

May 1, 1999 – October 31, 1999

Postal Museum

The Graceful Envelope: 1998

These 75 hand-crafted envelopes were submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world.

May 6, 1998 – April 30, 1999

Postal Museum

The Graceful Envelope (1997)

Hand-crafted envelopes submitted by professional calligraphers from around the world feature a range of calligraphic methods and styles.

May 23, 1997 – October 4, 1997

Postal Museum