Visit the Renwick Gallery
Hours and Location
Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Free; No Timed-Entry Passes
Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
The Renwick Gallery is located steps from the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington. The closest Metro stations are Farragut West (Blue, Orange, and Silver lines) and Farragut North (Red line). Barrier-free ramp access is available at the 17th Street entrance.
There is limited on-street parking at meters; several paid parking garages are available in the neighborhood.
Planning Your Visit
We’re delighted to welcome visitors back into our galleries. To keep us all safe, and to support efforts to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we have limited capacity and have implemented new safety measures in the museum.
At the Renwick Gallery, we are limiting the number of visitors permitted in the galleries to accommodate safe crowd management and implement safe social distancing. Visitors to the Renwick are not required to obtain timed-entry passes at this time but may experience wait times outside if the galleries reach capacity. Please review the important information below as you plan your visit.
When you visit us, you’ll experience some new policies and changes in the galleries.
As a health and safety precaution, we are not offering printed floor plans at this time, but you may use the museums’ free Wi-Fi to access a Renwick Gallery Map [PDF] to find your way around.
Bringing in outside food is not permitted. Closed water bottles are allowed in designated areas. The Renwick Gallery Store is closed temporarily, please check back for store updates or shop online.
The first floor of the Renwick is closed until October 16 when Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020 opens to the public.
Know Before You Go: Guidelines for Visiting
If Sick, Stay Home
We’re asking all visitors who are sick or feel unwell to please stay home. If you are at increased risk of severe illness, you may also want to consider staying home.
Face Coverings
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. Face coverings may be removed while drinking in designated spaces.
Personal Belongings
We encourage you to limit the number of personal belongings and bags you bring to SAAM and the Renwick Gallery. Suitcases, large umbrellas, and backpacks are not allowed in the galleries. Security officers may ask you to hand-carry smaller backpacks, or wear them on your front, to protect the artworks. Please note that we do not offer coat check or bag storage at this time. Strollers are permitted in the galleries.
Social Distancing
Please maintain a safe social distance of six feet or more between households or groups at all times. There will be social-distancing signage and directions throughout the museum.
Hygiene
Please wash and sanitize hands frequently during your visit and practice good hygiene. Hand-sanitizing stations will be available throughout the museum.
Enhanced Cleaning
Bathrooms, door handles and high-touch surfaces are being cleaned more frequently.
Exhibitions at Renwick
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Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020
October 16, 2020 — June 27, 2021Renwick 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.
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Janet Echelman’s 1.8 Renwick
September 18, 2020 — 2022Renwick Gallery (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW)Janet Echelman's colorful fiber and lighting installation, suspended from the ceiling of the Renwick Gallery's Grand Salon, examines the complex interconnections between human beings and our physical world, and reveals the artist's fascination with the measurement of time. -
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
March 12, 2019 — March 6, 2022Renwick Gallery (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW)Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world. The installation includes iconic favorites alongside new acquisitions.
Visiting With Young Children
Strollers are permitted inside the galleries. Stroller parking is available at the 17th Street accessible entrance, if needed. A changing table is available in the accessible restroom stall on each floor.
Accessibility
Barrier-free access to the museum is available at the 17th Street entrance. All areas of the building are served by elevators. Accessible restrooms are located throughout the museum. More information about accessibility at the museum, including services for visitors who have vision and/or hearing loss.
Service Animal Policy
Service animals are welcome at Smithsonian museums. Service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, are dogs trained to do work or perform specific tasks for a guest with a disability.
Aira
The Smithsonian Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area museums and the National Zoo are Aira access sites. Visitors who are blind or low-vision can download the Aira app free of charge onto a smart phone. The Aira app uses the phone’s camera to take in the user’s surroundings, and a live Aira agent will describe the environment, including reading of exhibit labels and instructions. This service is free of charge on the museum premises. Visit Aira Access.
Telephone Numbers
Museum Information (recorded): (202) 633-7970
General Smithsonian Visitor Information: (202) 633-1000
COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that is believed to mainly spread from person-to-person contact. The Smithsonian is doing its part to mitigate transmission intensity, and we ask you, our visitors, to do the same and help us reduce the spread of COVID-19. You must follow all posted instructions while visiting the Smithsonian, including instructions about wearing face coverings and social distancing. Despite these measures, the risk of contracting COVID-19 could increase by visiting the Smithsonian. By visiting the Smithsonian, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.
The Smithsonian reserves the right to modify its hours of operations, capacity, or visitor guidelines as circumstances require and to deny entry or access to any person who fails to follow these guidelines or whose conduct puts Smithsonian staff, visitors, or property at risk.
