Past Exhibitions

Young Visions of Community

View the photographs and writings of Washington, D.C. elementary school students created during the Literacy through Photography project. The photos, essays, poems, and stories paint a vivid portrait of youth and community in the District of Columbia.

June 9, 2005 – August 21, 2005

Ripley Center
Worthy of the Nation: Planning America's Capital

See photographs and illustrations that depict the challenges associated with planning Washington, D.C from the end of the bicentennial era to post-9/11, from the 2006 second edition Worthy of the Nation: The Planning of Washington, D.C., from L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission .

October 10, 2007 – February 14, 2008

Ripley Center
World Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature

See more than 1,100 miniatures by some 630 contemporary artists that include landscapes, portraits, and still lifes done in watercolor, oil, and acrylic paint; scrimshaw; sculptures; enamel; porcelain; and figurative abstracts.

June 19, 2004 – July 12, 2004

Ripley Center
Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America

See rare artifacts and photographs from more than 400 communities that explore the role of Catholic sisters in American life.

January 15, 2010 – April 25, 2010

Ripley Center
Within the Emperor's Garden, The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion

See a model of the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion (Wan Chun Ting), a celebrated example of classic Chinese architecture in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, made by Chinese artisans demonstrating traditional Chinese carving and fine furniture techniques.

April 18, 2007 – June 3, 2007

Ripley Center
Winogrand 1964

See 185 photographs of America taken in 1964, a year after the assassination of President Kennedy, that reflect the country at a cultural crossroads from the Civil Rights movement to the Vietnam War.

September 3, 2004 – November 28, 2004

Ripley Center
Whispered Silences: Japanese American Detention Camps, Fifty Years Later

Let 44 contemporary prints by photographer Joan Myers evoke the wartime experiences of Japanese Americans, as told through the weathered objects, abandoned gardens, and building fragments of World War II detention camp sites.

December 15, 1995 – January 15, 1996

Ripley Center
Wenceslaus Hollar: 17th-century Prints from the Museum Boymans-van Beunigen, Rotterdam

See some 150 engravings, including portraits, still lifes, and landscapes by Czechoslovakian artist and humanist Hollar (1607-1677) that present a reliable record of the land and people during this period.

November 23, 1994 – January 23, 1995

Ripley Center
Voyages & Visions: 19th-Century European Images of the Middle East from the Victoria & Albert Museum

View 82 watercolors and drawings of the region's lands & cultures, selected from the Searight Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

October 11, 1995 – January 1, 1996

Ripley Center
Views of Paradise: Tile Paintings by Marie Balian

View an exhibition of tile paintings depicting Middle Eastern gardens by Marie Balian, an artist of Armenian descent.

February 29, 1992 – July 26, 1992

Ripley Center
Vietnam Vets Memorial: A National Experience

See photographs of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

May 14, 1991 – September 30, 1991

Ripley Center
Vanishing Amphibians

Maps, models, photographs, graphics, and text examine the decline of amphibian populations and the unique characteristics that make them vulnerable to changes in their environments.

January 22, 1997 – February 16, 1997

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
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
Traditional Native American Textiles from Bolivia

See textiles from two Andean regions of Bolivia: Jalq'a and Tarabuco, near the city of Sucre.

June 28, 1991 – July 7, 1991

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
The Welsh Table

See ceramics by ten contemporary makers whose work builds on and reinterprets traditional Welsh styles of pottery and their decoration.

June 22, 2009 – September 21, 2009

Ripley Center
The Smithsonian AIDS Memorial Quilt Block

See a 12-by-12-foot block created by Smithsonian staff, docents, interns, volunteers, and friends to honor Smithsonian colleagues and friends who lost their battles with AIDS.

November 26, 2013 – February 28, 2014

Ripley Center
The Power of Maps

See a variety of maps from around the world, ranging from a 1500 B.C. Mesopotamian clay tablet to 19th-century Native American maps and a superconductor map of the current ozone hole over Antarctica.

November 9, 1993 – January 25, 1994

Ripley Center
The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs: Art and Technology that Changed the World

Examine the far-reaching impact of Steve Jobs’ entrepreneurship and innovation in the global marketplace and in our daily lives.

May 11, 2012 – July 8, 2012

Ripley Center
The Journey: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

Emerging artists showcase work that illuminates innovative viewpoints at the intersection of sustainability, creativity, and disability.

September 17, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Ripley Center
The Jewels of Lalique

Examine 230 pieces of Rene Lalique's Art Nouveau jewelry along with early works in glass, 50 drawings for jewelry design and other memorabilia.

May 15, 1998 – August 16, 1998

Ripley Center
The Egypt Story: Photographs by Fred Maroon

See 29 photographs that record the people, places, structures, art, and events that reflect Egyptian life from ancient times to today

April 9, 1993 – August 22, 1993

Ripley Center
The Cutting Edge: 200 Years of Cut Crystal

See 15 exquisite crystal objects, such as decanters, bowls, and goblets from the 18th century to the present day that show both the evolution and the technological, aesthetic, and cultural story of the cut crystal object over the last 200 years.

October 4, 1992 – January 24, 1993

Ripley Center
The Art of Jack Delano

Trace the social themes found in Delano's work over the last 50 years in these 72 photos, including images of the Depression and Puerto Rican life during and after World War II.

September 19, 1998 – October 25, 1998

Ripley Center

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