SAAM Stories

A group of women standing outside under a slatted-canopy. The shadows of the slats cross the image.
Exhibitions One Smithsonian
03/24/2023
Beyond Afrofuturism with Artist Cauleen Smith
Curator Saisha Grayson examines the utopian realities presented in Smith's video artwork, Sojourner
SAAM
Detail of a yellow tapestry. The word "Caution" is woven into the top and the bottom shows a silhouette of two adults and a child holding hands and running.
Contemporary Craft Exhibitions
03/17/2023
Contemporary Craft in Focus: Run, Jane, Run!
Fiber artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood draws from her cultural heritage to create weavings that are a reflection of personal border experiences
SAAM
An African American woman is stepping out of a front door. She is smiling and waving. A child mannequin stands to her side.
Women Artists
03/10/2023
Drawn to Nellie Mae Rowe
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work.
A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.
Howard Kaplan
Writer
Artist Tanya Aguiñiga wearing a suit made of glass elements while standing next to the U.S./Mexico border wall
Contemporary Craft Exhibitions
03/01/2023
Exploring Border Stories with Artist Tanya Aguiñiga
Curator Mary Savig details an artist’s journey to create the powerful performance work Metabolizing the Border that explores the physical and psychological experiences migrants face while crossing the borderlands.
A photograph of a woman with brown hair and a dress standing inside a building.
Mary Savig
Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft
A man wearing a beret stands in front of an artwork. He is speaking to an audience.
From the Collection
02/28/2023
Remembering Artist and Veteran Jesse Treviño
A tribute to the photorealist painter and Vietnam War veteran by SAAM Curator Melissa Ho, who recalls the story behind his extraordinary self-portrait Mi Vida
A photograph of Melissa Ho by Jeff Elkins
Melissa Ho
Curator (20th-Century Art)
A close up detail of a coiled, sweet grass basket
Contemporary Craft Exhibitions
02/27/2023
Contemporary Craft in Focus: From Traditional to Contemporary
Gullah basket weaver Corey Alston sustains memory and kinship coil by coil
SAAM
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."
Women Artists
02/17/2023
Drawn to Sonya Clark
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.
Howard Kaplan
Writer
Side by side artworks. On the left: a painting with African mask references. On the right: a black sculpture, also with African mask references.
From the Collection Women Artists
02/15/2023
Artist to Artist: Loïs Mailou Jones and Elizabeth Catlett
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.
Contemporary Craft Exhibitions
02/08/2023
Contemporary Craft in Focus: The Weight of Deferred Gratification
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.
Education
02/03/2023
Museum In My Pocket: An Off-the-Wall Art Game
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.
From the Collection One Smithsonian
02/01/2023
David “Dave” Drake: Potter and Poet
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
From the Director
01/26/2023
Director’s Letter: A Year of Stories
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
Contemporary Craft Exhibitions
01/26/2023
Contemporary Craft in Focus: The Birth of Eve
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.
Contemporary Craft
01/17/2023
Remembering the Renwick’s Founding Director Lloyd Herman
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.
From the Collection New Acquisitions
01/13/2023
The Wonder and Precision of Sand Art
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.
From the Collection Behind-the-Scenes
01/10/2023
Remembering the Influential Figurative Painter Philip Pearlstein
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.
Women Artists
12/27/2022
Drawn to Augusta Savage
In addition to her own success, Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage dedicated her career to creating opportunities for Black artists.
A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.
Howard Kaplan
Writer
A white Christmas with a homemade box.
From the Collection Behind-the-Scenes
12/23/2022
Thinking Outside the Box: Joseph Cornell for the Holidays
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