Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Wrought Iron: Rendering from the Index of American Design

See 16 watercolors of utilitarian wrought iron objects from the Index of American Design. The Index, a 1930s Federal project, is a collection of realistically executed drawings and watercolors of crafts and folk arts.

July 14, 1977 – October 24, 1977

Renwick Gallery

Wood Turning since 1930

Admire 130 works in this exhibit that documents six decades of wood turning in North America.

March 15, 2002 – July 14, 2002

Renwick Gallery

Windows

See a small smoked glass sculpture created in 1969 by Robert Fritz of San Jose State College in California. Dr. Fritz has made important contributions to the techniques of glass blowing.

October 1, 1982 – November 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

William Harper: Recent Works in Enamel

Admire 50 works--pins, rattles, pendants, puzzles, amulet and necklaces--by Harper, Assistant Professor of Art at Florida State University.

November 24, 1977 – April 2, 1978

Renwick Gallery

William Daley: Ceramic Works and Drawings

Enjoy this traveling exhibition of 40 works in clay and bronze and on paper that provides the first critical analysis of the career of this prominent Philadelphia artist.

February 18, 1994 – April 17, 1994

Renwick Gallery

White House Needlepoint Christmas Ornaments

Admire a display of needlepoint Christmas ornaments used in the White House, including a Renwick ornament made by Barbara Bush.

January 15, 1993 – February 28, 1993

Renwick Gallery

Webfoots and Bunchgrassers: Folk Art of the Oregon Country

See 209 objects that reflect Oregon's ethnic diversity and ranching traditions.

October 3, 1980 – February 1, 1981

Renwick Gallery

We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists

The artists featured in We Gather at the Edge honor the Black story quilt tradition with work that envisions a more just and connected world.

February 21, 2025 – June 22, 2025

Renwick Gallery

WONDER

WONDER, the opening exhibition at the newly renovated Renwick Gallery, features site-specific installations that transform the galleries into a contemporary “cabinet of wonders.”

November 13, 2015 – July 10, 2016

Renwick Gallery

Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years

This is the first exhibition to focus on the early career of Peter Voulkos, who completely re-invented his medium of proper ceramics technique and form. Aproximately thirty-five examples from this crucial body of early work will be featured.

April 7, 2017 – August 20, 2017

Renwick Gallery

Visions and Revisions: Renwick Invitational 2016

The seventh installment of the Renwick Gallery's biennial series celebrates artists deserving of wider national recognition presents the work of Steven Young Lee, Kristen Morgin, Jennifer Trask, and Norwood Viviano.

September 9, 2016 – January 16, 2017

Renwick Gallery

Victorian Christmas Tree

Visit a 12-foot spruce tree decorated by the Renwick's volunteer docents with cornucopias, angels, candles, small presents, recycled Christmas cards, natural and painted evergreen pods and pine cones.

December 12, 1978 – December 31, 1978

Renwick Gallery

Venini Glass

See a retrospective exhibition of 150 glass works, supplemented by color photographs, a set of glassblower's tools and bench, and panels illustrating processes made famous by Paolo Venini, founder of the glass manufactory on the island of Murano.

August 21, 1981 – March 21, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects: The Legacy of African American Craft Art

See one of the first circulating exhibits of African American crafts featuring works by 85 recognized and emerging artists from across the country.

April 7, 1995 – June 18, 1995

Renwick Gallery

USA Clay

Visit some 80 pieces of ceramics--ranging from functional wares to conceptual sculptures and from folk art to works that emphasize particular firing techniques.

March 9, 2001 – July 15, 2001

Renwick Gallery

Twills With Titles: H. Theodore Hallman, Weaver; Kenneth A. Mills, Poet

See 18 contemporary textile hangings which document innovative fiber artist H. Theodore Hallman's work, each with titles by Mills.

February 1, 1980 – April 27, 1980

Renwick Gallery

Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

View several hundred of the museum's greatest treasures by such artists as Raphaelle Peale, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Victor Higgins.

February 27, 2004 – October 22, 2005

Renwick Gallery

Treasures from the Land: 12 New Zealand Craftsmen and Their Native Materials

See 70 works by New Zealand craftsmen including woven hangings of natural wool, carved and painted gourds, sculptural ceramic vessels, Maori feather capes, a carved ceremonial doorway, and delicate jewelry of inlaid woods, precious metals, and minerals.

November 15, 1985 – March 9, 1986

Renwick Gallery

Traditional Marionettes in French Belgium Today

Delight in 53 costumed marionettes about half the size of their live counterparts. Both rod and string puppets are included.

April 23, 1980 – July 27, 1980

Renwick Gallery

Toys for All Ages

Admire and purchase a variety of toys for children and adults, including dolls, wooden puzzles, and kaleidoscopes.

October 9, 1986 – January 4, 1987

Renwick Gallery

Three Glass Masters and Students

Admire and purchase glass objects created by Dominick Labino, Marvin Lipofsky and Harvey K. Littleton and their students, American craftsmen whose work is included in the current New Glass exhibition at the Renwick.

March 21, 1980 – June 8, 1980

Renwick Gallery

Threads: 7 American Artists and Their Miniature Textile Pictures

View 26 works conceived on a small scale which use the smallest component of the textile process, the thread, as their principal element.

November 25, 1982 – May 8, 1983

Renwick Gallery

Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color

See furniture produced by Thomas Day, a free African American who owned and operated one of North Carolina’s most successful cabinet shops before the Civil War.

April 12, 2013 – July 28, 2013

Renwick Gallery

This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World

This Present Moment highlights the role that artists play in our world to spark essential conversations, stories of resilience, and methods of activism.

May 13, 2022 – April 2, 2023

Renwick Gallery

The Woven and Graphic Art of Anni Albers

Celebrate the creativity of this German-born emigre with 106 works divided almost equally between her textiles and works on paper.

June 12, 1985 – January 5, 1986

Renwick Gallery