Exhibitions

Made in America brings together more than 70 large-format photographs captured by Christopher Payne over a decade-long photographic journey to learn more about the craft of both industrial and artisanal making in the United States. His images .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Timed with the U.S. semiquincentennial, the National Portrait Gallery commemorates the founding of its historic home with The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees. This exhibition sketches the early history of the Patent Office—the .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, How Can You Forget Me explores the overlooked history of a trailblazing Filipino community in California from the 1910s to the 1970s through twenty-six steamer trunks found in 2005, .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Follow the multiyear project to preserve the gunboat USS Philadelphia, an iconic reminder of the spirit of the American Revolution. The Philadelphia was part of a small American fleet, hastily built in the summer of 1776, that stalled invading .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History leads the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations with a bold, immersive exhibition exploring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness features.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Explore the remarkable story of bison. These iconic animals shaped North American landscapes for more than 100,000 years and anchored Indigenous lifeways for generations. Pushed to the brink of extinction in the 19th century, bison survived .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

More than 100 years ago, real bison grazed outside the Smithsonian Castle building. Bison are returning in a bold new way! Three larger-than-life bronze bison, created by sculptor Gary Staab, find a permanent home outside the Smithsonian .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Bison have long captured our imaginations. In paintings, photographs, stories, and sculpture, this powerful animal represents wildness, resilience, and the spirit of the American West. The historic books, images, and objects on view are drawn .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.