Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Young Visions: A New Look at Our World Beyond Homelessness

See 25 photographs by 3 young, formerly homeless photographers known as "Dion and Friends" that depict both the hardships and the triumphs of their lives.

January 1, 1993 – March 1, 1993

Arts and Industries Building

Young Americanos: Photographic Visions of Our Community

See photographs taken by children from 5 major U.S. cities that offer a special perspective on the Latino community.

September 21, 2001 – November 15, 2001

Arts and Industries Building

World Wall: A Vision of the Future Without Fear

A mural-in-progress by Chicana artist Judith Baca, addresses such contemporary global issues as war and conflict, cooperation, interdependence, and spiritual growth.

July 17, 1991 – September 3, 1991

Arts and Industries Building

Workers at the White House

See 10 photo-and-text panels present workers at the White House.

March 5, 2001 – May 2001

Arts and Industries Building

Tobacco to Tourism: Celebrating Alexandria's Scottish Heritage

Trace the Scottish heritage of the city of Alexandria, Virginia, from its founding in the 18th century -- by a group that included several Scottish tobacco traders -- to today.

June 20, 2003 – September 12, 2003

Arts and Industries Building

Time Magazine: Person of the Year at 75

Bring to life the dynamic assembly of history and individuals in this exhibition of Time's Person of the Year.

July 3, 2002 – September 5, 2002

Arts and Industries Building

The Smithsonian at the Turn of the (20th) Century

Explore the Smithsonian Institution in 1900 when it consisted of the SI Building, the United States National Museum (now the Arts & Industries Building), the National Zoological Park, and the International Exchange Service.

January 11, 2001 – April 18, 2001

Arts and Industries Building

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 Silk Road Ensemble: Portraits and Places

See approximately 10 photographic panels that highlight Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, an international group of young musicians.

June 19, 2002 – July 11, 2002

Arts and Industries Building

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 Invisible Industry: Journey Down the Upper Mississippi: Photos by Richard and Elizabeth Walker

View 12 photographic panels that explore the barge industry along the Mississippi River, including the river, the towboat, the crew, and the locks.

April 1, 2003 – May 12, 2003

Arts and Industries Building

The Healer Within

Through 34 interactive workstations, learn how to become actively engaged in improving your own health.

May 28, 2003 – September 2, 2003

Arts and Industries Building

The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly

Try a hands-on exhibit targeted toward children and adults who do not ordinarily go to zoos.

September 19, 1991 – November 3, 1991

Arts and Industries Building

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the French Constitution of 1791

See two 18th-century copies of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the French Constitution of 1791 that are on loan from the French National Archives to celebrate the French bicentennial.

May 3, 1989 – October 31, 1989

Arts and Industries Building

The Chautauqua Idea

See photographs, paintings, and artifacts that demonstrate the contribution to American cultural history of the Chautauqua Institution, founded in 1874.

October 17, 2000 – November 14, 2000

Arts and Industries Building

The Artistry of Orchids

Delight in hundreds of living orchids in specially designed garden spaces, some hanging from walls and trees, others displayed in flower beds.

January 22, 2000 – June 4, 2000

Arts and Industries Building

Stories of the People

See some 200 objects from 6 American Indian cultures that examine the last 150 years, a period of great social change for Native peoples.

August 10, 1996 – January 25, 1998

Arts and Industries Building

Star Wars: Art of the Starfighter

On view is the full-scale, 34-foot, yellow and chrome Naboo starfighter model used in the making of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

April 28, 2001 – June 24, 2001

Arts and Industries Building

Spring Bulb Show

This indoor display includes spring flowering bulbs, trees, and shrubs.

January 25, 1997 – March 10, 1997

Arts and Industries Building

Silent Screens: The Decline and Transformation of the American Movie Theater

View photographs by Michael Putnam of abandoned single-screen movie theaters that punctuated small-town America's main streets and city neighborhoods since the 1920s but are now nearly gone.

November 21, 2001 – January 31, 2002

Arts and Industries Building

Santos: Substance and Soul

Explore the history of 40 Santos --painted wood carvings of saints -- which can be traced in Hispanic communities back to the 16th century.

September 17, 2000 – March 31, 2001

Arts and Industries Building

Ritmos de Identidad: Fernando Ortiz's Legacy and the Howard Family Collection of Percussion Instruments

See approximately 150 percussion instruments, books, photographs, and stamps used to explore percussion and its role in Afro-Caribbean music and to examine how cultural expressions travel to other lands, are preserved, and are transformed.

February 29, 2000 – August 1, 2000

Arts and Industries Building

RAP 25th Anniversary Exhibition

View photomontages of Discover Graphics and Discovery Theater.

September 18, 1990 – December 31, 1990

Arts and Industries Building

Psychology: Understanding Ourselves, Understanding Each Other

Visit over 30 hands-on exhibits and activities addressing every day psychological processes. These exhibits explore thinking, problem solving, remembering, forgetting, feelings, communication, growing up, and growing older.

May 18, 1992 – September 9, 1992

Arts and Industries Building

Project Face to Face

This exhibition includes life masks of people from all walks of life who have been diagnosed as HIV positive.

January 31, 1991 – March 30, 1991

Arts and Industries Building