Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Anatomy of a Painting: Honore Sharrer's Tribute to the American Working People

View Honore Sharrer's 5-panel painting Tribute to the American Working People, along with materials that document her artistic process in creating this work.

March 8, 2007 – June 20, 2007

Archives of American Art

Indigenous Motivations: Recent Acquisitions from the National Museum of the American Indian

See more than 250 works, including traditional clothing, masks, modern textile designs, sculptures, paintings and works of art on paper from the Department of Interior's Indian Arts and Crafts Board headquarters collection.

July 22, 2006 – June 10, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

Made to Scale: Staircase Masterpieces: The Eugene and Clare Thaw Gift

View staircase models from the Eugene and Clare Thaw collection, with the majority from 19th-century France.

October 13, 2006 – June 3, 2007

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Within the Emperor's Garden, The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion

See a model of the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion (Wan Chun Ting), a celebrated example of classic Chinese architecture in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, made by Chinese artisans demonstrating traditional Chinese carving and fine furniture techniques.

April 18, 2007 – June 3, 2007

Ripley Center

Gifts to the Nation

This display highlights gifts to the National Portrait Gallery's collection since 2000.

July 1, 2006 – June 3, 2007

Portrait Gallery

Born of Clay: Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian

See over 300 Native works of pottery that span 5,000 years and four distinct geographic regions. Also, current Native potters share their respect for ancestral traditions, a belief in the sacredness of clay, and an appreciation for the changing use of ceramics.

November 5, 2005 – May 30, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

Black Box: Magnus Wallin

See two films by Magnus Wallin, best known for his short animations that have the quality of modern myths.

December 15, 2006 – May 20, 2007

Hirshhorn Museum

Banding Together: School Bands as Instruments of Opportunity

March along with school bands to explore the legacy of instrumental music education in Washington, D.C. public schools from 1880 to 2006.

September 10, 2006 – May 14, 2007

Anacostia Community Museum

East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art

Explore garden traditions practiced by Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Persian, Turkish, and other cultures as seen through some of the world's most exquisite works of art.

February 24, 2007 – May 13, 2007

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest Winners: 2007

See the winners in the 2007 Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest state competitions; the entries represent each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.

April 27, 2007 – May 4, 2007

National Zoo

Perspectives: Simryn Gill

Visit a mini retrospective of contemporary artist Simryn Gill (b. 1959) featuring three works created between 1992 and 2006.

September 2, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Two Hundred Years of Black Paper Dolls: The Collection of Arabella Grayson

Arabella Grayson's interest in finding paper playthings that looked like her evolved into a passionate journey, including this exhibition of 110 black paper dolls from her collection.

November 12, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Anacostia Community Museum

Eadweard Muybridge: The Central American Journey

Follow more than 60 photographs taken by Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) in Central America, particularly Panama and Guatemala, that document the birth of the coffee industry, scenic ruins, and contemporary life.

February 2, 2007 – April 29, 2007

American Art Museum

Portraiture Now

This is the first in a series of changing exhibitions focusing on the works of contemporary artists who have made portraiture the subject of their recent art.

July 1, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Portrait Gallery

DC Undercover: Photographs by Steven M. Cummings

Witness DC photographer Steven Cummings' passion for photographing people in and around the city—who as it turns out, often wear caps and hats.

November 12, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Anacostia Community Museum

Visual Griots of Mali: Empowering Youth Through Photography

On view are 49 black-and-white photographs that depict everyday life in an African village taken by Malian youths, ages 12-17.

October 2, 2006 – April 29, 2007

Natural History Museum

Ancient and Medieval Metalwork from Dumbarton Oaks

View 36 objects on loan from the Byzantine Collection at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.

December 16, 2005 – April 23, 2007

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Orchids: Take a Walk on the Wild Side

This exhibition takes visitors on a walk on the wild side -- from the forest floor up into the tree canopy -- to discover and explore the place of orchids in the world.

January 27, 2007 – April 22, 2007

Natural History Museum

Refract, Reflect, Project: Light Works from the Collection

See 24 objects from the collection in which light -- as substance and subject -- is central.

February 15, 2007 – April 8, 2007

Hirshhorn Museum

Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese America since 1975

View images that reveal how Vietnamese Americans adapted to life in the U.S. and the challenges they faced while maintaining their culture during the three decades following the end of the war in 1975.

January 19, 2007 – April 1, 2007

Ripley Center

Josephine Baker: Image and Icon

The exhibition celebrates Baker’s life during the 100th anniversary year of her birth.

November 24, 2006 – March 18, 2007

Portrait Gallery

Nature's Best Photography Awards: 2004 & 2005

View 10 photographs from the Nature's Best International Photography Awards: the 2004 grand-prize winner and the 2005 grand-prize and category winners.

April 1, 2006 – March 13, 2007

Natural History Museum

One Life: Walt Whitman, a kosmos

Whitman's images, personal memorabilia, and words create a visual portrait.

July 1, 2006 – March 11, 2007

Portrait Gallery

The Art of the Personal Object

View an exhibition of over 100 objects -- drawing from the museum's permanent collection -- that features utilitarian objects that come principally from eastern and southern Africa and celebrates their aesthetic value.

September 25, 1991 – March 5, 2007

African Art Museum

Exquisite Surprise: The Papers of Joseph Cornell

This exhibition reveals artist Joseph Cornell's sense of wonder and illuminates his creative process.

November 17, 2006 – February 28, 2007

Archives of American Art