Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Life in the White House

Explore life in the White House as depicted by students with disabilities in this juried exhibition sponsored by the White House Historical Association and Very Special Arts.

November 9, 1992 – January 21, 1993

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

1992 Discover Graphics

View a display of 60 graphics selected from artwork created by 150 students in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

May 16, 1992 – July 19, 1992

Ripley Center

Art As Activist: Revolutionary Posters from Eastern and Central Europe

View a collection of 82 revolutionary posters created during 1989-1990 by prominent as well as unknown artists.

June 8, 1992 – July 12, 1992

Ripley Center

National Computer Contest Finalists

See 30 innovative computer-assisted devices designed to aid the disabled, chosen from entries from across the country.

February 1, 1992 – February 2, 1992

Ripley Center

Degenerate Art: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany

View theme galleries that re-create the historical context of the art and artists condemned by the Nazis in the exhibition Entartete Kunst (degenerate art) that opened in Munich in 1937.

October 16, 1991 – January 12, 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

1991 Discover Graphics

See 60 winning graphics from the eighth annual juried exhibition by Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia high-school artists.

May 18, 1991 – August 18, 1991

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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