Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Needlework by Ethel Mohamed

Enjoy an elaborately stitched scene by Ethel Mohamed of Belzoni, Mississippi, entitled Me at the Renwick, a reference to the Gallery's 1976 exhibition of her colorful, storytelling needlework pictures.

December 3, 1982 – January 2, 1983

Renwick Gallery

Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo

Intricately carved and incised ivories, masks, a kayak, and wood carvings are among the highlights of a major exhibit (some 500 objects) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the pioneering Alaskan fieldwork of naturalist Edward Nelson (1855-1934).

June 18, 1982 – January 2, 1983

Natural History Museum

Charles Willson Peale and His World

Celebrate the achievements of this 18th-century Renaissance man, as artist, natural scientist, and inventor through paintings, natural history specimens, and inventions.

October 29, 1982 – January 2, 1983

Portrait Gallery

Scandinavian Modern 1880-1980

Discover more than 350 works—furniture, ceramics, glass, metal work, and textiles—from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden that present a retrospective view of the history of Scandinavian design during the last century.

September 14, 1982 – January 2, 1983

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Holiday Tree for the Birds

Enjoy a large evergreen, bedecked with lights, seed ornaments, and other treats for birds by Friends of the National Zoo, that is an annual holiday attraction for Zoo visitors, both feathered and non-feathered.

December 13, 1982 – January 2, 1983

National Zoo

Telltale Tools, 1750-1850 (Tools As Artifacts)

See 18th- and 19th-century tools from America's "Age of Wood," accompanied by two distinct sets of labels discussing the objects both technically and according to their social and cultural importance.

February 1, 1982 – December 31, 1982

American History Museum

The Gossamer Condor

See the 1st successfully human-powered aircraft, the 70-pound Gossamer Condor.

February 28, 1978 – December 31, 1982

Air and Space Museum

Patterns: Eleanor Roosevelt

Photographs and objects are used to contrast Eleanor Roosevelt's life at the Roosevelt home in Hyde Park with her later life of growing independence at the stone cottage of Val-Kill.

November 1, 1982 – December 31, 1982

American History Museum

Use of Radio-Telemetry in Wildlife Biology at Front Royal Conservation and Research Center

Learn from a 4-panel exhibition of photographs and graphics illustrating how animals are caught and fitted with miniature radio transmitters so their activities can be monitored by scientists at the Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

February 1, 1982 – December 31, 1982

National Zoo

Burrow of Manhattan (sic)

Follow nearly 30 photographs illustrating the history of the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad under the East River and the Hudson River, culminating in the construction of Penn Station in New York City.

August 28, 1982 – December 31, 1982

American History Museum

From the New World and Other Images (Caroline Thorington)

Visit approximately 50 etchings and lithographs by Caroline Thorington of Washington, D.C., including mammals, birds, and plants of the U.S., Panama, and Venezuela, as well as other parts of the world.

October 23, 1982 – December 19, 1982

Natural History Museum

Familiar But Unique: The Monoprints of Joseph Goldyne

Follow an in-depth survey of the work of the San Francisco artist who, for the past 10 years, has utilized the monotype and uniquely colored print as the vehicle for his intimate, painterly images.

September 24, 1982 – December 5, 1982

American Art Museum

In Honor of Hispanics/en Honor a Los Hispanos

To commemorate the first National Hispanic Heritage Week beginning Sept 12, 1982, this exhibition features aspects of Hispanic culture in New Mexico, seat of the oldest continuous Hispanic settlement in the U.S.

September 1, 1982 – November 30, 1982

American History Museum

Roosevelt's America: New Deal Paintings from the National Museum of American Art

An area of the museum permanently devoted to WPA art has been re-installed with an exhibit of 30 paintings created under the auspices of the New Deal's various art projects.

January 9, 1982 – November 30, 1982

American Art Museum

William H. Johnson: The Scandinavian Years

Track a distinctive phase in the career of the black American artist through his expressionistic works of Danish people and landscapes executed in highly saturated colors.

September 17, 1982 – November 28, 1982

American Art Museum

Windows

See a small smoked glass sculpture created in 1969 by Robert Fritz of San Jose State College in California. Dr. Fritz has made important contributions to the techniques of glass blowing.

October 1, 1982 – November 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Daniel Webster: The Godlike Black Dan

See 12 likenesses of Webster and memorabilia associated with his achievements in a small exhibit to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.

June 4, 1982 – November 28, 1982

Portrait Gallery

Posters for a Picnic

See 12 posters, featuring large-scale details of traditional foods and festivities, designed by Stephen Frykholm for the annual Herman Miller, Inc., picnic celebrations in Zeeland, Michigan.

March 13, 1982 – November 14, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Music & Dance of the Silk Route from the People's Republic of China

See musical instruments from China, including some which were gifts from China for the U.S. Centennial celebration in 1876.

November 1, 1982 – November 14, 1982

Natural History Museum

Paintings of Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Fortune Bartlett

View paintings executed in the 1920s and 1930s by Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Forture Bartlett, along with supplementary photographs.

September 17, 1982 – November 8, 1982

Smithsonian Castle

Lace

Follow the evolution of lace techniques and patterns from the 16th century to the present with these Western European caps, collars, cuffs, borders, shawls, handkerchiefs, hair ornaments, and trimmings--some made for royal use.

August 3, 1982 – November 7, 1982

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

American Advertising Tins

View approximately 80 advertising containers from the Smithsonian's collection of Business Americana.

November 1, 1981 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Salute to the New First Lady

See a suit designed by Adolfo and worn by Nancy Reagan at the 1980 Republican Convention in this single-case exhibit.

January 14, 1981 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Introduction to Conservation in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Learn about conservation measures for books and documents, in conjunction with the September 1982 meeting of the International Congress for Conservation.

September 1, 1982 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Grass Work of Labrador

View some 90 baskets, mats, and other sewn coil crafts from Labrador.

August 30, 1982 – October 31, 1982

Natural History Museum