SAAM Staff

This blog post is part of a monthly Eye Level feature on our exhibition The Civil War and American Art. Curator Eleanor Harvey talks about many of the important intersections between American art and the Civil War. The exhibition runs through April 28, 2013.

On Saturday, April 27, American Art will be one of the over 240 museums around the world that will be hosting Slow Art Day. The event is free to the public. Jeff Gates took some time to talk with Slow Art Day's founder, Phil Terry, about the genesis of this event.

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will present a concert in tribute of the late Dave Brubeck by the Brubeck Institute's Jazz Quintet (BIJQ) from the University of the Pacific.

Stephen Vitiello, electronic musician and media artist, interviewed Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winning musician and composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, before they perform their tribute Strange Music for Nam June Paik, part of the Art & Process program on Sunday, April 14.

Serendipity has always been an important role in the art making experience. Sometimes an artist's muse seems to talk to us in ways we could never predict. Actually, it's something we often count on and, hopefully, ready to embrace. But what about the art viewing experience?

American Art and the Portrait Gallery share not only a building but also our museum stores. We have two stores that are now under new management with a completely new array of gifts and merchandise that is collection-based. Writer Warren Perry, at the National Portrait Gallery recently spoke with Milissa Ferrari, the new manager of our stores.

In conjunction with our exhibition, The Civil War and American Art, the museum has invited four contemporary artists to discuss "Why the Civil War Still Matters to American Artists." This panel discussion will be moderated by Senior Curator Eleanor Harvey on Wednesday, March 13 at 4 p.m. in the museum's McEvoy Auditorium. Harvey had a chance to speak with one of the artists about his work: Dario Robleto.

This blog post is part of a monthly Eye Level feature on our exhibition The Civil War and American Art. Curator Eleanor Harvey talks about many of the important intersections between American art and the Civil War.

Alli Jessing, Joint Programs Coordinator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, fills us in on our next cinematic screening, The Artist, Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in museum's Kogod Courtyard. Admission is free.

Jazz musician Mike "Bags" Davis will be performing a tribute to composer Kenny Durham at Take 5! on February 21st from 5-7 p.m. in the Kogod Courtyard. Public Programs Coordinator, Laurel Fehrenbach, interviewed him recently to find out more about Durham's impact on the jazz world.

We sat down with Martha Conboy, the writer and producer who spearheaded the documentary 40 Under 40 for the Smithsonian Channel. Martha and her team spent almost 6 weeks filming the installation of the exhibition at the Renwick Gallery this past summer.

This blog post is part of a monthly Eye Level feature on our exhibition The Civil War and American Art. Curator Eleanor Harvey talks about many of the important intersections between American art and the Civil War. The exhibition runs through April 28, 2013.

Now that winter has descended on DC after a two year hiatus, it's time to come inside. Tomorrow evening's Handi-hour at our Renwick Gallery features 40 under 40 artist Stacey Lee Webber who joins our team of "craft-tenders"! We'll be making jewelry and other accessories using one of Webber's preferred mediums: pennies. She has pounded and punched hundreds of pennies for this event, and we can't wait to see what you create with them.

This blog post is part of a series of pieces about our film and media arts initiatives here at American Art. Michael Mansfield, associate curator of film and media art, fills us in on our exhibition Nam June Paik: Global Visionary, which runs through August 11, 2013.

This blog post is part of a monthly Eye Level feature on our exhibition The Civil War and American Art. Curator Eleanor Harvey talks about many of the important intersections between American art and the Civil War. The exhibition runs through April 28, 2013.

This blog post begins a series of pieces about our film and media arts initiatives here at American Art. First up, Michael Mansfield, associate curator of film and media art, fills us in on our upcoming exhibition Nam June Paik: Global Visionary, which opens December 13 and runs through August 11, 2013.

Combining "happy hour" and "handmade," our May 10th Handi-hour offers the opportunity to make crafts, taste selected craft beers, and listen to live music in the Grand Salon of our Renwick Gallery of American Craft.

Austin Wintory is the composer behind such video games as Journey and flOw. Wintory will be doing a pre-concert Q&A on April 29th at 2:30 p.m. before the University of Maryland Gamer Symphony Orchestra plays in the museum's Kogod Courtyard. Laurel Fehrenbach, public programs coordinator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, asks Wintory how music is yet another form of the art of video games.

For the third straight year, the American Art Museum will be celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month with a tribute to the Empress of the Blues, Ella Fitzgerald. The performance will take place April 22 and is generously supported by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

The American Art Museum mourns the loss of one of our country's most important artists, Elizabeth Catlett. Ms. Catlett, whose career spanned more than seventy years, connected her work to progressive causes, especially those she thought were important to African American women.