Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Archives Center: From Lamps to Lunch Boxes: Aladdin Industries Inc.

On view are recently acquired records and documents related to Aladdin Industries Inc., which made lamps, vacuum ware, and lunch boxes.

September 15, 2004 – November 10, 2004

American History Museum

The Mighty Marlin

See a model of the world-record black marlin (1,560-lb, 14 1/2-ft), caught in 1953 by Alfred Glassell, and a video about marlin research that explores the life cycle of these billfish.

February 7, 1997 – November 1, 2004

Natural History Museum

American Bison

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the National Zoo again has an exhibition of American plains bison - two 1,500-pound females, aged 13 and 18 years.

December 1, 1984 – October 31, 2004

National Zoo

In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite

This exhibition features some of the most significant archaeological finds -- including frescoes, bronzes, and such domestic objects as kitchenware, terracotta ware, and glassware -- from the Roman residential villas of the region.

April 27, 2004 – October 24, 2004

Natural History Museum

Masters of Their Craft: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

This exhibition features 50 artworks in clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood that illuminate the vast creative spirit that is the hallmark of contemporary crafts.

September 13, 2003 – October 24, 2004

American Art Museum

Caliphs and Kings: The Art and Influence of Islamic Spain

See 89 objects that illustrate themes of longevity, continuity, and transmission in the Islamic decorative arts and sciences in medieval Spain.

May 8, 2004 – October 17, 2004

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Solos: FutureShack

See a possible solution to low-cost, mobile housing for individuals displaced by man-made and natural disasters in FutureShack -- a prototype constructed from a recycled shipping container and outfitted with a minimum of industrial materials.

May 14, 2004 – October 10, 2004

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum

Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People

Examine the heritage and identity of the Alutiiq people, who live along the southern coast of Alaska.

December 6, 2003 – October 3, 2004

Natural History Museum

Baseball as America

This exhibition examines the roles baseball has played in American culture and how it has become an integral part of American life.

April 3, 2004 – October 3, 2004

Natural History Museum

Perspectives: Do-Ho Suh: Staircase-IV

Visit a site-specific installation meticulously stitched out of a translucent red nylon fabric -- a monumental and powerfully abstract rendering of Do-Ho Suh's New York apartment staircase in 1:1 scale.

April 17, 2004 – September 26, 2004

Asian Art Museum, East Building

Native History, American History: Objects Out of Storage

These 3 temporary exhibition cases celebrate the opening of the American Indian Museum on the Mall.

September 21, 2004 – September 26, 2004

American History Museum

Latino Achievements

Chita Rivera's Kiss of the Spiderwoman costume, a selection of Puerto Rican artifacts given by businessman Teodoro Vidal, and several objects from Goya Foods, Inc. are displayed in two cases.

February 18, 2004 – September 20, 2004

American History Museum

Forces of Change: Global Links: El Nino's Powerful Reach

This exhibition uses the El Nino weather phenomenon to demonstrate the dynamic interrelations among the Earth's 4 components.

September 29, 2003 – September 15, 2004

Natural History Museum

Ancient Microworlds

View fossil photographs by Dr. Giraud Foster.

May 15, 2004 – September 15, 2004

Natural History Museum

Alaska Hovercraft

On view is a scale model of the AP.1-88 hovercraft, a 70-foot-long land/water cargo vehicle, used to deliver mail in rural western Alaska.

June 14, 2002 – September 15, 2004

Postal Museum

Preview of The Price of Freedom

This showcase -- a preview of The Price of Freedom, a new upcoming permanent exhibition honoring the men and women who fought in the U.S. military.

May 27, 2004 – September 14, 2004

American History Museum

Archives Center: A Nation at War: WWII Stories from the Archives Center

Various objects are used to tell the stories of 13 World War II soldiers and civilians who aided the war effort both abroad and on the home front.

May 27, 2004 – September 8, 2004

American History Museum

Shades of Green and Blue: Chinese Celadon Ceramics

See 44 Chinese ceramics that illustrate the development of the gray-green glaze known in the West as celadon.

August 2, 1997 – September 7, 2004

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Directions: Gabriel Orozco: Extension of Reflection

View approximately 34 of Orozco's photographs -- taken in Mexico, New York, India, and elsewhere from 1989-2003.

June 10, 2004 – September 6, 2004

Hirshhorn Museum

So Proudly We Hail

To commemorate the opening of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, 4 U.S. flags flown at significant moments during the war are on view.

May 27, 2004 – September 6, 2004

American History Museum

From Parlor to Politics: Women & Reform in America, 1890-1925

Women in America who made major contributions to reform, politics, and national life during a time that came to be called the Progressive Era is the focus of this exhibition.

June 28, 1990 – August 28, 2004

American History Museum

George Washington: A National Treasure

In celebration of its acquisition by and for the American people, the famous and iconic portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart will leave the nation's capital for a cross-country tour.

February 12, 2002 – August 22, 2004

Portrait Gallery

Whistler in Paris: Lithographs from the Belle Epoque, 1891-1896

See 26 of the best of Whistler's lithographs, many of which offered unexpected glimpses of this artist as a contented family man.

February 21, 2004 – August 15, 2004

Asian Art Museum, West Building

Nature's Best 2003 Photography Awards

See the 30 winning photographs from the 2003 Nature's Best International Photography Awards.

October 21, 2003 – August 9, 2004

Natural History Museum

Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries

See 35 limestone sculptures from an extraordinary cache of nearly 400 sixth-century Chinese Buddhist objects that were unearthed in 1996 in Qingzhou, Shandong province, China, at what used to be the site of the Longxing Buddhist temple.

March 20, 2004 – August 8, 2004

Asian Art Museum, East Building