Exhibitions

Featuring orchid collections from Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden, this joint exhibition explores the many ways orchids bring together individuals, communities, and nature. See hundreds of orchid blooms and discover .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Japanese tea practice, chanoyu, centers on the appreciation of tea utensils used to prepare and consume powdered green tea, called matcha. Chanoyu elevates these utensils, which include ceramic tea caddies, tea bowls, and hanging scrolls of .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Celebrate the vast and varied insect world through the pages of early natural history books from the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Dazzling Diversity provides a glimpse into the wealth of recorded scientific knowledge in these books, and .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass explores glass art as a medium for Indigenous stories, designs, and contemporary issues. The exhibition traces 45 years of Native glass art and showcases approximately 120 artworks by 29 .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Photographers seeking customers during the medium’s early years often urged the public to “Secure the shadow, ere the substance fade.” Hinting at life’s fragility, this tagline underscored photography’s ability to capture a fleeting likeness .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work sheds new light on a beloved body of work by Anna Mary Robertson ​“Grandma” Moses (1860 – 1961). Grandma Moses used creativity, hope, and togetherness as tools for shaping a life that she metaphorically likened .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Through precisely inked and animated scenes, Shahzia Sikander’s video artwork The Last Post (2010) critically considers the legacy of British colonialism in Asia, using her signature approach of infusing Indo-Persian miniature paintings with a .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

At the Vanguard weaves together stories of ingenuity, artistry and resistance—through collections from Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University. Explore .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.