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Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Poop)
NZP Kids and Families
Everybody poops, so let's learn about it!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo! This week we will explore one of the most important tools zoo scientists use to keep our animals healthy: poop! We'll paint and make art with mud, pretend play as scientists, and make mud cupcakes together.
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, June 10, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. 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.
Tuesday, June 10, 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.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Mineral Rainbow
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
On Tuesday, June 10th, we will be exploring color with minerals! Come play, make art, and make up-close observations of colorful mineral specimens. The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.
Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations may not be possible with less than two-weeks…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 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 R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Tuesday, June 10, 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, June 10, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*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 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
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, June 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Art Meets Music: A Duet of Visual Artists and Composers
Resident Associate Program
Music and the visual arts have always been intertwined. For millennia, artists have obsessed about how to represent music’s invisible beauty, just as composers have sought to render art’s vibrant colors in pure sound. From Chagall’s set and costume designs for opera to artists who were also instruments, lecturer and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the intimate relationship between the visible and invisible arts in a 4-session series.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263598?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/263598?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, June 10, 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).
Tuesday, June 10, 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, June 10, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Volcanic Eruption: How Far the Ash Will Fly
One-Time Events
When volcanoes erupt, they can send ash high up in the atmosphere. The ash can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers, affecting climate and threatening aviation. What allows ash to travel so far? Come talk to Miraz Hossain, volcanology grad student, learn about volcanic eruptions and their deposits, and how scientists study volcanic ash.
Presented by: Miraz Hossain, volcanology graduate student, Washington State University, Image Credit: Betsy Yount, 1986 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This event will repeat on the following dates and times:
Wednesday, June 11, 2025: 11:00 a.m.-12:30p.m. and 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Thursday June 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 1:30 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.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Capodimonte Museum
Resident Associate Program
Located in Naples, Italy, the Capodimonte Museum is one of the largest museums in Italy. Housed in the museum is the Galleria Nazionale, which features one of the best repositories of Neapolitan painting and decorative art as well as works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titan, El Greco, Artemisia Gentileschi, and many others. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this lesser-known art museum’s impressive and expansive collection. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263503?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/263503?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, June 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Sherlock Holmes: A Sleuth's Legacy in a Modern World
Resident Associate Program
Why does Sherlock Holmes remain such an intriguing figure generations after his debut? English professor Kristopher Mecholsky highlights his origins and worldwide popularity. He also focuses a magnifying glass on his unique impact on contemporary fans—who are fascinated by searching for clues to whether Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless detective would be classified as neurodivergent today.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263579?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/263579?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, June 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Spitfires: American Women Pilots in World War II
Resident Associate Program
Women pilots were denied the chance to fly when the United States entered the Second World War. But in 1942, Great Britain welcomed 25 young aviators who became the first American women to command military aircraft. Author Becky Aikman highlights the stories of several of these “spitfires, ” their exciting and often-terrifying work, and how they broke new ground off duty as well.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263599?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/263599?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, June 10, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
National History Day Exhibit Showcase
One-Time Events
Open spaces on all three floors will be taken over by 50 table-top displays created by middle and high school students competing in the 2025 National History Day national contest. Their exhibits represent topics relevant to their state and local communities and reflect the 2025 theme of “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” Join us to view their exhibits and interact with students. This showcase is free and open to the public.
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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. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 East, 2 East, 2 West, 3 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
DC | In Language There is Life
One-Time Events
On Wednesday, June 11, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) will host a special “In Language There is Life: I ka ‘ōlelo nō ke ola” Showcase. This showcase will feature middle and high school students from Hawai‘i who completed a National History Day project in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and qualified at the Hawaiʻi affiliate contest. These students were invited to Washington, D.C. to share their work with a national audience. Their projects show perspectives and understanding vital to their culture and support larger community efforts that give life to Indigenous languages.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1, Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Storytime Studio: Wear Your Crown
One time events
Add color to your summer this June at the Hirshhorn! Each Wednesday at Storytime, you’ll find new opportunities for your littlest artist to brighten our world. Explore art, tell vibrant stories, and make your own colorful creations.
This Week: Join us to explore the vibrant work of street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and discover the meaning behind the crowns that often appear in his art! Use bright colors to create your own wearable crown.
Featured Book: Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
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) , 10:15 AM: Read-aloud #1 in Art School , 10:30 AM: Art-making begins , 10:45 AM: Gallery tour #1 , 11:15 AM: Read-aloud #2 in Art School , 11:30 AM: Art-making…
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, Art Project: Clothing Composition.
Wednesday, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 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, June 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 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, June 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Volcanic Eruption: How Far the Ash Will Fly
One-Time Events
When volcanoes erupt, they can send ash high up in the atmosphere. The ash can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers, affecting climate and threatening aviation. What allows ash to travel so far? Come talk to Miraz Hossain, volcanology grad student, learn about volcanic eruptions and their deposits, and how scientists study volcanic ash.
Presented by: Miraz Hossain, volcanology graduate student, Washington State University, Image Credit: Betsy Yount, 1986 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This event also occurs on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, June 10, 2025: 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, June 11, 2025: 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Thursday June 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Explore More! in STEM: How the Museum Uses Light
One-Time Events
Explore More! in STEM is a classroom program for ages 8+ to explore STEM concepts in relation to African American history, culture, or the museum. In this lesson, people will learn about discuss what light is, how solar power is used in the museum, and the purpose of the museum's “Corona.”
Image credit: Robert Stewart | NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: This is a *free* event! Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
National History Day at NMAAHC Student Documentary Showcase
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is proud to feature 18 student documentaries created for the National History Day (NHD) competition. This Student Documentary Showcase highlights a range of topics that embody the mission and stories reflected in NMAAHC as well as other stories of human and civil rights.National History Day is a global program for middle and high school students to produce and present an original historical research project on a topic of their choosing. Students begin the competition cycle by entering their research projects at local and state levels, with top students advancing to the National Contest at the University of Maryland, College Park. All documentaries in the 2025 NHD at NMAAHC Student Documentary Showcase qualified for the National Contest.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free. Categories: Films.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*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 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, June 11, 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.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
National History Day Performance Showcase
One-Time Events
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will feature select performances starring and created by middle and high school students for the 2025 National History Day national contest. Join us for these performances that will highlight a range of under-told stories in American history that reflect the 2025 theme of “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” This showcase is free and open to the public.
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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible and ASL services will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Hall of Music. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Celebrations. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Curator Tour | Japanese Paintings from the Collection
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join curator Frank Feltens for a tour of Japanese paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art Collection. Learn about both iconic and lesser-known aspects of Japanese culture through paintings, with a focus on the environment, notions of the body, and historical crises.
Please meet at gallery 5 for the tour. We recommend you register in advance. Image: Shima Sei'en (1892–1970), "Beauty in the Guise of a Man" (Danso bijin), Japan, Meiji or Taishō era, 20th century, prior to 1927, hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—funds provided by the Friends of Asian Arts, F1996.7.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Gallery 5, Gallery 6, Gallery 6a, Gallery 7. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1328797853149?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Japanese Art from the Collection. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 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, June 11, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Volcanic Eruption: How Far the Ash Will Fly
One-Time Events
When volcanoes erupt, they can send ash high up in the atmosphere. The ash can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers, affecting climate and threatening aviation. What allows ash to travel so far? Come talk to Miraz Hossain, volcanology grad student, learn about volcanic eruptions and their deposits, and how scientists study volcanic ash.
Presented by: Miraz Hossain, volcanology graduate student, Washington State University, Image Credit: Betsy Yount, 1986 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This event also occurs on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, June 10, 2025: 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, June 11, 2025: 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
Thursday June 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
The Ballad of Narayama
Films
This haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend is set in a remote mountain village where food is scarce. Tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal, widowed son with a respectable new wife.
Filmed almost entirely on cunningly designed studio sets in brilliant color and widescreen, The Ballad of Narayama is a stylish and vividly formal work from Japan’s cinematic golden age, directed by the dynamic Keisuke Kinoshita. (Description adapted from Janus Films.)
(Dir.: Keisuke Kinoshita, Japan, 1958, 98 min. Blu-ray, Japanese with English subtitles), Image courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:45 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, June 11, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
A Walking Tour of “Untitled” (America)
One-Time Events
What does a portrait of America look like? In the exhibition “Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return,” “Untitled” (America) (1994) comprises twelve light strings that are shown in different configurations across locations inside and outside the museum, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
Please join exhibition co-curators Charlotte Ickes, curator of time-based media and special projects at the National Portrait Gallery, and Josh T Franco, head of collecting at the Archives of American Art, for a special walking tour of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” (America) (1994). Participants will discuss the connections between democracy, labor, change and the site-specific installation of the work.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-a-walking-tour-of-untitled-america-tickets-1115931855219?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. After Five.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Mogao Grottos
Resident Associate Program
The Mogao Grottos of China—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—are often referred to as an “art gallery in the desert.” For more than a thousand years, kings, merchants, monks, and nuns called the nearby desert oasis of Dunhuang home. Not far from town they sponsored the excavation and decoration of nearly 500 caves with paintings that depicted Buddhist iconography, local folktales, and life along the Silk Road. Historian Justin M. Jacobs traces the history of the grottos, analyzes the paintings, and discusses the controversial fate of a secret “cave library.”.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263504?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/263504?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, June 11, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Thorne Rooms: Magical Miniatures
Resident Associate Program
The Thorne Miniature Rooms are a collection of 68 interiors at the Art Institute of Chicago. Crafted on a 1:12 scale by Narcissa Niblack Thorne and her colleagues in the 1930s and ’40s, each recreates in perfect detail a room from the 16th to the 20th century. Author Marianne Malone delves into the history of Thorne’s project and how her childhood obsession with it inspired her series for young readers set in the magical world of the Thorne Rooms. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263548?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/263548?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, June 11, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Harvey Girls and the Ladies of the Canyons: Uncovering Women’s History in the Southwest
Resident Associate Program
Author Lesley Poling-Kempes brings to life the adventures of two groups of lesser-known women whose legacies helped shape the American Southwest: the thousands of young women who became waitresses in Harvey House restaurants along the Santa Fe Railway from the 1880s to the 1950s and four women who journeyed to the Southwest in the early 20th century and found their lives transformed by its people, landscapes, and cultures—particularly Native American art and music.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263558?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/263558?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, June 11, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Poop)
NZP Kids and Families
Everybody poops, so let's learn about it!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo! This week we will explore one of the most important tools zoo scientists use to keep our animals healthy: poop! We'll paint and make art with mud, pretend play as scientists, and make mud cupcakes together.
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, June 12, 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, June 12, 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, June 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
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: Visitors cannot overlook the Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin, a circa early 1800s slave cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The cabin is one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island. Its story provides a revealing glimpse into the most formative and troubling chapters in American history.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Point of Pines Planation Slave Cabin, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 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, June 12, 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, June 12, 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, June 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superbird!: Exploring super senses in seabirds
One-Time Events
Seabirds are remarkable creatures with unique adaptations for life at sea, which sets them apart from the birds we see on land. Interested in learning how these birds navigate vast oceans with no landmarks or why some are known as tube-noses? Dive into the super-sensory world of seabirds to discover their incredible sense of smell, sensitive eyesight, and impressive navigation skills.
Presented by: Brianna Law and Jess Kusher, Marine Ecologists and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Knauss Marine Policy Fellows
Photos by Brianna Law and Jess Kusher.
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, June 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Tails of the Ocean: Tracking and Identifying Whales
One-Time Events
Dive into the depths of the ocean and embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of the world's most majestic marine mammals. Learn what makes whales unique, from their flippers to their songs, and how to tell them apart. Follow the whales as they migrate around the world, and find out how you can help keep them safe.
Presented by: Dr. Dawn Parry and Julia Wente, Marine Biologists and Educators, NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellows
Photographs courtesy of the presenters, Dawn Parry (left) and Julia Wente (right).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Volcanic Eruption: How Far the Ash Will Fly
One-Time Events
When volcanoes erupt, they can send ash high up in the atmosphere. The ash can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers, affecting climate and threatening aviation. What allows ash to travel so far? Come talk to Miraz Hossain, volcanology grad student, learn about volcanic eruptions and their deposits, and how scientists study volcanic ash.
Presented by: Miraz Hossain, volcanology graduate student, Washington State University, Image Credit: Betsy Yount, 1986 (Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This event also occurs on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, June 10, 2025: 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, June 11, 2025: 11:00 a.m.-12:30 pm. and 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 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, June 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. Sketch Break
One-Time Events
Join us for a sketching session in our galleries. Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Participants can expect guided instruction from an artist educator before heading into the galleries to sketch on their own. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own sketchbooks.
Event Location: In the Galleries. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-sketch-break-tickets-991180235767?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Big Objects, Big Stories: Angola Prison Guard Tower
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: Guests can explore the 20-foot-tall Angola Prison guard tower, that towers above the Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibition. Originally a slave plantation on the banks of the Mississippi River, visitors will learn how Angola grew into a brutal, privately owned prison that leased out convicts as forced laborers after the Civil War.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Angola Guard Tower, C2. Talks take place at: 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: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 .
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM.
U.S. Air Force Max Impact Band presents American Pop Music
One-Time Events
Max Impact, stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. is one of six musical ensembles that form The U.S. Air Force Band. Featuring six active-duty musicians, Max Impact regularly presents high-intensity performances throughout the nation and abroad. The ensemble supports events at the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, and numerous other high-level military and civilian functions to advance international diplomacy with America’s allies and strategic partners.
In addition to entertaining military and civilian audiences in the United States, Max Impact thrills service members with its trademark hard-rocking musical versatility at forward-deployed locations. These performances are a much-needed "taste of home" that bolster troop morale and esprit de corps for military members stationed worldwide. Additionally, the band supports the Air Force and its local communities by creating innovative projects and performances that capitalize on the latest in multimedia music product…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom—Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 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, June 12, 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, June 12, 2025, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
U.S. Air Force Max Impact Band presents American Pop Music
One-Time Events
Max Impact, stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. is one of six musical ensembles that form The U.S. Air Force Band. Featuring six active-duty musicians, Max Impact regularly presents high-intensity performances throughout the nation and abroad. The ensemble supports events at the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, and numerous other high-level military and civilian functions to advance international diplomacy with America’s allies and strategic partners.
In addition to entertaining military and civilian audiences in the United States, Max Impact thrills service members with its trademark hard-rocking musical versatility at forward-deployed locations. These performances are a much-needed "taste of home" that bolster troop morale and esprit de corps for military members stationed worldwide. Additionally, the band supports the Air Force and its local communities by creating innovative projects and performances that capitalize on the latest in multimedia music product…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom—Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Tiny Vampires: The Unique World of Freshwater Mussels
One-Time Events
Freshwater mussels are a diverse family of shellfish that can be found in most freshwater systems in the United States. Blending into the stream floor, these unsuspecting shellfish lead an interesting life. Their life cycle involves a parasitic stage, in which they live on the gills of fish. Come discover the unique world of freshwater mussels!
Presented by: Dr. Rachael Finigan, Aquatic Ecologist, Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, NOAA National Sea Grant Office
Photos courtesy of Rachael Finigan.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 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.
Thursday, June 12, 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, June 12, 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, June 12, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with DC’s Different Drummers
One-Time Events
Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard. DC’s Different Drummers, an LGBTQ+ non-profit music organization, brings their DCDD Jazz Band, a 23-piece big band and a small improvisational combo called 2nd Independence, to perform a selection of jazz arrangements of popular Pride anthems, past and present.
Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments.
Image Credit: Photo courtesy DC's Different Drummers.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1iXm5. Categories: After Five. Performances.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Virtual Portrait Signs
One-Time Events
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language. Tours explore portraiture, history and biography through the lens of our special exhibitions and permanent collection. Dates and topics are continually updated.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/national-portrait-gallery-810710525. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/national-portrait-gallery-810710525. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, June 12, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Cleopatra Unveiled
Resident Associate Program
Cleopatra would have been a social media star if she lived today. Known for charisma, she was more renowned for her intellect and her ruthless determination to rule. She embraced both Caesar and Mark Antony as protectors and lovers when the need arose and murdered siblings to gain power. Historian Barry Strauss highlights Cleopatra’s complex role as an absolute ruler at a crucial moment when Romans and Egyptians fought for domination.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263580?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/263580?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, June 12, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World
Resident Associate Program
Art played a pivotal role during the dawn of European natural history in the 16th and 17th centuries. Advancements in scientific technology, trade, and colonial expansion allowed naturalists to study previously unknown and overlooked insects, animals, and other beestjes: “little beasts” in Dutch. Curators of the National Gallery of Art’s exhibition “Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World, ” share an exhibition overview and a closer look at the artists and ideas that it highlights. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263547?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/263547?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, June 12, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Iconic Capitol Hill
Resident Associate Program
Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill is rich in political and architectural history. Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours, leads a tour of the iconic neighborhood. Hear stories about the original city plan by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the tumultuous construction of the U.S. Capitol, the rise of the magnificent Beaux Arts Library of Congress, and the backstory of the imposing Supreme Court building. And learn about the influence of prolific designers like Thomas Jefferson, Robert Mills, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Daniel Burnham.
Event Location: Tour meets inside the Main Hall of Union Station (under big clock). Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263612?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, June 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 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.
Friday, June 13, 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, June 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 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.
Friday, June 13, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Diversión Storytime: “Plátanos Go with Everything / Los plátanos van con todo” (11am-12pm & 1:30-2:30pm)
American Latino Museum
Note: The first storytime is from 11am-12pm and the second storytime is from 1:30-2:30pm. Plátanos Go with Everything/Los plátanos van con todo introduces readers to the wonderful world of plantains and their role in many tasty Dominican dishes. Get ready to be inspired to cook some yummy plantains!
This English-Spanish children's book is written by Lissette Norman and illustrated by Sara Palacios.
The story will be read in both English and Spanish.
This event is recommended for visitors aged 3 to 10.
For ASL interpretation, please email us at nmalgroupreservations@si.edu at least one week in advance.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: General Motors Learning Lounge, Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, June 13, 2025, 11:00 AM – 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: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, June 13, 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, June 13, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife
Resident Associate Program
Death is the one thing all humans throughout history have in common, and yet it is still a mystery. Robert Garland, a professor emeritus of classics, explores the death-related beliefs and practices of a range of ancient cultures and traditions, including Egyptian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, early Christian, and Islamic. Garland puts himself in the sandals of ancient peoples and imagines how they sought—in ways that turn out to be remarkably similar to ours—to assist the dead on their journey to the next world and to understand life’s greatest mystery.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263505?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/263505?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, June 13, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 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.
Friday, June 13, 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, June 13, 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, June 13, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Hands-On Conservation
Lectures & Discussions
Explore conservation for yourself at our pop-up cart! Touch and see the tools and materials we use to preserve art, manuscripts, and other historic objects. Check out fluorescent glue samples, paper and brushes used for scroll mounting, and more. This is your chance to get a peek at what our conservators and scientists are up to behind the scenes. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: West Building (Mall entrance). Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, June 13, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Rhône Rangers: Rhône Varieties from Around the World
Resident Associate Program
There's a reason that the native grape varieties of the Rhône Valley are propagated throughout the world. These hardy warm-climate grapes are becoming even more important as climate change causes winemakers to rethink the wines they produce. Sample some of the most prolific Rhône varieties from countries near and far with the help of sommelier Erik Segelbaum.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263298?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/263298?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.
Friday, June 13, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Movement)
NZP Kids and Families
Walk, climb, run, slither, or slide and join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Animals move in different ways and have different body parts they use to help them move around. Wiggle, wobble, and play with us as we learn and explore together.
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, June 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Little Critters: Nature Play at Think Tank (Save the Pollinators)
NZP Kids and Families
Celebrate Pollinator Week with creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Welcome summer by exploring birds, bees, bats, and all the hardworking pollinators in-between during Pollinator Week. Make a hive, BEE a beekeeper, discover how honey is made, and plant a beautiful garden in our sensory bin.
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: Think Tank Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Think Tank 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, June 14, 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, June 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Composting
One-Time Events
Join us as guest educator Najwa Womack of Sistained8 us teaches everything we need to know about how to compost, what's compostable, and the best ways to contribute to creating healthy soil.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-sistained8-compost-tickets-1248183613789?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Make It, Wear It
One time events
Dive into summer at the Hirshhorn, where we’re taking inspiration from the best of summer camp—Art School style! Join us every Saturday in June for Open Studio: Color Battle. Drop in and join a color “team,” then make your own colorful artwork inspired by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Morris Louis, and more. Explore color theory and experiment with color mixing to make something unique!
Brighten your day—and your wardrobe! Take inspiration from artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painted lab coat Untitled (MAN MADE), on view in the Art School. Join the Color Battle by decorating a bandana with the vibrant hues of your color team.
Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level, ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on…
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, Project: Watercolor Worlds.
Saturday, June 14, 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, June 14, 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, June 14, 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.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Shakespeare’s Reinvention of Poetry: The Story of His Sonnets
Resident Associate Program
Shakespeare’s Sonnets offer a remarkable example of his poetic genius and the revolutionary use of language that also marks his legendary work as the author of such plays as Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi takes a close look at the sonnets’ poetic elements, themes, and techniques. He also compares Shakespeare the sonnet writer to other illustrious practitioners of the form, including John Milton and Francis Petrarch.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263535?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/263535?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 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, June 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Family Program: Setting a Place at the Table
Cooper Hewitt Museum
Drop-in at the museum on the second Saturday of each month for hands-on family activities!
In June, celebrate Pride by designing your own placemats to welcome loved ones to your table.
Draw inspiration from works in Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial, including the PIN-UP film "Dream Homes," which tells the story of three LGBTQIA+ communities exploring daily life and ensuring everyone feels at home, and "The Offering," by Nicole Crowder and Hadiya Williams, which explores how textiles and table settings can help express who we are and provide a sense of belonging.
Family drop-in activities are designed for youth ages 5–12 and their adult guardian/caregivers. Family programs are included in the price of museum admission, and youth 18 and under are always free.
Venue: Cooper Hewitt Museum. Event Location: Ground floor. Cost: Free for children under 18, $10-$22 for adults. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.cooperhewitt.org/event/family-program-setting-a-place-at-the-table-06-14-2025/. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.cooperhewitt.org. 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, June 14, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
NY | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* 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, which can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. All are welcome. Recommended for visitors ages 3–9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver. *Schedule subject to change.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Tarnation! Featuring Saïs Kamalidiin (Vocals, Harmonica, etc.) & Leonard Brown (Vocals, Guitar, etc.) - Blues music styles from 1940s - 1970s
One-Time Events
For the Smithsonian Museum of American History presentation, the music to be presented will be a set of Blues music styles from the 1940s - 1970s. The music will reflect the musical styles of Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and others. The regional styles to be presented will be Mississippi Delta Blues, The Piedmont Blues, Texas Blues and Chicago Blues.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: National Museum of American History Archives Center, 1 West
Treasures and Trouble: Looking inside a legendary Blues archives of Robert "Mack" McCormick.
McCormick amassed a trove of research materials, writings, photographs and field recordings journaling the blues. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Duct Tape Wallets with Rain Young
One-Time Events
Get ready for a fun and creative workshop where you’ll design and craft your own wallet, zipper bag, or tote bag—all using duct tape! With a variety of colors and patterns to choose from, participants will learn how to cut, fold, and layer duct tape to create a stylish and functional accessory. This hands-on workshop is perfect for kids and adults alike, making it a great way to welcome the spring season with a fresh, handmade creation. No prior experience is needed—just bring your creativity and get ready to have fun! This workshop is suitable for ages 7 and up. All materials are provided.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/duct-tape-wallets-with-rain-young-tickets-1349728778109?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, June 14, 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, June 14, 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, June 14, 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, June 14, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tarnation! With Saïs Kamalidiin (Vocals, Harmonica, etc.) & Leonard Brown (Vocals, Guitar, etc.) - Blues music styles from 1940s - 1970s
One-Time Events
For the Smithsonian Museum of American History presentation, the music to be presented will be a set of Blues music styles from the 1940s - 1970s. The music will reflect the musical styles of Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and others. The regional styles to be presented will be Mississippi Delta Blues, The Piedmont Blues, Texas Blues and Chicago Blues.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: National Museum of American History Archives Center, 1 West
Treasures and Trouble: Looking inside a legendary Blues archives of Robert "Mack" McCormick.
McCormick amassed a trove of research materials, writings, photographs and field recordings journaling the blues. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 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, June 14, 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, June 14, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* 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. All are welcome. Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver. *Schedule subject to change.
Image: Photo by Matailong Du for the National Museum of the American Indian.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 2:15 PM – 2:45 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.
Saturday, June 14, 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, June 15, 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, June 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 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, June 15, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour in Mandarin 館藏精華導覽
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join free walk-in tours in Mandarin. These one-hour, docent-led tours feature highlights from the museum’s collections, including the famous Peacock Room and select masterpieces of Chinese art. Each docent chooses an artwork to present in their own way, so you can learn something new every time. No registration is needed.
國立亞洲藝術博物館邀請您參加免費普通話導覽（無需預約）
在一小時的導覽中，我們的講解員將帶您聚焦博物館中的精華，包括舉世聞名的孔雀廳和精選的中國藝術品。每場導覽都是獨一無二的，讓您每次對藝術品都能有不同的了解。 Image credit: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1915.103a-b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: West Building (Freer Gallery of Art) information desk 西樓（佛利爾美術館）咨詢臺. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, June 15, 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.
Sunday, June 15, 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, June 15, 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, June 15, 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, June 15, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Juneteenth Smudge Stick Lab
One-Time Events
People all over the world have been smudging - or ritualistically burning herbs and botanicals – since the beginning of time. Ditch the search engine and learn how to define the spiritual use of herbs and flowers in the meaningful, holistic approach taught in this Juneteenth edition of the BLK FLWR MRKT Smudge Stick Lab. In this lab, we will be joined by a docent from our museum to lead us in conversation about Juneteenth. You’ll write affirmations, engage in inner-child activities, and learn floral design techniques to customize a Floral Smudge Stick using herbs and flowers.
WARNING: Prepare to be blindfolded.
Please note that this program is not at our museum, but at Eaton Wellness, located at: 1201 K St NW 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005.
Event Location: Eaton Wellness. Cost: $20. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/96686700/juneteenth-smudge-stick-lab-washington-the-national-museum-of-african-american-history-culture-eaton-wellness. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, June 15, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Happy Together
Films
Watch the trailer
Part of our Wong Kar-wai / Leslie Cheung double feature! Be sure to stay for Days of Being Wild!
This emotionally raw, lushly stylized portrait of a relationship in breakdown is one of the most searing romances of the 1990s. Hong Kong superstars Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung play a couple traveling through Argentina together. But the pair are locked in a turbulent cycle of infatuation and destructive jealousy as they break up, make up, and fall apart again and again. Happy Together empathetically depicts the complex dynamics of a queer relationship on the cusp of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, when the country’s LGBTQ+ community suddenly faced an uncertain future.
Wong crafts a feverish look at the life cycle of a love affair that’s by turns devastating and deliriously romantic. Ace cinematographer Christopher Doyle delivers this film in both luminous monochrome and luscious saturated color. Happy Together is an intoxicating exploration of displacement and desire that swoons with the ache…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaajune25.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, June 15, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:10 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.
Sunday, June 15, 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, June 15, 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, June 15, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Days of Being Wild
Films
Watch the trailer
Part of our Wong Kar-wai / Leslie Cheung double feature! Don’t miss Happy Together at 1:30!
In this dreamlike drift through the Hong Kong of the 1960s, a band of wayward twentysomethings pulls together and pushes apart in a cycle of frustrated desire. A disaffected playboy (Leslie Cheung) searches for his birth mother. A lovelorn woman (Maggie Cheung) hopelessly yearns after him. Meanwhile, a policeman (Andy Lau) gets caught in the middle of their turbulent relationship.
Wong Kar-wai’s breakthrough sophomore feature represents the first full flowering of his swooning signature style and kicks off a loosely connected, ongoing cycle that includes In the Mood for Love and 2046. This is Wong's first collaboration with both cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who lends the film its gorgeously gauzy, hallucinatory texture, and actor Tony Leung, who appears briefly in a tantalizing teaser for a never-realized sequel. Days of Being Wild is an exhilarating first expression of Wong’s trademark…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaajune25.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, June 15, 2025, 3:30 PM – 5:15 PM.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Resident Associate Program
Journey beyond the stars, where campers create and explore planets in a galaxy far, far away. Visits to the Natural History and Air and Space museums and the U.S. Botanic Garden inspire the otherworldly habitats, alien life forms, and artful android models and spacecraft that will fill their own Smithsonian-inspired universe. They also use a bit of movie magic as they create backgrounds and sabers for an interstellar reveal at the end of the week.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262644?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Blast Off!
Resident Associate Program
Campers, pack your space suit and get ready to blast off into outer space! Lead the life of an astronaut for a week and plan your own space journey by learning about a different planet each day. Campers make their own space suits and planetary mobiles, enjoy space ice cream, and take a trip to the Air and Space Museum. A concluding presentation captures their adventures and explorations.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262643?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Fast Flying
Resident Associate Program
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a dragonfly! Have you ever wondered how things fly? And why birds and insects can, but people can’t? Campers visit the Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, and the National Zoo to discover the science behind flight. They learn about the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman, and Charles Lindbergh and their historic flights. They also build wings, paper airplanes, helicopters, and kites and create their own flying prototype.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262640?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Fossil Hunters
Resident Associate Program
Campers explore paleontology from the formation of Earth through the Ice Age. They visit the Deep Time exhibition at the Natural History Museum to discover how paleontologists work and the tools they use. They learn about the Earth’s history, ancient plants and animals, and how changes in climate and environments affected living creatures. They also create timelines, become fossil hunters, and dig for 3D-printed dinosaurs.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262641?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Imagine a Garden
Resident Associate Program
Through the eyes of artists, under the scientific microscope, and through the lens of culture, campers explore the gardens surrounding the Smithsonian museums, on the National Mall, and within the U.S. Botanic Garden. They discover the Smithsonian’s Victory, Butterfly, and Rose Gardens. Campers design a garden, create a terrarium, investigate wriggly critters, and plant and harvest vegetables. The week rounds out with a trip to discover a secret garden in the shadow of the Capitol.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262639?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Ocean Life
Resident Associate Program
Campers dive in and discover the wonders of the watery world as they visit Sant Ocean Hall at the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and the National Zoo. Along the way, they learn about the life and cycles of the creatures that live there including sea mammals such as otters, whales, and dolphins. They discover the lore of famous ships and the sea captains who explored the world’s great oceans. Campers build ocean dioramas, coral-reef exhibits, and underwater volcanoes for their Watery World exhibit at the end of the week.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262642?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Painting Explorations
Resident Associate Program
Campers spend the week learning how to draw and paint with watercolors and acrylics, gaining an understanding of techniques and color theory. They study masterworks at the Hirshhorn and the National Gallery of Art, and work “in the field” at the Hirshhorn’s Sculpture Garden, the Castle’s beautiful Haupt Garden, and the U.S. Botanic Garden. They show off the artistic results in a Friday exhibition.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262645?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Pattern Makers
Resident Associate Program
Do you see a pattern here? Campers search for designs in art, architecture, and nature as they explore a variety of traditional and modern printmaking techniques in and around the museums on the National Mall. They express their creativity while experimenting with color, lines, quirky patterns, and whimsical images on potato prints, monoprints, gyotaku (Japanese fish printing), collagraphs, and screen prints (on paper, T-shirts, and bags) to demonstrate that printmaking is indeed a versatile-and fun-art.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262638?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Garden Play: Pollinators!
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens to kick off Pollinator Week with hands-on activities and a story time exploring this month’s Garden Play topic, pollinators! This extra-special Garden Play program will run from 9:30–11:30 AM and the Smithsonian Gardens Bug Mobile will also be stationed at the south entrance to the Pollinator Garden with activities for all ages.
Location: Find us in the Pollinator Garden on the east side of the National Museum of Natural History between Constitution Avenue, NW and Madison Drive, NW.
Garden Play is a drop-in program designed for children ages 2 and up and their caregivers. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but children of all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Please come prepared for an outdoor experience. Wildlife and insects, including bees and mosquitoes, are a part of our gardens. Participants are encouraged to bring water and sun protection.
Activities may be subject to cancellation or modification due to weather…
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: The Pollinator Garden at the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Behind the Scenes at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Resident Associate Program
The largest museum library system in the world, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives holds more than 2 million items. Guided by Smithsonian librarians Jane Quigley and Leslie Overstreet, visit three research collections normally accessible to members of the public by appointment only: the National Museum of Natural History Library, the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, and the John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology. In addition to brief presentations about the collections, selected books—from 16th-century illustrated herbals and accounts of Captain Cook’s voyages to 21st-century works naming new species of plants and animals by Smithsonian scientists—are on display for browsing, questions, and discussion.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263861?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.
Monday, June 16, 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.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Virtual Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join educators from the National Postal Museum for live, interactive story time. Designed for children ages 4-7, but all are welcome!
Mondays at 11:00 (ET) National Postal Museum educators will read stories aloud and lead related activities in a Zoom meeting for children and their caregivers. Explore a range of postal-related topics and more! Sessions will be interactive and last approximately 45-60 minutes. Caregivers are expected to be present with children for the duration of the program.
Event Location: Online Only. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 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.
Monday, June 16, 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.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the National Portrait Gallery. Join educators every Monday to explore a new topic and different materials. Participants will look at art, enjoy hands-on activities, listen to music and participate in story time. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other. Our friends from DC Public Library will join us on the second Monday of each month for a special story time about the day’s theme.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Regsitration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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, June 16, 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.
Monday, June 16, 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.
Monday, June 16, 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, June 16, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Behind the Scenes at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Resident Associate Program
The largest museum library system in the world, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives holds more than 2 million items. Guided by Smithsonian librarians Jane Quigley and Leslie Overstreet, visit three research collections normally accessible to members of the public by appointment only: the National Museum of Natural History Library, the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, and the John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology. In addition to brief presentations about the collections, selected books—from 16th-century illustrated herbals and accounts of Captain Cook’s voyages to 21st-century works naming new species of plants and animals by Smithsonian scientists—are on display for browsing, questions, and discussion.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263862?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.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 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, June 16, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Unleashing the Power of Music Across Subject Areas | Cultivating Learning
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Join Logan Clark and Jen Mellizo of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to explore Music Pathways, an innovative new teaching tool that illuminates lesser-known corners of music history using the sounds and resources available in the label’s iconic catalog. Together, we will explore the newest Music Pathway, “Listen What I Gotta Say: Women in the Blues,” and learn how to customize these resources to meet academic standards in engaging ways. Whether you teach music, social studies, language arts, or anything in between, you will leave with resources and practical strategies that will help you unleash the power of music in your own classroom.
Program Details:
This is a Zoom webinar with live captioning. You’ll be able to participate using the chat and Q&A, and your camera and mic will be disabled. We’ll record and post the webinar on the Smithsonian Learning Lab’s Events page approximately 72 hours after the session ends.
For general questions, or if we can provide additional accessibility services to support…
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Related Events: This interactive webinar is part of “Cultivating Learning,” a professional development series focusing on techniques to use digital museum resources for learning. Visit the Smithsonian Learning Lab’s Events page to find our playlist of past “Cultivating Learning” sessions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
The Sound of Music: The Last Golden Sounds of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Resident Associate Program
Why do we always succumb to this bountiful, joyous, teary-eyed musical that melts even the cynical and leaves everyone singing? The glorious melodies of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final show never age, and its plot never fails to touch us as it covers everything from music-making to resistance to tyranny. Documentary filmmaker Sara Lukinson, who teaches at New York University, traces how the story went from a German memoir and documentary to a Broadway hit, movie fame, and entertainment immortality.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263600?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/263600?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.
Monday, June 16, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Pollinator Week with the Smithsonian Gardens Bug Mobile
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens for Pollinator Week 2025! Find our Bug Mobile stationed at the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden from 9:30–11:30 AM. Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists will be on hand to talk pollination and engage visitors of all ages in hands-on activities. Discover why pollination matters and what you can do to help pollinators in your community! Activities may be subject to cancellation or modification due to weather conditions. Can’t make it? The Bug Mobile will be buzzing to different gardens throughout Pollinator Week! Monday, June 16, 9:30–11:30 AM: Pollinator Garden at the National Museum of Natural History , Tuesday, June 17, 9:30–11:30 AM: Northwest entrance to the Enid A Haupt Garden , Wednesday, June 18, 9:30–11:30 AM: Flight Garden at the National Air and Space Museum (west side of the museum) , Friday, June 20, 12:00–2:30 PM: Common Ground: Our American Garden, part of Civic Season programming at the National Museum of American History.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden, near the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Movement)
NZP Kids and Families
Walk, climb, run, slither, or slide and join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Animals move in different ways and have different body parts they use to help them move around. Wiggle, wobble, and play with us as we learn and explore together.
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, June 17, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. 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.
Tuesday, June 17, 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.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Marvelous Meteorites
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
Tuesday, June 17th, is all about exploring the colors, shapes, and textures of objects from space! Families can learn about and make close observations of meteorites from our collection, explore different colors of planets, and create your own play telescope. 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) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
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…
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, June 17, 2025, 10:30 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, June 17, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*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 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
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, June 17, 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, June 17, 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, June 17, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 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 and Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 1:15 PM and 2:45 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Slavery and Freedom.
Tuesday, June 17, 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.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. 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, June 17, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France
Resident Associate Program
When Elisabeth of Austria married Emperor Franz Joseph and Eugénie of France married Napoleon III, they became two of the most famous women of the 19th century. Young and beautiful, each represented a new kind of empress—one who rebelled against traditional expectations and restrictions. Historian Nancy Goldstone discusses the lives of these two glamorous women and how they played a pivotal role in ruling their realms.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263581?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/263581?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, June 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Finding Philosophy in Literature
Resident Associate Program
From Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from a Dead House to Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, literature offers a powerful medium for delving into profound questions about existence, free will, and the essence of reality. Philosophical counselor Samir Chopra examines philosophical themes found in literary genres such as the legal novel, post-apocalyptic fiction, and religious literature as he explores how literature can serve as a tool for moral education and instruction.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263559?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/263559?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, June 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
Film Screening: Power of the Paddle
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Description
In summer 2020, Chris Hopkinson embarked on an unprecedented journey to paddle the entire length of the Chesapeake Bay on a stand-up paddle board. The trip spanned nine days and over 200 miles, and raised enough money to plant 18 million new oysters in the Bay. On June 17, join Chris for a live screening of "Power of the Paddle," a 26-minute documentary chronicling his voyage. As part of the event, Chris will share more details about his trek and how paddlers can help the Bay today. Live Q&A to follow. Part of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s 60th anniversary webinar series.
This event will be hosted entirely online. A recording will be available through July 16 on https://serc.si.edu/events/evening-lectures. 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.
Event photo: Chris Hopkinson on a stand-up paddle board. (Credit: Bay Paddle).
Event Location: Online only. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/5417474034973/WN_ajQb3DQwScmouLxrTSE61Q. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/5417474034973/WN_ajQb3DQwScmouLxrTSE61Q. Categories: After Five. Films. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: From Trash to Treasure: Reconnecting with Urban Streams (July 15). Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. Pollinator Week with the Smithsonian Gardens Bug Mobile
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens for Pollinator Week 2025! Find our Bug Mobile stationed in the Flight Garden along the west side of the National Air and Space Museum from 9:30–11:30 AM. Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists will be on hand to talk pollination and engage visitors of all ages in hands-on activities. Discover why pollination matters and what you can do to help pollinators in your community! Activities may be subject to cancellation or modification due to weather conditions. Can’t make it? The Bug Mobile will be buzzing to different gardens throughout Pollinator Week! Monday, June 16, 9:30–11:30 AM: Pollinator Garden at the National Museum of Natural History , Tuesday, June 17, 9:30–11:30 AM: Northwest entrance to the Enid A Haupt Garden , Wednesday, June 18, 9:30–11:30 AM: Flight Garden at the National Air and Space Museum (west side of the museum) , Friday, June 20, 12:00–2:30 PM: Common Ground: Our American Garden, part of Civic Season programming at the National Museum of American History.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Flight Garden along the west side of the National Air and Space Museum. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Dripping in Color
One time events
Add color to your summer this June at the Hirshhorn! Each Wednesday at Storytime, you’ll find new opportunities for your littlest artist to brighten our world. Explore art, tell vibrant stories, and make your own colorful creations.
This Week: Join us to explore color mixing by reading Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung together. Then we’ll visit artist Morris Louis’s artwork Buskin (1959), made by pouring paint onto a canvas, to gain inspiration for our own colorful drip art.
Featured Book: Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung
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) , 10:15 AM: Read-aloud #1 in Art School , 10:30 AM: Art-making begins , 10:45 AM: Gallery tour #1 , 11:15 AM: Read-aloud #2 in Art School , 11:30 AM: Art-making…
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, June 18, 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, June 18, 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, June 18, 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, June 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 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 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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Behind the Scenes at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Resident Associate Program
The largest museum library system in the world, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives holds more than 2 million items. Guided by Smithsonian librarians Jane Quigley and Leslie Overstreet, visit three research collections normally accessible to members of the public by appointment only: the National Museum of Natural History Library, the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, and the John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology. In addition to brief presentations about the collections, selected books—from 16th-century illustrated herbals and accounts of Captain Cook’s voyages to 21st-century works naming new species of plants and animals by Smithsonian scientists—are on display for browsing, questions, and discussion.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263863?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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 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, June 18, 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, June 18, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art in the A.M.
One-Time Events
Inspire early childhood creativity with SAAM during Art in the A.M. Children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers are invited to the museum before hours to learn, connect, and create in the galleries. During this program, participants will explore landscapes and scenes of American life in the Experience America galleries on SAAM’s first floor, followed by a hands-on diorama crafting activity in the MacMillan Education Center.
Image credit: Morris Kantor, Baseball at Night, 1934, oil on linen, 37 x 47 1/4 in. (94.0 x 120.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor, 1976.146.18.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1jLkT. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 10:30 AM.
Explore More! in STEM: Having Fun with Frequencies
One-Time Events
Explore More! in STEM is a classroom program for ages 8+ to explore STEM concepts in relation to African American history, culture, or the museum. In this lesson, people will learn about sound, frequency, and famous African American electric guitarists.
Image Credit: Robert Stewart | NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: This is a *free* event! Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*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 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, June 18, 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.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Art and Fiction
Resident Associate Program
A picture is not only worth a thousand words: It can sometimes inspire a whole invented world. In a 3-session series, art historian Heidi Applegate explores novels in which Thomas Gainsborough, Asher B. Durand, and Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta and their works play roles. She also examines the factual background along with the fiction.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263582?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/263582?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, June 18, 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, June 18, 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, June 18, 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, June 18, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Behind the Scenes at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Resident Associate Program
The largest museum library system in the world, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives holds more than 2 million items. Guided by Smithsonian librarians Jane Quigley and Leslie Overstreet, visit three research collections normally accessible to members of the public by appointment only: the National Museum of Natural History Library, the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, and the John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology. In addition to brief presentations about the collections, selected books—from 16th-century illustrated herbals and accounts of Captain Cook’s voyages to 21st-century works naming new species of plants and animals by Smithsonian scientists—are on display for browsing, questions, and discussion.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263864?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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
See Me at the Smithsonian - National Museum of Asian Art
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.
Contact access@si.edu to register.
If you are interested in programming for groups, please contact us at access@si.edu to discuss what options may be available.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free! Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, June 18, 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, June 18, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Beyond the Frame: An Inside Look at the Portrait Gallery
One-Time Events
Curious about the inner workings of a museum? Ever wondered how conservators care for centuries-old artworks or how lighting designers illuminate exhibitions? Peek behind the curtain at the National Portrait Gallery and hear from staff who work behind the scenes to bring our collection to life. June will focus on museum lighting, July will feature conservation and August will center around art handling.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-frame-an-inside-look-at-the-portrait-gallery-tickets-1334324994979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. After Five.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Inside Air Force One: The Flying White House
Resident Associate Program
Air Force One is more than a plane: It’s a global symbol of American power and leadership. The gleaming blue-and-white 747 reflects the policies and ideas of each president. Ken Walsh, who traveled more than 200 times aboard Air Force One as a White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, shares what happens in the air—from historic moments to the highs and lows that presidents experience.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263536?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/263536?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, June 18, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Harriet Tubman and the Quest for Freedom
Resident Associate Program
Born enslaved on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman seized her freedom in her mid-20s, and selflessly returned to rescue family members and others trapped in slavery. Kelly Hancock of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond explores Tubman’s early life, work as an abolitionist, and exploits during the Civil War, as well as her postwar humanitarian efforts and private life, creating a multifaceted portrait of a remarkable woman.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263560?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/263560?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, June 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
ONLINE: The Origin of Earth's Oceans (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered in oceans, but did you ever wonder why? Join Kathy Mandt from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as she discusses where Earth's ocean water came from and how we know. Results from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko suggested that maybe Earth's water didn't come from comets as previously believed. Mandt will share part of the scientific journey to understanding the OG ocean world, Earth! Kathy Mandt is a planetary scientist working in the Goddard Planetary Systems Laboratory. Her research covers a broad range of topics including the origin and evolution of volatiles throughout the solar system and the role of dynamics, chemistry and atmospheric evolution in understanding this. She has spent more than a decade working on planetary missions including ground calibration, operations planning, data analysis and inflight calibration. This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne:…
Event Location: YouTube. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
The Origin of Earth's Oceans (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Gallery 104. Cost: Free with registration. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Related Exhibition: Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered in oceans, but did you ever wonder why? Join Kathy Mandt from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as she discusses where Earth's ocean water came from and how we know. Results from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko suggested that maybe Earth's water didn't come from comets as previously believed. Mandt will share part of the scientific journey to understanding the OG ocean world, Earth! Kathy Mandt is a… Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Movement)
NZP Kids and Families
Walk, climb, run, slither, or slide and join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
Animals move in different ways and have different body parts they use to help them move around. Wiggle, wobble, and play with us as we learn and explore together.
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, June 19, 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.
Thursday, June 19, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
Juneteenth Celebration: Power in the Past, Strength in the Future!
One-Time Events
Join us as we honor Juneteenth with a day full of culture, community, and celebration! From engaging workshops to powerful performances, this event is a tribute to resilience, creativity, and heritage.
🌿 Morning Yoga & Urban Gardening (10 AM - 12 PM)
Start the day with a Morning Yoga by Grounded, followed by an Urban Gardening Workshop that explores the deep-rooted agricultural traditions of African American culture. Participants will:
✅ Discover the historical significance of canning and root cellars
✅ Learn how to plant now for a fall and winter harvest
✅ Get expert tips on container gardening and winter storage
✅ Explore multi-planting techniques for a bountiful harvest
✅ Take home a Root Vegetable Grow Bag and witness a fresh pickle-making demo
Both morning workshops will have limited giveaways! First come, first serve.
🎶 Main Stage Performances (Starting at 12 PM)
The stage comes alive at 12pm, Hosted by BeMo Brown and vibes all day by Miss HER. The incredible lineup of artists and perf…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1351589002089?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families. Performances. Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, June 19, 2025, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
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, June 19, 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
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, June 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. CANCELLED - 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. 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Peacock Room Shutters Open
National Museum of Asian Art
Third Thursday of every month.
Free, no registration required.
See the Peacock Room in a whole new light! Please join us for a beloved NMAA tradition: our third Thursday opening of the Peacock Room shutters. Experience this unique masterwork of art and design in a whole new way as natural light reveals details of James McNeill Whistler's painted interior and accents the gleaming surfaces of Charles Lang Freer's collection of Asian ceramics.
The shutters are open from noon to 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday of each month.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer gallery 12 (Peacock Room). Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, June 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Civic Season 2025 Kick-Off
One-Time Events
We’re kicking off our 2025 Civic Season with a chance to meet Katie Costa, the designer of the Wish Wall in our Civic Pavilion. The Civic Pavilion on 2 East will bring Civic Season to life with daily activities. Can’t join us in person? Follow us on social media and get involved with hybrid activities all season long! 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.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Related Events: Learn more about the 2025 Civic Season. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Thursday, June 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 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.
Thursday, June 19, 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, June 19, 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, June 19, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.