SAAM Staff

On October 16th–17th, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will hold the final event in its five-part series: "The Terra Symposia on American Art in a Global Context." This fall's capstone event, "Shifting Terrain: Mapping a Transnational American Art History," speakers will discuss the transformation of the field over the past decade and suggests future directions for scholarship.

Hiram Powers' first marble version of the Greek Slave appeared more lifelike than ever at the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, where it stood on a rotating pedestal under a lavish red canopy that gave the marble a rosy hue. Six million visitors attended this international fair, which took place in London in 1851 in the glass pavilion known as the Crystal Palace. It was the first exhibition of its kind to include a section dedicated to the United States.

Ever since Marcel Duchamp took a urinal, turned it upside down, called it a "readymade," and demanded we consider it art, sculpture has been open to a variety of methodologies. Kyle Bauer's work is a reflection of this. And he will start off our fall Luce Artist Talk series on Saturday, September 19th at 1:30pm with a discussion of his sculpting methods.

Throughout June and July, 77 middle and high school teachers attended week-long summer teacher institutes here at SAAM. English and history teachers from 26 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and South Korea came to the museum to re-invigorate their practice and learn how to integrate American art into their teaching.

On August 20, our monthly series, Take 5! will feature the Smithsonian Institution's James Zimmerman who will celebrate "Storytellers and Crooners." Focusing on jazz vocalists, Zimmerman and his ensemble will highlight the artistry of great musicians by bringing the narrative of song to SAAM's stage.

Karen Lemmey, SAAM's sculpture curator, has organized an installation entitled Measured Perfection: Hiram Powers' Greek Slave. Powers' Greek Slave was one of the most popular sculptures of the 19th century. As part of her preparation, Karen worked with Smithsonian X 3D, part of the Institution's Digitization program, to create a 3D model of the this sculpture. Karen continues to explain the process. You may also read her first post on creating a 3D model of the sculpture, as well as a piece about conserving the Greek Slave.

Jeremy Sutton is a California-based portrait painter and expert in digital art practices. American Art was lucky enough to have this talented and engaging artist perform live iPad painting at the America Now! Innovation in Art program on June 27.

This is the third and final blog post by the Archives of American Art's Mary Savig and Jason Stieber focused on the life of the artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi. The exhibition Artist Teacher Organizer: Yasuo Kuniyoshi in the Archives of American Art is on view in the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, and is organized in conjunction with The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi on view at at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is thrilled to take part in America Now! a three-part collaboration jointly organized with the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American History. In our inaugural year, all three museums have been focused on highlighting a fundamental part of the American experience: innovation!

The American Art Museum's monthly concert series, Take 5!, brings one of America's original art forms—jazz—to the stage every third Thursday. On June 18th, the DC Jazz Composers Collective, will play new works they composed for this performance taking inspiration from our collection.

This is the second in a series of guest blog posts by the Archives of American Art's Mary Savig and Jason Stieber focused on the life of the artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi.

This is the first in a series of guest blog posts by the Archives of American Art's Mary Savig and Jason Stieber focused on the life of the artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi. The exhibition Artist Teacher Organizer: Yasuo Kuniyoshi in the Archives of American Art is on view in the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, and is organized in conjunction with The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi on view at at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Last week our latest exhibition opened, "Watch This! Revelations in Media Art." It highlights our media and film collection and will remain open until September 7, 2015. But our media and film initiative has been developing for quite some time. Read on...

"Watch This! Revelations in Media Art" presents contemporary artworks that trace the evolution of a continuously emerging medium. The exhibition explores the pervasive interdependence between technology and contemporary culture. The exhibition, on view at American Art beginning tomorrow and running through September 7, 2015.

The Domingo Cafritz Young Artists Program at Washington National Opera will be performing their annual semi-staged excerpts from operas on Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m., at American Art in a free performance at the McEvoy Auditorium.

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.

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

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.

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.