Eye Level

Eye Level is the blog of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. Publishing behind-the-scenes museum stories since 2005.

A Souvenir from the Holy Land: On Henry Ossawa Tanner's Abraham's Oak

Tanner was the first internationally renowned African American painter. "Abraham’s Oak" memorializes a pilgrimage site that the artist likely visited during his travels in the 1890's.

Research and Scholarship

From the Director: Looking Forward at SAAM

Stephanie Stebich, SAAM's director, takes a look at upcoming events, exhibitions, and programs at the museum.

From the Director

L-O-V-E

Love is in the air and in the museum. Artworks and crafts projects in honor of celebrating (or avoiding) Valentine's Day.

Exhibitions

Programs

Art Bites: Sunday Morning

Jill Vaum takes a close look at Thomas Waterman Woods' painting, "Sunday Morning," as part of the Art Bites series.

Research and Scholarship

No Spectators: the Art of Burning Man Hits the Road!

The Renwick Gallery announced that its popular exhibition, "No Spectators: the Art of Burning Man," will travel to the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Oakland Museum of California in 2019.

Exhibitions

Embrace the Dust: A Burning Man Journal

A personal journal by museum educator and first time Burner, Geoffrey Cohrs.

Exhibitions

Behind-the-Scenes

Museum: A Tale of Art, Life and Everything In Between

I'm throwing this one back five years to one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite poets that was originally posted in 2013. It comes with all good wishes from the blog for a wonderful, story-filled, Happy New Year.

Thinking Outside the Box: Joseph Cornell for the Holidays

Joseph Cornell, who was born on Christmas Eve, 1903, often created handmade objects to give as gifts during the holidays.

Behind-the-Scenes

Movies at SAAM: Art21 with Stephanie Syjuco

Movies at SAAM hosted a screening of Art 21 and a discussion between the artist, Stephanie Syjuco, the focus of the documentary, and Curator Abraham Thomas.

Exhibitions

Handle with Care: Consolidating Bill Traylor’s Artwork

Paper Conservator Catherine Maynor shares her experience examining and treating Bill Traylor’s artwork.

Conservation

World AIDS Day

A blog post to commemorate World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018, reflecting on an artwork in our collection.

The Evolving Styles of William H. Johnson: Paintings in the Luce Foundation Center

The Luce Foundation Center currently has 22 paintings on view by William H. Johnson (1901-1970), one of America’s foremost African American artists and a major figure in 20th century art. Luce visitors may notice that Johnson’s paintings appear to be done in two very different styles. These two styles can be separated into time periods, 1926-1938 and 1939-1945.

Luce Foundation Center

Sneak Peek: Renwick Invitational 2018

Disrupting Craft: Renwick Invitational 2018 opens Friday, November 9, and might be just what you need this week.

Exhibitions

Behind-the-Scenes

Craft and Decorative Arts

Qualification, Exclusion, and the Art of Bill Traylor

Curator Leslie Umberger details the importance of Traylor as one of America's most important artists.

Exhibitions

Movies at SAAM: The Art of the Score

Movies at SAAM presents an inside look at Hollywood film scores.

On Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor

An interview with SAAM curator, Leslie Umberger, on the life and art of Bill Traylor.

Exhibitions

Testing a New Reality for Museum VR

Noah Kim, Media & Technology intern for summer 2018, describes his experiences helping with the virtual reality project, "Beyond the Walls."

Technology

Art Bites: Nocturnal (Horizon Line)

Susana Rodriguez, a Visiting Student at SAAM and NPG, discusses Teresita Fernández's work, Nocturnal, (Horizon Line), 2010.

Research and Scholarship