Celebrate Women’s History Month at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian invites the public to Celebrate Women’s History Month in March through a series of vibrant performances, lectures, family activities and exhibitions at various museums around the Institution. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.
Feature Event
The Smithsonian kicks off Women’s History Month with Museum Day Live! Saturday, March 12, joining hundreds of cultural institutions across the country in a campaign to reach women and girls in underserved communities. This special edition of Smithsonian’s signature Museum Day Live! event encourages all people, and particularly women and girls of color, to explore their nation’s museums, cultural institutions, zoos, aquariums, parks and libraries. March 12 activities include:
Family Celebration
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery; 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Visitors can celebrate the contributions of girls and women of color with a day of crafts, live music and other performances.
Chalk It Up
Anacostia Community Museum; 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Using color-chalk sticks, families can decorate the sidewalks leading to the entrance of the museum with their own original portraits of inspirational women of color in history. All materials will be provided. The activity is led by artist and educator Jay Coleman in collaboration with Excel Academy in Anacostia.
America Participates Festival
National Museum of American History’s Walter H. Coulter Performance Plaza; 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
History becomes “herstory” in a festival celebrating the stories of girls and young women of color. The day includes hip-hop presentations, conversations with successful women, food demonstrations, self-guided tours and an “interactive cart” for teens.
Crossing Lines: Women and Ledger Art
National Museum of the American Indian’s Heye Center, rotunda; 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Visitors can meet women who use their ledger art to tell their own unique stories: Lauren Good Day Giago (Arikara/Hidatsa/Blackfeet/Plains Cree), Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty (Assiniboine/Sioux) and Wakeah Jhane (Comanche/Blackfeet/Kiowa).
Ladies’ Lightning Leadership Talks
Smithsonian Castle, Commons; 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Participants can explore a wide range of careers in museums with staff from across the Smithsonian who will share their paths, experiences and advice. Pre-registration is required, and participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or group chaperone.
Teen Opportunities @ SI
Smithsonian Castle, Schermer Hall; 12:30 p.m.–3 p.m.
Participants from the Lightning Leadership Talks and the general public can meet with Smithsonian staff to discuss opportunities for teens, including internships, volunteer opportunities, “job shadows” and more.
The Lili’u Project
National Museum of the American Indian, Potomac Atrium; 2 p.m.–3 p.m.
The Lili’u Project presents the story of Queen Lili’uokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch, through music inspired by the queen’s own poetry.
Ntozake Shange With Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
National Museum of African Art; 4–6 p.m.
Participants can join the conversation as literary groundbreakers discuss race, women, urban life and the power of imagination within African diasporic literatures and cultures. A light reception and book signing will follow.
Lectures
The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents “Historically Speaking: Gail Buckley Discusses the Black Calhouns,” Monday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Gail Lumet Buckley, daughter of singer Lena Horne, delves deeply into her family history, detailing the experiences of an extraordinary African American family from the Civil War to the civil rights era.
The Anacostia Community Museum will host “Voices United! The Women’s Rights Movement, 1960s and 1970s,” Sunday, March 20, at 2 p.m. Museum curator Marjorie Lightman moderates a discussion held in conjunction with the exhibition “Twelve Years That Shook and Shaped Washington, 1963–1975.”
Symposiums
The National Museum of the American Indian will host “Strong Women/Strong Nations: Native American Women & Leadership,” Friday, March 18, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. in Rasmuson Theater. The daylong symposium offers a historical perspective on the complex identities of Native women. The symposium will also include a lively discussion by elected tribal leaders, activists, artists and business leaders about contemporary challenges, obstacles and opportunities.
Films
The Anacostia Community Museum will screen the documentary A Ballerina’s Tale Sunday, March 20, at 11:30 a.m. After 15 years with the American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland was promoted in 2015 to principal dancer, making her the first African American women to be so honored in the company’s 75-year history. A discussion with a museum educator follows the screening.
The National Museum of the American Indian’s Heye Center in New York City will show My Legacy Thursday, March 17, at 6 p.m. The film explores the often tenuous relationship between a mother and daughter made more complex by the legacy of residential school. The screening is preceded by Clouds of Autumn, a short film that explores the effects of Canadian residential schools on the First Nations children. Discussion with curator Helen Haig-Brown follows the screenings.
Performances
The Anacostia Community Museum will present “Rhythm Café: Women in Jazz Present Sassy Sarah Vaughn” Saturday, March 19, at 2 p.m. Between song selections, Women in Jazz founder Amy Bormet and singer Jessica Boykins-Settles will discuss Vaughn’s life and career.
Exhibitions
The National Museum of American History will present “Women on Money,” an addition to the existing “Stories on Money” gallery. Scheduled to open March 18, the additions to the exhibition will shine light on the contributions of women to national and world events, as depicted on currency.
The National Museum of the American Indian will host the “Monument Quilt Project,” March 16–20. Twenty-three quilts created by Native American women survivors of violence and their supporters will be displayed in the Potomac Atrium of the museum for a five-day period.
All programs are subject to change. For more information about the Women’s History Month programs, visit www.SmithsonianEducation.org/Heritage or email heritagemonths@si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call 202-633-1000.
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