Events and Programs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Events and Programs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC

Programs are free and open to the public unless ticket information is noted.

Art Talks and Activities

Conversation Pieces 
Wednesday, January 8, 6 p.m. 
Want to deepen your understanding and appreciation of contemporary art? Join Joanna Marsh, SAAM’s Deputy Education Chair, Head of Interpretation and Audience Research, for this ongoing series of gallery talks. Marsh uses a single artwork from the museum’s collection to spark conversation and closer examination.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, meet in the G Street Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

Yoga in Luce 
Wednesday, January 22, 6 p.m. 
Bring your mat and relax with this Vinyasa yoga and art appreciation series. Participants are invited to reflect on an artwork of their choosing in the Luce Foundation Center before unwinding with a one-hour all-levels vinyasa yoga class.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Tickets: $10; Tickets available online starting January 8 at noon. Cash is not accepted at the door.
Event Link

Book Talk: John White Alexander on the Verge of Being Modern
Wednesday, January 22, 6 p.m. 
Join Mary Anne Goley, former director of the Fine Arts Program of the Federal Reserve Board, as she discusses her recent book, John White Alexander: An American Artist in the Gilded Age. Goley shares insights into the portraits that made John White Alexander famous and the visual culture of the late nineteenth century. Stay for a book signing after the talk.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, MacMillan Education Center
Tickets: Free
Event Link

Teacher Professional Development: Using Craft to Climb Bloom’s Taxonomy 
Thursday, January 23, 4:30-7 p.m. 
Looking to enhance creativity in your classroom? “Create” is at the tippy top of the revised Bloom’s hierarchy; thinking and making will deepen your students’ understanding of issues, people, and events. Spend the evening, digging deeply into thinking through art in order to achieve great heights. A light dinner is included.
Location: Renwick Gallery, Rubenstein Grand Salon
Tickets: $10; Registration required, tickets available online
Event Link

Art Bites Gallery Talks: Mark Bradford’s Amendment #8
Friday, January 24, 12:15 p.m. 
Take an art break during your lunch hour and join SAAM’s research fellows as they share new discoveries about artworks from the collection. In this installment, Predoctoral Fellow Krystle Stricklin discusses Mark Bradford’s mixed-media work Amendment #8.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum; meet in the G Street Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

Morning at the Museum 
Saturday, January 25, 10 a.m. 
Join SAAM in a sensory-friendly program for children, teenagers, and young adults with disabilities and their families. This program includes early entry into the museum, facilitated and thematic activities, a take-a-break space, and pre-visit materials like social narratives and sensory maps.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard
Tickets: Free; Registration required by email at access@si.edu
Event Link

Beyond the Studio Workshop: Illustration & Travel Journaling with Carlos Carmonamedina 
Sunday, January 26, 1-3 p.m. 
Hear from professionals who work in the arts and sharpen your own creative skills with a hands-on activity. In this installment, DC artist Carlos Carmonamedina shows you how to document and revisit your travels through illustration and journaling. Presented with Shop Made In DC.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, MacMillan Education Center
Tickets: $10; Registration required, tickets available January 12 at 12 p.m.
Event Link

Conservation Gallery Talk: Leo Villareal’s Volume (Renwick) 
Friday, January 31, 1-2 p.m. 
Pump up the volume and shed some light on the challenges of conserving contemporary media installations with SAAM’s media conservator Dan Finn. Finn discusses his techniques for preserving the multiple layers of LED lighting and computer hardware in Leo Villareal’s Volume (Renwick) sculpture.
Location: Renwick Gallery; meet in the Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

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Music, Performances & Film

Luce Unplugged Community Showcase: Pree and Carly Harvey
Friday, January 31, 6-8 p.m. 
Enjoy music from DC’s best local artists paired with local beers, while surrounded by beautiful artworks in SAAM’s one-of-a-kind programming space, the Luce Foundation Center. In this installment, enjoy the layered synths of dark-pop trio Pree, and blues queen Carly Harvey. Free tastings (21+) will be provided. Additional libations and snacks are available for purchase at the on-site bar. This program is presented with the Washington City Paper.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center (third floor)
Tickets: Free
Event Link

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Ongoing Programs

Sketching: Draw and Discover!  
Tuesdays, 2:30 – 4:30pm  
Draw inspiration from artists’ sketches as well as the thousands of objects on display in the Luce Foundation Center, then spend some time sketching in this weekly workshop. Some materials provided; please bring a small sketchbook and pencils.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center (third floor)
Tickets: Free
Event Link

Conservation Conversation: Preserving SAAM’s Collection 
Friday, January 10, 17, 24, 1 p.m.
Learn how museum conservators preserve SAAM’s artworks in the Lunder Conservation Center. The center has five state-of-the-art laboratories and studios equipped to treat paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, sculptures, folk art objects, contemporary crafts, decorative arts, and frames. Group size is limited.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Lunder Conservation Center
Tickets: Free
Event Link

Art Signs: Gallery Talk in American Sign Language (ASL)
Thursday, January 9, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 19, 1 p.m.
Join us for lively gallery conversations in American Sign Language led by Deaf gallery guides. Don’t miss a single one, as this popular series examines different treasures from SAAM’s collection for each installment. For more information, contact SAAMAccess@si.edu.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, meet in the F Street Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

America InSight: Verbal Description Tour 
Sunday, January 12, 1:30 p.m.
Join a docent-led tour designed for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights of the collection through rich verbal description and sensory experience. Touch components for sculptures and model recreations of paintings may be incorporated into the tour. For more information, contact SAAMAccess@si.edu
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, meet in the F Street Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

America InSight: Verbal Description Tour at the Renwick Gallery
Sunday, January 26, 1:30 p.m.  
Join a docent-led tour designed for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights of the collection through rich verbal description and sensory experience. Touch components for sculptures and model recreations of paintings may be incorporated into the tour. For more information, contact SAAMAccess@si.edu.
Location: Renwick Gallery, meet in the Lobby
Tickets: Free
Event Link

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For more information on this museum, visit our Smithsonian American Art Museum page.

Event listings are provided by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery