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Two historic locations

The Smithsonian American Art Museum shares its collections, programs, and exhibitions in two locations in Washington, DC. SAAM’s main building is located at the heart of a vibrant downtown cultural district, while its recently renovated branch museum for contemporary craft and decorative art, the Renwick Gallery, is located nine blocks west, near the White House. 

 

SAAM Building exterior

SAAM

Temporarily closed

Free Admission

American art museum featuring works from the colonial era to the present

8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20004 

More on Visiting SAAM

Renwick Gallery Exterior

Temporarily closed

Free Admission

Branch museum featuring contemporary craft and decorative arts

Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006

More on Visiting Renwick

Featured Exhibitions

  • ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now

    Media - 2012.53.1 - SAAM-2012.53.1_1 - 82036

    Reopening 2021

    Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and G Streets, NW)
    In the 1960s, activist Chicano artists forged a remarkable history of printmaking that remains vital today. Many artists came of age during the civil rights, labor, anti-war, feminist and LGBTQ+ movements and channeled the period’s social activism into assertive aesthetic statements that announced a new political and cultural consciousness among people of Mexican descent in the United States. ¡Printing the Revolution! explores the rise of Chicano graphics within these early social movements and the ways in which Chicanx artists since then have advanced innovative printmaking practices attuned to social justice.

  • Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020

    abstract shapes painted in silver with seven silver ornaments.

    Reopening 2021

    Renwick Gallery (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW)

    Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020 features artists Lauren Fensterstock, Timothy Horn, Debora Moore, and Rowland Ricketts. Representing craft media from fiber to mosaic to glass and metals, these artists approach the long history of art’s engagement with the natural world through unconventional and highly personal perspectives.

FAQ

As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is temporarily closed beginning November 23. Please check our website for additional updates.

As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is temporarily closed beginning November 23. Please check our website for additional updates.

Yes, visitors ages six and older are required to wear a face covering during their visit. Face coverings are also strongly recommended for visitors between the ages of two and six. Face shields or any kind of face covering or mask with an exhalation valve are not permitted. Face coverings should be worn over the nose and mouth and may be removed while drinking in designated spaces.

Yes. Admission to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery is free.

As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is temporarily closed beginning November 23. Please check our website for additional updates.

No. Staff will not be taking guests’ temperatures at this time. If you feel unwell, please stay home.
 

Yes. We’ve made some changes inside the museum to allow staff, volunteers and guests to appropriately social distance. You'll see signs throughout the museum to help you follow these guidelines. We’ve also limited the number of guests that can be in the museum at one time. 

The bathrooms and high-touch areas, such as doors, will be cleaned more frequently throughout each day.

Bathrooms are open throughout the museum for you to wash your hands. Sanitizing stations are strategically placed throughout the museum at frequently touched areas. We also encourage guests to bring their own hand sanitizer for personal use throughout the museum.