Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Artists at Work

This juried exhibition underscores the often-hidden talents within the Smithsonian community with 57 pieces on display.

March 20, 2024 – March 21, 2025

Biomes: Life in the Balance

Visit deserts, rainforests, grasslands, wetlands, and tundra without leaving the National Mall in this Smithsonian Garden's exhibit.

May 10, 2019 – March 31, 2022

Ripley Center

Artists at Work

This juried exhibition, the Smithsonian Community Committee’s staff art show, underscores the often hidden talents within the Smithsonian community.

October 7, 2019 – March 13, 2020

Ripley Center

Garden Inspirations

Drawing inspiration from images in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens, these miniature landscapes are small-scale works of art designed to spur creativity.

September 3, 2016 – May 4, 2019

Ripley Center

A Unique Lens: Photographs from the Smithsonian Family

This exhibition showcases the photographic talent and diverse work and interests of Smithsonian staff.

February 18, 2016 – January 1, 2019

Ripley Center

Posy Holders

Two large cases contain approximately 80 one-of-a-kind posy holders made of precious metals and semi-precious stones, donated by Frances Jones Poetker.

Ripley Center

Design for Small Spaces

From fairy gardens to green walls, vignettes in this exhibit feature pieces from the Smithsonian Gardens’ Garden Furnishing Collection and plants grown at the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouses.

September 5, 2015 – August 30, 2016

Ripley Center

This juried show, the Smithsonian Community Committees’s fourth, pan-Institutional art exhibition, underscores the often hidden talents within the Smithsonian community. A panel of three outside jurors selected 56 artists, from 23 different units, from more than 170 entries.

February 4, 2015 – May 1, 2015

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 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

In/finite Earth: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

See how emerging artists with disabilities illustrate their innovative viewpoints at the intersection of environmentalism, creativity, and disability.

October 24, 2013 – January 5, 2014

Ripley Center

Inside Insights: Photographs by the Smithsonian Community

Winning entries from the 2012 Smithsonian Staff Photo Contest offer a deeper understanding of the Smithsonian and its talented staff.

December 10, 2012 – September 22, 2013

Ripley Center

Sustaining/Creating: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

See how emerging artists with disabilities illustrate their innovative viewpoints on sustainability and contemporary creativity.

September 11, 2012 – January 13, 2013

Ripley Center

Inuit Art, Culture, and Environment

See drawings, prints, tapestries, and photographs that depict the environment and culture of the Inuit.

October 19, 2012 – December 2, 2012

Ripley Center

Pushing Boundaries: Portraits by Robert Weingarten

View Robert Weingarten's photo biographies, which are composites of images that his subjects have identified as representing who they are.

July 2, 2012 – October 14, 2012

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

MathAlive

Learn math concepts in a fun, interactive, hands-on setting.

March 10, 2012 – June 3, 2012

Ripley Center

Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz

See more than 30 exquisitely detailed embroidered and appliqued fabric panels that tell the story of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz's harrowing escape from the Nazis as a young girl and her voyage to freedom in America.

November 11, 2011 – January 29, 2012

Ripley Center

Momentum: A National Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

View works by 15 award-winning emerging artists with disabilities, ages 16-25.

September 7, 2011 – January 22, 2012

Ripley Center

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music

Experience the true flavor, or "sabor," of Latin music in the United States and the influence Latin music genres have had on American popular music.

July 11, 2011 – October 9, 2011

Ripley Center

Artists at Work

See paintings, drawings, prints, quilts, jewelry, photographs, sculpture, ceramics, and more that reveal the talents and interests of members of the Smithsonian community.

June 23, 2011 – October 2, 2011

Ripley Center

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier

See some 60 photographs of Sioux Indians from Buffalo Bill's Wild West show taken by photographer Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934).

April 13, 2011 – June 15, 2011

Ripley Center

Southern Identity: Contemporary Argentine Art (Identidad del Sur: Arte Argentino Contemporaneo)

Gain a contextual overview of Latin American artistic movements and trends reflected in works by 32 of Argentina's best living contemporary artists.

October 11, 2010 – January 23, 2011

Ripley Center

Revealing Culture

Witness a groundbreaking exhibition of contemporary art by 55 artists with disabilities that features over 130 works in a range of media.

June 8, 2010 – August 29, 2010

Ripley Center

Panamanian Passages

Trace Panama's human and natural history since the rise of the isthmus over 3 million years ago to its 20th-century struggle for sovereignty.

October 14, 2009 – May 31, 2010

Ripley Center