Visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Hours and Location
Open Daily 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Holiday Hours: Closed December 25, open usual hours all other days
Free Admission
8th and F Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Planning Your Visit
SAAM is located at Eighth and F 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.
Exhibitions at SAAM
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Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor
September 28, 2018 – March 17, 2019
Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, NW)Bill Traylor is regarded today as one of the most important American artists of the twentieth century. His drawn and painted imagery embodies the crossroads of multiple worlds: black and white, rural and urban, old and new. His life—which spanned slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the Great Migration and foreshadowed the era of Civil Rights—offers a rare perspective to the larger story of America. -
Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen
June 21, 2018 — January 6, 2019
Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, NW)Trevor Paglen blurs the lines between art, science, and investigative journalism to construct unfamiliar and at times unsettling ways to see and interpret the world around us.
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Diane Arbus: A box of ten photographs
April 6, 2018 — January 27, 2019
Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, NW)This exhibition traces the history of A box of ten photographs between 1969 and 1973, telling the crucial story of the portfolio that established the foundation for Arbus’s posthumous career.
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Galleries for Folk and Self-Taught Art
On View Indefinitely
Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, NW)SAAM’s collection of folk and self-taught art represents the powerful vision of America’s untrained and vernacular artists. Represented in the museum’s collection are pieces that draw on tradition—such as quilts—as well as artworks that reveal a more personal vision.
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Direct Carving
On View Indefinitely
Smithsonian American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, NW)Spontaneous! Truthful! Liberating! Direct carvers often used such words to describe their unconventional method of sculpting, in which an artist works directly on a piece of stone or wood as opposed to with a model, cast, or preconceived design.
Visiting with Young Children
For activities for all ages, see Family Activities. There are elevators and ramps throughout the museum to accomodate strollers. Changing stations are available in all of the museum’s restrooms.
The museum café has a limited children’s menu. The museum store has a variety of educational toys, children’s books, and supplies for young artists.
Accessibility
Barrier-free access and restrooms are available at both buildings. At SAAM, ramps are located on both sides of the 8th and G Streets NW entrance. Service animals are welcome. The Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium contains wheelchair spaces available during performances and lectures, and the auditorium is equipped with an induction hearing loop and T-coil infrared assistive listening system. If you are using MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 800 G Street NW as the address for our building. More information on accessibility at the museums
Telephone Numbers
Museum Information (recorded): (202) 633-7970
General Smithsonian Visitor Information: (202) 633-1000