Luce Foundation Center

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

The nation’s first collection of American art, an unparalleled record of the American experience.

Plan your visit

Renwick Gallery Stairwwell

Renwick Gallery

Open daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Located just feet from the White House, a branch of the museum that is home the nation's collection of contemporary craft and decorative art.

Plan your visit

How Do I Research My Art?

Want to learn more about the painting you found while clearing out the attic? For answers, be prepared for a little detective work.

How to Care for Your Collections

Regardless of the monetary value of your artwork, if it is personally meaningful, you should consider having the object conserved.

Recording a Changing Nation

This resource uses images from photographic surveys in 55 communities in 30 states across the United States as source documents to spark sustained inquiry.

Critical Thinking in Action

These 60-to-95-minute units pair thinking patterns with works of art to instill a thinking disposition transferable across classroom curriculum and into the wider world.

Event Venues and Space Rental

Museum Store Online

Detail of brown ceramic jar with writing and the signature "Dave" inscribed around the top.

David “Dave” Drake: Potter and Poet

Craftsman David “Dave” Drake, enslaved for most of his life, produced uncommonly large ceramic jars in 19th-century South Carolina adorned by his poetic verses

Artist Tanya Aguiñiga wearing a suit made of glass elements while standing next to the U.S./Mexico border wall

Exploring Border Stories with Artist Tanya Aguiñiga

Curator Mary Savig details an artist’s journey to create the powerful performance work Metabolizing the Border that explores the physical and psychological experiences migrants face while crossing the borderlands.

Director’s Circle

A national membership group of museum friends who share a love of American art and craft and our commitment to celebrating the extraordinary creativity of our nation’s artists.

A membership group for young professionals who are interested in immersing themselves in the American art experience.

Director’s Circle

Two lecturers talk about in art in front of an audience in the Lincoln Gallery

About Director's Circle

Director’s Circle is a national philanthropic community committed to celebrating the creativity of our nations’ artists, and supporting SAAM’s mission to advance American art and craft. In gratitude for our patrons’ support, Director’s Circle receives premier access to museum scholars and collections year-round.

Questions about Director’s Circle?

Rogelio Plasencia, Development Officer

PlasenciaR@si.edu

Core Benefits

Director's Circle dinner in the Kogod Courtyard

Director's Circle patrons receive a host of benefits through the year. These include:

Invitation to our Annual Director's Circe Dinner featuring a celebrated American artist
Private tours of museum exhibitions and insider access to special projects
Invitations to VIP exhibition openings
Reserved seating for select public lectures and symposia
Reciprocal admission at more than 1,000 national museums
20% discount in Museum Stores and the Courtyard Cafe
Invitation to annual state-of-the-museum event with SAAM Director

Get full benefit breakdown in our brochure and preview our calendar!

Join Now