Programs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery in Washington DC
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for upcoming programs. Please see each program listing for details; registration details are available on our Calendar of Events.
Programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
October 2025 Programs
Handi-hour
Thursday, October 16, 2025
5:30–8 p.m.
Celebrate autumn at DC’s original crafting happy hour! Create miniature polymer clay pies and explore the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Enjoy live music by local folk duo, Beyond the Wall, and cider and beer provided by ANXO. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to both floors of the exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price. Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door.
Tickets: $25 | Registration required, Tickets available beginning October 2.
Location: Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street, NW
Link: events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zUdJ
Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL
Thursday, October 16, 2025
5:30 p.m.
Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute in-person conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. This program is presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation for hearing participants.
Tickets: Free | Registration required
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Meet in F Street Lobby
Link: events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zEBx
Art Bites Gallery Talk
Friday, October 17, 2025
12:15 p.m.
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and what each one tells us about an ever-changing culture in the United States. Gabrielle Christiansen, Douglass Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, discusses Emery Blagdon’s The Healing Machine.
Tickets: Free
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Meet in the G Street Lobby
Link: americanart.si.edu/events/art-bites-gallery-talk-october-17-2025
Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work Gallery Talk
Friday, October 24, 2025
11:45 a.m.
Join us for a midday gallery talk to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work. Leslie Umberger, senior curator of folk and self-taught art, andRandall Griffey, head curator at SAAM, are joined by Jane Kallir, president of the Kallir Research Institute and director of the Galerie St. Etienne, for a discussion of Moses as a multidimensional force in American art and how SAAM established a destination collection by acquiring some of the artist’s most important paintings.
Tickets: Free | Registration encouraged
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Meet in G Street Lobby
Link: events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zZcz
Art in the A.M.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
10:30 a.m.
Join SAAM’s Inspire early childhood creativity with SAAM during Art in the A.M. Children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers are invited to the museum before hours to learn, connect, and create in the galleries. During this program, participants will explore the prize-winning artworks in the exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft, on view at the Renwick Gallery, then craft their own blue ribbon felt pies.
Tickets: Free | Registration required, Tickets available beginning September 28.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Meet in G Street Lobby
Link: events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zZmf
——————————
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
Leave a Reply