SAAM Stories

Illustrated comic cover. On the left is a close up of an African American woman wearing a headwrap, large glasses, and earrings. On the right is the title "If You Stitch With Me, I'll Tell You A Story."
02/17/2023
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Side by side artworks. On the left: a painting with African mask references. On the right: a black sculpture, also with African mask references.
The lives of Loïs Mailou Jones and Elizabeth Catlett intersected briefly but formatively in the 1930s at Howard University
SAAM
A black case that is open to reveal smaller compartments and utensils mounted in the lid. Boxes wrapped in brown paper are stacked on the side.
Metalsmith David Harper Clemons creates art that gives new meanings to everyday objects
SAAM
Four people sit around a table playing a game with large cards. The cards have images of artworks on them.
02/03/2023
SAAM educators highlight the collection with a new art-based card game
Kelly Skeen
Detail of brown ceramic jar with writing and the signature "Dave" inscribed around the top.
Craftsman David “Dave” Drake, enslaved for most of his life, produced uncommonly large ceramic jars in 19th-century South Carolina adorned by his poetic verses
A woman in a black blazer smiles in front of a dusky landscape
Jill Vaum Rothschild
Luce Curatorial Fellow
A photograph of a woman standing in front of artwork.
Leslie Umberger
Curator (Folk and Self-Taught Art)
A photograph of a woman in front of artwork
01/26/2023
Director Stephanie Stebich looks forward to the year ahead
 Stephanie Stebich, SAAM's Margaret and Terry Stent Direction in the museum's Lincoln Gallery. Photo by Gene Young. 
Stephanie Stebich
The Margaret and Terry Stent Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery
A detail of stained glass with a figure, in a fetal position, at the middle
Artist Judith Schaechter uses the labor-intensive medium of stained glass to capture a singular moment in time
SAAM
A white man wearing a dark blazer stands leaning on a balustrade. He has a slight smile.
01/17/2023
A tribute to the Renwick Gallery's Founding Director, Lloyd Herman, a man whose name was synonymous with studio craft
A photograph of a woman with brown hair and a dress standing inside a building.
Mary Savig
Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft
Detail of a sand bottle artwork showing an eagle carrying an American flag.
Andrew Clemens invented, then perfected, the art of the sand bottle in the late nineteenth century.
A photograph of a woman standing in front of artwork.
Leslie Umberger
Curator (Folk and Self-Taught Art)
A woman in a black blazer smiles in front of a dusky landscape
Jill Vaum Rothschild
Luce Curatorial Fellow
A black  and white photograph of the artist Philip Pearlstein. He is wearing glasses and has a big smile.
SAAM remembers the towering twentieth-century figurative painter, Philip Pearlstein.
SAAM
A black and white illustration of a African American woman. She is shown in 3/4 profile.
12/27/2022
In addition to her own success, Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage dedicated her career to creating opportunities for Black artists.
A white Christmas with a homemade box.
Joseph Cornell, who was born in 1903 on Christmas Eve, often created handmade objects to give as gifts during the holidays.
Laura Augustin
Curatorial Assistant
A black and white photo of a man sitting looking away from the camera, his artwork in front of him
An archivist looks at the important art and objects in the Joseph Cornell Study Center
Anna Rimel
A jeweled-encrusted egg
A look at the extraordinary career of master metalsmith and painter Daniel Brush
Photograph of Nora Atkinson by Libby Weiler.
Nora Atkinson
The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge, Renwick Gallery
Artist Joseph Cornell standing at worktable with materials for his artworks around him
12/15/2022
A closer look at Joseph Cornell's work and his continuing influence, even 50 years after his death
Laura Augustin
Curatorial Assistant
Detail of quilted portrait showing three African American soldiers
SAAM’s video series, American Art Moments, takes a closer look at the monumental quilt The Harlem Hellfighters by Bisa Butler
A explosion of yellows and reds in a scene from WWI
11/30/2022
Taking a closer look at Claggett Wilson’s watercolor paintings that depict his experiences as a combat marine in World War I 
Kelly Skeen
Ceramic bowl with ceramic spoons hanging all around its perimeter.
Artist gwendolyn yoppolo focuses on creating meaningful relationships through a shared dining experience
SAAM