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.

A photograph of Howard Kaplan on a plane.

Howard Kaplan

Writer

Blog Posts

Drawn to Nellie Mae Rowe
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work.
Drawn to Sonya Clark
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Drawn to Augusta Savage
In addition to her own success, Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage dedicated her career to creating opportunities for Black artists.
Threads of History: Bisa Butler’s monumental quilt The Harlem Hellfighters
SAAM’s video series, American Art Moments, takes a closer look at the monumental quilt The Harlem Hellfighters by Bisa Butler
Drawn to Jaune Quick-To-See Smith
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) was born on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana in 1940. Throughout her long and distinguished career she has used her art to powerfully express her support for Native American communities
Drawn to Judy Baca
Judith Baca is a Chicana artist, professor, arts administrator, community leader, and social and cultural activist, whose murals and paintings give voice to underrepresented communities.
Drawn to Ester Hernandez
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Comic Series Presents Ten (More) Stories About Visionaries and Rule Breakers
The comic series Drawn to Art, published online by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, features tales of inspiring women artists.
Drawn to Tiffany Chung
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Drawn to Sarah Goodridge
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Drawn to Loïs Mailou Jones
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Drawn to Kay WalkingStick
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work.
Drawn to Jaune Quick-To-See Smith
Native American artist and curator, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith combines her life experiences and tribal ties in her expressive artworks.
Artists, Friends, Lovers: Paul Cadmus and George Tooker
Celebrating Pride with paintings by two artists whose lives intersected and whose artworks explore similar themes
Drawn to Romaine Brooks
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
Why I Am Not a Painter: on Michael Goldberg’s Sardines
What happens when poet Frank O'Hara walks into Mike Goldberg's studio while he's working on a painting?
Presenting Ten More Visionaries and Rule Breakers in SAAM’s Collection
The Drawn to Art comic series continues to share the lives of women artists you should know
Drawn to Anni Albers
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work
A Closer Look at Kay WalkingStick’s Distinguished Career
Our video series American Art Moments takes a closer look at the artist's career through three paintings new to SAAM’s collection
Drawn to Mickalene Thomas
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work