SAAM Stories

Diorama showing a miniaturized corner of a room with small paintings and glass
How John Gellatly’s eclectic collection of fine and decorative arts took over his New York home and six rooms in the Heckscher Building
A photograph of a woman.
Katie Hondorf
Public Affairs Specialist
open egg shaped basket with flash drive inside
Discover how artist Kelly Church is ensuring that centuries of Indigenous traditions are preserved for future generations with her beautifully woven basketry.
The four musicians of the band Rosie Cima and What She Dreamed stand with their arms around eachother in a room full of framed pictures.
Rosie Cima of Rosie Cima and What She Dreamed discusses her welcome to DC’s music community and her approach to keeping it real in front of an audience.
Anne Wilsey
Program Specialist for the Luce Foundation Center
Sculpture that shows gold skeleton hands reaching around a gold skull that is wearing rose-colored glasses.
10/27/2021
Choose how to celebrate the season with two different ways to explore SAAM's collection
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
Illustration of a woman standing in a garden, holding a paintbrush.
10/26/2021
Celebrating Maria Oakey Dewing with a comic about her life and work
A detail of a sculpture of fiberglass fists painted gold
10/22/2021
Evoking Tommie Smith's legacy through a work of monumental sculpture
Photo of Sarah Newman by John DeWolf.
Sarah Newman
James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art
A woman in a blue mask standing in front of plants.
10/22/2021
Stephanie Stebich, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director, talks about how a variety of voices are represented in SAAM’s collections, galleries, and programming to reflect the complexity of American stories.
 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
collection of neon lights with stuffed animals and computer parts bundled together
New Glass Now showcases artists challenging the status quo, offering new perspectives, and experimenting with what the medium of glass can do!
Detail from a painting. Orange and blue organic shapes on a dark blue background.
10/15/2021
On the surprising friendship between artists Yayoi Kusama and Joseph Cornell
An illustration of a woman standing in front of a wall of colorful, abstract art.
10/06/2021
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work.
Detail of painting of woman with dark hair holding a blue object
10/05/2021
An interview with the curator of Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano
A photograph of Anne Showalter in front of Superhighway.
Anne Showalter
Digital Interpretation Specialist
A photograph of Alex Man by Libby Weiler.
Alex Mann
Former Curator (Prints and Drawings)
An illustration of a young woman with dark hair weaving holding a shuttle in her hand and is sitting a loom, weaving.
09/29/2021
Celebrating Kay Sekimachi’s 95th birthday with a comic about her life and work
A detail of a painting outside of a house. Through the window, a woman is putting a blanket on a bed..
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a look into the diversity and depth of SAAM’s Latinx collection
Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
Eemcee Night Train 357 poses with his WAMMIE trophy in front of a gold curtain.
Night Train 357 describes the importance of organization in a creative life and teases his new independent martial arts film.
Anne Wilsey
Program Specialist for the Luce Foundation Center
A detail of a comic book cover showing a young African American girl with a paintbrush in her hand
09/21/2021
Celebrating what would have been artist Alma Thomas’s 130th birthday with a comic about her life and work
A black and white photograph of three women looking in the near distance with shocked looks on their faces
09/08/2021
Artworks in SAAM’s collection and the stories they tell us about 9/11
An African American girl wearing a rose-colored hijab stands, smiling, in front of a stone and brick rowhome.
09/02/2021
SAAM educator Elizabeth Dale-Deines talks with Karim R. Amin about the outcomes of creating a youth-focused photography program
Elizabeth Dale-Deines
An African American girl wearing a black hijab looks directly at the camera, smiling. In front of her is a fence painted to resenble piano keys. Her fingers rest atop the fence.
One SAAM educator explores creating a meaningful partnership with a community-based organization to achieve something neither could have done alone.
Elizabeth Dale-Deines