Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Roosevelt's America: New Deal Paintings from the National Museum of American Art

An area of the museum permanently devoted to WPA art has been re-installed with an exhibit of 30 paintings created under the auspices of the New Deal's various art projects.

January 9, 1982 – November 30, 1982

American Art Museum

William H. Johnson: The Scandinavian Years

Track a distinctive phase in the career of the black American artist through his expressionistic works of Danish people and landscapes executed in highly saturated colors.

September 17, 1982 – November 28, 1982

American Art Museum

Windows

See a small smoked glass sculpture created in 1969 by Robert Fritz of San Jose State College in California. Dr. Fritz has made important contributions to the techniques of glass blowing.

October 1, 1982 – November 28, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Daniel Webster: The Godlike Black Dan

See 12 likenesses of Webster and memorabilia associated with his achievements in a small exhibit to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.

June 4, 1982 – November 28, 1982

Portrait Gallery

Posters for a Picnic

See 12 posters, featuring large-scale details of traditional foods and festivities, designed by Stephen Frykholm for the annual Herman Miller, Inc., picnic celebrations in Zeeland, Michigan.

March 13, 1982 – November 14, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Music & Dance of the Silk Route from the People's Republic of China

See musical instruments from China, including some which were gifts from China for the U.S. Centennial celebration in 1876.

November 1, 1982 – November 14, 1982

Natural History Museum

Paintings of Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Fortune Bartlett

View paintings executed in the 1920s and 1930s by Frederic Clay Bartlett and Evelyn Forture Bartlett, along with supplementary photographs.

September 17, 1982 – November 8, 1982

Smithsonian Castle

Follow the evolution of lace techniques and patterns from the 16th century to the present with these Western European caps, collars, cuffs, borders, shawls, handkerchiefs, hair ornaments, and trimmings--some made for royal use.

August 3, 1982 – November 7, 1982

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

American Advertising Tins

View approximately 80 advertising containers from the Smithsonian's collection of Business Americana.

November 1, 1981 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Salute to the New First Lady

See a suit designed by Adolfo and worn by Nancy Reagan at the 1980 Republican Convention in this single-case exhibit.

January 14, 1981 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Introduction to Conservation in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Learn about conservation measures for books and documents, in conjunction with the September 1982 meeting of the International Congress for Conservation.

September 1, 1982 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

Grass Work of Labrador

View some 90 baskets, mats, and other sewn coil crafts from Labrador.

August 30, 1982 – October 31, 1982

Natural History Museum

Marble Collections

Enjoy 340 glass, natural stone, and ceramic marbles, including porcelain, from the 1800s to present.

May 10, 1982 – October 31, 1982

American History Museum

"In Pursuit Of..." (the Washington Print Club 9th Biennial Members' Exhibition)

Follow 61 prints that all deal with pursuit...of fish, money, women, or ideals.

September 3, 1982 – October 31, 1982

American Art Museum

In Pursuit of Amity & Commerce: Early Years of U.S.-Korean Relations (1883-1889)

Approximately 225 black-and-white photographs, mounted on 5 panels, illustrate early (1883-1889) Korean-American diplomatic relations.

August 1, 1982 – October 31, 1982

Natural History Museum

Assignment: Aviation

Visit an exhibition of photo-realistic art depicting modern aviation.

May 19, 1981 – October 31, 1982

Air and Space Museum

Piedmont Craftsmen

Admire objects created in North Carolina, including silk lapel pins, puzzles, fabric pencils, serving boards, porcelain jewelry, spatulas, and copper plates.

September 2, 1982 – October 24, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Chinese Paintings: Recent Accessions

See 30 works dating from the 16th through the 19th centuries that include landscapes, bird-and-flower paintings, and figure paintings executed in a range of styles on handscrolls, hanging scrolls, albums, and fans.

April 1, 1982 – October 15, 1982

Asian Art Museum, West Building

The Grand Renwick Gallery Souvenir Show

See 17 objects that are the work of American craftsmen and were selected by the Renwick to commemorate the gallery's 10th anniversary - chosen in part for their souvenir-like characteristics,

June 11, 1982 – October 11, 1982

Renwick Gallery

Soyer Since 1960

On view in conjunction with Raphael Soyer: 65 Years of Printmaking are 17 of the artist's major paintings from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, including several works on public view for the first time.

August 5, 1982 – October 3, 1982

Hirshhorn Museum

Raphael Soyer: 65 Years of Printmaking

In conjunction with Soyer Since 1960 are 144 works selected from a recent gift to the Museum by the 82-year-old American artist.

August 5, 1982 – October 3, 1982

Hirshhorn Museum

Anna J. Cooper: A Voice from the South

Dr. Anna J. Cooper (1858-1964) was a pathbreaking educator, scholar, writer, community organizer, and civil rights activist in Washington, D.C. Photographs, artifacts, and recreated home and classroom settings document her life and achievements.

February 1, 1981 – September 30, 1982

Anacostia Community Museum

Mary McLeod Bethune and Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet"

In commemoration of the centennial of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s birth (1882), learn more about the contributions of world-renowned educator Mary McLeod Bethune to FDR’s New Deal administration.

January 24, 1982 – September 30, 1982

Anacostia Community Museum

Mammal House Models

See 10 models, the work of teenage Friends of the National Zoo Program Aides. Each model represents the creator's vision of an ideal Mammal House.

September 16, 1982 – September 30, 1982

National Zoo

Bowl #804

See a work by June Schwarcz, a leader in experimental enameling, who uses the electroplating technique to achieve a bold texture.

July 3, 1982 – September 26, 1982

Renwick Gallery