Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

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

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

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

September 10, 2009 – January 6, 2010

Ripley Center

Jamestown, Québec, Santa Fe: Three North American Beginnings

Explore the first permanent English, French, and Spanish settlements in the New World -- Jamestown, Virginia (1607); Quebec, Canada (1608); and Santa Fe, New Mexico (1609) -- and the societies that emerged to approximately 1700.

May 18, 2009 – November 1, 2009

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

Staff Photo Contest Winners: 2008

View 36 winning entries that showcase the talent and diverse work and interests of the Smithsonian community.

March 4, 2009 – May 31, 2009

Ripley Center

Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968

View nearly 200 unforgettable images that changed a nation, increasing the momentum of the non-violent civil rights movement by raising awareness of injustice and the struggle for equality in the United States.

November 8, 2008 – March 9, 2009

Ripley Center

After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy

Examine the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement while exploring the continuing relevance of progressive social change through the art of the After 1968 artists, a group of young emerging artists born since 1968.

November 8, 2008 – March 9, 2009

Ripley Center

Posters from the Division of Community Education (DIVEDCO) of Puerto Rico, 1949-1989

Examples of Puerto Rican poster art from the late 1940s to the late 1980s are on view.

September 17, 2008 – January 25, 2009

Ripley Center

Green Light: A Juried Exhibition of Emerging Artists with Disabilities

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

September 17, 2008 – January 21, 2009

Ripley Center

Jim Henson's Fantastic World

Explore the creativity and "visual thinking" of artist, puppeteer, film director, and producer Jim Henson (1936-90).

July 12, 2008 – October 5, 2008

Ripley Center

Artists at Work

See over 70 artworks by Smithsonian staff, fellows, interns, and volunteers in a variety of media.

March 27, 2008 – July 27, 2008

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

Mexican Folk Art from the Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex

View five cases featuring folk art made by a group of master artisans representing urban, rural, and indigenous communities across Mexico.

September 5, 2007 – January 27, 2008

Ripley Center

Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian

Witness the full range of the Mexican presence in the Smithsonian's collections through art and artifacts that span several centuries.

September 5, 2007 – January 27, 2008

Ripley Center

Driven: A National Juried Exhibit for Young Artists with Disabilities, Ages 16-25

See works from the 5th year of the VSA arts awards program created by young artists (ages 16-25) with disabilities, illustrating the forces that move them to create.

September 15, 2007 – December 31, 2007

Ripley Center

Lola Alvarez Bravo

See more than 56 vintage photographic prints by Lola Alvarez Bravo (1907-1993), widely recognized as Mexico's first woman photographer and a pioneer of modern photography.

September 5, 2007 – November 12, 2007

Ripley Center

Made in Northern Ireland: A Dynamic of Change

See past and present crafts made in Northern Ireland, including linen and damask textiles, Belfast glass, jewelry, silver, and ceramics that show the development of design, the artists' skill, and the application of new technologies.

June 15, 2007 – September 10, 2007

Ripley Center

Clash of Empires: The British, French & Indian War, 1754-1763

Marking the 250th anniversary of the British, French, and Indian War, this exhibition of more than 300 objects and works of art explores the 3-sided epic struggle for North America and its effects worldwide.

December 15, 2006 – July 15, 2007

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

Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese America since 1975

View images that reveal how Vietnamese Americans adapted to life in the U.S. and the challenges they faced while maintaining their culture during the three decades following the end of the war in 1975.

January 19, 2007 – April 1, 2007

Ripley Center

Destination Anywhere: VSA Arts 5th Annual National Juried Exhibition for Young Artists with Disabilities

View 15 artworks that reflect the experiences of young artists with disabilities and reveal how those disabilities shape or transform the artists' lives and ultimate destinations.

September 28, 2006 – November 30, 2006

Ripley Center

Our Priceless Heritage: Snapshots in Time from America's Public Lands

See some 20 photographs with accompanying text that highlight the significance of our land and its resources and share how we can protect our heritage.

September 1, 2006 – November 30, 2006

Ripley Center

Myth, Mortals, and Immortality: Works from Museo Soumaya de Mexico

See over 100 works spanning the 17th to the 20th century by some of Mexico's most renowned artists, including Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Jorge Gonzalez Camarena, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

September 13, 2006 – November 2, 2006

Ripley Center

Singgalot: Ties That Bind: From Colonial Subjects and "National" to Citizens, A Century of Filipino

Explore the challenges and issues that confronted Filipinos from the annexation of the Philippines as a U.S. colony in 1898 to their struggles to acquire full U.S. citizenship during the 20th century through some 30 photo panels and images.

May 18, 2006 – August 20, 2006

Ripley Center

Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches

Follow a boat journey along the Amazon River with 9 ports of call and see live fish, objects, interactives, and multimedia presentations to explore biodiversity and the relationships between the environment, the animals and people who live there.

April 3, 2006 – August 6, 2006

Ripley Center