Visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Hours and Location
Wednesday through Sunday 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Free; Timed-Entry Passes Required
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20004
SAAM is located at 8th and G streets N.W., above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station and is accessible from Green, Yellow, and Red metro lines. At SAAM, ramps are located on both sides of the 8th and G Streets NW entrance.
There is limited on-street parking at meters; several paid parking garages are available in the neighborhood.
Planning your Visit
Your visit to SAAM will be different and new procedures are in place. 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. Timed-entry passes are now required to help us with crowd management and implement safe social distancing. Please review the important information below as you plan your visit.
New safety measures are in place to protect the health of our visitors, staff, and volunteers based on guidance from the CDC and local governments.
Visitors must enter the museum on the G Street side. This is an accessible entrance. The entrance at 8th and F Streets NW is closed temporarily.
The museum store and café are temporarily closed. Please check back for store updates or shop online. Seating and tables have been removed from the Kogod Courtyard and from the Luce Foundation Center to allow for safe social distancing. Bringing in outside food is not permitted. Closed water bottles are allowed in designated areas.
Visitors can acquire up to six timed-entry passes by reserving online or by phone at 1-800-514-3849, ext. 1. Last admittance for timed-entry pass is 6 p.m.
Know Before You Go: Guidelines for Visiting
Timed-Entry Passes
For your safety we're limiting the number of guests in the museums and utilizing timed-entry passes for our main building.
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.
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.
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.
Exhibitions at SAAM
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Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture
September 18, 2020 — January 3, 2021Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and G Streets, NW)This exhibition reveals how the influential naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) shaped American perceptions of nature and the way American cultural identity became grounded in our relationship with the environment.
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The Automobile and American Art
September 18, 2020 - OngoingSmithsonian American Art Museum (8th and G Streets, NW)Take a road trip through SAAM’s collection to find links between automobiles and American art, inspired by Albert H. Small’s gift of model cars.
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Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists
October 11, 2019 — May 2, 2021Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and G Streets, NW)Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists examines representations of buffalo and their integration into the lives of Native Americans on the Great Plains in the 1830s and in the twentieth century.
Visiting with Young Children
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.
For activities for all ages, see Family Activities. There are elevators and ramps throughout the museum to accommodate strollers. Changing stations are available in all of the museum’s restrooms.
Accessibility
An access ramp is located at the museum’s G Street entrance. All visitors will be directed to enter and exit through this entrance at 8th and G Streets NW. The museum’s F Street entrance is closed. If you are using MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 800 G Street NW as the address for our building. Barrier-free access and restrooms are available. View more information on accessibility at the museums.
Companions
A personal care attendant accompanying a visitor will also need a free timed-entry pass.
Service Animals
Service animals are welcome at Smithsonian museums. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Pets are not permitted.
Aira
SAAM is an Aira access site. 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 exhibition 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.