William E. Artis, Untitled (Idealized Head of a Woman), ca. 1946
See also: Artwork Loan Policy
As a federal institution, an important part of the mission of the Smithsonian American Art Museum is to make its collections and exhibitions available throughout the United States. Treasures to Go, the museum's touring exhibition program, was established to offer exhibitions of American art to museums throughout the country.
See the Traveling Exhibitions page for a list of potentially available exhibitions.
Scheduling and Participation Fee
Exhibitions are usually scheduled for twelve-week periods, allowing four weeks between venues for packing and shipping. The participation fee varies from exhibition to exhibition and includes costs of preparing the works for travel, packing, crating, transportation (including couriers if necessary), and insurance under the museum's policy.
Exhibition Materials and Services
Published catalogues, brochures and additional materials are available for many of the exhibitions. Three working copies of the catalogue will be provided free of charge, and additional copies can be ordered at a discount. Posters, notecards, and other items may be available at a discount for resale in the exhibitor’s shop. Please visit our online shop for examples of our products. A sample press release will be sent to each exhibitor, along with images that can be used for publicity. Exhibition labels and intro panel text are provided electronically in Microsoft Word format.
Standards-based educational resources for grades K-12 are available online, adaptable to traveling exhibitions and with support from the Education Department. These materials may include artist interviews, lesson plans and interactive online activities. Ask about real-time videoconference programs for schools and adults. Curators may be available to lecture on request.
General Requirements for Exhibitors
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The exhibitor must be a nonprofit institution, essentially educational and aesthetic in purpose, that collects works of art and exhibits them to the public.
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The exhibitor must have available professional staff trained in handling artwork.
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The exhibitor must meet climate and security requirements and must submit an American Association of Museums’ standard facilities report.
For more information on our available traveling exhibitions, or to reserve a slot on a tour, please contact:
Traveling Exhibition Program
Smithsonian American Art Museum
MRC 970, PO Box 37012
Washington DC 20013-7012
Tel: (202) 633-8478
Fax: (202) 633-8493
Jennifer Lee
Email: LeeJ@si.edu