Exhibitions

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

View news releases below or see all of our publicly released upcoming exhibitions.

Boynayel Mota of the music and cultural group Taiguabo Yukayeke Kiskeya — Boynayel Mota, of the music and cultural group Taiguabo Yukayeke Kiskeya, overlooks the mountains of his Indigenous ancestors in Maguana Arriba, Dominican Republic. Photo by Delvin Ortega, Ortega Films, Dominican Republic, Aug. 17, 2021.

Indigenous Legacy of the Caribbean Featured in New Smithsonian Exhibition

Tour Launches at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida, May 13

05.11.2023

Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions

Woman wearing headphones with tribal decorations — Lily Hope, “Memorial Beats,” 2021, thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with copper, headphones, and audio files, 16 x 4 x 10 in., The Hope Family Trust. Photo by Sydney Akagi.

New Work by Native American and Alaska Native Artists on Display at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Tenth Installment of the Renwick Invitational Opens May 26

05.09.2023

Renwick Gallery Exhibitions

ACM mural by Amir Khadar — Mural by Amir Khadar, courtesy Anacostia Community Museum

Anacostia Community Museum Presents “To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C.”

Exhibition Opens May 19

05.02.2023

Anacostia Community Museum Exhibitions

Promotional photo of artist Baseera Khan — Courtesy of Baseera Khan

Baseera Khan Debuts Artwork Commissioned During MTV and Smithsonian Channel Television Docuseries, The Exhibit, May 4 at the Hirshhorn

Presentation Includes Artist Lecture and Conversation, May 25

05.01.2023

Hirshhorn Museum Exhibitions

Entrance to Mirror Mirror exhibition at NMAH — National Museum of American History

“Mirror, Mirror” Reflects the American Narrative

Smithsonian Exhibition Explores Disney Parks Through Maps, Objects, Stories and Photos

04.27.2023

American History Museum Exhibitions

Large green gem on black background — Photo by Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite

Smithsonian Unveils Superb Lion of Merelani Gem

Spectacular Tsavorite Gemstone Goes on Public View in the National Museum of Natural History’s Gem Hall

04.13.2023

Natural History Museum Exhibitions

White caribou seen walking across a wintery scene with mountains and evergreen trees in the background — Photo Courtesy Stephen Loring

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Examines the Importance of the Boreal Forest

National Tour Begins April 19 at Michigan State University Museum in East Lansing, Michigan

04.12.2023

Traveling Exhibition Service Exhibitions

"Pullman Porters" by Hooks Brothers — Hooks Brothers, "Pullman Porters," undated, silver emulsion photograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Dr. Robert L. Drapkin Collection, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquisition of Expansive Collection From Robert Drapkin Doubles Its Authoritative Holdings of African American Photography

Images Represent African American History and Culture From the 1840s Through the 1970s

03.30.2023

American Art Museum Exhibitions

"President William McKinley" by Francisco Oller y Cestero, oil on canvas, 1898. Collection of Dr. Eduardo Pérez and family.

National Portrait Gallery Presents “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” April 28–Feb. 25, 2024

First Major Smithsonian Exhibition To Examine the U.S. Intervention in Cuba and U.S. Expansion Into Guam, Hawaiʻi, Puerto Rico and the Philippines

03.28.2023

Portrait Gallery Exhibitions

Two baby bears wander around a grassy area — Two male Andean bear cubs named Sean and Ian are now on view at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. Credit: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Andean Bear Cub Brothers Now on View Outdoors at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

03.27.2023

National Zoo Exhibitions

Illustration of postage stamp and baseball with text: "National Postal Museum. Baseball: Americas Home Run"

Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum To Showcase New Objects in Baseball Exhibition

“Baseball: America’s Home Run” Reopens March 25

03.23.2023

Postal Museum Exhibitions

“From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson” Opens April 29 at National Museum of African Art

Exhibition Imagines Powerful Underwater World of African Spirits

03.21.2023

African Art Museum Exhibitions

Purple graphic with text: Afrofuturism, A History of Black Futures

Objects From OutKast, Octavia Butler and Marvel’s “Black Panther” on Display in National Museum of African American History and Culture’s New “Afrofuturism” Exhibition

“Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures” Opens March 24

03.09.2023

African American Museum Exhibitions

Person standing on a beach with headphones on and arms raised — Lily Hope, *Memorial Beats*, 2021, thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with copper, headphones, and audio files, 16 x 4 x 10 in., The Hope Family Trust. Photo by Sydney Akagi.

“Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023” Opens May 26 at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Exhibition Features New Work by Six Native Artists

03.09.2023

American Art Museum Exhibitions

Night sky illuminated by bright stars and other celestial objects — La Palma, Canary Islands, May 2018. Copyright Babak Tafreshi, TWAN.

Smithsonian Exhibition Invites Visitors To Help Recover Their Fading Night Sky

03.09.2023

Natural History Museum Exhibitions Public Programs

A small group of ducks swim in a naturally decorated zoo enclosure — Ruddy ducks paddle in the Prairie Pothole aviary. Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute visitors will be able to see these migratory birds up close at the renovated Bird House, which will open to the public Monday, March 13. Photo credit: Skip Brown, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Bird House Reopens at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Exhibit Celebrates Birds’ Annual Migrations and Teaches Visitors How To Live Bird Friendly

02.22.2023

National Zoo Exhibitions

Woman in foreground carries boombox on her shoulder with 3 other women seen following behind her. Seen outdoors — Cauleen Smith, Sojourner, 2018, digital video, color, sound, 22:41 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, museum purchase made possible by the SJ Weiler Fund, 2020.54.1, copyright 2020, Cauleen Smith

“Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies” Opens June 16 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Exhibition Celebrates Recent Major Acquisitions to the Museum’s Collection

02.16.2023

American Art Museum Exhibitions

Illustration of women interacting in a lush green landscape — Art by Amir Khadar

Anacostia Community Museum Announces “Our Environment, Our Future”

2023 Theme Focuses on Environmental Justice and New Center

02.15.2023

Anacostia Community Museum Exhibitions Public Programs

Highly stylized illustration of the outlines of two people depicted in rainbow colors — “rainbow night 4” from the series “Rainbow Passes Slowly,” Ay- Ō, (b. 1931, Japan), 1971, silkscreen; ink on paper, H x W (unframed) 54.5 × 73.6 cm (21 7/16 × 29 in), gift of Margot Paul Ernst in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Norman S. Paul, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S1987.976.11, Copyright Ay-Ō

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Announces “Ay-Ō’s Happy Rainbow Hell”

First Museum Exhibition in US Dedicated to Japanese Artist Ay-Ō, Member of the International Fluxus Avant-garde Art Group, Celebrated Figure of Pop Art Movement

02.08.2023

Asian Art Museum Exhibitions

A white dress, white overcoat and blue coat ensemble with matching accessories — Photo by Jaclyn Nash

Smithsonian Adds First Lady Jill Biden’s Inaugural Ensembles to Its Historic First Ladies Collection

Addition to First Ladies Collection Continues a 100-Year Tradition

01.25.2023

American History Museum Exhibitions New Acquisitions

Three sculptural objects of varying ornateness depicting stylized animals — Left to right: Ritual wine pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taotie), dragons, and real animals, Anyang or middle Yangzi region, ca. 1100 B.C., bronze, Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer, F1961.33a–b; Ritual wine-pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taotie) and dragons, middle or late Anyang period, ca. 1100 B.C., bronze, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, S1987.279a–b; Ritual wine-pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taotie), dragons, and real animals, middle Anyang period, ca. 1150–1100 B.C., bronze, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1939.53a–b (National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution)

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Presents “Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings”

The First Major Exhibition in the United States Dedicated to Anyang, the Capital of Ancient China’s Shang Dynasty and Birthplace of Chinese Archaeology

01.17.2023

Asian Art Museum Exhibitions