SAAM Stories

A quilt with large, concentric squares hang in a gallery. Quilts are mounted on the wall behind it.
Exploring SAAM's collection of stunning Amish quilts
SAAM
Highly decorative wooden bench.
Explore artist Rachel David's functional artwork created for SAAM's Renwick Gallery.
Elana Hain
Detail of a quilt featuring images of Martin Luther King Jr.
Artist L’Merchie Frazier threads thoughtful parallels to centuries of fiber art traditions.
A photograph of a woman.
Katie Hondorf
Public Affairs Specialist
Audrey Flack sits in a chair. Her hand is on a skull.
A look into the long career of renowned artist Audrey Flack.
SAAM
Illustration of a girl sitting in front of a canvas. She is painting a portrait.
Women Artists 07/11/2024
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work.
Print of a hot dog bridge under a rainbow.
From the Collection 07/02/2024
Whatever your plans for America's birthday, we have an artwork to fit. Pour yourself a lemonade, find a spot in the shade, and enjoy your holiday with a dash of American art.
Amy Fox
Social Media and Digital Content Specialist
Illustration of a woman surrounded by flowers and a rainbow motif.
Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and art.
Two visitors look at a timeline on a wall. Behind them is a painting hanging on a blue wall and the words "Fighters for Freedom" with text underneath.
SAAM's educators invite students and visitors to reflect on William H. Johnson's portraits and make connections to our world today.
Emily Berg
A photograph of Phoebe Hillemann
Phoebe Hillemann
Teacher Institutes Educator
Detail of fiber art with a silhouette of woman. Her arms and one leg are raised as if mid-jump.
Women Artists 06/13/2024
Artists and visitors mingled at the Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art Open House
A photograph of a woman.
Katie Hondorf
Public Affairs Specialist
Illustration showing a person with short, brown hair. They are holding a camera up to their face.
Pride Women Artists 06/06/2024
Laura Aguilar challenged accepted standards of beauty and represented the LGBTQ+ community, becoming one of the most influential Chicana photographers of her generation.
Two people in 60s mod clothing face each other. They stand in a gray, gauzy space.
Martine Gutierrez’s work is an ode to the importance of dance floors as places for self-discovery and community building
SAAM
Sculpture of a woman. Massive antlers on her head cradle a delicate, translucent adult figure in a fetal position, like a creature preparing to emerge from its cocoon. Scattered on the ground below are antlers.
Exploring the personal transformation reflected in her artwork Rouse.
SAAM
An art conservator holds a vacuum nozzle on a piece of artwork.
A peek into the world of conservation and the meticulous care of James Hampton’s The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly.
Photo Anna Nielsen
Anna Nielsen
Conservation Program Coordinator
Eliza Macdonald
Katya Zinsli
Detail of illustrated portrait of Emma Amos.
Women Artists 04/26/2024
Painter, printmaker, and textile artist Emma Amos created colorful multi-media works that explore themes of identity.
Detail of Phoebe Kline. She is sitting in front of orchids and smiling.
Docent Phoebe Kline began at SAAM in 1974 and she's still going strong.
A photograph of a woman in front of artwork
From the Director 04/08/2024
More visitors and new exhibitions highlight a season of change.
 Stephanie Stebich, Former Margaret and Terry Stent Direction in the museum's Lincoln Gallery. Photo by Gene Young. 
Stephanie Stebich
Former Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Marian Anderson and symbols that surround her life
William H. Johnson portrayed the singer in multiple paintings, including in his Fighters for Freedom series.
A detail of a vibrant painting with a dark navy blue circle on the right surrounded by concentric circles of reds, oranges, and yellow.
As we gather to celebrate this year’s eclipse, Alma Thomas, whose painting The Eclipse is featured in SAAM's collection, noted the influence of natural phenomena on her work.
A photograph of a woman.
Katie Hondorf
Public Affairs Specialist