Smithsonian Music

Abiding Nowhere – Stream Online

Ongoing through Sunday, May 31, 2026, 11:59pm

Watch the Trailer

Stream the Film

Don't miss the streaming premiere of the tenth film in Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang’s acclaimed Walker series. In the Walker films, Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng very slowly traverses landscapes and cities around the world. The series is inspired by the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who famously walked from China to India in search of scriptures.

The first Walker film shot in the United States, Abiding Nowhere takes place here at the National Museum of Asian Art and other locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Here, the camera follows both Lee and Laotian actor Anong Houngheuangsy. Tsai describes Abiding Nowhere as “two lonely souls on separate journeys, sometimes crossing paths but never once meeting.”

Director: Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan, United States). Released: 2024. Length: 79 min. Format: Streaming. No dialogue.

Image Courtesy of Homegreen Films

Sponsor: Asian Art Museum
Event Location: Online
Online Link: abiding.eventive.org…
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: abiding.eventive.org…

DC | Trunk Show: Native Jewelry of the American Southwest

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am – 5:30pm

Shop stunning collections of authentic Native jewelry from the American Southwest featuring the Supersmith Collection. Find work by artists like Harrison Jim Sr. (Navajo [Diné] and Irish descent), April Unkestine (Navajo [Diné]/Zuni), and others from Native communities of the Southwest. Each piece expertly handcrafted by these Native jewelers showcases generations of skill and tradition with contemporary flare. Necklaces, rings, bracelets and other accessories will be available for purchase.

Image courtesy of Emerald Tanner

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Venue: American Indian Museum DC
Event Location: Level 2, Roanoke Museum Store
Cost: Free to browse, various price points for purchases

Spark!Lab

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.

Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026.

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Gardens
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum
Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Art Studio

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 3:30 – 4:30pm

Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: F Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach (Masterworks of Three Centuries)

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 6:30 – 9pm

The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Johann Sebastian Bach performed by Catherine Manson, violin and Kenneth Slowik, harpsichord.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Associates
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
Cost: Click here to view prices
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonianassociates.org…

Interactive Programs

Monday, April 20, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Portrait Gallery Kids

Monday, April 20, 2026, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Discovery Station: Orchids

Monday, April 20, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Postmarks and Paperbacks April Meeting

Monday, April 20, 2026, 7 – 8pm

Join staff from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for a discussion of Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant.

If you have any accessibility requirements to participate in the program, please email NPMprograms@si.edu and we will do everything we can to meet your needs.

A Zoom link will be emailed to participants prior to the program. Registration is required.

To register, please add the access code Mailman26.

Sponsor: Postal Museum
Event Location: Online
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: postalmuseum.si.edu…

Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Feliz Día de la Tierra!

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10am – 12pm

Estudio de Cuentos is held the third Tuesday of every month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. This program’s English-language version, Storytime Studio: Who Am I?, will be held Wednesday, March 18.

SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS

Estudio de Cuentos ocurre el tercer martes de cada mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de una hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.

Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada.

ESTA SEMANA

¡Celebra el Día de la Tierra durante Estudio de Cuentos! El artista Richard Long documenta sus paseos por la naturaleza en Carrara Line (Línea Carrara) (1985) en la exposición Cosas grandes para cuartos grandes. Junto con amigos de la Galería Nacional de Retratos, tomaremos nuestro propio paseo por la naturaleza y haremos un autorretrato hecho por materiales naturales.

Libro destacado: Un recorrido por la selva por Laurie Krebs, ilustrado por Anne Wilson

ANTES DE IR

Estudio de Cuentos es una experiencia de una hora.

Hay dos sesiones de Estudio de Cuentos con horas de entrada a las 10 y 11 de la mañana. La participación para cada adulto y niño está limitada a una hora.

No es posible la preinscripción.

La entrada a Estudio de Cuentos es por orden de llegada. Una vez que la sesión de las 10 de la mañana alcanza su capacidad, recibirás la opción de volver para la sesión a las 11 de la mañana.

Estudio de Cuentos tiene capacidad limitada.

Para garantizar una experiencia segura y agradable para todos, pararemos la entrada cuando ambas sesiones alcancen el cupo. Debido a el cupo limitado durante este programa público, pedimos que grupos escolares y otros grupos grandes de ocho personas o más (adultos y niños), soliciten un programa privado, por favor contacte a HMSGEducation@si.edu.

Todos son bienvenidos.

Cuidadores lactantes son bienvenidos. Si hay servicios o acomodaciones que pueden mejorar su experiencia (por ejemplo, interpretación LSM, subtitulo en vivo, etc.), por favor escribe a HMSGEducation@si.edu. Agradecemos que nos envíen este tipo de solicitudes con al menos una o dos semanas de antelación.

HORARIO DEL PROGRAMA

Sesión #1

10 AM: Juego (fieltro, bloques, bosquejar)
10:15 AM: Lectura en voz alta
10:30 AM: Proyecto de arte
10:45 AM: Tour de galería

Sesión #2

11 AM: Juego (fieltro, bloques, bosquejar)
11:15 AM: Lectura en voz alta
11:30 AM: Proyecto de arte
11:45 AM: Tour de galería

Todos las sesiones se encuentran en la Escuela de Arte Hirshhorn en el nivel inferior del museo. El estacionamiento para cochecitos está disponible en el vestíbulo de Hirshhorn y en el nivel inferior.

ABOUT ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS

Held every third Tuesday of each month at 10 and 11 AM, Estudio de Cuentos is a program designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration. The entire program is facilitated in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish.

Estudio de Cuentos has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.
Two English-language Storytime sessions are held every Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour. Estudio de Cuentos, held the third Tuesday of each month at 10 and 11 AM, is a free Spanish-language edition of this program.

No pre-registration is required.

Entry is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for entry to the 11 AM session until capacity is reached.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity.

We’ll pause further entry when both sessions reach full capacity to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Due to limited capacity during this public drop-in program, school, youth, and other large groups of eight or more (adults and children) are encouraged to reserve a group program by contacting HMSGEducation@si.edu.

Everyone is welcome.

Nursing caregivers are welcome. If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session #1

10 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
10:15 AM: Read-aloud
10:30 AM: Art-making
10:45 AM: Gallery tour

Session #2

11 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
11:15 AM: Read-aloud
11:30 AM: Art-making
11:45 AM: Gallery tour

All sessions meet in Hirshhorn Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Earth Sermon—Beauty, Love and Peace
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Discovery Station: Orchids

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Interactive Programs

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Play Date at NMNH: Planet Party!

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:30am – 12pm

Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!

This Tuesday we will celebrate Earth Day together! Families will learn about different elements of nature (Air/Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth) and how they influence what happens on and to our planet, create their own artwork inspired by these elements, and leave with an invitation to explore an exhibit, "Earth Information Center", on the second floor.

The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.

Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.

Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail NMNHAccessibility@si.edu.

Image: View of Earth taken during ISS Expedition 43
Image copyright: NASA (Public Domain)

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor)
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Drawn to Figures

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Join us for a sketching session in our galleries! Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are also welcome to bring their own sketchbook.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Jazz Afternoons

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 1 – 3pm

The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. 

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: 3 West
Cost: Free
Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Analog Nights

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5 – 7pm

Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° "Americans" Session 3: Trail of Tears

Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 7 – 8pm

American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. Pervasive, powerful, at times demeaning, the images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.

This three-part professional development series focuses on the stories and images presented in the exhibition Americans, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian DC and through Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street. Educators will explore ways in which American Indians have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began and learn new ways of understanding a few familiar events. Educators will be guided through Native Knowledge 360° classroom resources, delving into three stories:

April 7, 2026 | Session 1: Thanksgiving
April 14, 2026 | Session 2: Battle of Little Bighorn
April 21, 2026 | Session 3: Trail of Tears

Free | Registration required

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Education

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Event Location: Online via ZOOM
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonian.zoom.us…
More info: smithsonian.zoom.us…

Storytime Studio: Happy Earth Day!

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10am – 12pm

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO

Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served.

THIS WEEK

Celebrate Earth Day at Storytime! Artist Richard Long documented his walks through nature in Carrara Line (1985), now on view in Big Things for Big Rooms. We’ll take our own nature walk and record our experience in artwork made with natural materials.

Featured book: When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Felicita Sala

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.

There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.

No pre-registration is required.

Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for entry to the 11 AM session.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity.

We’ll pause further entry when both sessions reach full capacity to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Due to limited capacity during this public drop-in program, school, youth, and other large groups of eight or more (adults and children) are encouraged to reserve a group program by contacting HMSGEducation@si.edu.

Everyone is welcome.

Nursing caregivers are welcome. If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session #1

10 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
10:15 AM: Read-aloud
10:30 AM: Art-making
10:45 AM: Gallery tour

Session #2

11 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
11:15 AM: Read-aloud
11:30 AM: Art-making
11:45 AM: Gallery tour

All sessions meet in Hirshhorn Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.
Cost: Free
Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Earth Sermon—Beauty, Love and Peace
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Interactive Programs

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Expert Is In: Orchid Care 101

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Meet an orchid expert from Smithsonian Gardens or the United States Botanic Garden and learn more about this incredible plant family! This week Smithsonian Gardens Interiors Horticulturist Melanie Pyle will share tips for growing orchids at home. Drop in at any time during the program and be sure to bring your orchid questions.

This program is offered in conjunction with the exhibition More Than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, open during museum hours through April 26, 2026.

Free tickets are available for this program here.

Visitors are welcome to drop in at any time during the program, however free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Gardens
Co-sponsor: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum
Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms
Cost: FREE. Event tickets or museum timed entry passes required.
Get Tickets/Register: tickets.si.edu…
Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Spark!Lab

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Interactive Programs

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Fifty Years of African Ceremonies: Sharing and Preserving an Iconic Photography Collection

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 11:30am – 1pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art to commemorate 50 years of African Ceremonies, an iconic and globally-celebrated collection documenting cultural traditions across Africa. Created over five decades by photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, the collection includes photographs, journals, film, publications, and digital media showcasing the ceremonies and cultures of more than 150 cultural groups from 35 countries.

Throughout their careers, Beckwith and Fisher navigated complex dynamics of consent and reciprocity, working with elders, chiefs, and governments to gain permission to photograph ceremonial events, rites, and traditions. Today, they are committed to sharing and preserving this collection in a way that honors African perspectives and the principles of shared stewardship.

This event highlights both their enduring legacy and the role of archival collections as living resources that can connect communities, artists, scholars, and the public.

After the program in the Lecture Hall (Sublevel 1), guests are invited to gather over light refreshments.

Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher have dedicated their careers to showcasing African cultures and traditions , from the mid-1970s to the present. Amongst 17 published books, their seminal two‑volume publication, African Ceremonies, received the United Nations Award for Excellence for its contribution to cultural understanding and world peace.

Dr. Witney Schneidman served as Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He is a leading authority on African political and economic affairs and the author of the forthcoming book, This Africa Idea: A Memoir of Discovery, Diplomacy and Opportunity. He currently serves on NMAfA’s Advisory Board.

Dr. Heran Sereke-Brhan is the Deputy Director of the National Museum of African Art.

By attending this event, you grant the Smithsonian Institution permission to photograph, film, videotape you and/or record your voice and likeness in connection with or the promotion of the project.

Sponsor: African Art Museum
Co-sponsor: Photo Credit: Maasai Girl, Kenya, Fisher/Beckwith, ©BeckwithFisher
Venue: African Art Museum
Event Location: Lecture Hall, Sublevel 1
Cost: FREE, limited capacity
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Book Signing with Author Amy Nathan

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 3 – 5pm

Join us in Heritage Hall for a book signing featuring author, Amy Nathan to commemorate the re-opening of the Smithsonian National Carousel. A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together to make a change. When Sharon Langley was born in the early 1960s, many amusement parks were segregated, and African American families were not allowed entry. This book reveals how in the summer of 1963, due to demonstrations and public protests, the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first time. Copies of the book will be available for sale courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises.

Sponsor: African American History and Culture Museum
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum
Event Location: Heritage Hall
Cost: Free to attend.

Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work Gallery Talk with Katherine Jentleson and Leslie Umberger

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 5:30pm

SOLD OUT

Join us for a gallery talk to explore themes in the exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work led by Leslie Umberger, senior curator of folk and self-taught art and Katherine Jentleson, senior curator of American art and the Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the High Museum of Art. This talk will delve into Moses’s core themes of labor, community, and memory, and the ways in which Moses appealed to the public post-World War II by looking back at a younger, more rural America.

Image: Grandma Moses, We Are Resting, 1951, oil on high-density fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Kallir Family, in Memory of Hildegard Bachert © Grandma Moses Properties Co., NY

Sponsor: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby
Cost: SOLD OUT , Free | Registration encouraged,
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…
Related Exhibition: Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 5:30 – 6:30pm

Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: F Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

History Film Forum: "The Big Parade"

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7 – 10:30pm

The History Film Forum proudly presents King Vidor’s The Big Parade with a special new live orchestral score, composed and conducted by Andrew Earle Simpson. The Big Parade depicts the story of Jim Apperson (John Gilbert), a businessman’s son who joins the army to serve in The Great War. The film starkly represents the battlefield and veteran experience of World War I juxtaposed against a romance between Jim and Melisande (Renée Adorée), a French farm girl.

Presented in restored quality by Warner Bros., The Big Parade is considered one of the greatest war movies of all time and a crucial experience for cinema lovers.

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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Captioning and assistive listening devices will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Seating will be opened first to Eventbrite-registered attendees and then to walk-in visitors. When we reach maximum capacity, the event will be closed to the public.

____

Andrew Earle Simpson is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance, and vocal music based in Washington, D.C.

One of America’s foremost silent film musicians, he has performed across the United States, Europe, and South America. He is Resident Film Accompanist at the National Gallery of Art, a resident accompanist at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus Theater, Keyboard Artist for the Cantate Chamber Singers, and a professional company member of the Alliance for New Music-Theatre. His chamber, vocal, choral, and silent film music has been recorded on the Naxos, Albany, Fleur de Son Classics, and other labels. His silent film scores have been broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies Channel, and more than 50 of his silent film orchestral, chamber, piano, and theater organ scores are available on DVD/Blu-Ray through Kino-Lorber, Flicker Alley, and others. He founded the Andrew Simpson Ensemble in 2022 to perform new, live instrumental scores for silent film.

Andrew Earle Simpson is Ordinary (full) Professor of Music at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Performing Arts at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

/////////////////////////

El Foro de Cine Histórico se enorgullece de presentar El gran desfile, de King Vidor, con una nueva y especial banda sonora orquestal en vivo, compuesta y dirigida por Andrew Earle Simpson. El gran desfile narra la historia de Jim Apperson (John Gilbert), hijo de un empresario que se alista en el ejército para servir en la Primera Guerra Mundial. La película representa con crudeza la experiencia de los veteranos en el campo de batalla de la Primera Guerra Mundial, contrastada con el romance entre Jim y Melisande (Renée Adorée), una campesina francesa.

Presentada en calidad restaurada por Warner Bros., El gran desfile es considerada como una de las mejores películas de guerra de todos los tiempos y una experiencia crucial para los amantes del cine.

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El Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense da la bienvenida a visitantes de todas las edades y capacidades. Este evento es accesible en silla de ruedas. Se proporcionarán subtítulos y dispositivos de ayuda auditiva. Hay adaptaciones adicionales disponibles previa solicitud; por favor, envía un correo electrónico a nmahprograms@si.edu. Se recomienda avisar con dos semanas de anticipación.

El aforo es limitado y se recomienda reservar. Los asientos se abrirán primero para los asistentes registrados en Eventbrite y luego para los visitantes sin cita previa. Cuando se alcance el aforo máximo, el evento se cerrará al público.

____

Andrew Earle Simpson es un aclamado compositor de ópera, cine mudo, música orquestal, de cámara, coral, de danza y vocal radicado en Washington, D.C.

Es uno de los músicos de cine mudo más importantes del país. Se ha presentado en Estados Unidos, Europa y Sudamérica. Es acompañante residente de cine en la National Gallery of Art, acompañante residente en el Packard Campus Theater de la Biblioteca del Congreso, tecladista para Cantate Chamber Singers y miembro profesional de la compañía Alliance for New Music-Theatre. Su música de cámara, vocal, coral y de cine mudo se ha grabado en Naxos, Albany, Fleur de Son Classics y otros sellos. Sus partituras para cine mudo se han transmitido en Turner Classic Movies Channel, y más de cincuenta de sus partituras orquestales, de cámara, para piano y órgano de teatro para cine mudo están disponibles en DVD/Blu-Ray a través de Kino-Lorber, Flicker Alley y otros. Fundó el Andrew Simpson Ensemble en 2022 para interpretar nuevas partituras instrumentales en vivo para cine mudo.

Andrew Earle Simpson es profesor ordinario (titular) de Música en la Escuela de Artes Escénicas Benjamin T. Rome de la Universidad Católica de América en Washington, D.C.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War
Accessibility: Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Humans and Robots on Other Worlds (Exploring Space Lecture)

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 8 – 9pm

In the 1960s, five Lunar Orbiter missions successfully imaged 99 percent of the Moon’s surface. These missions paved the way for crewed landings on the Moon during the Apollo missions. Using the Lunar Orbiter and Apollo Lunar Module spacecraft as milestone touchpoints, this program will explore will how humans and robots work together to explore the Moon and planets.

Join shuttle astronaut Robert Curbeam, cybernetics engineer and robotics technologist Håvard Grip, and space historian Valerie Neal as they discuss the importance of human and robotic exploration and how they work together to increase our knowledge of our Solar System.

Håvard Grip is a principal engineer and robotics technologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was the chief pilot for NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, leading the development of its Aerodynamics & Flight Control System and guiding the first powered flight on another planet. His work focuses on advancing autonomous flight and robotic systems that expand the reach of human exploration.

Robert Curbeam is a NASA astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions and holds the record for most spacewalks during a single spaceflight (four spacewalks on STS-116). Before becoming an astronaut, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy.

Valerie Neal is a curator emerita in the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum. Before her retirement she was responsible for the Museum's human spaceflight artifact collections from the Space Shuttle era and International Space Station.

Visit the Museum's galleries from 7-8 pm then hear from our panelists from 8-9 pm.

Your registration includes:

A ticket to this Exploring Space talk from 8-9 pm.
Concessions available for purchase prior to 8 pm.
Access to select Museum galleries from 7-8 pm. Check the event website for a list of open galleries as we get closer to the program.
Opportunities to learn about Earth's Moon from Museum curators and staff at Discovery Stations from 7-8 pm.
9 pm Sidewalk Stargazing (outside, weather permitting) with Air and Space's Astronomy Team.

This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of L3Harris and United Launch Alliance.

Sponsor: Air and Space Museum
Venue: Air and Space Museum
Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX
Cost: Free with registration
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Wheelchair accessible

ONLINE: Humans and Robots on Other Worlds (Exploring Space Lecture)

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 8 – 9pm

In the 1960s, five Lunar Orbiter missions successfully imaged 99 percent of the Moon’s surface. These missions paved the way for crewed landings on the Moon during the Apollo missions. Using the Lunar Orbiter and Apollo Lunar Module spacecraft as milestone touchpoints, this program will explore will how humans and robots work together to explore the Moon and planets. Join shuttle astronaut Robert Curbeam, cybernetics engineer and robotics technologist Håvard Grip, and space historian Valerie Neal as they discuss the importance of human and robotic exploration and how they work together to increase our knowledge of our Solar System.

Håvard Grip is a principal engineer and robotics technologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was the chief pilot for NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, leading the development of its Aerodynamics & Flight Control System and guiding the first powered flight on another planet. His work focuses on advancing autonomous flight and robotic systems that expand the reach of human exploration.

Robert Curbeam is a NASA astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions and holds the record for most spacewalks during a single spaceflight (four spacewalks on STS-116). Before becoming an astronaut, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy.

Valerie Neal is a curator emerita in the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum. Before her retirement she was responsible for the Museum's human spaceflight artifact collections from the Space Shuttle era and International Space Station.

This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of L3Harris and United Launch Alliance.

Sponsor: Air and Space Museum
Event Location: YouTube
Online Link: eventactions.com…
Cost: Free with registration
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Wheelchair accessible

Story Time

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10 – 11:30am

Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.

Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.

Sponsor: Postal Museum
Venue: Postal Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby
Cost: Free ; no registration required.

Spark!Lab

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10 – 10:45am

It's beginning to feel like spring in the garden! Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Gardens
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens
Event Location: The Enid A. Haupt Garden tour starts at the sign at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW, near the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Cost: Free, Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
More info: gardens.si.edu…

Interactive Programs

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Ella Fitzgerald Day

Friday, April 24, 2026, 10:30am – 5:30pm

Ella Fitzgerald’s virtuosic scatting ability combined with her clear, yet emotional sound and impeccable range has made her one of the most innovative and beloved figures in the history of jazz. She continues to be a source of inspiration for jazz musicians of all kinds, vocalists or instrumentalists, and her music from her nearly six-decade career continues to resonate around the world.

Come and celebrate Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday at the National Museum of American History with several daytime programs including: “Ella Fitzgerald in 10 Photos” a panel talk with museum curators Krystal Klingenberg and Shannon Perich, objects out of storage from the Ella Fitzgerald collection, and a workshop on vocal jazz and scatting by Howard University Professor of Vocal Jazz Reginald Bowens, as well as a musical performance featuring Howard University’s SAAsy vocal ensemble to follow. 

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Hall of Music, 3 West
Cost: Free, registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible

DC | Closer Look: "Making a Statement"

Friday, April 24, 2026, 1 – 1:30pm

Don’t miss the last chance to see two gowns worn by Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone (Siksikaitsitapi [Blackfeet]/Nimiipuu [Nez Perce]) on view at our DC location through Sunday, April 26. Curator Anya Montiel (Mestiza/Tohono O'odham descent) offers a closer look at the museum’s special installation Making a Statement, featuring the custom Gucci gowns worn by Lily Gladstone at the 96th Academy Awards. Then, get hands-on and learn more about different types of quillwork in the museum’s Teaching Collection.

Image: Photos by Norwood Photography for the National Museum of the American Indian

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Venue: American Indian Museum DC
Event Location: Level 3: "Making a Statement" special installation
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: Making a Statement

NY | Curator Tour: "Native New York"—From the Bronx to Buffalo

Friday, April 24, 2026, 1 – 1:30pm

Reflect on 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a special curator-led tour of our ongoing exhibition Native New York. The Revolutionary War (1775–1783) tested the bonds of the Haudenosaunee (Mohawk, Oneida, Tuscarora, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations) Confederacy, an alliance of six nations that controlled most of the territory now known as New York State. Neighboring nations were also drawn into the conflict and all were forced to choose sides or try to remain neutral. Learn more about Indigenous history on both frontiers of the war in relation to the Mohican, Oneida, and Cayuga communities and in the war’s aftermath at Buffalo Creek.

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Venue: American Indian Museum NY
Event Location: Level 2: Exhibition Gallery
Cost: FREE
Related Exhibition: Native New York
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Q?rius Open Late: Botany Specimen Preparation - April

Friday, April 24, 2026, 5 – 7pm

The doors are open in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center! Once a month, we’re welcoming you to explore the space from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, even after the rest of the museum is closed.

All ages are welcome. As an added bonus, the NMNH botany department will be hosting a botany collections specimen mounting pop-up in February, March and April. Ages 15 and up are welcome to participate with adult supervision.

Registration is free and encouraged. Space is filled by a first come first served basis.

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, National Museum of Natural History (Ground floor)
Cost: Free; registration is required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.etix.com…
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
More info: www.etix.com…

Celebrate Micronesia

Bishop Museum
Honolulu, HI
Saturday, April 25, 2026

Celebrate Micronesia Festival 2026: Ocean of Peace brings together Micronesian voices and communities from across the Pacific for a day of music, dance, art, food, and storytelling. Hosted in partnership with leaders from Micronesian communities across Hawai‘i, the festival honors the rich traditions and contemporary expressions of the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guåhan (Guam), Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kiribati, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free; registration recommended
Get Tickets/Register: bishopmuseum.ticketspice.com…
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Honolulu, Hawai‘i
More info: www.bishopmuseum.org…

FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 2pm

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*

You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Plaza
Cost: Free to Attend
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Growing Community: Public Garden Spaces Field Trip

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 12pm

Gardens don’t happen in a vacuum; they must be  planned  well in advance. “Structure” is created by the architect well before the first shovel of soil is added. In our first field trip of the season attendees will explore the importance of public access and engagement with green spaces in shaping a sense of belonging and stewardship.  Join us for a tour of the National Mall.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Community Garden
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Open Studio: Floating Forms

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 2pm

This April, creativity is in full bloom every Saturday at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at nature-inspired artworks by artists such as Alexander Calder, Giacomo Balla, Joseph Cornell, and more.

Join us this Saturday as we get inspired by artist Lesley Vance’s Untitled (2021). For Untitled, Vance was inspired by her experience of snorkeling in Kaua’i, Hawaii. Taking inspiration from her artistic practice, we’ll experiment with paint and straws to make our own aquatic compositions!

Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.

No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance. For a group of 10 or more, please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.
Cost: Free
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

CANCELLED - Spark!Lab

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 1pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Interactive Programs

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

DC | Living Earth Festival: "Always Becoming"

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 11am – 5pm

Celebrate the transformational power of clay and the evolution of the museum’s iconic outdoor sculpture installation Always Becoming (2007) by Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]). Join the museum for a weekend of stories, artist demonstrations, hands-on activities, performances, and more centered on the relationship between art and the earth.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the museum will host programs reflecting on the ever-evolving nature of the country, communities, and future we share through the unique lens of Always Becoming. The site-specific sculptures by Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]) on the southern exposure of our Washington, DC museum were constructed using Native building techniques. Made entirely of natural materials, including clay, straw, sand, soil, and wood, the sculptures were designed to reveal their inner structure over time. Their transitory nature reflects the relationship between Indigenous cultures and the land.

SCHEDULE

Level 1, Potomac Atrium

11 AM–5 PM | From Earth to Art: Pottery and Clay Sculpture Demonstrations
- Sculptor Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo/White Earth) will share the process of creating her award-winning and ever-evolving clay storyteller sculptures rooted in Jemez Pueblo tradition.
- Potter Allyson Gray (Pamunkey) will discuss how she honors and revitalizes her community’s blackware pottery tradition while incorporating modern elements. She will share how Pamunkey pottery is deeply connected to the community’s relationship with the Earth.

Outdoors, Amphitheater

11 AM–12 PM, 3:30– 4:30 PM | Hands On: Make a Seed Ball
- Artist and educator Eliza Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]) will teach visitors how to make seed balls which can be taken home to plant and grow in this hands-on activity.

Level 1, Potomac Atrium

11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM | MaaTuu Pueblo Dance Group
- The MaaTuu Pueblo Dance Group which features members from Santa Clara Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, Kiwa Pueblo and the Tohono O’odham Nation will share traditional dances.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | Hands On: Always Becoming Teaching Cart
- When Always Becoming was installed in 2007, small sculpture models called maquettes were also created. With help from Museum Educators, visitors can see and touch the original forms and learn how the sculptures have changed over the years.

Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center

11:30 AM | Story Time: Just a Walk by Jordan Wheeler
- Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring the children’s book Just a Walk by Jordan Wheeler (Cree, Ojibwa, Assiniboine). They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity.

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Outdoors, Welcome Plaza

12 PM | Landscape/Garden Tour
- Join Christine Price-Abelow, Horticulturist for Smithsonian Gardens, for an engaging tour of the museum’s landscape and learn how she cares for the Native plants on our grounds.

Level 1, Rasmuson Theater

2 PM | Meet the Artist: Nora Naranjo Morse
- Award-winning artist Nora Naranjo Morse shares her insight regarding the creation of Always Becoming as well as her vision for the sculptures in the years to come. Nora’s daughter, Eliza Naranjo Morse, will share the short film “Our Owenge” (Directors: Zak Naranjo Morse, Jace Parker, Nora Naranjo Morse, and Derek Browning, USA, 2019, 12 min.), which documents how students at the Kha'p'o Community School in the Santa Clara Pueblo community learn the tradition of adobe construction.

***Schedule subject to change without prior notice.

Image: Nora Naranjo Morse (K'apovi [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1953). Always Becoming, 2007-present, Washington, D.C., USA. Sculptures made of natural materials. Museum commission from the artist, 2007. 26/5840.
Photo by Norwood Photography

This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Venue: American Indian Museum DC
Event Location: Multiple locations, Outdoors
Cost: FREE

Yoga to Hip-Hop

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 11am – 12pm

We’re combining both body movement and hip-hop music in true Khepera fashion.
Participants will flow to powerful hip-hop anthems while exploring themes of freedom, unity, and the ongoing journey toward a more perfect union. This workshop session Includes opening reflection on freedom and closing group intention-setting for the next 250 years.

Attire: Please be sure to wear breathable clothing that allows for full range of movement and comfortable shoes. Participants are encouraged to embrace each workshop's color theme in their attire.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Program Room
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Shout and Feel It! Swing Dance with DC Lindy Exchange

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 12 – 5pm

Join more than 600 swing dancers with the DC Lindy Exchange for an afternoon of lindy hopping, swinging, stomping, and shouting to live music performed by Josh Lee and the Extended Family, a Philadelphia-based ensemble led by Grammy winner Josh Lee featuring musicians celebrating the music and dance of the swing era! Step back in time and step onto the dance floor for an unforgettable afternoon of music and dancing. A beginner-friendly swing dance lessons led by New Columbia Swing at noon kicks off a program that blends history and rhythm to bring the swing era to life!

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of American History 2 Center, Flag Hall
Cost: Free
Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 12 – 1pm

Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Lifelong Learners: Jazz Trivia

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 1 – 2pm

Celebrate the launch of the Lifelong Learners series as we explore and connect through music, history, storytelling, and community engagement. Kick things off with a lively round of Jazz Trivia, where participants can test their knowledge and learn more about the rich legacy of jazz and its cultural impact.

About Lifelong Learners:
Life-Long Learners is an adult-focused education series designed for curious minds seeking meaningful dialogue and cultural exploration. Through engaging workshops, lectures, artist talks, and hands-on experiences, participants explore history, art, wellness, and social justice in a welcoming, community-centered space.
The series fosters continued intellectual growth, connection, and reflection—creating a dedicated community of learners who gather to engage deeply with ideas and with one another.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Program Room
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Art Studio

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Teen Studio: Go with the Flow

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 2:30 – 4pm

Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.

Join us in Art School every weekend in April, where we will be exploring art inspired by the natural world! This Saturday, we’ll think like abstract artist Lesley Vance. Create a color palette based on your favorite memory, then use those colors in acrylic paint pouring!

Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.

Do this at home! Flower. Print. Repeat.

Andy Warhol: Flower Power

ABOUT TEEN STUDIO

Teens ages 13–19 are invited to hang out and get creative at the Hirshhorn’s Teen Studio. Teen Studio is a free series of art-making workshops offered from 2:30 to 4 PM every Saturday. All skill levels are welcome—from the novice notebook doodler to the experienced teen artist, there’s something for everyone!

Each month, we’ll dive into a fresh theme inspired by artists on view. Each workshop will offer a mix of time in the galleries, where we’ll encounter groundbreaking artists, and time in Hirshhorn Art School, where we’ll experiment with new media and materials. Whether you’re into painting, sculpture, 3D design, animation, or something else, you’ll get hands-on experience and unlock new creative skills.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.
Cost: Free
Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Andy Warhol: Flower Power
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Outdoor Arizona

Saturday, April 25, 6pm – Thursday, April 30, 2026, 4pm

Meet in Arizona and embark on a springtime exploration of some of the Grand Canyon State’s best-known sites (as well as hidden gems) that highlight its rich ecology, geology, stunning landscapes, and architectural masterworks. Wayne Ranney, a geologic educator, author, lecturer, and trail and river guide, leads the outdoor adventure.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Associates
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS
Cost: Click here to view prices
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonianassociates.org…

The Octavia Butler Lecture Faith + AI: In Conversation with Ruha Benjamin

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 7 – 10pm

Join the Museum for an evening with Ruha Benjamin, an interdisciplinary scholar, educator, cultural worker, and author of Imagination: A Manifesto (2024), Viral Justice (2022), Race After Technology (2019), and People’s Science (2013). Benjamin is a Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the Founding Director of the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab.

The evening will begin with a short talk by Dr. Benjamin, followed by a conversation with writer Darnell Moore and author and cultural critic Dr. Susanna Morris on technology, imagination, and faith.

A book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises.

Darnell Moore

Darnell Moore is a writer and speaker whose work centers on community, care, and collective liberation. He is known for exploring the role of faith in building connections and supporting social change.

Susanna Morris

Dr. Susanna Morris is a storyteller, cultural critic, and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective. She writes about Black feminism, culture, and imagination, including her recent book “Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler.”

Accessibility Information
To support full participation, we welcome attendees to share any accessibility or accommodation needs. Please email your request to NMAAHCPubPgms@si.edu as early as possible. While the Museum will attempt to honor all requests, we kindly ask for at least two weeks’ notice to ensure adequate preparation.

Photo credit: Cyndi Shattuck

Sponsor: African American History and Culture Museum
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum
Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater, Concourse
Cost: Free; Museum Passes Required
Get Tickets/Register: tickets.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Discovery Station: Orchids

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Mondays: 1–4 p.m.
Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.

Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.

Interactive Programs

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

DC | Living Earth Festival: "Always Becoming"

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 11am – 5pm

SCHEDULE

Level 1, Potomac Atrium

11 AM–5 PM | From Earth to Art: Pottery and Clay Sculpture Demonstrations
- Sculptor Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo/White Earth) will share the process of creating her award-winning and ever-evolving clay storyteller sculptures rooted in Jemez Pueblo tradition.
- Potter Allyson Gray (Pamunkey) will discuss how she honors and revitalizes her community’s blackware pottery tradition while incorporating modern elements. She will share how Pamunkey pottery is deeply connected to the community’s relationship with the Earth.

Outdoors, Amphitheater

11 AM–12 PM, 3:30– 4:30 PM | Hands On: Make a Seed Ball
- Artist and educator Eliza Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]) will teach visitors how to make seed balls which can be taken home to plant and grow in this hands-on activity.

Level 1, Potomac Atrium

11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM | MaaTuu Pueblo Dance Group
- The MaaTuu Pueblo Dance Group which features members from Santa Clara Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Taos Pueblo, Kiwa Pueblo and the Tohono O’odham Nation will share traditional dances.
11 AM–1 PM, 2–4 PM | Hands On: Always Becoming Teaching Cart
- When Always Becoming was installed in 2007, small sculpture models called maquettes were also created. With help from Museum Educators, visitors can see and touch the original forms and learn how the sculptures have changed over the years.

Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center

11:30 AM | Story Time: Just a Walk by Jordan Wheeler
- Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring the children’s book Just a Walk by Jordan Wheeler (Cree, Ojibwa, Assiniboine). They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity.

Outdoors, Welcome Plaza

12 PM | Landscape/Garden Tour
- Join Christine Price-Abelow, Horticulturist for Smithsonian Gardens, for an engaging tour of the museum’s landscape and learn how she cares for the Native plants on our grounds.

Level 1, Rasmuson Theater

2 PM | Meet the Artist: Nora Naranjo Morse
- Award-winning artist Nora Naranjo Morse shares her insight regarding the creation of Always Becoming as well as her vision for the sculptures in the years to come. Nora’s daughter, Eliza Naranjo Morse, will share the short film “Our Owenge” (Directors: Zak Naranjo Morse, Jace Parker, Nora Naranjo Morse, and Derek Browning, USA, 2019, 12 min.), which documents how students at the Kha'p'o Community School in the Santa Clara Pueblo community learn the tradition of adobe construction.

***Schedule subject to change without prior notice.

Image: Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo], b. 1953). Always Becoming, 2007-present, Washington, DC, USA. Sculptures made of natural materials. Museum commission from the artist, 2007. 26/5840.
Photo by Norwood Photography.

This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.

Sponsor: American Indian Museum
Venue: American Indian Museum DC
Event Location: Multiple locations, Outdoors
Cost: FREE

Art Studio

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Curator Tours - Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees

Sunday, April 26, 2026, 3 – 4pm

Join the National Portrait Gallery for gallery talks and tours with our wonderful curators! Experience current and newly opened exhibitions as well as our permanent collection. This tour will focus on "Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees," featuring the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Awardees.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Garden Play: Shapes

Monday, April 27, 2026, 10 – 11am

Join Smithsonian Gardens for hands-on activities, story time, and a garden walk exploring this month’s topic, shapes!

Location
Find us on the East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden, near the Spencer Fullerton Baird statue by the Arts and Industries Building, southeast of the Smithsonian Castle.

About Garden Play

Garden Play is a drop-in program designed for children ages 2 and up and their caregivers. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but children of all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.

Please come prepared for an outdoor experience. Wildlife and insects, including bees and mosquitoes, are a part of our gardens. Participants are encouraged to bring water and sun protection and are welcome to bring their own blankets for story time.

Activities may be subject to cancellation or modification due to weather conditions. (A little rain won’t keep us away, but we will cancel in the case of a heavy downpour or thunderstorm!) Please check the Smithsonian Gardens online calendar for the latest information: https://gardens.si.edu/plan-your-visit/events/

Sponsor: Smithsonian Gardens
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens
Event Location: East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Transportation Week: Trains

Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:30am – 3pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Explore how railroads transformed American life with spotlight tours, hands-on docent carts, and a special Meet the Expert conversation in America on the Move. Discover how trains connect communities and power a growing nation. 

Activities:   

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert  (America on the Move)

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: America on the Move
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Portrait Gallery Kids

Monday, April 27, 2026, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

The Age of World's Fairs: St. Louis, California, and Paris on the Global Stage

Monday, April 27, 2026, 6:45 – 8:15pm

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into the pivotal exhibitions held in St. Louis in 1904, San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and Paris in 1925, examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session focuses on the Paris 1925 World's Fair.

Sponsor: Smithsonian Associates
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom.
Online Link: smithsonianassociates.org…
Cost: Click here to view prices
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonianassociates.org…

Interactive Programs

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Mother Earth and Me

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Sponsor: Smithsonian Associates
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel
Cost: Click here to view prices
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonianassociates.org…

Mother Earth and Me

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Sponsor: Discovery Theater, Smithsonian Associates
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel
Cost: Click here to view prices
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonianassociates.org…

Transportation Week: Automobiles

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30am – 3pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

From early cars to lowriders, explore how the automobile reshaped American life through spotlight tours, hands-on docent carts, and curator conversations in America on the Move and the Low Rider exhibition. 

Activities:   

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture)

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West; Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture, 3 West
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: America on the Move, Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Play Date at NMNH: Playful Pets

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30am – 12pm

This Tuesday is all about some of our favorite animals...our pets! Together, families will make observations of animals in our collection that are sometimes pets, learn about ways we take care of our pets, and create their own take-home artwork highlighting their pet or favorite animal! Feel free to bring a photo of your pet for your artwork if you would like or to show and share. We love to hear all about animals special to you.

The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (0-5) and their caregivers and families.

Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.

Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail NMNHAccessibility@si.edu.

Image Credit: Ashley Peery (images on outer left and outer right), Katie Derloshon (two center images)

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor)
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Mother Earth and Me

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Jazz Afternoons

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 1 – 3pm

The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. 

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: 3 West
Cost: Free
Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Storytime Studio: All About Amphibians

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10am – 12pm

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO

Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served.

THIS WEEK

Hop on over to prepare for Amphibian Week with a guest educator from the National Museum of Natural History. We’ll learn how these cold-blooded vertebrates typically live between water and land and admire their aquatic habitats with a visit to artist Lesley Vance’s painting Untitled (2021). Then we’ll create our own artworks using water.

Want more of our cold-blooded friends? Head over to the National Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 2, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM for the Amphibian Week Kickoff Celebration and find more ways to celebrate throughout the first week of May.

Featured book: One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival by Tony Piedra and Mackenzie Joy

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.

There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.

No pre-registration is required.

Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. When the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for entry to the 11 AM session.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity.

We’ll pause further entry when both sessions reach full capacity to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Due to limited capacity during this public drop-in program, school, youth, and other large groups of eight or more (adults and children) are encouraged to reserve a group program by contacting HMSGEducation@si.edu.

Everyone is welcome.

Nursing caregivers are welcome. If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session #1

10 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
10:15 AM: Read-aloud
10:30 AM: Art-making
10:45 AM: Gallery tour

Session #2

11 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
11:15 AM: Read-aloud
11:30 AM: Art-making
11:45 AM: Gallery tour

Spark!Lab

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Mother Earth and Me

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Transportation Week: Bicycles

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:30am – 3pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Celebrate the bicycle as a tool for freedom, recreation, and expression with tours, performances, and conversations throughout the day.

Activities:  

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) 
11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.: Wheelwoman performance (1 West)
1:00–3:00 p.m.: Educator Spotlight on lowrider bicycles (Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) 
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab)

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: America on the Move, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West; Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture, 3 West
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: America on the Move, Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Story Time with DC Public Library

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10:45 – 11:15am

Join us for Story Time in collaboration with the DC Public Library! Children and their grown-ups can enjoy story time as an interactive way to exercise with language and literacy skills. Story Time is designed for learners ages 5 and under, but all are welcome!

For questions about this event, please email us at: HistoryTeachers@si.edu

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: 1 West
Cost: Free

Mother Earth and Me

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Spark!Lab

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Mother Earth and Me

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Transportation Week: Route 66

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 10:30am – 3pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with spotlight tours and expert talks focused on the museum’s actual section of historic Route 66 on view in America on the Move.

Activities:   

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (America on the Move) 
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab)

Mother Earth and Me

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Portrait Gallery Reading Rhythms

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 5 – 7pm

Join the Portrait Gallery and Reading Rhythms for a reading party designed to make it easy for people to gather and read socially. We invite folks to bring any book they want while we facilitate silent reading periods, one-on-one breakouts, and group discussions about the art that everyone is engaging with. This adult program unites a community of readers to learn together and experience art with curated music.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Great Hall
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Wine & Design

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Join the National Postal Museum for a happy hour combined with crafting fun! Light snacks, crafting materials, and drinks are included in the price of the ticket.

Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID at the door. Please note space is limited and registration is required.

Sponsor: Postal Museum
Venue: Postal Museum
Event Location: Historic Lobby
Cost: $25
Get Tickets/Register: npmprograms.ticketspice.com…
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

An Evening With Elizabeth Hargrave: Sanibel Board Game Night

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 6:30 – 9:30pm

From the maker of the viral board game Wingspan comes Sanibel, a cozy meditative game inspired by summer days on the beach hunting for shells. Join us for an after-hours event at the National Museum of Natural History celebrating our upcoming exhibit From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage opening June 2026. We’ll feature a conversation with NMNH experts and game designer Elizabeth Hargrave, access to Sant Ocean Hall, and a chance to play the new game. NMNH paleobiologist Stewart Edie will moderate a discussion between Hargrave and NMNH research zoologist Chris Meyer about place-based affinity for nature, the art and science of collecting, and the biodiversity of marine ecosystems along America’s coastlines.

After the conversation, stick around to enjoy exclusive after-hours access to Sant Ocean Hall and play Sanibel – beginners and enthusiasts welcome. Hargrave will give a quick explanation of the game and local game shop Labyrinth Games will help with set up and instruction. Copies of the Sanibel boardgame will be available for purchase and signing with Hargrave.

Registration is free and highly encouraged. Space is filled on a first come first served basis.

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor)
Cost: Free; registration is required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.etix.com…
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
More info: www.etix.com…

Oscar Peterson Donation Ceremony

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7 – 8:30pm

Objects representing jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson (1925–2007) will be presented to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

With his technical virtuosity, Peterson redefined the possibilities of the jazz piano. Anointed “the Maharaja of the Keyboard” by Duke Ellington himself, Peterson not only expanded the instrument’s expressive range, but also recalibrated the very language of contemporary jazz. An eight-time grammy award winner, Peterson’s contributions to the jazz world are immense.

The musical excellence that Peterson brought to every performance will be honored with a tribute performance by the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, who toured internationally in 2025 to celebrate Peterson’s life and career. The performance will feature works from Peterson’s near seven-decade career, with musicians Ulf Wakenius on guitar, Mark McLean on drums, Brandi Disterheft on bass, and Robert “Robi” Botos on piano.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Seating will be opened first to Eventbrite-registered attendees and then to walk-in visitors. When we reach maximum capacity, the event will be closed to the public.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free
Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month

CANCELLED - Traversées – Constantinople and Ablaye Cissoko

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:30 – 9pm

This event is cancelled and will be rescheduled for a future season.

Join ensemble Constantinople and griot Ablaye Cissoko for an evening of musical storytelling that blends traditions from Iran, Senegal, and beyond. The kora and setar, traditional string instruments from two different cultures, meet with vocals, double bass, and percussion. In this collaboration, these traditions merge as though they had always existed side by side. Constantinople and Cissoko’s music has been heard over one hundred times in various festivals and halls around the world.

About Constantinople
Constantinople aims to anchor music in the heart of our community and encourage cross-cultural exchange among artists from around the world. Since its founding, the ensemble has promoted the creation of works that incorporate diverse musical traditions, drawing a range from medieval manuscripts to contemporary aesthetics, from Mediterranean Europe to Eastern traditions and New World Baroque.

About Ablaye Cissoko
Kimintang Mahamadou Cissoko, a.k.a. Ablaye Cissoko, was born in Kolda, Senegal, from a Griot family. His first appearance on stage with his kora was at the age of 12 before he joined the Conservatoire of music in Dakar. Now living in Saint-Louis, Senegal, he is an eternal traveler as part of a new generation of artists who incarnate the crossover between Mandinka traditions and contemporary musical creation. Since 2002, he has played around the world, from Africa to Europe and America, and has collaborated with famous world music and jazz international artists, such as Randy Weston, François Jeanneau, Majid Bekkas, Richard Galliano, Beñat Achiary, Volker Goetze, and La Chimera ensemble directed by Eduardo Egüez.

This performance is part of the 2025–2026 Meyer Concert Series season.

The Bill and Mary Meyer Concert Series is generously made possible by the Bill and Mary Meyer Concert Series Endowment. Suntory is the Lead Corporate Sponsor of the 2025–2026 concert series.

Image credit to Samadoss Maitoul.

Sponsor: Asian Art Museum
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building
Building: West Building
Event Location: Meyer Auditorium
Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended)
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Story Time

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10 – 11:30am

Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.

Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.

Sponsor: Postal Museum
Venue: Postal Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby
Cost: Free ; no registration required.

Spark!Lab

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Mother Earth and Me

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Transportation Week: Trucks

Friday, May 1, 2026, 10:30am – 12pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Explore how trucks transformed American life with spotlight tours and hands-on docent carts in America on the Move.

Activities:   

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move)  
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab)

Mother Earth and Me

Friday, May 1, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Mother Earth and Me

Friday, May 1, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 7 to 11. Learn about the systems which built and shape our Mother Earth from her molten beginnings to her many ecosystems of today!

Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3

Friday, May 1, 2026, 1 – 1:30pm

Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In these webinars, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Sunny Day.”

These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm.

Okamoto Shuki 岡本秋暉 (1807–1862); Auspicious Symbols: Crane, Rising Sun and Peach; Japan, ca. 1850; ink and color with gilt on silk; ivory jiku; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1998.297

Sponsor: Asian Art Museum
Event Location: Zoom
Cost: Free. Register in advance (required)
Get Tickets/Register: smithsonian.zoom.us…
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program

FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 2pm

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*

You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Plaza
Cost: Free to Attend
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Growing Community: Healthy Eating in Any Garden

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 12pm

Discover how beautiful spaces can also nourish your body! Join us for an inspiring workshop where we explore how vegetables and herbs can transform any garden into a vibrant, edible landscape. Learn how to blend ornamental design with food production to create a space that’s as stunning as it is sustainable. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, you’ll leave with practical ideas for growing fresh, healthy food right where you are.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Community Garden
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Open Studio: What’s Your Story?

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 2pm

Get inspired by all things Washington, DC, every Saturday in May at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at artworks created or inspired by our neighborhood of artists, including Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, architect Gordon Bunshaft, and more.

This Saturday, we’ll draw inspiration from Sound Scene, the Washington, DC, region’s premier interactive sound and multisensory arts festival. We’ll take a look at artist Laurie Anderson and her otherworldly installation Four Talks (2021). Then we’ll explore ways to tell stories by using mixed media, such as paper, paint, and images, to create our own visual narratives!

Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.

No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance. For a group of 10 or more, please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu in advance to reserve a program.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Hidden Noise Maker
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Sound Scene 2026: Distant Mirror

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 5pm

FREE

Sound Scene is the Washington, DC, region’s premier interactive sound and multisensory arts festival. It’s a free all-ages celebration of sonic and sensory arts featuring artists from both DC and around the world. ASL will be provided for events on May 2 and May 3. Find full festival program here.

General registration is recommended.

Free workshop registration below; space is limited.

Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM

Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki

Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM

Highlights include:

ONGOING PROJECTS

Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror—Kameshia M. Hunter

Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror is an immersive sound installation exploring the beauty rules that many Black and Brown women were taught to carry—and what it means to decide for yourself what you keep. Through touch, voice, and reflection, visitors move through inherited expectations as the body speaks, the mirror responds, and the final decision belongs to them. This work is part memory, part interruption, and part release. About the artist: sincerelymeeshproduction.com

Resource/Interplay—Matthew Maker

Resource/Interplay is an experiential work (auditory, tactile, visual, and participatory) that expresses the beauty of simple yet chaotic processes found in cold climates. The art invites audiences to intimately experience physical systems of melt and flow, gravity, light, and reflection. These abstractions distantly mirror ordinary experience, reminding us that even mud puddles have a complex and subtle beauty, and reminding us of the vast wonder of everyday life: a world and a climate to cherish as sacred. About the artist: mattarts.org

WORKSHOPS Please register for our free workshops (links in the entries below). Space is limited.

Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM

Build your own sound sculpture with the DMV’s very own Dan Ortiz Leizman. Join a free 40-minute workshop in which participants of all ages will become contemporary sculptors. Using cardboard along with mini transducers, Ortiz Leizman will guide participants to position contact mics to capture voices and movement. Sound will be mirrored back as vibration, creating an accessible, hands-on exploration of embodied sound.

*Registration capped at 10 people per session.

*Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult.

Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki

Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM

This free guided soundwalk will turn ordinary city infrastructure into the four classical elements of earth, water, air, and fire. Equipped with special audio receivers, participants will follow an itinerary that is both carefully designed and open to spontaneous encounters. Water fountains, switchboards, ventilation shafts, sewers, and cobblestones will be processed in real time and transformed into sonic mirrors of the elements, their sounds gradually weaving into a composition that opens portals to fragile environments documented by Smolicki during their fieldwork in the Pacific West Coast, the Arctic Circle, the Canaveral Seashore, and other vulnerable landscapes.

*Duration: 35–40 minutes

*All ages welcome, Children under 12 require adult supervision and must be registered separately (to ensure there is enough equipment available for all).

PERFORMANCES

Reflections on Machaut: An Immersion by the DMV Regenerate! Orchestra—J. Clay Gonzalez, Wesley Hornpetrie, and the Regenerate! Orchestra

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 11 AM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

The Regenerate! Orchestra will present an immersive reimagining of Messe de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut. A 30-person orchestra will perform the first movement (“Kyrie”) as an antiphonal drone composition with found percussion elements. The alien, mesmerizing harmonies of the 14th-century ars nova style will smear out and spatialize, allowing the audience to physically inhabit and linger within a lost and beautiful musical language. About the artists: claygonzalez.com, www.wesleyhornpetrie.com

Duality—Wendel Patrick

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at noon on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

Wendel Patrick’s performance is an exploration of the relationship between himself and his twin brother, who did not survive birth, through manipulated sound, recorded spoken text, and auditory expression. Born Kevin Gift, Patrick uses the first and middle name of his twin brother, Wendel Patrick, in artistic performance. About the artist: wendelpatrick.com

still, life—slowdanger

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 1 PM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

still, life is a durational performance trio who stage the body as a shifting sculptural instrument using chainmail, plexiglass, and embodied sound to expose multiple realities unfolding at once. As audiences navigate the Plaza, they will experience a live “distant mirror” in which material, architecture, and time echo and refract one another. About the artist: slowdangerslowdanger.com

Synth Rejection Therapy—Megan Hattie Stahl

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 2 PM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

This sample-based modular synthesizer performance explores the universal experience of rejection. Recordings of crowdsourced rejection letters are looped, reversed, and manipulated until their words lose all meaning. The result is a collective processing and live transformation of difficult ideas into music and noise. About the artist: meganhattiestahl.com

Visit soundscene.org for more information.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Co-sponsor: DC Listening Lounge
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Hirshhorn Museum
Cost: Free
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 1pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

The World and Me: Amphibian Week Kickoff Celebration with USGS and Friends!

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10am – 12:30pm

Learn more about your place in the world through explorations of nature and culture.

Come celebrate Amphibian Week with a special kickoff event at The World & Me inside Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center! Join us Saturday, May 2nd, as we learn about amphibians with our friends from the US Geological Survey and more! Families with learners of all ages will be invited to explore different stations, see live amphibians, and explore play, art, and related museum collections.

This is a drop-in event. Families can drop in anytime from 10:00am - 12:30pm and stay for as long as your family would like. No registration is required.

Cost: Free.

Location: Meet at the entrace of Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Q?rius is located next to the Constitution Avenue entrance.

Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail NMNHAccessibility@si.edu.

Image: Columbia spotted frog captured during annual population monitoring Tennessee Gulch, Mountain City Ranger District on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Rachel Van Horne.

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, Ground Floor
Cost: Free.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Transportation Week: Ships

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 10:30am – 3pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Dive into the history of ships and seafaring through spotlight tours and curator conversations in America on the Move. Explore how waterways carried people, goods, and ideas across the nation and around the world. 

Activities: 

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (On The Water) 
2:00–3:00 p.m.: Meet the Expert with museum curators (On The Water) 
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab)

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: On the Water, 1 East; Spark!Lab, 1 West
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: On the Water
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Crochet Kingpin’s Wearable Art

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1 – 3pm

Join DC-Native artist, Dwayne Lawson-Brown aka “Crochet Kingpin”, as he leads us in a workshop on the art of crocheting wearable art. The workshop is suited for ages 8 and up. Participants will learn the basics of crocheting and have an opportunity to practice chains, single crochet, and double crochet. Feel free to bring your crochet works in progress. Experienced crocheters will receive a pattern for lace blossoms to explore and work on.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Program Room
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Art Studio

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Third Act

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2 – 4pm

In Person: Tadashi Nakamura, director

Watch the Trailer

Generations of artists call Robert A. Nakamura “The Godfather of Asian American film,” but his son calls him Dad. As Parkinson's disease clouds Robert's memory, Tad Nakamura sets out to retrieve his father's story—and in the process discovers his own.

As the filmmaking son of a filmmaking legend, Tad uses the lessons his dad taught him to decipher his legacy. Robert was a child survivor of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. He was a successful photographer who gave it up to tell his own story and was an activist at the dawn of a social movement. And he is a father whose struggles have won his son freedoms that eluded Japanese Americans of his generation.

The two have made films together, with Robert always by Tad’s side. Third Act is most likely the last. Description adapted from Generation Films.

This event is copresented with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

Directed by: Tadashi Nakamura. Country: United States. Released: 2025. Length: 91 min. Format: DCP. Language: English.

Image courtesy of Generation Films

Sponsor: Asian Art Museum, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building
Building: West Building
Event Location: Meyer Auditorium
Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended)
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Teen Studio: Rhythmic Painting

Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:30 – 4pm

Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.

This Saturday, we’ll celebrate Sound Scene, an interactive sound and multisensory arts festival with installations throughout the Hirshhorn Museum. First we’ll look closely at The Attraction of Pink (1945) by artist Janet Sobel, whose Abstract Expressionist paintings flowed to the music she listened to while working. Then we’ll head back to Art School and let our paintbrushes be guided by music.

Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.

Do this at home! Art School Everywhere: Play with Sound

ABOUT TEEN STUDIO
Teens ages 13–19 are invited to hang out and get creative at the Hirshhorn’s Teen Studio. Teen Studio is a free series of art-making workshops offered from 2:30 to 4 PM every Saturday. All skill levels are welcome—from the novice notebook doodler to the experienced teen artist, there’s something for everyone!

Each month, we’ll dive into a fresh theme inspired by artists on view. Each workshop will offer a mix of time in the galleries, where we’ll encounter groundbreaking artists, and time in Hirshhorn Art School, where we’ll experiment with new media and materials. Whether you’re into painting, sculpture, 3D design, animation, or something else, you’ll get hands-on experience and unlock new creative skills.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art School Everywhere: Play with Sound
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Sound Scene 2026: Distant Mirror

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10am – 5pm

FREE

General registration is recommended.

Free workshop registration below; space is limited.

Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM

Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki

Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM

Highlights include:

ONGOING PROJECTS

Face Value: Not Our Parents’ Mirror—Kameshia M. Hunter

Resource/Interplay—Matthew Maker

WORKSHOPS Please register for our free workshops (links in the entries below). Space is limited.

Tactile Sound Sculpture Workshop—Dan Ortiz Leizman

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM

*Registration capped at 10 people per session.

*Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult.

Immersive Sound Walk: Inaudible Cities: Here, Now, There, and Then—Jacek Tadeusz Smolicki

Sunday, May 3, at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM

*Duration: 35–40 minutes

*All ages welcome, Children under 12 require adult supervision and must be registered separately (to ensure there is enough equipment available for all).

PERFORMANCES

Reflections on Machaut: An Immersion by the DMV Regenerate! Orchestra—J. Clay Gonzalez, Wesley Hornpetrie, and the Regenerate! Orchestra

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 11 AM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

Duality—Wendel Patrick

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at noon on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

still, life—slowdanger

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 1 PM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

Synth Rejection Therapy—Megan Hattie Stahl

Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, at 2 PM on the Plaza (outdoor stage)

Visit soundscene.org for more information.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Co-sponsor: DC Listening Lounge
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Hirshhorn Museum
Cost: Free
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Transportation Week: The John Bull train

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:30am – 12pm

Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for Transportation Week, Monday, April 27, to Sunday, May 3, as we celebrate, reflect, and consider the future of transportation.

Close out the week with programs highlighting the historic John Bull locomotive and the engineering of American bridges. Discover how innovation in transportation continues to connect people and places. 

Activities:   

10:30 a.m.–noon: Docent-led spotlight tours and hands-on carts (America on the Move) 
Transportation-themed activities (Spark!Lab)

Beyond the Studio: Punch Needle Embroidery with Tyler Sanville

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1 – 3pm

SOLD OUT

Local fiber artist Tyler Sanville of Tyler Makes Things returns to lead participants through a combination punch needle and embroidery class. Participants will create one-of-a-kind abstract fiber pieces, inspired by Tyler’s latest practice, which brings a modern twist to this traditional craft. Please note that space is limited for this program, and registration is required. Tickets available March 19. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on April 19.

Image courtesy of the artist.

Sponsor: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: MacMillan Education Center
Cost: SOLD OUT
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…

Art Studio

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Stephanie Chou Performs with The Tong Man and The Curse of Quon Gwon

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 4 – 6pm

Experience two early Asian American–focused silent films with a live score by composer, saxophonist, and singer Stephanie Chou and her band.

The Tong Man
Sessue Hayakawa, the first Asian American actor to achieve fame in Hollywood, stars in this crime drama as a hit man for a Chinatown gang. His bosses order him to kill an opium smuggler impinging on their turf. The only problem is the smuggler is the father of the woman he loves. Hayakawa was known for his energetic, macho acting style, and his performance here doesn’t disappoint.

Director: William Worthington. Country: United States. Released: 1919. Length: 58 min. Format: DCP. Silent with English intertitles.

The Curse of Quon Gwon
This romance is not only one of the earliest known Asian American films but also one of the few silent films made by a woman. In the film, a Chinese American family are put under a curse for becoming too “Westernized.” Director Marion Wong plays the film’s villainess, and the cast and crew feature Wong’s family and friends. Curse is an impressive achievement for a first-time director and a bold rejoinder to the stereotypical depictions of Asian characters that were common at the time.

Director: Marion Wong. Country: United States. Released: 1917. Length: 36 min. Format: DCP. Silent.

Stephanie Chou (www.stephaniechoumusic.com) is a composer, saxophonist, and singer based in New York City. She blends Chinese musical influences with Western jazz and pop to create a unique and vibrant musical world. Stephanie’s music creates immediate cross-cultural connections and focuses on connecting with the audience.

Musicians:
Stephanie Chou – voice, alto saxophone, compositions
Andy Lin – erhu, viola, violin
Hyuna Park – piano
Matt Aronoff – bass
Ronen Itzik – drums, percussion

Image credit: Stephanie Chou photo courtesy of Chou. The Curse of Quon Gwon photo courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Sponsor: Asian Art Museum
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building
Building: West Building
Event Location: Meyer Auditorium
Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended)
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

The Splendors of Newport: Colonial Roots to Gilded Grandeur

Sunday, May 3, 6pm – Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:30pm

Newport, Rhode Island, is one of America’s earliest colonial seaports and a cradle of both freedom and fortune. Founded in 1639, Newport flourished as a center of trade, religious tolerance, and revolutionary thought before transforming into the summer playground of America’s elite during the Gilded Age. Participants in a 5-day tour led by historian Fred Zilian discover Newport’s layered history, from its cobblestone colonial streets and harbor-front wharves to its grand seaside mansions.

Interactive Programs

Monday, May 4, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Portrait Gallery Kids

Monday, May 4, 2026, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Interactive Programs

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Play Date at NMNH: Amphibian Week Celebration!

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 10:30am – 12pm

Help us continue the Amphibian Week celebration with this week's Play Date at NMNH.

Tuesday, May 5th is all about amphibians! Families will learn make observations of different specimens, create their own amphibian-inspired artwork, and build different amphibian homes through play.

The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.

Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.

Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks advanced notice. To request this service, please call (202) 633-5238 or e-mail NMNHAccessibility@si.edu.

Image Information: Columbia spotted frog captured during annual population monitoring Tennessee Gulch, Mountain City Ranger District on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Rachel Van Horne.

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor)
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Wellness Wednesdays

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 8 – 9am

Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. On the first Wednesday of each month, join us for an artful meditation, where we will practice slow looking and experience portraiture through breath and slow movement. On the third Wednesday of each month, join us for a wellness program that inspires the senses and includes sound baths and musical meditation. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Storytime Studio: Calling Future Architects

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10am – 12pm

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO

Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.

Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served.

THIS WEEK

We’ll turn our focus inside-out and uncover the significance of the Hirshhorn’s iconic building, designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft. With help from guests from the National Building Museum, we’ll learn about the Hirshhorn’s “Brutalist donut” design and experiment with materials to build our own architectural marvels.

Interested in learning more about architecture? Head to the MLK Library this Saturday, May 9, from 11 AM to 2 PM for Build Day. Take a tour of the Enchanted City, a showcase designed by DCPS elementary students, and design your own building at an Art School pop-up.

Featured book: Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session #1

10 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
10:15 AM: Read-aloud
10:30 AM: Art-making
10:45 AM: Gallery tour

Session #2

11 AM: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
11:15 AM: Read-aloud
11:30 AM: Art-making
11:45 AM: Gallery tour

All sessions meet in Hirshhorn Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10 – 10:45am

Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.

Interactive Programs

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Once Upon a Moon

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

What is Africa to Me? Gallery Talk

Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 5:30 – 6:30pm

Join Dalila Scruggs, the Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art at SAAM, for a special evening gallery discussion. Scruggs will invite participants to look closely and share their own interpretations of modern and contemporary works on display by African American artists.

Tickets available April 6.

Image credit: Aaron Douglas, Inspiration, 1967, oil on canvas panel, 30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Steven L. Jones in memory of his father Dr. William M. Jones Sr., Chicago educator and a storyteller for the soul, and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2024.36

Sponsor: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Venue: American Art Museum
Event Location: Meet in the G Street Lobby
Cost: Free | Registration encouraged, Tickets available April 6.
Get Tickets/Register: events.blackthorn.io…

Spark!Lab

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Opening Day and Celebration of "Bison: Standing Strong"

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10am – 2pm

The museum is opening a new exhibit that follows the rise, fall, and resilience of bison and the American grasslands. Join us on this special day to explore the exhibit, hear stories from different experts, and participate in hands-on explorations centered on this remarkable species and its connection to Indigenous knowledge, museum collections, and more.

Sponsor: Natural History Museum
Venue: Natural History Museum
Event Location: 2nd Floor, "Bison: Standing Strong" exhibit
Cost: Free and open to the public
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Once Upon a Moon

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Air Force Max Impact

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 12 – 1pm

Join us for a performance by Max Impact, one of six musical ensembles that form the U.S. Air Force Band. Featuring six active-duty musicians, Max Impact regularly presents high-intensity performances throughout the nation and abroad, including events at the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, and other high-level military and civilian functions. This performance will include pop hits such as “Change the World,” by Eric Clapton; “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” by Tears for Fears; and “Freedom,” by Jon Batiste.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall
Cost: Free
Related Exhibition: 3 East - The Price of Freedom: Americans at War
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Music from the Hearts of America - U.S. Air Force Max Impact

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2 – 3pm

First Thursdays: Come Look with Us

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5:30 – 6:15pm

Wind down after work with the National Portrait Gallery’s educators as they share their favorite portraits with you. Participants will enjoy close looking and engaging in conversations about artworks in the galleries.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Waterman Documentary on Duke Kahanamoku: Screening + Conversation

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 7 – 9:30pm

Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha (2021, 88 min) tells the powerful life story of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku—Olympic champion and the father of modern surfing—whose influence helped shape global surf culture.

A Native Hawaiian born during the final years of the Hawaiian monarchy, Duke rose to international fame through his achievements as a swimmer, surfer, and lifesaver. Known for his humility and generosity, he inspired generations and helped bring surfing to the world stage.

Rooted in a long tradition of Native Hawaiian watermen, Duke carried forward a legacy of deep connection to the ocean—one that continues to resonate through contemporary surf culture and beyond.

A panel conversation and audience Q&A will follow the screening, featuring:

Isaac Halasima (Director, Waterman)
Billy Pratt (Associate Producer, Waterman; Board Member, Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation)
Moderator: Jessica F. Skinner (Director or Advancement, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center)

Sponsor: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Co-sponsor: “Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen” celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and America’s 250th Anniversary. This program received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. Additional support provided by AARP.
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen A Tale of Three Chinatowns , Family Film Program: Bao, The Queen's Flowers, Lilo & Stitch , Nurse Unseen , A Nice Indian Boy
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: apa.si.edu

ONLINE: Return to Venus (Exploring Space Lecture)

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 8 – 9pm

America’s first planetary probe, Mariner 2, marked our first visit to Venus in 1962. As it flew by Venus, the probe measured the planet’s atmosphere, giving us insights into its composition and temperature extremes. What are our future plans for “Earth’s Twin,” Venus? Join Dr. Sara Seager, professor at MIT, and Dr. Bruce Campbell, a planetary scientist in the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, as they discuss our future plans to send a private mission to our inner neighbor and what new questions we bring with us on this trip.

This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of L3Harris and United Launch Alliance.

Sponsor: Air and Space Museum
Event Location: YouTube
Online Link: eventactions.com…
Cost: Free with registration
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Wheelchair accessible

Return to Venus (Exploring Space Lecture)

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 8 – 9pm

America’s first planetary probe, Mariner 2, marked our first visit to Venus in 1962. As it flew by Venus, the probe measured the planet’s atmosphere, giving us insights into its composition and temperature extremes. What are our future plans for “Earth’s Twin,” Venus? Join Dr. Sara Seager, professor at MIT, and Dr. Bruce Campbell, a planetary scientist in the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, as they discuss our future plans to send a private mission to our inner neighbor and what new questions we bring with us on this trip.

Visit the Museum's galleries from 7-8 pm then hear from Dr. Sara Seager and Dr. Bruce Campbell from 8-9 pm.

Your registration includes:

A ticket to this Exploring Space talk from 8-9 pm.
Concessions available for purchase prior to 8 pm.
Access to select Museum galleries from 7-8 pm. Check the event website for a list of open galleries as we get closer to the program.
Opportunities to learn about Venus from Museum staff at Discovery Stations from 7-8 pm.
9 pm Sidewalk Stargazing (outside, weather permitting) with Air and Space's Astronomy Team.

Story Time

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10 – 11:30am

Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.

Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.

Sponsor: Postal Museum
Venue: Postal Museum
Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby
Cost: Free ; no registration required.

Spark!Lab

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10 – 10:45am

Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.

Interactive Programs

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Once Upon a Moon

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:15 – 11am

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Friday, May 8, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

Once Upon a Moon

Friday, May 8, 2026, 11:30am – 12:15pm

Ages 4 to 7. Blast off with this Discovery Theater Original production as we learn about our earths closest neighbor, from her phases to the cockpit of the Apollo Missions.

A Tale of Three Chinatowns Documentary: Screening + Conversation

Friday, May 8, 2026, 7 – 9:30pm

A Tale of Three Chinatowns (2021, 90 min) explores the survival of urban ethnic neighborhoods through the stories of three Chinatowns in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Boston.

Featuring the voices of residents, community activists, developers, and government officials, the documentary examines the forces reshaping these communities and the challenges they face. Chicago’s Chinatown reflects a story of growth and expansion, while Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown has dwindled to a small residential population. Boston’s Chinatown sits between these extremes, as competing interests continue to shape its future.

Through these intersecting perspectives, the film offers a timely look at urban development and gentrification as experienced by those on the frontlines.

A panel conversation and audience Q&A will follow the screening, featuring:

Penny Lee (Executive Producer, Producer, Editor, A Tale of Three Chinatowns)
Lisa Mao (Executive Producer, Director, Writer, A Tale of Three Chinatowns)
Andrew Leong (Associate Professor of Philosophy, UMass Boston; Advisor, A Tale of Three Chinatowns)
Cynthia Yee (Educator, Writer, Artist)

Sponsor: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Co-sponsor: “Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen” celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and America’s 250th Anniversary. This program received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. Additional support provided by AARP.
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen Waterman , Family Film Program: Bao, The Queen's Flowers, Lilo & Stitch , Nurse Unseen , A Nice Indian Boy
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: apa.si.edu

Masque at the Museum

Friday, May 8, 2026, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Do you like making art? Hanging with your friends? The Portrait Gallery's Teen Museum Council invites teens in grades 9 through 12 to celebrate the end of the school year with a party in the Kogod Courtyard. Dress in masquerade-themed formal attire, cosplay or anything in between. Featuring art activities in partnership with the Museum of the Contemporary American Teenager, BeyondPhotos DC and more.

All participants are required to show their ID to verify their age. This project received federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard
Cost: Free. Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am – 2pm

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*

You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Plaza
Cost: Free to Attend
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Open Studio: The Brutalist Donut

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am – 2pm

Get inspired by all things Washington, DC, every Saturday in May at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at artworks created or inspired by our neighborhood of artists, including Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, and more.

Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from one of DC’s most recognizable buildings, the “Brutalist donut”: a.k.a. the Gordon Bunshaft–designed Hirshhorn Museum! First, we’ll take a closer look at the Museum’s architecture. Then we’ll experiment with materials like cardboard, popsicle sticks, and wire to build our own Brutalist-inspired artworks!

Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.

No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance. For a group of 10 or more, please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu in advance to reserve a program.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

World Migratory Bird Day

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am – 1pm

It’s a migration celebration! Join the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a special World Migratory Bird Day experience.

This one-day-only event takes place in and around the Bird House and features:

Bird-themed games and activities for kids
Bird Friendly® coffee tastings
Keeper demos in the aviaries
Guided birdwatching walks
Interactive learning stations hosted by Zoo staff and partner conservation organizations

This event has something for everyone, so bring the whole flock!

For more information on the Smithsonian’s bird conservation initiatives, visit the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center web page.

Know Before You Go

Directions to the Bird House
From the Zoo's main entrance on Connecticut Avenue, head downhill along the main pathway. Turn right to enter Asia Trail. Continue along the pathway to reach the outdoor giant panda overlook. Cross the bridge over the Elephant Trails habitat to reach the Bird House plaza, then follow the path to the Bird House entrance.
For a downloadable map of the Zoo, check out our Map and Guides page.

Entering the Zoo

There is no special ticket to this event. Just come to the Bird House!
All guests, including children under 2 years old, must have a entry pass to enter the Zoo. Entry passes are free and can be booked on the Zoo's website.
To help our staff scan tickets efficiently, all members of your party should plan on entering the Zoo together.

Parking
Daily parking is not included with Zoo admission. If you plan to drive and park at the Zoo, you can pay a flat-rate parking fee of $30 per vehicle in advance/$40 day-of. Due to the popularity of the Zoo in early May, we recommend you purchase your parking pass online before your visit.

Drivers should plan to enter through the main vehicle entrance at 3001 Connecticut Ave, NW.
Members can use their annual membership parking passes. Become a Member today!

Sponsor: National Zoo
Venue: National Zoo
Event Location: Bird House (inside and outside)
Cost: FREE (passes required for entry)
Get Tickets/Register: live-national-zoo.pantheonsite.io…
More info: nationalzoo.si.edu…

Spark!Lab

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am – 1pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Family Film Program: Lilo & Stitch + Bao + The Queen's Flowers

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 11am – 1pm

Bao (2018, 8 min) tells the story of a Chinese American woman who gets a second chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings comes to life.

The Queen's Flowers (2024, 11 min) is a magical take on a true story: Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, creates a special gift for Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi's last monarch.

Lilo & Stitch (2002, 85 min) follows Lilo Pelekaia, a young Native Hawaiian girl who befriends a mischievous alien—Stitch (Experiment 626)—and learns the meaning of "ohana" (family).

Sponsor: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Co-sponsor: “Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen” celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and America’s 250th Anniversary. This program received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. Additional support provided by AARP.
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen Waterman , A Tale of Three Chinatowns , Nurse Unseen , A Nice Indian Boy
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: apa.si.edu

Music from the Hearts of America - University of Maryland Baltimore Campus—Jubilee Singers

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 12 – 1pm

Formed in 2001, the Jubilee Singers specialize in sacred music with an emphasis on African American composers. Join us for a performance in three sections, each focusing on a different part of African American history. The journey of the Atlantic Slave trade, enduring the middle passage, the selling of slaves, an underground railroad experience, memories of the Civil Rights movement, and the bravery and resilience of the enslaved Africans will be told in story telling style by Prof. Janice Jackson, interweaved between musical selections from the African American folk tradition.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Roots & Wings: Honoring Mother Figures, Caregivers, and Memory

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 12 – 3pm

Roots & Wings is an intergenerational, family-friendly gathering that honors mother figures and caregivers—whether through birth, guidance, protection, mentorship, or unconditional love. Recognizing that Mother’s Day can hold many emotions, this program welcomes all experiences celebrating those who nurtured us, remembering those we miss, and acknowledging the many forms of caregiving. Through art, storytelling, and shared traditions. This public program invites participants to explore how caregiving, creativity, and cultural traditions are passed down across generations. Through hands-on artmaking, oral history, and community reflection, families will celebrate the legacies that shape who we are and who we become. This program is designed for all ages and for multigeneration participation.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Program Room
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 12 – 1pm

Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: G Street Lobby
Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Lifelong Learners: Legacy Letters

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 1 – 2pm

Explore creativity and connect through storytelling and community engagement as we honor the mother figures and caregivers who have shaped our lives. Through the creation of legacy letters, participants are invited to reflect on the people who have nurtured, guided, and inspired them.

About Lifelong Learners:
Life-Long Learners is an adult-focused education series designed for curious minds seeking meaningful dialogue and cultural exploration. Through engaging workshops, lectures, artist talks, and hands-on experiences, participants explore history, art, wellness, and social justice in a welcoming, community-centered space.
The series fosters continued intellectual growth, connection, and reflection—creating a dedicated community of learners who gather to engage deeply with ideas and with one another.

Sponsor: Anacostia Community Museum
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum
Event Location: Program Room
Cost: Free
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…

Art Studio

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Music from the Hearts of America - University of Maryland Baltimore Campus—Jubilee Singers

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 2 – 3pm

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Nurse Unseen Documentary: Screening + Conversation

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 2 – 4:30pm

Nurse Unseen (2023, 93 min) explores the little-known history and humanity of Filipino and Filipino American nurses who have long been the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system.

Through personal stories and historical context, the film traces the colonial ties between the Philippines and the United States that shaped this workforce—and examines why Filipino nurses were disproportionately impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic while facing a rise in anti-Asian hate.

Blending intimate storytelling with urgent social history, the documentary brings visibility to an essential yet often overlooked community on the frontlines of care.

A panel conversation and audience Q&A will follow the screening, featuring:

Michele Josue (Director, Nurse Unseen)
Carlo Velayo (Producer, Nurse Unseen)
Nicole Guerzon (Pediatric Nurse)
Moderator: Hannah Dormido (Visual Journalist, Cartographer, Artist)

Guided tours of How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories will be offered before and after the screening.

Pre-screening tour: 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM (meet in the Taubman Gallery, 2 West)
Post-screening tour: 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM (meet iin the Taubman Gallery, 2 West)

Sponsor: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Co-sponsor: “Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen” celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and America’s 250th Anniversary. This program received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. Additional support provided by AARP.
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen Waterman , A Tale of Three Chinatowns , Family Film Program: Bao, The Queen's Flowers, Lilo & Stitch , A Nice Indian Boy
Related Exhibition: How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: apa.si.edu

Teen Studio: Paint the Town

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4pm

Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.

Every weekend in May, Teen Studio is exploring boundary-breaking artists in the Hirshhorn collection who used color to bring their ideas to life. This Saturday, we’ll take a closer look at Black Wall (1964) by Louise Nevelson. Then we’ll head back to Art School to create a sculpture from found objects. Practice mixing paint to create your perfect color for your sculpture.

Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.

Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.

Do this at home! Art School Everywhere: Play with Sound

ABOUT TEEN STUDIO

Teens ages 13–19 are invited to hang out and get creative at the Hirshhorn’s Teen Studio. Teen Studio is a free series of art-making workshops offered from 2:30 to 4 PM every Saturday. All skill levels are welcome—from the novice notebook doodler to the experienced teen artist, there’s something for everyone!

Each month, we’ll dive into a fresh theme inspired by artists on view. Each workshop will offer a mix of time in the galleries, where we’ll encounter groundbreaking artists, and time in Hirshhorn Art School, where we’ll experiment with new media and materials. Whether you’re into painting, sculpture, 3D design, animation, or something else, you’ll get hands-on experience and unlock new creative skills.

If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact HMSGEducation@si.edu. We appreciate receiving such requests at least one to two weeks in advance.

Sponsor: Hirshhorn Museum
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum
Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level
Cost: Free
Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art School Everywhere: Play with Sound
More info: hirshhorn.si.edu…

A Nice Indian Boy Screening + Conversation

Saturday, May 9, 2026, 7 – 9:30pm

A Nice Indian Boy (2024, 96 min) is a romantic comedy about love, family, and identity.

When Naveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni) brings fiancé Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff) home to meet his traditional Indian family, they must navigate accepting his white-orphan-artist boyfriend while planning the Indian wedding of their dreams. As tensions rise and relationships are tested, their hard-won love helps each of the Gavaskars confront the reality of their own relationships, culminating in a sweetly-woven reconciliation as they come together to plan Naveen and Jay's wedding.

Blending humor and heartfelt emotion, the film explores the complexities of love, belonging, and reconciliation across cultures and generations.

Recommended for ages 16+; contains mature themes and language.

A panel conversation and audience Q&A will follow the screening, featuring:

Roshan Sethi (Director, A Nice Indian Boy)
Karan Soni ("Naveen Gavaskar," A Nice Indian Boy)
Sunita Mani ("Arundhathi Gavaskar," A Nice Indian Boy)
Durba Ghosh (Professor of History; Director, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University)

Sponsor: Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Co-sponsor: “Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen” celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and America’s 250th Anniversary. This program received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. Additional support provided by AARP.
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater
Cost: Free | Registration required
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Related Events: Discover More Films in Visions & Voices: Stories on the Screen Waterman , A Tale of Three Chinatowns , Family Film Program: Bao, The Queen's Flowers, Lilo & Stitch , Nurse Unseen
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
More info: apa.si.edu

Spark!Lab

Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10am – 4pm

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Co-sponsor: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing
Cost: Free; first come, first served.
Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America
More info: invention.si.edu…

Wonderplace

Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10am – 4pm

This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.

Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.

Hours are subject to change.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West
Cost: Free; first come, first served
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Interactive Programs

Sunday, May 10, 2026, 10:15am – 3:15pm

Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.

Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.

Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.

Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

Sponsor: American History Museum
Venue: American History Museum
Event Location: Multiple floors
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible

Art Studio

Sunday, May 10, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.

Sponsor: Portrait Gallery
Venue: Portrait Gallery
Event Location: Education Center, E151
Cost: Free. No Registration Required.
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
More info: www.eventbrite.com…

Smithsonian Music

Abiding Nowhere – Stream Online

DC | Trunk Show: Native Jewelry of the American Southwest

Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

Art Studio

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours

Sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach (Masterworks of Three Centuries)

Interactive Programs

Portrait Gallery Kids

Discovery Station: Orchids

Postmarks and Paperbacks April Meeting

Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Feliz Día de la Tierra!

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

Play Date at NMNH: Planet Party!

Drawn to Figures

Jazz Afternoons

Analog Nights

ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° "Americans" Session 3: Trail of Tears

Storytime Studio: Happy Earth Day!

Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

Expert Is In: Orchid Care 101

Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

Fifty Years of African Ceremonies: Sharing and Preserving an Iconic Photography Collection

Book Signing with Author Amy Nathan

Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work Gallery Talk with Katherine Jentleson and Leslie Umberger

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours

History Film Forum: "The Big Parade"

Humans and Robots on Other Worlds (Exploring Space Lecture)

ONLINE: Humans and Robots on Other Worlds (Exploring Space Lecture)

Story Time

Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour

Interactive Programs

Ella Fitzgerald Day

DC | Closer Look: "Making a Statement"

NY | Curator Tour: "Native New York"—From the Bronx to Buffalo

Q?rius Open Late: Botany Specimen Preparation - April

Celebrate Micronesia

FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand

Growing Community: Public Garden Spaces Field Trip

Open Studio: Floating Forms

CANCELLED - Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

DC | Living Earth Festival: "Always Becoming"

Yoga to Hip-Hop

Shout and Feel It! Swing Dance with DC Lindy Exchange

Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL

Lifelong Learners: Jazz Trivia

Art Studio

Teen Studio: Go with the Flow

Outdoor Arizona

The Octavia Butler Lecture Faith + AI: In Conversation with Ruha Benjamin

Spark!Lab

Wonderplace

Discovery Station: Orchids

Interactive Programs

DC | Living Earth Festival: "Always Becoming"

Art Studio

Curator Tours - Portrait of a Nation: 2025 Honorees

Garden Play: Shapes

Interactive Programs

Transportation Week: Trains

Portrait Gallery Kids

The Age of World's Fairs: St. Louis, California, and Paris on the Global Stage

Interactive Programs

Mother Earth and Me

Growing Community: Public Garden Spaces Field Trip