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Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Diets)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal diets to learn about how we feed all the animals at the Zoo! Make an animal dinner in our dramatic play Zoo commissary, feed the animals at our sensory table, and learn how to turn unused food into art!
Little Critters Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
When Imagination Began
One-Time Events
We humans are great at recognizing and expressing the things we see around us. Whether it is hearing a dog bark, seeing footprints in the snow, smelling your favorite food, your mind knows what it is. We can even imagine things we have never seen before. When did humans start to do this? Come and find out!
Presented by: Taylor Mitchell, MS, The George Washington University
Image courtesy of Taylor Mitchell.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Highlights Tour with the Postal Museum’s Director or Deputy Director
Ongoing Tours & Activities
On this extra special tour with the Postal Museum’s Director or Deputy Director, explore the wonders of our museum like never before! Meet at the Information Desk for an exclusive 45-minute tour.
Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
African American Artists and the Federal Art Project
Resident Associate Program
The New Deal art projects were created to provide financial relief to artists in the form of employment during the Depression. By design, the Federal Art Project (FAP) was intended to be race-blind, so many Black artists hoped these programs would redress their chronic disadvantages. Art historian Mary Ann Calo argues that although FAP administrators sought to address the needs of the Black artistic community, the impact was undermined by their unwillingness to address the consequences of institutional discrimination and systemic racism. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263467?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263467?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. The Ocean Around Us Tour
One-Time Events
Explore the Sant Ocean Hall to learn about some of the exciting animals and habitats featured and how they are connected to your everyday life no matter where you live. This is a 30-minute interactive walking tour where you can meet a North Atlantic Right Whale, find out what is the most productive marine ecosystem, touch coral, and so much more.
Registration is required for this small group tour of up to 10 people. Each visitor may bring up to 3 guests, but the total number of visitors on the tour will be capped at 10.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall, Under the Large Jellyfish. Cost: Free. Registration is required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Changing Face of Television: YouTube, Bingeing, Streaming, and Beyond
Resident Associate Program
Watching television used to be a fairly simple enterprise: You turned on the set, selected one of 500 channels, and enjoyed your program. Now, more and more viewers are canceling cable television, preferring to watch online-only channels. An entire generation of younger viewers has given up on the TV set in favor of their laptops and phones. Drawing on video clips, media historian Brian Rose explains why the old days of simply “watching TV” are fast disappearing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263468?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263468?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
The Films of Bette Davis
Resident Associate Program
At Hollywood’s height, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis reigned supreme among leading ladies. Though similar, they differed in their approaches to acting and in the types of roles they chose. In a spring series, film historian Max Alvarez leads a gloriously melodramatic journey through the volatile lives and unforgettable careers of two extraordinary stars. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night—or two. This session focuses on Bette Davis.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263435?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263435?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Major Discoveries in Rome and Pompeii
Resident Associate Program
The last 30 years have seen an abundance of striking archaeological discoveries in Rome and Pompeii. C. Brian Rose, a professor of Mediterranean archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, examines how the appearance of these cities changed during the Republic and early Empire and how their residents prepared for religious festivals, dinner parties, and gladiatorial games. He also reviews how the explorations of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum have had a lasting impact on European and American culture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263469?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263469?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Dragonflies From the Arctic to the Tropics
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Dragonflies, damselflies and their ancestors were among the first creatures fly—before birds, bats or pterosaurs. On May 20, explore the origins of the Odonata insects with Dr. Jessica Ware, an entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History. Using a large genomic dataset, scientists are unlocking their evolutionary history. By studying the tree of life of Odonata, scientists are beginning to understand how flight first evolved in these enigmatic insects. Part of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s 60th anniversary webinar series.
This event will be hosted entirely online, and it will be recorded! Closed captions will be available at the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you'll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording a few days after the event.
Sign up on Zoom to watch live or on demand, Event Photo: Dr. Jessica Ware, by Denis Finnin.
Event Location: Online only. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/3817392877668/WN_CPulJf72TpeiL8gjWeka7w. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. In Slavery’s Wake Highlights Tour
One-Time Events
Learn about the freedom-making practices of Black communities navigating both the histories and the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism. Through powerful artifacts, stories, and interactive displays, this immersive exhibition invites visitors into a global conversation on the continued impacts of slavery and colonialism.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the In Slavery’s Wake exhibition, located on Concourse Level C. Morning tour programs take place at 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
Storytime Studio: Spin and Sway
One time events
Creativity is vibrant on Wednesdays at Storytime Studio. Celebrate spring with your littlest artist. Every week offers a new adventure.
This week: We’re teaming up with an educator from the Washington Ballet to find joyful opportunities to express your best self! This week, we’ll explore the painting Mis Cuatro Gracias (Brendan, Camilo, Carlos, Jorge) (2018) by artist Aliza Nisenbaum. Adult and child artists will explore how the body moves and create their own group portraits with photos and colorfully painted patterns.
Featured Book: Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
Program Schedule
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience, with entry times at 10 AM and 11 AM. No registration is required. Visitors receive their entry time upon arrival. Depending on availability, you may be asked to enjoy the galleries prior to your start time. 10 AM–noon: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching) , 10:20 AM: Read-aloud #1 in Art School , 10:30 AM: Art-making begins , 10:50 AM: Gallery tour #1 , 11:20 AM: Read-aloud #2…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Mini Art Lesson: Illumination Station.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: The Paradox of the Liberty
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: The paradox of the American Revolution is the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery. Talk with a museum docent and explore the tension between slavery and freedom—who belongs and who is excluded. Consider how this paradox resonates through the nation’s history and spurs the American people to wrestle constantly with building “a more perfect Union.”.
Event Location: Program meets at the Paradox of Liberty section, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Outdoor Walking Tour: The Museum, A Century in the Making
Ongoing Tours & Activities
During this 25-min outdoor walking tour, visitors hear the story behind the design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and explore its unique architectural features.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Programs meets at the oculus, located on 14th Street and Constitution Ave. Each 25-min program start at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:55 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
The Fragmented Image: Pointillism from Georges Seurat to Chuck Close
Resident Associate Program
Pointillism, the painting form based on tiny dots of color used by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, found only a few followers because of its slow and fastidious method of precision work. It was, however, embraced at times by painters including the Cubists, Matisse, and contemporary artists such as Chuck Close. Art historian Joseph P. Cassar surveys the development of Pointillism as a technique and artistic movement. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263470?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263470?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conservation Classroom: Exploring Neighborhood Birds
NZP Kids and Families
Exploring Neighborhood Birds
Birds are everywhere! Learn about some of our neighborhood birds and the techniques used to study them from a migratory bird scientist.
This virtual school program is part of Conservation Classroom, a collection of monthly lessons for K-5 students. This program reaches 2-6 students a little better, but we've had all ages enjoy it. Each lesson has four elements: wonder (video), engage (live virtual program), act (activities), and connect (video). Follow along with all four parts or pick and choose the videos and activities you want to explore.
Grade/Learning Level: K-8
Standards: Supports NGSS 2-PS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-A
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, cause and effect, and interdependence of science, engineering, and technology
Program Details & Accessibility:
Live virtual programs take place monthly from October through May. These programs are designed for multiple groups of students…
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration required. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience conveys a sense of appreciation and respect for the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the War on Terror. Visitors have an opportunity to engage in a conversation with a museum docent and learn about the contributions of African Americans to the military history of the United States.
Tours take place at 1:15 pm and 2:30 pm.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one hour tour program meets at Level 3 in the Double Victory: The African American Military Experience exhibit. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Double Victory: The African American Military Experience.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. See Me at the Smithsonian - National Portrait Gallery
See Me at the Smithsonian
See Me at the Smithsonian is a free program that fosters connection and belonging for adults with dementia and their companions through discussions and reflections on museum objects.
Join us on Zoom for an engaging conversation with the National Portrait Gallery as we explore Gertrud Stein, Marianne Moore, and Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Contact access@si.edu to register. .
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free! Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Double Take: Pictures of Belonging
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
In this gallery talk, learn more about the World War II-era works of artist Hisako Hibi with Melissa Ho, curator of twentieth-century art at SAAM, and Noriko Sanefuji, museum specialist at the National Museum of American History. These paintings, featured in the exhibition Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo, were created by Hibi when she and thousands of other Japanese Americans were incarcerated in government-run camps due to their heritage.
This program is part of the Double Take series where Smithsonian specialists from different disciplines team up to talk about artworks from SAAM’s collection.
Image credit: Hisako Hibi, Floating Clouds, 1944, oil on canvas, 19 1/16 × 23 × 1 1/2 in. (48.4 × 58.4 × 3.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2023.6.1, © 2024, Ibuki Hibi Lee.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby. Cost: SOLD OUT. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 5:30 PM.
The Olmec Culture: Monuments, Masterpieces, and Mysteries
Resident Associate Program
The Olmec culture on Mexico’s southern gulf coast, best known for creating colossal stone heads more than 3, 000 years ago, produced other distinctive artworks in a variety of materials. It also has left some of the earliest evidence of urban planning in North America and of a system of numbering and of glyphic writing. Cultural historian George Scheper explores the archaeological and sculptural wonders of the Olmec, along with their role in shaping the culture of Mesoamerica.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263380?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263380?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism
Resident Associate Program
In the decades preceding World War II, professional architecture schools enrolled increasing numbers of women, but career success did not come easily. Architectural historians Mary Anne Hunting and Kevin D. Murphy tell the stories of the resilient, resourceful women who surmounted barriers of sexism, racism, and classism to take on crucial roles in the establishment and growth of Modernism across the United States.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263401?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263401?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
ONLINE: Reflections on Captivity
One-Time Events
Sixty years ago this fall, Lt. (j.g.) Porter Halyburton’s McDonnell F-4B Phantom was struck by anti-aircraft artillery while flying over North Vietnam. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Stan Olmstead, was killed, and Halyburton, the Radar Intercept Officer, ejected over enemy territory. Halyburton spent most of his seven years, four months as a POW in Hỏa Lò prison, infamously known as the Hanoi Hilton. Despite the physical and mental torture, meager diet, and inadequate medical care that characterized life for the POWs, Halyburton and the hundreds of American pilots and aviators being held at the prison formed a community, supporting each other and creating bonds that lasted long past their release in 1973.
Tune in as Halyburton delivers a candid talk about his seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
Event Location: Online (YouTube). Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/O0zFxVBLzkM?feature=shared. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Reflections on Captivity
One-Time Events
Sixty years ago this fall, Lt. (j.g.) Porter Halyburton’s McDonnell F-4B Phantom was struck by anti-aircraft artillery while flying over North Vietnam. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Stan Olmstead, was killed, and Halyburton, the Radar Intercept Officer, ejected over enemy territory. Halyburton spent most of his seven years, four months as a POW in Hỏa Lò prison, infamously known as the Hanoi Hilton. Despite the physical and mental torture, meager diet, and inadequate medical care that characterized life for the POWs, Halyburton and the hundreds of American pilots and aviators being held at the prison formed a community, supporting each other and creating bonds that lasted long past their release in 1973.
Join us as Halyburton delivers a candid talk about his seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Airbus IMAX Theater. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Diets)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal diets to learn about how we feed all the animals at the Zoo! Make an animal dinner in our dramatic play Zoo commissary, feed the animals at our sensory table, and learn how to turn unused food into art!
Little Critters Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Musical Crossroads Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the museum with a docent. Meet at the intersection of history and culture and take a musical journey that tells the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to the present day in the Musical Crossroads exhibition.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Musical Crossroads exhibit, located on L4. Tours take place at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Musical Crossroads.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: At the National Air and Space Museum in DC. Ask at the Welcome Center for that day's exact location. Cost: This is a free drop-in story time. You will need free timed-entry passes to enter the Museum. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Coral Reef Tank Talk
One-Time Events
Swim by the Sant Ocean Hall to meet some of the coral reef species that call the Smithsonian NMNH home! Hosted by an Ocean Educator, this interactive cart experience will walk you through the world of saltwater fish, coral colonies, and invertebrates galore!
Image Credit: Phillip Lee, Smithsonian.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Drawn to Figures
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Discover your inner artist in this live virtual drawing workshop. Facilitated by artist Jill Galloway, each program will highlight a Portrait Gallery exhibition or a portrait from the collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-drawn-to-figures-tickets-880971558647?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-drawn-to-figures-tickets-880971558647?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Workshops.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Keeping Up With Human Evolution
One-Time Events
The study of human origins is changing rapidly, not only in what we know but in how we come to know it. Much of our knowledge about early humans has come from slow, painstaking study, but this field also holds plenty of surprises based on new evidence and new methods. What can a mere science-adjacent writer do to help the interested public keep track of it all?
Sandra J. Ackerman, a Contributing Editor to American Scientist Magazine, will discuss some of the challenges and rewards that come with writing about human evolution for nonspecialist readers.
Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants.
Photo credit: Chip Clark/Smithsonian Institution.
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/48108999/keeping-up-with-human-evolution-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Converse with a docent. Learn how African Americans flourished in their own communities during the Era of Segregation 1876-1968 despite the turmoil around them. Under a time of intense pressure to take away their rights as citizens, African Americans not only survived the challenges set before them but crafted an important role for themselves in the nation.
Image Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Defending Freedom, The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibit, located on C2. Tours take place at 12:45 PM and 2:45 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. In Slavery’s Wake Highlights Tour
One-Time Events
Learn about the freedom-making practices of Black communities navigating both the histories and the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism. Through powerful artifacts, stories, and interactive displays, this immersive exhibition invites visitors into a global conversation on the continued impacts of slavery and colonialism.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the In Slavery’s Wake exhibition, located on Concourse Level C. Afternoon tour programs take place at 1:15 PM and 2:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 1:15 PM – 3:45 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Eye-Popping Art: Tours for People with Colorblindness
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led tour of highlights from the museum’s collection using museum-provided, colorblind correcting glasses that bring the vibrancy of these works to life.
Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1T1Ef. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 5:30 PM.
Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the Civil War
Resident Associate Program
Historian Michael Vorenberg examines the complex aftermath of the Civil War, challenging the assumption that the conflict concluded with Lee’s surrender. He surveys the bloody and turbulent period following Appomattox—characterized by guerrilla warfare, insurgency, political upheaval, and the evolving meaning of freedom. He concludes that the peace Lincoln envisioned required many endings, the most significant of which came well over a year after his death.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263472?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263472?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Goddesses and Burial Mounds: Earthly Religions in Early India
Resident Associate Program
Two thousand years ago in northern India, artisans fabricated beautiful diminutive terracotta female figurines in great abundance, sculptors carved colossal stone deities they called yakshas (male) and yakshis (female), and Buddhists began to decorate the burial mounds holding the relics of their founding teachers with exuberant narrative and symbolic sculptures. Richard Davis, a professor emeritus of religion, delves into the world of the flourishing popular religious cultures of India in the centuries from 200 B.C.E. to the year 100.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263471?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263471?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Coral Reef Tank Talk
One-Time Events
Swim by the Sant Ocean Hall to meet some of the coral reef species that call the Smithsonian NMNH home! Hosted by an Ocean Educator, this interactive cart experience will walk you through the world of saltwater fish, coral colonies, and invertebrates galore!
Image Credit: Phillip Lee, Smithsonian.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 22, 2025, 11:00 PM – Friday, May 23, 2025, 12:00 AM.
In Slavery’s Wake Highlights Tour
One-Time Events
Learn about the freedom-making practices of Black communities navigating both the histories and the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism. Through powerful artifacts, stories, and interactive displays, this immersive exhibition invites visitors into a global conversation on the continued impacts of slavery and colonialism.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the In Slavery’s Wake exhibition, located on Concourse Level C. Morning tour programs take place at 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
Conversation Circles
One-Time Events
Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world. Together, we’ll use portraiture to learn about U.S. art, history and culture. This program takes place every other week. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
The National Zoo’s Bird House: Close-up on Avian Conservation
Resident Associate Program
Soar into the fascinating world of North American shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds at the Bird House in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. In three indoor walk-through aviaries, visitors are surrounded by migratory birds as they explore realistic re-creations of key habitats that support them during their annual cycle. Brian Evans, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and members of the Bird House’s animal-care team lead an exploration of the exhibitions and discuss the science that informs bird conservation.
Event Location: Tour meets at Smithsonian Bird House Smithsonian National Zoo. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263363?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
DC | Caring for Textiles
One-Time Events
Join the museum’s textile conservation team to learn how the 48 fiber artworks featured in Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay were prepared for display. Textile Conservator Susan Heald, and Mellon Fellow in Textile Conservation Olga Calvo Díaz, will share how they worked together and with Diné artist DY Begay. Our conservators will demonstrate conservation techniques with prop textiles and point out examples in the gallery. Audience participation is welcome, but capacity is limited. Free registration is required.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, "Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay". Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=015y6kwfuvmc5ye8yjpe1hayedstv6f0mkfukmhkprnkfksjufhw. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
From Shepherd to Hero: The Artistic Evolution of David
Resident Associate Program
The figure of David has long captivated artists and audiences, embodying faith, heroism, and the potential of the human spirit. From the Middle Ages to the Baroque era, his image undergoes a fascinating transformation—from symbolic, stylized depictions to a dynamic, humanized hero. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo examines key works by masters such as Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini, showcasing how each reimagines David and reflects centuries of artistic innovation and cultural change. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263473?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263473?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, May 23, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Art Bites Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and what each one tells us about the diverse cultural landscape of the United States. Rachel Tang, Betsy James Wyeth Predoctoral Fellow in Native American Art, discusses a work by Shan Goshorn in the exhibition The Shape of Power.
*Please be advised that artist Shan Goshorn (Eastern Band of Cherokee) intentionally titled this work with a slur.
Image credit: Shan Goshorn, Squaw, 2018, arches watercolor paper splints printed with archival inks, artificial sinew, copper frame, Photo: David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. In Slavery’s Wake Highlights Tour
One-Time Events
Learn about the freedom-making practices of Black communities navigating both the histories and the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism. Through powerful artifacts, stories, and interactive displays, this immersive exhibition invites visitors into a global conversation on the continued impacts of slavery and colonialism.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the In Slavery’s Wake exhibition, located on Concourse Level C. Afternoon tour programs take place at 1:15 PM and 2:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 1:15 PM – 3:45 PM.
DC | Caring for Textiles
One-Time Events
Join the museum’s textile conservation team to learn how the 48 fiber artworks featured in Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay were prepared for display. Textile Conservator Susan Heald, and Mellon Fellow in Textile Conservation Olga Calvo Díaz, will share how they worked together and with Diné artist DY Begay. Our conservators will demonstrate conservation techniques with prop textiles and point out examples in the gallery. Audience participation is welcome, but capacity is limited. Free registration is required. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, "Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay". Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=gv11azn1ut15h587w6ddfrjw9fxag2x7x282bcctgb7abruwbfyj. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 23, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
National Mall Bird Walk
One-Time Events
As we have since 2022, the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum will host spring bird walks on the National Mall and Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Garden. We are teaming up with DC Bird Alliance, so gather your family and friends and join us for some fun as we celebrate nature in the Nation’s Capital — no experience or equipment required.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Steps to main entrance of the National Museum of Natural History at Madison Drive NW and 10th Street (south side on the Mall). Cost: Free. Registration is required. Register. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/68323933/national-mall-bird-walk-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Workshops. Related Events: Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Garden Bird Walk, May 31st. Related Exhibition: Birds of DC, Ground Floor.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Birders)
NZP Kids and Families
Celebrate the joys of birding in your community with creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Calling all budding bird nerds! We are welcoming back our migrating bird friends as they journey north for the summer. Join our flock for engaging activities like bird-seed sensory play, birder portraits, and nest weaving.
Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2025. It is the only direct-to-consumer farm stand of its kind 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 19 - November 22, 2025.*
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.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1307850759829?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Art Is Better Together
One time events
Celebrate springtime with vibrant opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in May at Open Studio. Together we will explore how artists collaborate, build, and grow to redefine art across mediums and break artistic boundaries. We’ll also discover the work of groundbreaking artists including Hiroshi Sugimoto, OSGEMEOS, and Aliza Nisenbaum.
This week, we’ll challenge you to incorporate community into your art. Inspired by artist Aliza Nisenbaum, we will experiment with bright colors and lively composition to create vivid scenes that reflect togetherness with friends and family.
Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable 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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Earth Sermon: Beauty, Love, and Peace .
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Converse with a docent. Learn how African Americans flourished in their own communities during the Era of Segregation 1876-1968 despite the turmoil around them. Under a time of intense pressure to take away their rights as citizens, African Americans not only survived the challenges set before them but crafted an important role for themselves in the nation.
Image Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Defending Freedom, The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibit, located on C2. Tours take place at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NMAAHC Kids Story Time: Rocket Says Look Up!
One-Time Events
NMAAHC Kids Story Time: Rocket Says Look Up! Designed for ages 4-8 and adult caregivers
Reach for the stars with NMAAHC Kids! During this program we’ll learn about planets, stars and astronauts as we read Rocket Says Looks Up! by Nathan Byron, visit NMAAHC's futuristic Mothership and create a galaxy-inspired collage.
Program Schedule:
10:30 am - 12:45 pm: Ongoing Create & Explore Time
10:45 am & 11:45 am: Read Alouds
11:30 am & 12:30 pm: Children’s Gallery Tours, featuring Afro-futuristic objects in the Museum!
Questions? Email us at NMAAHCEarlyChildhood@si.edu.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: FREE, registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/95071875/nmaahc-kids-story-timerocket-says-look-up-washington-national-museum-of-african-american-history-culture-early-childhood-education. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:45 PM.
DC | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. 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. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Level 3. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Drop-in Arts & Crafts: Flowers Galore
One-Time Events
Mark your calendar to drop by the museum for arts and crafts. Grab someone and come! Bring the whole family out to create flower-themed cards, posters, and more.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drop-in-arts-crafts-flowers-galore-tickets-1272623965539?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. CANCELLED - Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. WorldPride Choral Performance: GenOUT and Major Minors
One-Time Events
Join us for a pop-up performance of the WorldPride International Choral Festival featuring the GenOUT Youth Chorus from Washington, DC and Major Minors from Nashville.
_________________________
The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Flag Hall, 2 Center. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, May 24, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Converse with a docent. Learn how African Americans flourished in their own communities during the Era of Segregation 1876-1968 despite the turmoil around them. Under a time of intense pressure to take away their rights as citizens, African Americans not only survived the challenges set before them but crafted an important role for themselves in the nation.
Image Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Defending Freedom, The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibit, located on C2. Tours take place at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. CANCELLED - Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, May 25, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Service and Sacrifice
One-Time Events
On Memorial Day, honor Indigenous service members who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Hear from Native veterans, make prayer ties to remember loved ones, visit the exhibition Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, and pay your respects during a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Native American Veterans Memorial. SCHEDULE, Level 4, Patrons Lounge, 10 AM–5 PM | Veterans Hospitality Suite, Veterans are invited to gather in this space for conversation or take a break from the day's events; seating and light refreshments provided. Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center
10 AM–4 PM, Families are invited to visit the Activity Center throughout the day, museum educators will be on hand to help young learners use the play-based interactive experiences. Level 1, Potomac Atrium, 10 AM-5:30 PM | Information Tables and Exhibition, Office of Tribal Government Relations, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Veronica Duncan (San…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium and Rasmuson Theater, Level 4: Patrons Lounge, Outdoors: National Native American Veterans Memorial. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Related Exhibition: Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit www.americanindian.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience conveys a sense of appreciation and respect for the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the War on Terror. Visitors have an opportunity to engage in a conversation with a museum docent and learn about the contributions of African Americans to the military history of the United States.
Tours take place at 1:15 pm and 2:30 pm.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one hour tour program meets at Level 3 in the Double Victory: The African American Military Experience exhibit. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Double Victory: The African American Military Experience.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building info desk for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, May 26, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
NMAAHC Kids at The National Zoo!
One-Time Events
NMAAHC Kids Celebrates Birds at The National Zoo! Designed for ages 0-5 and adult caregivers.
Play and learn with us on May 27th and 29th as we join our friends at the National Zoo to celebrate birds and birdwatching!
At the Zoo’s Bird House Classroom and Nature Play Space, enjoy an interactive read-aloud of Sparrow Loves Birds by Murry Burgess led by a NMAAHC Kids educator, create a bird art collage and explore hands-on bird activity stations. Plus, you can visit live birds throughout the Bird House!
Location: This program takes place at the NATIONAL ZOO (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW). Entry passes for the Zoo are required and free - get them here! Once inside, follow the Asia trail to meet us at the Bird House.
More Info: This program is a part of the National Zoo’s Little Critters Nature Play series.
Questions: Email the NMAAHC Kids team at NMAAHCEarlyChildhood@si.edu.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: The Bird House Classroom at the National Zoo. Cost: FREE Zoo Entry Passes are required. Get Tickets/Register: https://secure.nationalzoo.si.edu/events?_gl=1*1mvt3kz*_gcl_au*MTk3OTU0MDMwNy4xNzQ0MjA1NTY2*_ga*MTA5MTA2NzQ5MS4xNzQ0MjA1NTY1*_ga_FZ22Y9JDR2*czE3NDY1MzIxODkkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzQ2NTMyMjg5JGowJGwwJGgw*_ga_2JEVMJZZBX*czE3NDY1MzIxODkkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzQ2NTMyMjg5JGowJGwwJGgw. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Birders)
NZP Kids and Families
Celebrate the joys of birding in your community with creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Calling all budding bird nerds! We are welcoming back our migrating bird friends as they journey north for the summer. Join our flock for engaging activities like bird-seed sensory play, birder portraits, and nest weaving.
Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Afrofuturism Big Objects Big Stories: The Mothership
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led talk and get a fresh look into a featured object that is on view in one of our permanent exhibitions. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object and experience the infinite possibilities of Afrofuturism.
About this Program: An iconic stage prop, the Mothership symbolizes P-Funk’s Afrofuturist inspired vision as a tangible manifestation of the liberating power and autonomous promise of Clinton’s art.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Mothership, L4. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Musical Crossroads
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Birds!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
On Tuesday, May 27, we invite you to join us in celebrating birds and birdwatching! Together through play and art-making, families will engage in different ways to observe and record their own observations of birds they see outside (or even inside) the museum. Come and join us for a fun time learning through play and exploration!
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…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Virtual Young Portrait Explorers
One-Time Events
Join educators with the National Portrait Gallery as we learn about art, history and more. This 30-minute virtual workshop incorporates looking at portraiture, movement activities and artmaking. Recommended for children ages three and up and their adult companions.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-young-portrait-explorers-tickets-991195732117?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-young-portrait-explorers-tickets-991195732117?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Book Signing: Greg Smithers, "Reclaiming Two Spirits"
One-Time Events
Meet author Gregory Smithers for a purchase and signing opportunity of his book Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America.
Before 1492, hundreds of Indigenous communities across North America included people who identified as neither male nor female, but both. They went by aakíí’skassi, miati, okitcitakwe or one of hundreds of other tribally specific identities. After European colonizers invaded Indian Country, centuries of violence and systematic persecution followed, imperiling the existence of people who today call themselves Two-Spirits, an umbrella term denoting feminine and masculine qualities in one person.
Drawing on written sources, archaeological evidence, art, and oral storytelling, Reclaiming Two-Spirits spans the centuries from Spanish invasion to the present, tracing massacres and inquisitions and revealing how the authors of colonialism’s written archives used language to both denigrate and erase Two-Spirit people from history. But as Gregory…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Museum Store, 1 Center. Cost: Book purchase price. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Sneak Peek | Between Two Traditions: Reinterpreting Chinese Paintings in Joseon Korea
Lectures & Discussions
In this online talk, Dayun Oh, curator at the National Museum of Korea, explores the dynamic interaction between Chinese and Korean painting traditions. She focuses on a pair of landscape paintings and a pair of phoenix paintings that have been variously attributed to China and Korea over the last hundred years. Oh carefully analyzes the stylistic ambiguities to offer her account of the origins of the two paintings. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, these painters reinterpreted and reinvented the painting styles of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to create a unique Korean visual language based on the aesthetics of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). A Q&A will follow, facilitated by Sunwoo Hwang, Korea Foundation Assistant Curator of Korean Art and Culture at the National Museum of Asian Art.
This program is part of the monthly lunchtime series Sneak Peek, where staff members and outside scholars share personal perspectives and new research related to the collections of the National Museum of Asian…
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ks0tVPW-TqaEa1umNR9QQA. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
NMAH Colloquium: Channing Gerard Joseph
One-Time Events
Channing Gerard Joseph, author of House of Swann: Where Slaves Became Queens, will discuss his book during NMAH’s weekly scholarly colloquium.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: SC Johnson Conference Center, 1 West. Cost: Free, registered webcast. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
The Neuroscience of Choice and Change
Resident Associate Program
Whether deciding on lunch or a career, changing our routines or other people’s minds, it can feel difficult to make the decisions that align with the things we care about. Neuroscientist Emily Falk, author of What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change, explains how we can work strategically with our brains to make more fulfilling choices by connecting our decisions with our core values, which can make us less defensive, broaden our curiosity through different perspectives, and spark innovation.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263400?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263400?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: Sky Color
One time events
Creativity is in full bloom on Wednesdays at Storytime Studio. Celebrate spring with your littlest artist. Every week offers a new adventure.
This week: Explore new horizons! Join us on an adventure to paint a colorful sky. We’ll explore artworks in the exhibition OSGEMEOS: Endless Story that feature a never-ending horizon line. Then we’ll enjoy a read-aloud of Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds and create our own landscape art.
Featured Book: Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds
Program Schedule
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience, with entry times at 10 AM and 11 AM. No registration is required. Visitors receive their entry time upon arrival. Depending on availability, you may be asked to enjoy the galleries prior to your start time.
10 AM–noon: Open play (felt, blocks, sketching)
10:20 AM: Read-aloud #1 in Art School
10:30 AM: Art-making begins
10:50 AM: Gallery tour #1
11:20 AM: Read-aloud #2 in Art School
11:30 AM: Art-making begins
11:50 AM: Gallery tour #2
Meet in the Hirshhorn Art School on the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Mini Art Lesson: Red, Yellow, Blue.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261691?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Outdoor Walking Tour: The Museum, A Century in the Making
Ongoing Tours & Activities
During this 25-min outdoor walking tour, visitors hear the story behind the design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and explore its unique architectural features.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Programs meets at the oculus, located on 14th Street and Constitution Ave. Each 25-min program start at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:55 PM.
Dead Letter Office: Gallery Experience
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Could you be a postal clerk? In this activity, a volunteer challenges you to sort mail, deciding which letters will be delivered and which would be sent to the Dead Letter Office. Complete the challenge and leave with a prize!
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Moving the Mail Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261702?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Curator Tour | Prehistoric Spirals: Earthenware from Thailand
Gallery Talks & Tours
Follow curator Emma Stein in this tour of Prehistoric Spirals: Earthenware from Thailand. Immerse yourself in the red spirals of these ancient Thai ceramics, and learn what recent research has unveiled about their materials, techniques, and designs.
Please meet at the front desk of the East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery). We recommend you register in advance.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Vessel on pedestal foot (detail), northeast Thailand, Ban Chiang culture, late period, 300 BCE‒200 CE, earthenware with red pigment, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Victor and Takako Hauge, S2004.24.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Gallery 29. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1337176513949?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Prehistoric Spirals: Earthenware from Thailand. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
King Tyrant: What We’ve Learned About Tyrannosaurus rex
Resident Associate Program
Tyrannosaurus rex is the world’s favorite dinosaur. Drawing on his book King Tyrant: A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex, Mark P. Witton discusses everything from the research history of T. rex to their anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, behavior, and extinction. He also addresses T. rex in popular culture, showing how our love for this dinosaur has both helped and hindered research.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263474?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263474?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Intergenerational Panel Discussion: WorldPride
One-Time Events
During this hourlong program, Gen Z professionals will have a conversation with elders about the challenges, experiences and joys of being and living their authentic selves.
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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. ASL services, 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 the event reaches maximum capacity, it will be closed to the public.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Hall of Music, 3 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
WorldPride Choral Performance: Major Minors
One-Time Events
Join us for a pop-up performance of the WorldPride International Choral Festival featuring the Major Minors from Nashville.
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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Flag Hall, 2 Center. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 3:30 PM – 4:20 PM.
The Fantastic Imagination of Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Resident Associate Program
Utagawa Kuniyoshi is one of the most creative print designers of the Edo period in Japan. He is known for his imaginative responses—including bizarre monstrous figures—to the censorship restrictions imposed by the military government. Kit Brooks, curator of Asian art at the Princeton University Art Museum, explores Kuniyoshi’s works and why they are so striking. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263475?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263475?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
A. A. Milne and a Century of Winnie-the-Pooh
Resident Associate Program
One hundred years ago, A. A. Milne published a whimsical short story that introduced the world to a “bear of very little brain” called Winnie-the-Pooh. Today young readers remain captivated by Pooh, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Kanga, Tigger, and Piglet. Celebrate the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh as author Daniel Stashower delves into Milne’s life and legacy and actor Scott Sedar brings some of the writer’s beloved works to life.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263476?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263476?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Saudi Arabia: An Overview of History
Resident Associate Program
Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage, and the site of Islam’s two holiest cities. It is also one of the world’s few absolute monarchies. How did it become what it is today? Saudi specialist David Commins surveys the history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263477?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263477?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Virtual Lavender Literary Society Book Club
One-Time Events
Celebrate World Pride with SAAM and the American LGBTQ+ Museum for a special edition of their Lavender Literary Society book club. Join author and designer Jon Key for a discussion of Black, Queer, & Untold: A New Archive of Designers, Artists, and Trailblazers (2024). In his book that is part memoir and part history lesson, Key highlights influential artists, activists, political figures, writers, musicians and more from the nineteenth century to today. Kimberly Drew, author of This is What I Know About Art, leads the conversation. This program is presented in celebration of World Pride 2025, hosted in Washington, DC.
Image credit: Photo courtesy Jonathan Key.
Event Location: online. Cost: Free | Registration required at the American LGBTQ+ Museum site. Get Tickets/Register: https://americanlgbtqmuseum.org/event/may-lavender-literary-society-jon-key-x-kimberly-drew/?date=202505281900. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 7:00 PM.
Did Venus Ever Have Oceans? (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
Often called Earth's twin, there is much debate over Venus' status as a watery world: If Venus had oceans, where did all that water go? Join Rita Parai from Washington University in St. Louis as she explores the question "Did Venus Ever Have Oceans?" She will also discuss a current mission concept that hopes to return a sample of Venus's atmosphere for analysis here on Earth to further enhance our understanding of the planet Venus. Rita Parai is an assistant professor of geochemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Her laboratory for high-precision noble gas isotopic analyses pursues high-precision measurements of isotopes in rocks to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne: An L3Harris Technologies Company and United Launch Alliance.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Gallery 104. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
ONLINE: Did Venus Ever Have Oceans? (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
Often called Earth's twin, there is much debate over Venus' status as a watery world: If Venus had oceans, where did all that water go? Join Rita Parai from Washington University in St. Louis as she explores the question "Did Venus Ever Have Oceans?" She will also discuss a current mission concept that hopes to return a sample of Venus's atmosphere for analysis here on Earth to further enhance our understanding of the planet Venus. Rita Parai is an assistant professor of geochemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Her laboratory for high-precision noble gas isotopic analyses pursues high-precision measurements of isotopes in rocks to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne: An L3Harris Technologies Company and United Launch Alliance.
Event Location: YouTube. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
NMAAHC Kids at The National Zoo!
One-Time Events
NMAAHC Kids Celebrates Birds at The National Zoo! Designed for ages 0-5 and adult caregivers.
Play and learn with us on May 27th and 29th as we join our friends at the National Zoo to celebrate birds and birdwatching!
At the Zoo’s Bird House Classroom and Nature Play Space, enjoy an interactive read-aloud of Sparrow Loves Birds by Murry Burgess led by a NMAAHC Kids educator, create a bird art collage and explore hands-on bird activity stations. Plus, you can visit live birds throughout the Bird House!
Location: This program takes place at the NATIONAL ZOO (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW). Entry passes for the Zoo are required and free - get them here! Once inside, follow the Asia trail to meet us at the Bird House.
More Info: This program is a part of the National Zoo’s Little Critters Nature Play series.
Questions: Email the NMAAHC Kids team at NMAAHCEarlyChildhood@si.edu.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: The Bird House Classroom at the National Zoo. Cost: FREE Zoo Entry Passes are required. Get Tickets/Register: https://secure.nationalzoo.si.edu/events?_gl=1*1mvt3kz*_gcl_au*MTk3OTU0MDMwNy4xNzQ0MjA1NTY2*_ga*MTA5MTA2NzQ5MS4xNzQ0MjA1NTY1*_ga_FZ22Y9JDR2*czE3NDY1MzIxODkkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzQ2NTMyMjg5JGowJGwwJGgw*_ga_2JEVMJZZBX*czE3NDY1MzIxODkkbzI0JGcxJHQxNzQ2NTMyMjg5JGowJGwwJGgw. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Birders)
NZP Kids and Families
Celebrate the joys of birding in your community with creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Calling all budding bird nerds! We are welcoming back our migrating bird friends as they journey north for the summer. Join our flock for engaging activities like bird-seed sensory play, birder portraits, and nest weaving.
Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261703?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Objects Out of Storage: LBGTQ+ History from Our Collections
One-Time Events
See objects out of storage related to LGBTQ+ history. Objects from our entertainment collection, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. , Objects from the Archives Center, 1:00–4:00 p.m. .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: At the National Air and Space Museum in DC. Ask at the Welcome Center for that day's exact location. Cost: This is a free drop-in story time. You will need free timed-entry passes to enter the Museum. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261705?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Identifying the Clouds
Resident Associate Program
The mystery of clouds has captivated scientists and artists alike. Atmospheric scientist Edward Graham draws on his new book, Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms, as he shares the meteorological techniques of nephology (the study of clouds and cloud formation) that offer skyward-gazers insights into these elusive and transmutable shapes. He also showcases artists who painted clouds from a scientific viewpoint, such as John Constable, Frederic Edwin Church, J.M.W. Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263478?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263478?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Pride Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join a staff-led gallery talk with a focus on two works by LGBTQ+ artists represented in SAAM’s collection. Compare George Tooker’s enigmatic painting The Waiting Room (1959) with the mysterious narrative that unfolds in Night in Bologna (1958) by Paul Cadmus. This tour is offered in celebration of World Pride 2025, hosted in Washington, DC.
Image credit: Paul Cadmus, Night in Bologna, 1958, egg tempera on fiberboard, 50 3/4 x 35 in. (129.0 x 89.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.87.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1iYDV. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 2:30 PM.
Pride Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join a staff-led gallery talk with a focus on two works by LGBTQ+ artists represented in SAAM’s collection. Explore the symbolism in Joey Terrill’s still life A Bigger Piece (2008) and compare it to Lenore Chinn’s forthright portrait of gay identity, Land’s End (1987). This tour is offered in celebration of World Pride 2025, hosted in Washington, DC..
Image credit: Joey Terrill, A Bigger Piece, 2008, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 36 × 60 × 1 1/2 in. (91.4 × 152.4 × 3.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2025.5, Image courtesy of the artist, Ortuzar, New York and Marc Selwyn Fine Arts, Los Angeles. Photo: Steven Probert. Artwork © Joey Terrill.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1iYQP. Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 5:30 PM.
The Complete(ish) History of Sculpture in One Lecture
Resident Associate Program
Can art history be an adrenaline sport? The answer is yes when art-history professor Noah Charney guides a rapid-fire survey of sculpture. He focuses on key technical and aesthetic developments and new ways of thinking about what three-dimensional art can be. He begins with prehistoric sculpture, speeds through the centuries, and crosses the finish line with modern and contemporary works, including digital sculpture. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263479?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263479?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
How Animals Heal Themselves
Resident Associate Program
Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature’s pharmacy to heal themselves. Drawing on interviews with scientists from around the globe as well as his own research, biologist Jaap de Roode reveals what researchers are learning about such practices. Hear about apes who swallow leaves to dislodge worms, sparrows who use cigarette butts to repel parasites, and bees who incorporate sticky resin into their hives to combat pathogens.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263480?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263480?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Conversation Circles
One-Time Events
Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world to learn about U.S. art, history and culture through portraiture. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
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.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
The National Zoo’s Bird House: Close-up on Avian Conservation
Resident Associate Program
Soar into the fascinating world of North American shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds at the Bird House in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. In three indoor walk-through aviaries, visitors are surrounded by migratory birds as they explore realistic re-creations of key habitats that support them during their annual cycle. Brian Evans, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and members of the Bird House’s animal-care team lead an exploration of the exhibitions and discuss the science that informs bird conservation.
Event Location: Tour meets at Smithsonian Bird House Smithsonian National Zoo. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263364?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261706?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Jojo's Backyard Safari
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/261707?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2024FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=273765. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, May 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. The Ocean Around Us Tour
One-Time Events
Explore the Sant Ocean Hall to learn about some of the exciting animals and habitats featured and how they are connected to your everyday life no matter where you live. This is a 30-minute interactive walking tour where you can meet a North Atlantic Right Whale, find out what is the most productive marine ecosystem, touch coral, and so much more.
Registration is required for this small group tour of up to 10 people. Each visitor may bring up to 3 guests, but the total number of visitors on the tour will be capped at 10.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall, Under the Large Jellyfish. Cost: Free. Registration is required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
WorldPride Choral Performance: 7th Son, Spite & Malice, and Vox Dominae
One-Time Events
Join us for a pop-up performance of the WorldPride International Choral Festival featuring 7th Son, Spite & Malice, and Vox Dominae from Charlotte.
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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Flag Hall, 2 Center. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the East Building, B1 Lobby for the tour.
Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art “IlluminAsia” Arts and Culture Festival.
, Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: B1 Lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Gallery of Art. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection , Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea , The Print Generation , The Peacock Room , Striking Objects: Contemporary Japanese Metalwork. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Asia After Dark| Storytelling Through Performance
Performances
Tune in for this after-hours salon of performance storytelling, such as dance, theater, and public art. Through discussions and live performances, local and national talents will share how they tell their stories and express their full, authentic selves on stage.
Register in advance to get the best experience. Some activities have a limited capacity, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. All activities will take place in the West Building (Freer Gallery of Art).
Schedule: 5:00 p.m. – House Opens , 5:30–6:15 p.m. – Conversation on theater with Greg Strasser and Julia Izumi , 6:25–6:40 p.m. – Dance performance , 6:50–7:25 p.m. – Conversation on dance with Edwaard Liang , 7:35–8:00 p.m. – Dance performance , 8:10–8:55 p.m. – Conversation on performance art with Anthony Le and Jess Trúc My , 9:05–9:30 p.m. – Dance performance, Panelists: Gregory Keng Strasser is a director and writer. His work spans theater, opera, video games, and film and has been performed in New York City; Washington, DC;…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/illuminasia-asia-after-dark-storytelling-through-performance-tickets-1325501944999?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM.