Past Exhibitions

Portraits of Mexico

View 40 black and white photographs of the peoples of several Mexican states taken by Ann Stevens, Assistand Director of Public Information, American University.

January 21, 1978 – March 12, 1978

Natural History Museum

Focusing on America

Rare maps, early surveying equipment, personal diaries and documents show the emergence of mapping and surveying from pre-Columbian times to the late 19th century.

August 7, 1977 – February 28, 1978

Subways: An Underground Exhibition

See photographs, maps, graphics and text that examine subway station design and architecture; building and operating subways; using the subway; and urban activity on and under the surface.

December 8, 1977 – February 28, 1978

See 30 Northwest Coast Indian artifacts collected by an 18th century Spanish scientific expedition under the leadership of Alejandro Malespina. Included are carved wooden masks and protective helmets used by the Nootka, Tlingit and Chumash Indians as well as ceremonial rattles, woven baskets and trays.

December 20, 1977 – February 26, 1978

Grass

See about 550 items that show how natural grasses have been used to make functional and decorative objects throughout the world.

August 5, 1977 – February 20, 1978

Renwick Gallery

New Ways With Paper

View about 60 objects, including works which use layered, bent, folded, torn, dyed, embossed, embedded or handmade paper. Many 3-dimensional works are included.

December 2, 1977 – February 20, 1978

American Art Museum

Gregory Gillespie

The first comprehensive museum exhibition of works by American artist Gregory Gillespie includes about 75 paintings and works in mixed-media created over the past 15 years.

December 22, 1977 – February 12, 1978

More Than Meets the Eye

See nearly 400 objects from the Cooper-Hewitt holdings, that demonstrate categories such as Surface Embellishment, Sources of Design, Fun and Fancy, and Patrons and Clients.

November 15, 1977 – February 12, 1978

Selections from the Permanent Collection

View a painted aluminum sculpture by Jules Olitski, 4 paintings by Larry Poons, and 8 oils and gouaches by Adolph Gottlieb.

December 1, 1977 – February 12, 1978

Sales Exhibition: Grass

Admire and purchase 18 styles of Lowcountry sweetgrass baskets that are on exhibit and for sale in the Renwick Museum gift shop.

December 1, 1977 – January 27, 1978

Renwick Gallery

Photographing the Frontier (Phase I)

See more than 100 photographs taken by itinerant photographers that document American life in the Northwest and Southwest in the last half of the 19th century.

June 23, 1977 – January 25, 1978

The Paintings of Charles Bird King (1785-1862)

View a comprehensive exhibition of King's work including 30 oil portraits, 12 subject paintings, 5 drawings, 2 prints and 2 miniatures.

November 4, 1977 – January 22, 1978

American Art Museum

Beyond the Ocean, Beneath a Leaf

See 57 dye-transfer color photographs taken on research trips all over the world by Kjell Sandved, MNH photographer and producer of biological motion pictures.

December 1, 1977 – January 15, 1978

Natural History Museum

The Animal in Art: Selections from the HMSG Collection

Nearly 90 paintings, sculptures and graphics include images of domesticated animals, wild animals and mythological and fantastic creatures as well as caricatures and abstract works inspired by animal themes.

November 17, 1977 – January 15, 1978

Anacostia Community Museum

The Anacostia Story: 1608-1930

Follow the history and development of Anacostia, a neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C. from pre-1608 to 1930.

March 6, 1977 – January 8, 1978

To Celebrate the Moment

Consider objects carefully designed to serve one occasion: stamps, stationery, birthday cakes, graduation robes, paper cups and plates, airline tickets, daily newspapers, etc.

November 23, 1977 – January 8, 1978

Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922)

Focus on Dow as a painter and printmaker rather than on his better-known role as an art educator in this retrospective exhibition of 55 works--drawings, prints, watercolors, oils, and photographs.

July 29, 1977 – January 8, 1978

American Art Museum

1977 Trees of Christmas

See 12, 8-foot tall Christmas trees, decorated with ornaments made by Smithsonian and area volunteers.

December 16, 1977 – January 2, 1978

Gallant Harry of the West

See portraits, papers and documents making up a biographical exhibition of the career of Henry Clay, commemorating the 200th year of his birth.

April 12, 1977 – January 2, 1978

Portrait Gallery

Probing the Earth: Contemporary Land Projects

See about 70 photographs, drawings, models, and related sculpture that document 12 land projects and proposed works by 10 artists. Land projects considered are those that actively engage the landscape in large-scale formal schemes and continuously unfold with the forces of nature.

October 27, 1977 – January 2, 1978

Winter Sports

See prints of wintry scenes; picture post cards, some 100 years old; and several 18th and 19th century sleighs.

December 1, 1977 – December 31, 1977

Kin and Communities

Mementos, photographs from family albums, paintings and lithographs depict occasions for reunion--weddings, funerals, anniversaries, holidays and religious events; a section on shared meals is included as well as the means used to record a reunion--camera, sound equipment and albums.

June 14, 1977 – December 31, 1977