Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Ikebana Display

View some half-dozen floral arrangements demonstrating the work of schools of Ikebana design.

October 1, 1987 – October 3, 1987

Sojourners and Settlers: Yemeni Workers at Home and Abroad

View 110 photographs taken by five American scholars and photographers who traveled in the Arabian peninsula nation of Yemen and in the industrial and agricultural regions of the U.S. where thousands of Yemenis have come in search of work.

October 1, 1987 – October 30, 1987

Ripley Center

Early American Cultures: Illustrations from the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

View a bilingual, English-Spanish exhibition that features 12 original drawings by artist-researcher Jose Perez de Arce, which portray aspects of life in the Andean cultural area before the European conquest.

December 1, 1987 – February 1, 1988

Ripley Center

Taking Sides in South Africa: A Photographic Documentary of the Conflict During 1985-1986

View some 20 photographs by the South African photographers' cooperative, Afrapix, that graphically portray the intense and sometimes violent scenes from the conflict over apartheid

March 1, 1988 – March 15, 1988

Ripley Center

Generations

See some 275 artifacts selected from Smithsonian museums and collections worldwide that examine the universality of the birth experience, an event which every culture in the world marks with symbolic images.

September 28, 1987 – March 31, 1988

Ripley Center

Drawings, 1980-1987, The Quadrangle Project, Smithsonian Institution

View some 75 original renderings by architect Jean-Paul Carlhian of the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbot that portray various aspects of the African Art Museum, the Sackler Gallery, and the S. Dillon Ripley Center.

October 1, 1987 – March 31, 1988

Ripley Center

Diversity Endangered

Learn about the diversity of life on Earth and why it is important through this poster exhibition.

April 19, 1988 – November 30, 1988

Ripley Center

Tropical Rain Forests: A Disappearing Treasure

Examine tropical rain forests and the causes and global consequences of losing these natural resources.

May 21, 1988 – January 2, 1989

Ripley Center

Christmas Tree Decorated by Associates in 1988

See the Christmas tree that features hand-crafted ornaments from the U.S. and abroad donated by the Smithsonian Associates over the last 16 years.

December 5, 1988 – January 6, 1989

Ripley Center

Threadworks: Miniature Textile Art

Admire 47 contemporary examples of miniature fiber art works that incorporate a variety of techniques.

November 21, 1988 – April 11, 1989

Ripley Center

RAP Commissions Art in 1989

See 16 serigraphs, lithographs, and posters commissioned by the Resident Associate Program since 1972, to celebrate Smithsonian Resident Associate and Washington-area occasions, and to help support RAP's outreach projects.

January 1, 1989 – April 30, 1989

Ripley Center

Filipino Women in America, 1860-1985

See photographs and artifacts that chronicle the historical and contemporary roles of Filipino women in America, from 19th-century immigrants in Louisiana to Filipino Americans of today.

May 8, 1989 – July 2, 1989

Ripley Center

Lahore: The City Within

View 50 photographs by Pakistani photographer Samina Quraeshi of historical Lahore, a Mogul city and British colonial capital in northeast Pakistan.

June 1, 1989 – July 29, 1989

Ripley Center

Tropical Plants

See a selection of "exotics," or tropical plants, including banana, citrus, and coffee trees; pineapple plants; and a variety of orchids.

November 11, 1989 – November 13, 1989

Ripley Center

Caribbean Festival Arts

Examine how three Caribbean festivals - Jonkonnu, Carnival, and Hosay - represent the intellectual life, culture, politics, and natural resources of the region.

June 3, 1989 – February 15, 1990

Ripley Center

Jamaica: A Photographic Essay

View 130 images showing every facet of the land and its people by Jamaican-born photographer Ray Chen.

June 3, 1989 – February 15, 1990

Ripley Center

Science as Art: Marine Research in the Caribbean

See scientific illustrations and underwater color photographs from the museum's coral reef station off the coast of Belize.

July 8, 1989 – February 15, 1990

Ripley Center

1990 Discover Graphics

See etchings and lithographs created by local high school students selected to participate in the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program during 1989-1990 school year.

May 20, 1990 – July 19, 1990

Ripley Center

Infinite Illusions: Electronically Created Imagery

This exhibition highlights computer graphics, including hanging sculptures, video walls, still pieces, and internal photographs.

September 7, 1990 – September 16, 1990

Ripley Center

Pre-Hispanic Foods of Mexico/Presencia de la Comida Prehispanica

See photographs of foods that were eaten by the people of Mexico before Columbus's arrival in the New World.

June 1, 1990 – September 30, 1990

Ripley Center

RAP Commissions Art Sale in 1990

See limited-edition graphic art commissioned by RAP since 1972. Proceeds from sales of this art underwrite RAP's Discover Graphics program, a special outreach to local high-school area students and their teachers.

September 18, 1990 – January 1, 1991

Ripley Center

Moscow: Treasures & Traditions

View more than 200 works of Russian art dating from the 15th to the 20th century, including icons, paintings, engravings, fine metalwork of gold and silver, porcelains, and historic costumes.

November 16, 1990 – February 3, 1991

Ripley Center