SAAM Stories

For almost a week now I have been trying to write about the devastating earthquake in Haiti from the point of view of art and culture, but it didn't seem right—or, at least, not the right time. With so many lives lost or destroyed, and with people still missing, what could I possibly say about paintings and sculpture that would be up to the task?

To celebrate the life of Nam June Paik, John G. Hanhardt, Senior Curator for Media Arts, Nam June Paik Media Arts Center, has written a remembrance of the artist on the fourth anniversary of his death.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery recently acquired Karen LaMonte’s Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery. LaMonte, a glass artist, went to Prague in 1998 on a Fulbright scholarship to learn how to cast large-scale works in one of the most famous glass studios in the world. The glass dress series, of which the new acquisition is a part, took about ten years to complete.

This post is part of an ongoing series here on Eye Level: The Best of Ask Joan of Art. Question: I’m interested in artwork by William H. Johnson that depicts children as a representation of issues and images from Johnson’s larger African American community.

Lighting designer, Scott Rosenfeld puts the finishing touches on Graphic Masters, the final exhibition of our graphic works on paper series.

Our Kogod Courtyard is a great place to meet friends, read a book, or surf the net using our free WiFi. But this Star Trek action figure sighting is a first. From American Art's Flickr group, photographer "Mr. T in DC" explains it all:

American art lost one of its finest painters on Tuesday: Kenneth Noland died at age 85 at his home in Maine.

This is the fifth in a series of personal observations about how people experience and explore museums. Take a look at Howard's other blog posts on the subject.

The museum community is a close one, and we often take inspiration from innovative projects that our colleagues are implementing around the world. Take our new self-guided tours for the Luce Foundation Center. Visitors can choose a topic they are interested in from one of the clearly labeled hand-outs, such as "I like animals," "I like African American Artists," "I like the Color Red" and "I like Ex-Pats."

On a recent Sunday afternoon, pianist and music educator Leslie Amper presented a program at American Art on the WPA Federal Music Project, providing a perfect antidote to the gloomy weather outside. With the exhibition 1934: A New Deal for Artists, currently on view through January 3, 2010, Amper's program added another layer to our understanding of the importance of FDR's initiatives to help artists, as well as composers, musicians, and dancers among others, in need.

This post marks the inauguration of a new series here on Eye Level: The Best of Ask Joan of Art. Begun in 1993, Ask Joan of Art is the longest running arts-based electronic reference service in the country. Question: We bought a print of an angel that is somewhat faded, sitting on a rock. The work has the letters VAEA written on it. Who painted this and what do the letters stand for?

Historical photographs are important for the visual perspective they provide on the past; they are also fun to look at. I recently finished cataloging a collection of photographs dating from 1898 to 1940 and, as I worked with these images, I relished the opportunity to hold history in my hands.

New Media Initiatives intern Lauren Pond recently made this time lapse of the light in our Kogod Courtyard. Here's her story.

Abe Pollin changed the face of downtown D.C. when he opened the MCI (now Verizon) Center over a decade ago in Gallery Place, across the street from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. To coincide with the opening of the MCI Center on December 2, 1997, and to welcome our new neighbors, American Art curated the exhibition Time Out! Sports in Art.

This year the Smithsonian American Art Museum is displaying a decorated holiday tree at its Renwick Gallery, the museum’s branch for contemporary craft and decorative arts. The 15-foot, 1,000-pound, bulbed Douglas fir was provided and installed by the friendly folks at the Smithsonian’s Horticulture Services Division and the Office of Facilities Management.

Season's Greetings, an exhibition from the Archives of American Art, features holiday cards made by artists, many of whose works are in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but doesn't the frame have an equally interesting story to tell? Martin Kotler, frames conservator at American Art, led an enthusiastic group through Frames 101 the other day in the Renwick Gallery's Grand Salon.

Forty years ago, German-born American artist Werner Drewes created this colorful woodcut in honor of what may be the most typically American holiday. I like it for its vivid lines, burst of energy, and full-blown spectrum, especially the use of the color purple.