SAAM Stories

Beloved punk rockers Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists (BBB) will kick off our first Thursday Luce Unplugged on March 26th. The Apologists split the difference between cutesy boy band and serious punk outfit and are known for putting on a great show.

Join us on Wednesday, March 25, in the Luce Foundation Center from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Smithsonian American Art Museum as we celebrate craft and innovation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with our latest Handi-hour.

This blog post is adapted from an essay written by Michael Mansfield, associate curator of film and media arts, to accompany the exhibition, Watch This! Revelations in Media Art, opening April 24 and running through September 7.

I love the bright flower prints by Margaret Jordan Patterson. Can you tell me more about the artist?

Join us this Saturday, March 21st at 1:30 p.m. to see how costume design and artworks in the Luce Foundation Center connect to one another as part of our Luce Artist Talks.

President Lincoln celebrated his second inaugural ball 150 years ago on March 6, 1865, at the US Patent Office Building, now home to the American Art Museum as well as the National Portrait Gallery. Though the president's words were somber at his inauguration—the country was just coming out of the Civil War—the ball featured dancing, refreshments, and one unfortunate food fight. T

Yoga in Luce is a new monthly program that pairs yoga and art appreciation. Alongside the artworks of the Luce Foundation Center, participants will practice an hour of Vinyasa yoga, a style that prioritizes flowing movement and breath, taught by a credentialed instructor from Flow Yoga Center. Afterward, Luce staff will invite participants to spend 15 minutes taking a focused look at an artwork of their choosing. Our first Yoga in Luce session will be on March 11 at 6pm.

Karen Lemming, American Art's sculpture curator is organizing an installation that will include Hiram Power's Greek Slave, one of the most popular sculptures of the 19th century. As part of her preparation, she is working with Smithsonian X3D, part of the Institution's Digitization program, to create a 3D model of the Greek Slave. Karen, fills us in on the process.

Billed on his website as "the Soul Superstar You've Never Heard Of," Mingering Mike is an enigma, wrapped in faux vinyl, and carefully packaged in cardboard. The artist, who wishes to remain anonymous but for his sobriquet, is a DC native, who, caught up in the sounds and images of his hometown in the 1960s and 1970s, dreamed of joining the ranks of singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye who was transforming the soundscape of the city and the nation.

How to make an archival storage box for your daguerreotype

What artworks in American Art's collection inspire you? As part of our Luce Local Art Series, local artists discuss their own work and how they connect to works in our Luce Foundation Center. This series is presented in collaboration with CulturalDC. All talks begin at 1:30 p.m. Our next artist talk is by Ben Tolman this Sunday, February 22.

We sure love Valentine's Day around here at American Art. On Friday, February 13th, we are hosting another SweetARTS and Valentines program where you can come to the museum all day to make handmade Valentines for loved ones (or for people you hardly know —we won't judge). This year, we have invited some of our friends at Smithsonian Gardens to join in the fun.

At the museum, some of us have become a bit obsessed not only with the paintings of Richard Estes, but in locating his signature (or name, really) in each of his paintings. Estes usually signs his work, but often in ways that make it nearly impossible to discover.

Save the date for The Winter Luce Unplugged Community Showcase coming up next Friday, February 6th from 6-8 p.m. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, invite a date or take a chance and come meet that someone special. Once again, we've teamed up with the Washington City Paper (WCP) to bring you an evening of music and drinks in American Art's Luce Foundation Center. Two local acts will perform: Art Sorority for Girls and lowercase letters. Port City Brewing Company will provide free beer tastings, and there will be a cash bar as well. Like the best things in life, the show is free.

External Affairs Chief Jo Ann Gillula recently chatted with Washington Ballet's Artistic Director Septime Webre about the upcoming premiere of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, opening February 18 at the Kennedy Center. American Art will present the Washington Ballet in excerpts from the new Sleepy Hollow with members of the company, as well as many interactive ballet and art activities on January 31 in the Kogod Courtyard of the American Art Museum.

American Artist, Phil Brown, turns our museum's trees into beautiful art.

On Tuesday, January 20 American Art will screen Aves: Magnificent Frigate Bird, Great Flamingo, a film by Nancy Graves, artist and former member of the museum's Commission. The screening is as part of our exhibition The Singing and the Silence: Birds in Contemporary Art. Former public programs assistant, Laurel Fehrenbach, had a chance to speak with Christina Hunter, director of the Nancy Graves Foundation, who will introduce this experimental film. The screening will be held at the museum's McEvoy Auditorium, starting at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

American Art's Luce Foundation Center hosts local artists who discuss their work and process in the context of artworks on view in the Luce Center. The Luce Local Art Series is presented in collaboration with CulturalDC. All talks begin at 1:30 p.m. Our next artist talk is by Tai Hwa Goh this Saturday, January 17.