| April programs at SAAM are full of artful conversations and experiences. |
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Featured Program
Handi-hour
Wednesday, April 9, 5:30–8 p.m.
Renwick Gallery
Rubenstein Grand Salon
$25 | Registration required Hop on down to the Renwick Gallery for an evening of music, crafting, and fun! Make your own trendy bow garland with yarn or beads, explore the collection galleries, and spend time with friends at DC’s original crafting happy hour. Enjoy music by Vicki Golding and local beer and cider provided by ANXO. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to the second-floor galleries are included in the price of the ticket.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door. Please note space is limited and registration is required. Tickets are now on sale! |
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| | Secrets and Hidden Stories Gallery Talk
Tuesday, April 1, 12:15 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Meet in G Street Lobby
Free | Registration encouraged
Sometimes when looking at art, all may not be as it seems. Can you trust your eyes? On this fun April Fool's Day tour with SAAM's Lunder Education Chair Carol Wilson, discover visual tricks, hidden stories, and secrets hiding in plain sight in our galleries. |
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| | Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL
Thursday, April 10, 5:30 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Meet in F Street Lobby
Free | Registration required Corrected description: 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. |
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| | Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with Grant Langford
Thursday, April 17, 5 – 7 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Kogod Courtyard
Free | Registration encouraged Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard. Saxophonist Grant Langford, kicks off the 2025 Take 5 season with a selection of contemporary jazz compositions. He is a member of Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the US Air Force Band. Alongside his active-duty military service, Sgt. Langford performs and teaches in the Washington, DC region.
Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments. |
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| | Artists in Conversation: Tuan Andrew Nguyen and Thao Nguyen on The Island
Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
McEvoy Auditorium and YouTube
Free | Registration required Tuan Andrew Nguyen, creator of the time-based media work, The Island, is joined by musical and visual artist Thao Nguyen to discuss their experiences as Vietnamese Americans and how their work engages with the legacies of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The title, The Island, refers to the tiny Malaysian island of Pulau Bidong, a primary destination for Vietnamese escaping by boat after the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975.
This program is presented as part of a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the US exit from South Vietnam. |
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| | We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists Open House
Friday, April 25, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Renwick Gallery
First floor galleries
Free | Tickets available starting Friday, March 28 Join curators and artists to celebrate We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists, an exhibition featuring recently acquired quilts from Carolyn Mazloomi, founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN). Artists Sylvia Hernandez, Beverly Smith, Chawne Kimber, Peggie Hartwell, and Helen Murrell, members of the WCQN, talk with the public about their works, which are on view in the exhibition.
Guest curator, Aleia Brown, the David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at East Carolina University, and Mary Savig, acting curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery at SAAM, will share additional insights with the public about the curatorial process behind the exhibition. |
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| | Art Bites Gallery Talk
Friday, April 25, 12:15 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Free | Meet in G Street Lobby 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 the diverse cultural landscape of the United States. Isaiah Bertagnolli, Douglass Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, discusses Thomas Hart Benton’s Achelous and Hercules. |
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The Smithsonian American Art Museum is able to create and share experiences like these thanks to funding from generous supporters like you. Thank you for ensuring that American art is available to all. Donate to support SAAM. |
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| | Image Credits: Handi-hour; Photo by Norwood Photography
John Haberle, Torn in Transit, ca. 1890-1895, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz, and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2018.6
Art Signs; Photo by Mary Tait
Grant Langford; Photo by Gulnara Khamatova
Tuan Andrew Nguyen, The Island, 2017, single-channel video, color, 5.1 surround sound; 42:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Asian Pacific American Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, 2022.51
Myrah Brown Green, In My Akuabaa Form, 2000, cotton fabric and cotton batt, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.19, © 2000, Myrah Brown Green
Thomas Hart Benton, Achelous and Hercules, (detail), 1947, tempera and oil on canvas mounted on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Allied Stores Corporation, and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1985.2 |
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