SAAM Arcade: Breaking Barriers
An interview with Tanya DePass, the founder of We Need Diverse Games, who will deliver the keynote at this year's SAAM Arcade.
Eye Level
Eye Level is the blog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. Publishing behind-the-scenes museum stories since 2005.
Artist Ginny Ruffner Reimagines Nature
Ginny Ruffner's exhibition conjures up notions of beauty and frailty through her use of glass, drawing, and augmented reality (AR) technology.
What Domingo Ulloa's Braceros Means to Me
What Domingo Ulloa's Braceros Means to Me
Local student Amaia Noursi responds to the painting, Braceros, by Domingo Ulloa, as part of SAAM's "Creating American Stories" program.
What Mark Bradford's Amendment #8 means to me
What Mark Bradford's Amendment #8 means to me
DC public school student Myles Bell, responds to Mark Bradford's painting, Amendment #8
Artist Brendan Fernandes On the Dance Floor as a Space for Resistance and Resilience
Dancer/choreographer Brendan Fernandes talks about his work, including Free Fall 49, making its East Coast debut at SAAM on June 9.
David Levinthal: Toying with the Past?
Populated with toy cowboys and cavalry, Barbie dolls and baseball players, David Levinthal’s photographs reference iconic images and events that shaped postwar American society.
SAAM Hears America Singing
SAAM Hears America Singing
Walt Whitman, born in 1819, would be celebrating his two-hundredth birthday today, if such a thing were possible. Let us celebrate the poet with a round of American art from our collection.
From the Director: We Hear America Singing
SAAM's director, Stephanie Stebich, on our touring exhibitions, national programs, and museum initiatives.
Wine and Sign at ASL After Five
The second ASL After Five happy hour event for the D.C. area’s Deaf community will take place on May 31, 2019
Popping (Up) With Pride at SAAM
Saisha Grayson, curator of time-based media at SAAM, discusses the pop-up exhibition for the June 9 celebration of Pride.
Mom's the Word with artist Tyler Fuqua
Mom's the Word with artist Tyler Fuqua
A blog post in honor of Mother's Day, featuring Burning Man artist Tyler Fuqua and his mother talking about his work in "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man."
Artists Respond: Vietnam on Film
SAAM is presenting three films on the Vietnam War in honor of the exhibition, "Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975."
Nature is the Boss: Tony Bennett's Central Park
Nature is the Boss: Tony Bennett's Central Park
Painter Anthony Benedetto is better known as crooner Tony Bennett. His painting "Central Park" depicts the New York oasis in autumn.
Luce Unplugged: Five Questions for We Were Pirates
Luce Unplugged: Five Questions for We Were Pirates
An interview with Mike Boggs of We Were Pirates, in advance of their Luce Unplugged appearance.
Notre Dame
Senior Curator Eleanor Harvey describes the allure of Paris and Notre Dame on American artists beginning after the Civil War.
Niagara by George Inness: Familiar and Strange
A closer look at the late-19th-century landscape of "Niagara" by George Inness.
Beyond Black Boxes and Gender Barriers: A Year of Time-Based Media at SAAM
Beyond Black Boxes and Gender Barriers: A Year of Time-Based Media at SAAM
Curator of Time-Based Media at SAAM talks about upcoming initiatives emphasizing women artists and LGBTQ+ perspectives.