Smithsonian American Art Museum

State Fairs Conversation and Close Looking with Poetry Camera

Thursday, June 11, 2026, 5 – 6:30pm

SOLD OUT Join us for an evening of close looking and conversation in the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Using Poetry Camera, an innovative new camera that generates poems rather than photographs, attendees will “see” artworks through verse. Participants will be encouraged to slow down to notice line, texture, and color in selected artworks, then join in conversation, moderated by SAAM staff, about the poems and the extraordinary and unconventional crafts on view. Space is limited.

Venue: Renwick Gallery
Event Location: Renwick Gallery, 1st Floor
Cost: SOLD OUT
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Lectures & Discussions
Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft

Art Signs Gallery Talk: Artful Conversations in ASL

Thursday, June 11, 2026, 5:30 – 6pm

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.

Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Gallery Talks & Tours
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program

Converse with a Conservator Gallery Talk: Caring for a Butter Sculpture

Saturday, June 13, 2026, 11:30am – 12:30pm

SOLD OUT

How does SAAM care for art made of butter? Objects Conservator Leah Bright shares how temperature control, material science, and preventive care support Curious Regard, a life-size butter cow sculpture created onsite for the special exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery.

Venue: Renwick Gallery
Event Location: Meet in the Lobby
Cost: SOLD OUT
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours
Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft

Art in the A.M.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 10:30am

Inspire early childhood creativity with SAAM during Art in the A.M. Children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers are invited to the museum before hours to learn, connect, and create in the galleries. During this program, participants will explore the exhibition Nick Cave: Mammoth by playing a game of I Spy, then create their own paper puppet mini mammoth.

Registration for this program will close on Monday, June 15, at noon.

Image credit: Installation photography of Nick Cave: Mammoth, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026, ©Nick Cave; Photo by RON BLUNT STUDIO

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Kids & Families
Related Exhibition: Nick Cave: Mammoth

Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with Paul Bailey (Solstice Edition)

Thursday, June 18, 2026, 5 – 8pm

Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, part of a series of free, live performances. Jazz trumpeter Paul Bailey, a native of Washington, DC and graduate of Howard University, will perform a selection of works by Miles Davis to mark the late jazz icon’s 100th birthday.

This special extended edition of Take 5 is part of the Smithsonian’s multi-day Solstice Celebration with after-hours programming. Borrow a board game to play during the concert, stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase solstice-themed refreshments until 7:30 p.m., or explore SAAM’s special exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work during the extended hour. The National Portrait Gallery, that shares the building with SAAM, is hosting community chalk art activities by Ground Shift Studio for attendees to enjoy throughout the performance.

Presented as part of the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 and Solstice.

Image credit: Photo by Matthew Bailey.

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Performances

Handi-hour

Thursday, June 25, 2026, 5:30 – 8pm

Celebrate the summer growing season with a State Fairs-inspired agricultural craft at DC’s original crafting happy hour! Take inspiration from the crop art on view in State Fairs: Growing American Craft and then create your own crop artwork using seeds and beans that grow our food. While you are working, enjoy cider provided by ANXO and live, local music. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to both floors of the exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price.

Attendees must be 21+ to attend and present a valid ID with birthdate at the door. Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase beginning June 11.

Venue: Renwick Gallery
Event Location: Rubenstein Grand Salon
Cost: $25 | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five
Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft

Art Bites Gallery Talk

Friday, June 26, 2026, 12:15 – 12:45pm

Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks, each focused on one compelling artwork. Discover the stories behind these objects and the insights they offer into the United States’ ever-evolving cultural landscape. Clara Royer, Smithsonian Institution predoctoral fellow, discusses Nam June Paik’s Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.  

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged , Meet in the G Street Lobby
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours

Converse with a Conservator Gallery Talk: Preserving the World of Grandma Moses

Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 5:30 – 6:30pm

Join the head of conservation and senior paintings conservator Amber Kerr to learn about the care and treatment of selected artworks featured in Grandma Moses: A Good Days Work. This program features behind-the scenes insight into the conservation decisions and techniques used to support their long-term display and interpretation.

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Meet in the G Street Lobby
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Gallery Talks & Tours
Related Exhibition: Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work

Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with Joshua Bayer

Thursday, July 9, 2026, 5 – 7pm

Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances. Jazz guitarist, bassist, and composer Joshua Bayer will perform a selection of his 1960s post-bop-influenced original compositions. Bayer currently serves on the faculty of American University, where he is Musician in Residence and director of the AU Jazz Orchestra.

Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments. The National Portrait Gallery, that shares the building with SAAM, is hosting community chalk art activities by Chalk Riot for attendees to enjoy throughout the performance.

Presented as part of the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250.

Image Credit: Robert Indiana, The Figure Five, 1963, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.51, © 1963, Robert Indiana

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Performances

Luce Local Community Day

Saturday, July 11, 2026, 11:30am – 3pm

SAAM's beloved community gathering space, the Luce Foundation Center, turns 20 this summer! To celebrate, we're planning 20 different activities, one for each year of public programs. Join us for an afternoon of demonstrations by local artists, scavenger hunts, and hands-on craft making that will appeal to all ages. We'll end the day with a cupcake "toast" at 2:30 p.m. Supplies and cupcakes are limited, first come, first served.

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Luce Foundation Center
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged, Registration opens June 11.
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Celebrations, Demonstrations, Kids & Families

Eye-Popping Art: Tours for People with Colorblindness

Thursday, July 16, 2026, 5:30pm

Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led tour of highlights from the museum’s collection using museum-provided, colorblind correcting glasses that bring the vibrancy of these works to life.

Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait

Art Bites Gallery Talk

Friday, July 24, 2026, 12:15 – 12:45pm

Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks, each focused on one compelling artwork. Discover the stories behind these objects and the insights they offer into the United States’ ever-evolving cultural landscape. O.M. Comstock, SAAM predoctoral fellow in American craft and Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellow, discusses Louise Nevelson’s Sky Cathedral.  

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged , Meet in the G Street Lobby
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours

SAAM Arcade

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 11:30am – 7pm

Experience the creative world of gaming at SAAM Arcade, a day-long celebration of video games as an artistic medium that expands the way we tell and experience stories. A centerpiece of the event is the Indie Showcase that this year highlights a selection of games brought to you by women in the field of video game development. This is a special opportunity to play games and talk with the designers and coders who created them. Triforce Quartet will perform, and console games and classic arcade games will be available to enjoy all day courtesy of MAGFest.

Note: the first 90 minutes are designated quiet hours, with reduced noise to ensure that a portion of the program is sensory friendly. Headphones will be available to borrow all day.

Schedule:
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Quiet hours
1:30 p.m. – Triforce Quartet performance
4:30 p.m. – Triforce Quartet performance
6:50 p.m. – Last call for game play
7 p.m. – Program ends

SAAM Arcade is supported by Nedra Agnew in celebration of Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital.

Image credit: Norwood Photography

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: 1st floor, Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Kids & Families, Performances

Virtual America InSight: Verbal Description Tours

Thursday, August 13, 2026, 5:30pm

Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led virtual tour designed for participants who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights from the collection through rich verbal descriptions that invoke a multisensory experience.

Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait

Event Location: Online
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Webcasts & Online

Converse with a Conservator Gallery Talk: Materials from the State Fair

Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 4 – 5pm

From butter cows and seed art to bird decoys and wreaths made of hair, artworks featured in SAAM’s special exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft are made from an incredible array of materials. Join Objects Conservators Leah Bright and Dorothy Cheng to learn more about the techniques they use to care for artworks made from these distinctive materials.

Venue: Renwick Gallery
Event Location: Meet in the Lobby
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours
Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft

Take Five: Jazz at SAAM with Lyle Link

Thursday, August 20, 2026, 5 – 7pm

Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances. Washington, DC-based saxophonist and flautist Lyle Link performs in a variety of musical styles: jazz, blues and R&B, Latin, and world beat. To mark the 100th birthday of John Coltrane, Link will perform a set in honor of the jazz legend.

Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments.

Image credit: Robert Indiana, The Figure Five, 1963, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1984.51, © 1963, Robert Indiana

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: After Five, Performances

Art Bites Gallery Talk

Friday, August 28, 2026, 12:15 – 12:45pm

Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks, each focused on one compelling artwork. Discover the stories behind these objects and the insights they offer into the United States’ ever-evolving cultural landscape. Hampton Smith, Joe and Wanda Corn Predoctoral Fellow, discusses Ulysses Davis’s Untitled (Hart/Heart).
  

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged , Meet in the G Street Lobby
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours

Mammoth Performance

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Save the date for a site-specific performance as part of the programming around Nick Cave: Mammoth. In this performance, the ancient creatures that inspired the exhibition will be animated and move throughout the museum's galleries.

Space is limited for this free program, so registration is required. Sign up to receive our SAAM emails and be among the first to know program details.

Nick Cave: Mammoth is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Major support is provided by Cindy and Mark Aron, Leslie Berriman and Nion McEvoy, the Elizabeth Broun Endowment, Carolyn and Maurice Cunniffe, the James Dicke Family Endowment, Robert and Arlene Kogod, Nion McEvoy Publications Endowment, Cindy Miscikowski, Jack and Marjorie Rachlin Curatorial Endowment, VIA Art Fund and anonymous donors.

Generous support is provided by Michael Abrams and Sandra Stewart, Reuben and Kimberly Charles, Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo, Ferring Family Foundation, Flō Networks, Carl and Nancy Gewirz, Daniel W. Hamilton, Maureen and Gene Kim and the Norma Lee and Morton Funger Endowment in memory of William Scott Funger. This exhibition received support from the Fisher Arts Impact Fund.

Image credit: Nick Cave, Roam, 2025, video, sound;11:27 min. Art director: Nick Cave. Creative director: Bob Faust. Media production and projection design: Liviu Pasare. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery. Installation photography of Nick Cave: Mammoth, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026, ©Nick Cave; Photo by Ron Blunt

Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Cost: Free | Registration required, Tickets available beginning September 24.
Categories: Performances
Related Exhibition: Nick Cave: Mammoth