Eye Level

Eye Level is the blog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. Publishing behind-the-scenes museum stories since 2005.

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  Discoveries from the Collection: Honoring Service and Sacrifice in American Art

  Discover how a partnership between SAAM and the American Battle Monuments Commission revealed an unexpected connection between Paul Manship sketches and a U.S. military cemetery located outside of Rome.

  Ashley on May 11, 2021

Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: Alice Bag

Shizu Saldamando explores identity and representation through portraiture

Chicano Graphics

Exhibitions

New Acquisitions

Rebekah on May 5, 2021

Chicano Artists Challenging History and Reclaiming Cultural Memory  

Chicano artists use graphics to reframe history with new perspectives

Chicano Graphics

Exhibitions

New Acquisitions

Claudia on May 4, 2021

Second Nature: Landscapes as a Marker for Stewardship

What do an epic nineteenth-century landscape that inspired the designation of a national park and a twenty-first-century post-apocalyptic scene hinting at a hopeful future have in common?

SAAM on April 30, 2021

Podcast Release: Music and Conversation with singer-songwriter Jenna Camille

Singer-songwriter, Jenna Camille, discusses how her creative motivations have evolved over the past year.

Luce Foundation Center

Five Question Interviews

Anne on April 29, 2021

Make an Upcycled Planter for Earth Month

Enjoy an easy and fun craft using recycled materials and plant the seed for a greener future

Craft Making Activities

Gloria on April 28, 2021

Earth Day 2021: Carleton E. Watkins’ Legacy as a Conservationist

We take a look at the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on nature as well as an excerpt from Eleanor Jones Harvey’s exhibition catalogue focusing on Carleton E. Watkins.

Exhibitions

Katie Hondorf on April 22, 2021

Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: Mujer de Mucha Enagua, PA' TI XICANA

Yreina D. Cervántez uses text, imagery, and symbolism to pay tribute to bold female leaders of different eras

Chicano Graphics

Exhibitions

New Acquisitions

Rebekah on April 21, 2021

Chair-y Blossom at SAAM

Part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s inaugural “Art in Bloom” event, the cherry blossom sculpture Cherry Garden by artist Rashin Kheiriyeh is one of 25 that double as chairs sprinkled throughout DC and the neighboring areas.

SAAM on April 16, 2021

Christine McHorse, an Artist Whose Clay Works Pushed Against Conventions

Remembering the Navajo artist whose clay works pushed against conventions over her fifty-year career

Craft and Decorative Arts

Anya on April 16, 2021

Beyond the Studio with Revery Paper Flora

No green thumb? No problem. Hear from local botanical artist and educator, Emily Paluska of Revery Paper Flora, as SAAM's Luce Foundation Center connects with local artists.

Luce Foundation Center

Jessica on April 8, 2021

Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: Hasta La Victoria Siempre

Luis González’s Hasta La Victoria Siempre combines bold graphics and text in a powerful political poster designed to support the Chicano movement

Chicano Graphics

Exhibitions

Rebekah on April 8, 2021

Alexander Nemerov on Helen Frankenthaler

The author’s new book, Fierce Poise, chronicles the artist coming into her own in the 1950s

Five Question Interviews

Howard on April 6, 2021

Making the Most: In the Studio with Donté K. Hayes

The ceramic artist reflects on his art, studio practice, and life during this challenging period

Making the Most - Craft Practice during the Dual Pandemics

Mary on April 2, 2021

Five Women Changemakers in American Art

Celebrating Women’s History Month by illuminating the stories of women who challenged both what art could be and who could be an artist.

Allison Carey on March 31, 2021

The Year of Photography: A Remembrance of Joan Clark Netherwood

Curator John P. Jacob reflects on his recent conversations with the photographer Joan Clark Netherwood, her legacy, and the East Baltimore Documentary Photography Project

Exhibitions

John on March 29, 2021

Podcast Release: Music and Conversation with DC Soulpunk Band, Lightmare

DC soulpunk band, Lightmare, discusses writing and recording an album during a pandemic with Hometown Sounds.

Luce Foundation Center

Five Question Interviews

Anne on March 25, 2021

Chicanx Graphic Arts in Focus: Bee Pile

Sonia Romero pushes the boundaries of graphic arts beyond paper and seeks to bring art out of the museum and into the community

Chicano Graphics

Exhibitions

New Acquisitions

Rebekah on March 24, 2021

Standing Together Against Hate

At the Smithsonian, we condemn xenophobia, misogyny, and racial and gendered violence.

Stephanie on March 23, 2021