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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, January 23, 2026, 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, January 23, 2026, 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.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.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, January 23, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Korean Treasures Symposium
Lectures & Discussions
Keynote and reception: Thursday, January 22, 2026: 6–8 p.m. EST
Symposium: Friday, January 23, 2026: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. EST
Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared honors the practice of collecting to preserve memories, express one’s taste, and safeguard traditions for generations to come. This exhibition is the National Museum of Asian Art’s largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art as well as the first US showcase of masterpieces generously donated to the Korean nation by the family of Lee Kun-Hee. Spanning 1,500 years, the exhibition features over two hundred remarkable objects, ranging from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the twentieth century.
In conjunction with this exhibition, the Freer Research Center is hosting a two-day international gathering in Washington, DC, dedicated to Korean art collecting—both premodern and contemporary—in Korea and beyond. The symposium begins on the evening of January 22 with an…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium, Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zgufGr4BSMmunQB2zJOC4w. Cost: In-person program in the Meyer will also be livestreamed. Eventbrite link for in-person and Zoom link for livestream. Livestream will include closed captions. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 10:00 AM – 5:00 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.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Selected Fridays and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31
The National Museum of the American Latino will present a series of mobile-cart activities and experiences in front of the Molina Family Latino Gallery in the American History Museum, as part of the Latino Museum’s learning program during the holiday season.
These 10-minute hands-on mobile-cart activity experiences will allow visitors of all ages to create and connect with items in the Latino Museum collection and themes from past and future exhibitions, as well as items from other Smithsonian collections or content.
Free. No registration is required.
For 8th grade- Reading Level
The National Museum of the American Latino is hosting fun, hands-on activities right outside the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the American History Museum. These are mobile-cart activities — basically small stations where you can stop by and join in. , Each activity lasts about 10 minutes. , You’ll get to make things and explore…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free! ¡Gratis! Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Graveyards: A History of Living with the Dead
Resident Associate Program
The pyramids at Giza, catacombs of ancient Rome, and cenotaphs around the world all commemorate the dead. Historian Roger Luckhurst delves into the often-unexpected visual culture surrounding these and other burial sites. Along the way, he explores the varied roles graveyards have played in literature, art, film, and television.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265515?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/265515?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, January 23, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Masterworks at the Barnes Foundation: Cézanne
Resident Associate Program
Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Paul Cézanne.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265517?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/265517?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 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: Gong Xian (ca. 1610–1689); Winter Landscape; China, mid- to late 17th century; album leaf; ink on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1961.11.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, January 23, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Art Bites Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and what each one tells us about the ever-changing cultural landscape of the United States. Kim Bobier, Smithsonian Institution postdoctoral fellow, discusses Anna Mendieta’s Sweating Blood (1973).
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 12:15 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 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.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 23, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Conservation Cart Talk | The Science of Ink
National Museum of Asian Art
Discover the science and history behind East Asian inks with conservation scientist Jennifer Giaccai. Explore traditional methods for making ink sticks and learn what current research reveals about these materials and their role in centuries-old artistic practices. Examine ink sticks and their ingredients up close, and see how modern analysis sheds light on ancient artistry.
Read our "Ink" Art Story for an intro to this material, its cultural use, and its history. Image: Department of Conservation and Research, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Caption: Microscopic view of soot, an ingredient in East Asian inks.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 24. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Related Exhibition: National Museum of Asian Art Presents “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared”. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Night in Napa
Resident Associate Program
Spend three fascinating Friday evenings expanding your knowledge of the world of wine as you sip along with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a series of delectable adventures. He explores the past, present, and future of Napa Valley. Each immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265597?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/265597?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, January 23, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Crowd
Films
In Sahand Kabiri’s bold debut feature, twenty-something Raman is preparing to leave Iran, so his friends decide to throw him a goodbye party. His friend Hamed and his siblings have inherited an abandoned warehouse, and the group sets about cleaning it up for the event. As they clean, they reminisce about parties past and a close friend who recently died. But when Hamed’s conservative brother—who is offended by Hamed’s lifestyle—discovers the plan, he tries to put a stop to it.
Surprisingly frank in its depictions of same-sex relationships, illegal alcohol use, and the forbidden mixing of the sexes in public, Kabiri’s film is a rousing portrait of a younger generation of Iranians determined to live on their own terms.
Director: Sahand Kabiri. Country: Iran. Released: 2025. Length: 70 min. Format: DCP. Language: Persian with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Fanoos Films.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://ffi2026.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 23, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
An Artful Weekend in New York: The Frick Collection, Neue Galerie New York, and Morgan Library & Museum
Resident Associate Program
Discover three of New York City's most renowned cultural treasures. Spend an afternoon at the Frick Collection with artwork spanning from the Renaissance to the early 20th century; get a private tour of the Neue Galerie New York before opening hours to see the main collection and a special exhibition of German masterworks from 1890 to 1940; and take a guided tour of the Morgan Library & Museum, then explore its 350, 000-plus illuminated manuscripts, rare books, manuscripts, and drawings on your own. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265455?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.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 8:00 AM – Sunday, January 25, 2026, 10:30 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Mangroves)
NZP Kids and Families
Happy mangroves, happy animals! Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about the important role mangroves play in their ecosystems. 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, January 24, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Open Studio: Layered Experiments
One time events
This January, we’ll learn how to “Think Like an Artist” at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll get inspired by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Janet Sobel, and Adam Pendleton.
Join us this Saturday as we take inspiration from Anni Albers and her practice of experimenting with materials and textures. We’ll work with fabric scraps, ribbon, and string to create our own textile collages.
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Weave It Together.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 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, January 24, 2026, 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, January 24, 2026, 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, January 24, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Introduction to White-Line Woodblock Printing
Resident Associate Program
White-line woodcuts are multicolor images printed from a single block of wood. Learn to create your own by cutting a nature print or simple line drawing into a wood block, creating the “white lines” when printed.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265239?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/265239?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 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, January 24, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Get the USA 250th Party Started!
One-Time Events
Celebrate the kickoff of America’s 250th at the National Postal Museum!
Drop in between 11am–3pm | Free and open to all ages
Join us for a day of hands-on fun, including our “Mailbox to the Future” where folks can share their wishes for our nation, special Story Time sessions, a “Future Inventors” Tinker Station, trivia challenges, and more. Discover, create, and explore as we look ahead to the next chapter of the American story.
Festival Highlights include: Curator-led tours for kids at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm , Story Time sessions at 12 pm and 2 pm , Book signing with founding National Postal Museum Director, James H. Bruns, for Delivering for America: How the United States Postal Service Built a Nation from 1–2 PM
*Limited supply of books will be available to purchase in the Museum gift shop , Explore the history and living legacy of Native people in the United States with educators from NMAI , Tinker and design your own postal invention then bring it to life with LEDs and Boolean Girl , Share…
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: National Postal Museum. Cost: Free | No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Selected Fridays and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31
The National Museum of the American Latino will present a series of mobile-cart activities and experiences in front of the Molina Family Latino Gallery in the American History Museum, as part of the Latino Museum’s learning program during the holiday season.
These 10-minute hands-on mobile-cart activity experiences will allow visitors of all ages to create and connect with items in the Latino Museum collection and themes from past and future exhibitions, as well as items from other Smithsonian collections or content.
Free. No registration is required.
For 8th grade- Reading Level
The National Museum of the American Latino is hosting fun, hands-on activities right outside the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the American History Museum. These are mobile-cart activities — basically small stations where you can stop by and join in. , Each activity lasts about 10 minutes. , You’ll get to make things and explore…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free! ¡Gratis! Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3. **Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
***Schedule subject to change without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Level 3. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
A Day of Community
One-Time Events
What does community mean to you? Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to love and service by joining the Portrait Gallery and our partners for A Day of Community. Designed for teens and young adults but open to all, this event reminds us to tend to ourselves and those around us. Engage in activities that encourage connection and care, and explore works from the Portrait Gallery's collection that highlight individuals who have mobilized the power of community.
This event received federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-day-of-community-tickets-1977387635648?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops. Gallery Talks & Tours. Performances.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL
One-Time Events
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Photography Next Steps: The Personal Project
Resident Associate Program
Look at the work of historical and contemporary photographers and fellow students with the goal of creating an effective photographic series. Through discussion and writing, the concepts of editing and sequencing are explored in terms of creating a personal project.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265240?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/265240?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Makgeolli: History, Culture, and Modernity
Lectures & Discussions
Registration required. Must be 21 years and older to attend.
Join us for an exploration of makgeolli (막걸리), Korea’s oldest alcoholic beverage. Often dismissed as a simple “farmer’s drink“ (nongju), this milky, off-white drink is actually a “liquid artifact“ that mirrors the tumultuous history of Korea itself. Rajiv Aggarwal and Jung-Sun Cho of JS Brewery will guide the audience through the beverage’s history, science, and modern renaissance as a craft drink and wellness trend.
First, you’ll learn about makgeolli’s golden age in the Joseon dynasty, a time when homebrewing (gayangju) flourished with hundreds of unique family recipes. We’ll trace its dramatic decline during the 20th century—first through the Japanese colonial criminalization of homebrewing in 1909 and later through the post-Korean war rice ban of 1965. This later ban forced brewers to use wheat and artificial sweeteners, birthing the big white bottles of “industrial“ makgeolli and little green bottles of soju.
Then, we’ll decode the…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Flex Space, Gallery 27. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1977521900237?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Virtual Art Workshop: Block Printing on Fabric
One-Time Events
In this virtual workshop, we will dive into the creative process of block printing repeat patterns on fabrics. Together we will learn the basics of designing, carving, and printing your rubber carving blocks to create a tea towel of your own design! Join printmaker Pantera Saint-Montaigne and a museum specialist to begin a new hobby or refresh what you already practice.
Space is limited. Tickets include the cost of materials needed for the activity, instructions, and postage. Participants must register by January 9th to ensure the materials arrive on time. For inquiries, please contact NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Materials Kit includes: (2) Rubber carving blocks , (1) Lino carving tool set , (3) Water-based textile inks , (1) Blank cotton kitchen towel , (2) 1/4-yard pieces of white cotton fabric , (2) Foam rollers , (2) Plastic Rulers , Tracing paper , Assorted Images , Ink pad,
Student Supplied List: Plain copier paper , Plastic or glass dinner plate for inking , Pencil , X-acto knife or scissors , Wooden or…
Event Location: Online. Cost: This workshop is sold out. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 24, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Teen Studio: Weaving Creativity
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
This month, we’ll learn to “Think Like an Artist”—we’ll welcome ambiguity, embrace possibility, reveal patterns, and think through making. This Saturday, we’ll take inspiration from artist Anni Albers, a fiber artist who experimented with various weaving techniques and allowed her materials to guide her work. Then we’ll head back to Art School and challenge ourselves to use unconventional materials to make something totally unique!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, About the Artist.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Curator Tour | Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join curator Carol Huh for a closer look at modern masterpieces in Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Spanning centuries, this exhibition presents a remarkable selection of works generously donated to the Korean nation by the family of Lee Kun-Hee, former Chairman of Samsung.
For this tour, Huh will focus on renowned twentieth-century artists whose unconventional approaches to ink, oil, and paper pushed the boundaries of painting and notions of Korean art and culture.
Please meet at gallery 28 on level B2 for the tour. We recommend you register in advance. Image: Kim Whanki (1913–1974); Echo 19-II-73#307; United States, 1973; oil on canvas; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, PA-09282; Kim Whanki ©️ Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Galleries 23, 24, 28. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curator-tour-korean-treasures-collected-cherished-shared-tickets-1980777797714?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Gallery Talk with The Outwin 2025 Prizewinners
One-Time Events
The National Portrait Gallery’s triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition showcases some of the most promising artists of our time. Join us for a conversation with the 2025 competition’s three prizewinners, David Antonio Cruz, Kameron Neal, and Jared Soares, whose winning portraits explore topics ranging from state surveillance to chosen family. The conversation will be introduced by Taína Caragol and Charlotte Ickes, co-curators of The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today.
Event Location: The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today, Second Floor. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gallery-talk-with-the-outwin-2025-prizewinners-tickets-1978331328258?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, January 24, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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, January 25, 2026, 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, January 25, 2026, 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.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Gyotaku: The Japanese Art of Printing with Fish
Resident Associate Program
Using direct printing and water-based printing inks, create realistic-looking schools of fish or a single artistic print simply by inking a whole fish and pressing it to paper.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265241?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/265241?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 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, January 25, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. On-Location Photography - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Great shoots start with great locations—and Washington, D.C. offers plenty of unbeatable visual inspiration. Learn to capture this vibrant city and sharpen your way of thinking about shooting outdoors as you deploy a minimal amount of equipment and a lot of fresh perspective.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265242?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 1:45 PM – 4:45 PM.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Films
Watch the Trailer
When exiled Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi set out to make a documentary about the war in the Gaza Strip, she was denied entry. But she was introduced to young photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting the war from the inside. Though they never met in person, their videocalls make up the bulk of Farsi’s remarkable film.
Interspersed with news footage and Hassouna’s own photographs, these calls paint a harrowing portrait of life during wartime. Hassouna keeps up a brave face even as her relatives are killed, electricity is scarce, and food and water hard to come by. The bond between Hassouna and Farsi—who was imprisoned in Iran for her political activism—is evident in every frame.
As Jordan Mintzer put it in the Hollywood Reporter, the film “is ultimately less a documentary exposé than a piece of raw unfiltered evidence, bearing witness to a tragedy that continues to unfold.” Hassouna and ten of her relatives were killed in their sleep by an airstrike one day after it was…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://ffi2026.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 25, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Four-hands Music of Franz Schubert (Masterworks of Three Centuries)
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series.
This concert features four-hands music of Franz Schubert performed by Naoko Takao & Kenneth Slowik, fortepiano.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264860?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops. Performances.
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 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, January 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Science on a Sphere
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, 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, January 26, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 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, January 26, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
One-Time Events
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 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.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Poland’s National Parks
Resident Associate Program
Poland has 23 national parks, ranging from very small to well-known throughout Europe. Tour guide Christopher Skutela leads a visual journey to several of them, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the site of the country’s highest mountain, and a 220-square-mile park.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265668?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/265668?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 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, January 26, 2026, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience conveys a sense of appreciation and respect for the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the War on Terror. Visitors have an opportunity to engage in a conversation with a museum docent and learn about the contributions of African Americans to the military history of the United States.
Tours take place at 1:15 pm and 2:30 pm.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one hour tour program meets at Level 3 in the Double Victory: The African American Military Experience exhibit. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Double Victory: The African American Military Experience.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 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, January 26, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 26, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Behind the Science: Herbivores That Chewed Through Time: How Insects and Pathogens Responded to Earth’s Biggest Events
One-Time Events
Announcing a new After-Hours series at the National Museum of Natural History:
Behind the Science
A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers
Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world.
Programs take place in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center.
Topics and speakers announced on a rolling basis, but save the dates now!January 26: Conrad Labandeira, Paleobiology, The leaves of plants are everywhere. They provide the primary documentation of insect and pathogen feeding styles – or herbivory – on plants in the modern and fossil records. Leaves also are the most abundant, macroscopic item in the fossil record during the past 400 or…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/58024102/behind-the-scienceherbivores-that-chewed-through-timehow-insects-and-pathogens-responded-to-earths-biggest-events-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Visual Literacy: How to Look at Art
Resident Associate Program
The ability to derive meaning from what is seen is an essential skill in a culture saturated with images. Once this visual language is understood, reading images, particularly art, is simpler and more gratifying. Using works from the history of art as well as images from popular culture, art historian Nancy G. Heller focuses on how art communicates, how to analyze and interpret it, and what it reveals about the society that produced it. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265484?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/265484?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, January 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Carve and Create: Learning to Love Linocuts
Resident Associate Program
Learn to love the linocut, a relief printmaking process. Go through each step and come away with a beautiful edition of prints.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265243?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/265243?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
Postmarks and Paperbacks January Meeting
One-Time Events
Join staff from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for a discussion of The Women by Kristin Hannah. One woman, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, has gone to war in Vietnam to serve as a nurse. The story shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
If you have any accessibility requirements to participate in the program, please email NPMprograms@si.edu and we will do everything we can to meet your needs.
A Zoom link will be emailed to participants prior to the program. Registration is required. Tickets will be available in November.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Categories: After Five.
Monday, January 26, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit postalmuseum.si.edu. Little Critters: Nature Play at Think Tank (Finding Fossils)
NZP Kids and Families
Calling all young paleontologists! , Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore ancient worlds through fossils.
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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Animal Spotlight - Bison!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
Tuesday, January 27th, is a special animal spotlight on bison! Families can celebrate our national mammal by making observations of bison specimens from our education collection, learn about ways they help their ecosystem, and explore how bison have been portrayed in stamp art. Our friends from the National Postal Museum will also be here to celebrate alongside us as we learn together through play, exploration, and art.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
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…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 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: Gong Xian (ca. 1610–1689); Winter Landscape; China, mid- to late 17th century; album leaf; ink on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1961.11.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 27, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Architecture of the National Parks
Resident Associate Program
Sam Gennawey, a former urban planner, theme park historian, and author of Sacred Landscapes: One Van Lifer's Six-Year, 175, 000-Mile National Park Journey likens the National Park Service (NPS) to a meticulously curated museum that showcases the nation’s most culturally significant landscapes. As he examines nature-focused parks and the architecture that frames them—from vintage “Parkitecture” lodges to modern visitor centers—he offers his unique perspective on landscape storytelling, his experience visiting nearly 390 parks, and his insight as a longtime NPS volunteer.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265516?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/265516?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, January 27, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: Paint What You Hear
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Throughout January, we’ve learned how to “Think Like an Artist” by exploring the processes behind our favorite artists’ work. We’re winding up our adventure with the paintings of Janet Sobel, an Abstract Expressionist whose work influenced Jackson Pollock. Sobel, who was a grandmother by the time she started making art, often listened to music for inspiration while she painted. We’ll echo Sobel’s practice by making art while listening to live music. Then we’ll visit Sobel’s artwork The Attraction of Pink (1945), on view in Revolutions.
Featured book: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow, KNOW…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Paint with No Rules.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
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, January 28, 2026, 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, January 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Cultural Expressions Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This tour introduces visitors to the broad concept of African American and African diaspora culture and five ways through which that culture is expressed. Guests converse with a docent while exploring objects pertaining to Style: Image and Identity, Foodways: Culture and Cuisine, Artistry: Craftsmanship and Creativity, Movement: Social Dance and Gesture and Language: The Power of the Word that are featured in the Cultural Expressions exhibition.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Cultural Expressions exhibition, located on L4. One-hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Cultural Expressions.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Story Time with DCPL
One-Time Events
Join us for Story Time in collaboration with the DC Public Library! Story Time is a fun way to introduce your child to language and literacy skills through an interactive experience.
For questions about this event, please email us at: HistoryTeachers@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM.
Storytime Studio: Paint What You Hear
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Throughout January, we’ve learned how to “Think Like an Artist” by exploring the processes behind our favorite artists’ work. We’re winding up our adventure with the paintings of Janet Sobel, an Abstract Expressionist whose work influenced Jackson Pollock. Sobel, who was a grandmother by the time she started making art, often listened to music for inspiration while she painted. We’ll echo Sobel’s practice by making art while listening to live music. Then we’ll visit Sobel’s artwork The Attraction of Pink (1945), on view in Revolutions.
Featured book: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow, KNOW…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Paint with No Rules.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
A Milestone in Church History: The Council of Nicaea
Resident Associate Program
The year 2025 marks the 1, 700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which met in 325 in the presence of Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor. The gathering of some 250 bishops was a momentous event and is remembered as the first ecumenical council, which composed the original Nicene Creed still used in modified form today. However, what really happened at the council remains controversial. Historian David Gwynn explores Nicaea’s disputed legacy for both Christianity and the Roman empire.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265600?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/265600?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, January 28, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 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, January 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 28, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Defining Freedom Amongst Ideas of Liberty | Cultivating Learning
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Join the National Museum of African American History and Culture to explore how the concept of liberty and freedom manifested for African Americans in the Revolutionary and New Nation eras. Together we will discover individual and community actions against slavery during these early periods. You will leave with resources and discussion prompts to deepen the story of the founding of the United States and the complex nature of liberty.
Program Details:
This is a Zoom webinar with automatic 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 your participation, please email us at learninglab@si.edu. Please make your accessibility request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date.
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Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Related Events: In this special 2025-2026 Cultivating Learning series, "Celebrating America at 250," Smithsonian educators share teaching techniques and resources that help tell the story of America's 250th. The series celebrates well-known people, events, and accomplishments of our nation and also provides opportunities to discuss lesser-told histories that together form our national narrative. Join us to explore strategies for using digital museum resources to support student learning at this milestone moment in American… Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Growing Community: Nurturing In Winter
One-Time Events
ACM Beyond The Exhibition presents a Growing Community Series together with Martha's Table
Join ACM’s Growing Community at Martha’s Table Healthy Happy Hour, a free weekly community gathering that brings neighbors together for connection and wellness. Stop by the Commons to enjoy refreshing healthy mocktails, nutritious snacks, music, gardening activities, and hands-on wellness activities for all ages.
Participants will explore strategies for caring for plants and sustaining growth during the winter months. The session will cover winter plant care, low-maintenance growing practices, and ways to bring greenery into the home during colder seasons. Each guest will create a small plant display and leave with a Tillandsia (air plant), learning how to care for this resilient, low-maintenance plant year-round.
About ACM Beyond The Exhibition
Keeping engagement alive while our gallery transforms.
While we undergo an exciting exhibition installation from January through May of 2026, our work continues beyond…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Martha's Table at The Commons- 2375 Elvans Rd. SE, Washington, D.C. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-nurturing-in-winter-tickets-1979726974674?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Reclaiming My Time Through Poetry
One-Time Events
Begin the new year by reclaiming your time, voice, and creative practice in this virtual poetry workshop inspired by our exhibition, Reclaiming My Time. Centered on presence, this workshop invites participants to pause, reset expectations, and reconnect with the self through written and spoken word.
The workshop, led by international slam poetry champion Anthony McPherson, will introduce techniques of poetic immediacy—a practice of writing from the present moment rather than the pull of future to-do lists or past memories—as well as elements of stream of consciousness. Participants will be guided to write about the thing while the thing is occurring, composing poetry that reflects their current time, place, and emotional landscape.
Through prompts and a discussion with Museum Curator, Michelle Joan Wilkinson, attendees will acknowledge milestones, and consider this season as a necessary period of rest and grounding.
For inquires, please email NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/d5gQIP8FSsOlRkbKrlK3xg. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. After Five.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Shadows of the Scepter: Occult Belief and Superstition in Tudor England
Resident Associate Program
Behind the grandeur of the Tudor throne lurked a deep fascination with alchemy, astrology, and signs from the divine. Major events such as marriages, coronations, treaties, and military campaigns were often timed according to favorable alignments of the stars. Historian Cheryl White unlocks a hidden world of power where monarchs sometimes navigated political intrigue with the assistance of the dark currents of occult belief.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265485?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/265485?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, January 28, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
3D Constructions in Mixed Media
Resident Associate Program
Explore new approaches to artmaking while experimenting with a wide range of subjects. Start with quick sketches to refine your ideas, then build your work through layers of wet and dry media.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265244?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/265244?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, January 28, 2026, 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM.
Virtual Studio Tour with Artist Liz Schreiber
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join artist Liz Schreiber and Renwick Gallery Collections Manager, Elana Hain, for a deep dive into all things crop art! A much beloved tradition in the Midwest, crop art combines agriculture and creativity to make art using glue, seeds, plants, and patience. During this virtual studio tour, you will go behind the scenes to learn about Schreiber’s artistic practice, explore her studio space, and learn about the creative process behind pieces like the signature image for State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2KeRZ. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Portrait Painting in Oil and Acrylic
Resident Associate Program
Learn how to paint expressive portraits as you improve your observational skills, ability to see angles and shapes, and understanding of color and value. The class emphasizes how to define a subject’s unique features by determining shapes of light and shadow.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265245?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/265245?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
The Art of Floral Design
Resident Associate Program
Learn the fundamentals of floral arranging as this class covers essential base mechanics, sourcing flowers, working with seasonal blooms, and photographing your work.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265246?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/265246?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at Think Tank (Finding Fossils)
NZP Kids and Families
Calling all young paleontologists! , Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore ancient worlds through fossils.
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.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 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, January 29, 2026, 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, January 29, 2026, 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.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Coral Reef Tank Talk
Ongoing Tours & Activities
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.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 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.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Abstract Watercolor for Beginners
Resident Associate Program
Learn to embrace and celebrate the unpredictability, versatility, and beauty of watercolor. Class discussions cover supplies; color theory, palettes and pigment control; and exercises and experiments to achieve different effects.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265247?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/265247?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 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, January 29, 2026, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
Life of a Sailor
One-Time Events
Have you ever wondered what a sailor's life was like on a traditional wooden ship? Full of hardship and adventure alike, a seagoing life sometimes offered better opportunities than people could find on land. Join our visiting expert to learn about how water has shaped the lives of sailors from the past and present alike. Trace the evolution of sailing from the tall ships of history to the modern ships of today, compare traditional sailing tools with their modern counterparts, test your knot-tying skills, and more!
Presented by: Alia Payne, Maritime Education Coordinator, Department of Maritime Education, Living Classrooms.
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, January 29, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Masters and Mediums: Pastels
Resident Associate Program
The teacher introduces students to works of Degas, Renoir, Cassatt, and other masters of pastel. Instruction in a variety of techniques helps you on your way to an inspired pastel art adventure.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265248?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/265248?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 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.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 29, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Capturing Winter Scenes
Resident Associate Program
Exploring classic winter scenes, strategize the best techniques to capture the season’s unique qualities. Then go outside and take photos to share for review.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265249?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/265249?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:30 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, January 30, 2026, 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, January 30, 2026, 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.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.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, January 30, 2026, 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.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Selected Fridays and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31
The National Museum of the American Latino will present a series of mobile-cart activities and experiences in front of the Molina Family Latino Gallery in the American History Museum, as part of the Latino Museum’s learning program during the holiday season.
These 10-minute hands-on mobile-cart activity experiences will allow visitors of all ages to create and connect with items in the Latino Museum collection and themes from past and future exhibitions, as well as items from other Smithsonian collections or content.
Free. No registration is required.
For 8th grade- Reading Level
The National Museum of the American Latino is hosting fun, hands-on activities right outside the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the American History Museum. These are mobile-cart activities — basically small stations where you can stop by and join in. , Each activity lasts about 10 minutes. , You’ll get to make things and explore…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free! ¡Gratis! Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Masterworks at the Barnes Foundation: Matisse
Resident Associate Program
Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Henri Matisse.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265518?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/265518?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Papal Patronage of the Arts
Resident Associate Program
Artistic patronage was an important tool in a Renaissance pope’s arsenal, employed both to display power and to communicate and persuade. Art historian Liz Lev looks at the fruitful connection between popes and art from the halcyon days of 15th-century Popes Sixtus IV and Julius II to the Enlightenment era, examining a variety of masterworks including the Laocoön statue and frescoes by Botticelli and Raphael. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265601?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/265601?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, January 30, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 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: Gong Xian (ca. 1610–1689); Winter Landscape; China, mid- to late 17th century; album leaf; ink on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1961.11.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, January 30, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 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.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 30, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Great Yawn of History
Films
Watch the Trailer
Beitollah, a devout middle-aged man, becomes convinced that a recurring dream about a box of gold hidden deep inside a cave is a divine message meant for him. Bound by his strict religious interpretation—which forbids him from touching the treasure—he hires Shoja, a young non-believer, to retrieve it on his behalf. Their journey across Iran, from misty northern forests to vast southern deserts, becomes far more than a search for treasure. It draws in strangers, awakens hidden desires, and blurs the line between faith and illusion.
As the men travel, the promise of gold begins to shift in meaning, revealing their opposing worldviews and the personal longings they try to hide. Their quest turns into an allegorical exploration of belief, greed, and the fragile hope that something extraordinary might redeem an ordinary life. When they finally reach the cave, what awaits them is not simply a discovery but a reckoning—one that forces both men to confront the cost of chasing miracles and the trut…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://ffi2026.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, January 30, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:40 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Mangroves)
NZP Kids and Families
Happy mangroves, happy animals! Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we learn about the important role mangroves play in their ecosystems. 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, January 31, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Open Studio: Musical Abstractions
One time events
This January, we’ll learn how to “Think Like an Artist” at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll get inspired by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Janet Sobel, and Adam Pendleton.
Join us this Saturday as we dive into Sobel’s work and her artistic practice of listening to music while painting. We’ll use paint to make drips and splatters while listening to various genres of music. We’ll be joined by guest DC salsa band Orquesta Manplesa from 1 to 2 PM, too!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Guest Artists,
At the intersection of tradition and youth, just past 16th Street, lies Orquesta Manplesa. Named after the Spanish pronunciation of “Mount Pleasant,” the 10-piece salsa band is redefining what it means to be a part of DC’s Latino community. One of the busiest bands in the District, Orquesta Manplesa can be seen on stages such as Pearl St Warehouse, Plaza Stage at Nationals Park, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, as well as local bars and restaurants, every weekend. Orquesta Manplesa lives…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Hidden Noise Maker.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 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, January 31, 2026, 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, January 31, 2026, 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, January 31, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
The Vikings: New Perspectives on History and Society
Resident Associate Program
The Vikings have fascinated people for centuries, but new discoveries have transformed the view of their world. Archaeology and modern scientific techniques have revealed that Vikings were as good at trading as they were at raiding. In a daylong seminar, historian Jennifer Paxton traces how Vikings pioneered in creating an economic empire that reached from the far western Atlantic Ocean to the markets of Constantinople and Baghdad.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265486?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/265486?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, January 31, 2026, 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, January 31, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Guardians | Family Workshop: Cut + Paste
Kids and Family
Explore how light exposure can damage art in this interactive workshop for children ages 6–11 and their caregivers. Following a visit to Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs, participants will conduct experiments to observe the effects of light on different paper samples and learn why some artworks need special protection. Families will create a collage inspired by the layered, cut-paper designs in the exhibition, then take it home to continue their investigation into how light affects art. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recquired). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1977633516083?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Selected Fridays and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
January 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31
The National Museum of the American Latino will present a series of mobile-cart activities and experiences in front of the Molina Family Latino Gallery in the American History Museum, as part of the Latino Museum’s learning program during the holiday season.
These 10-minute hands-on mobile-cart activity experiences will allow visitors of all ages to create and connect with items in the Latino Museum collection and themes from past and future exhibitions, as well as items from other Smithsonian collections or content.
Free. No registration is required.
For 8th grade- Reading Level
The National Museum of the American Latino is hosting fun, hands-on activities right outside the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the American History Museum. These are mobile-cart activities — basically small stations where you can stop by and join in. , Each activity lasts about 10 minutes. , You’ll get to make things and explore…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free! ¡Gratis! Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3. **Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
***Schedule subject to change without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Level 3. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Curator Tour | Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join curator Carol Huh for a closer look at modern masterpieces in Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Spanning centuries, this exhibition presents a remarkable selection of works generously donated to the Korean nation by the family of Lee Kun-Hee, former Chairman of Samsung.
For this tour, Huh will focus on renowned twentieth-century artists whose unconventional approaches to ink, oil, and paper pushed the boundaries of painting and notions of Korean art and culture.
Please meet at gallery 28 on level B2 for the tour. We recommend you register in advance. Image: Kim Whanki (1913–1974); Echo 19-II-73#307; United States, 1973; oil on canvas; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, PA-09282; Kim Whanki ©️ Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Galleries 23, 24, 28. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curator-tour-korean-treasures-collected-cherished-shared-tickets-1980778198914?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Visual Journaling Creativity Workout
Resident Associate Program
In an afternoon of artistic experimentation designed to strengthen creative muscles and deepen skills in visual expression, explore five distinct modes of visual thinking—memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimentation—to complete eight expressive journaling exercises using the marking and mapping approach.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265225?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/265225?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, January 31, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Art Guardians | Family Workshop: Cut + Paste
Kids and Family
Explore how light exposure can damage art in this interactive workshop for children ages 6–11 and their caregivers. Following a visit to Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs, participants will conduct experiments to observe the effects of light on different paper samples and learn why some artworks need special protection. Families will create a collage inspired by the layered, cut-paper designs in the exhibition, then take it home to continue their investigation into how light affects art. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recquired). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1977633516083?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
SANGJARU
Performances
Sangjaru is a captivating Korean folk fusion band that merges the energy of traditional Korean music with the infectious rhythms of gypsy swing, funk, rock, and improvisation.
The name “Sangjaru” originates from the combination of two Korean words, “sangja” (box) and “jaru” (sack). While a box retains a fixed form, a sack adapts to its contents. Inspired by this analogy, the band aspires to infuse new creativity into the rich traditions of Korean music. Through a blend of diverse musical influences, Sangjaru creates innovative cultural expressions that are both distinctive and exhilarating that captivate and delight audiences worldwide.
In 2019, Sangjaru won the prestigious Sori Frontier competition, part of the Jeonju International Sori Festival, which aims to promote promising Korean artists to the global music scene. This recognition solidified Sangjaru’s reputation as one of Korea’s most exciting emerging bands.
Band Members: Cho Sungyoon, guitar; Kwon Hyochang, janggu (hourglass drum) and kkwaenggwari…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sangjaru-tickets-1977429483817?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, January 31, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Teen Studio: Rhythmic Painting
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
This month, we’ll learn to “Think Like an Artist”—we’ll welcome ambiguity, embrace possibility, reveal patterns, and think through making. This Saturday, we’ll look closely at The Attraction of Pink (1945) by artist Janet Sobel, who painted to music. Then we’ll head back to Art School and let our paintbrushes be guided by music of guest salsa artists Orquesta Manplesa.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Guest Artists,
At the intersection of tradition and youth, just past 16th Street, lies Orquesta Manplesa. Named after the Spanish pronunciation of…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, About the Artist.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Winds of the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra: Music of Dvorák (Masterworks of Three Centuries)
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Dvorák performed by the Winds of the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra, with Natalie Kress & Freya Creech, violins; Ismar Gomes, cello; Kenneth Slowik conductor & harmonium.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265761?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops. Performances.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 7:30 PM – 10:00 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.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 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, February 1, 2026, 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, February 1, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
American Bison Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join educators in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals to discover more about the Nation's Mammal - the American Bison. Learn how these fascinating animals alter their ecosystem in ways that benefit other animals and their habitat, as well as their importance to humans.
Image by Jean Beaufort, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83971372.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: First floor, Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Sketch & Discover Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join docent Sushmita Mazumdar every first Sunday of the month as she guides you to use pencil and paper to consider the unique ideas and expressions of Asian artists from various traditions spanning the continent across centuries. All materials will be provided. No reservation needed.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Freer Information Desk. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Romare Bearden-Inspired Compositions: Exploring Mixed Media Techniques - In Person
Resident Associate Program
While Romare Bearden worked in many mediums from oil and watercolor to printmaking, he is best known for his mixed-media collages and photomontages. After looking at Bearden’s works of art, students try their hand at creating Bearden-inspired mixed-media compositions.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265250?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Beyond the Studio Workshop: Embroidery with Capital Stitch Co
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Local maker Miri Artyukhina of Capital Stitch Co returns to SAAM to lead an embroidery workshop inspired by Valentine’s Day. Participants will learn embroidery basics and all skills required to create a charming artwork, to keep for yourself or gift to your Valentine. Please note that space is limited for this program and registration is required. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on January 18.
Tickets available on December 18
Image credit: Image courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2KsJF. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio
One-Time Events
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
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=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Singing Wings
Films
Watch the Trailer
A heartwarming documentary that feels like a fairy tale, this film follows a seventy-eight-year-old woman in a Kurdish village where storks spend the winter. Khadijeh is a full-time caregiver for both her disabled husband and a stork with a broken wing that was left behind by its flock. When not involved in these activities, she spends her time trying to convince her daughter not to emigrate to the United Kingdom.
Director Hemen Khaledi, who grew up in the area, is attuned to the rhythms of village life. He emphasizes not only Khadijeh’s caregiving but also her hearty sense of humor. And he is not unaware of the irony of Khadijeh helping a bird to fly away while keeping her daughter from doing the same.
Directed by: Hemen Khaledi. Countries: Iran, Georgia, Belgium. Released: 2025. Length: 73 min. Format: DCP. Language: Kurdish with English subtitles. Image courtesy of CAT&Docs.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://ffi2026.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Korean Treasures
Gallery Talks & Tours
Take a guided tour of masterpieces from three Korean art collections. Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared features over 200 artworks, including a dozen national treasures as designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, this exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.
Please meet in the B1 Lobby outside of Gallery 24 for the tour. Image: Chaekgado: Scholar's Accoutrements in a Bookcase; Joseon dynasty, 19th century; six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Korea, LKH4123.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 23, Gallery 24, Gallery 28. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, February 1, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
One-Time Events
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Maydegol
Films
Watch the Trailer
The feisty heroine of this documentary by Sarvnaz Alambeigi is a teenaged immigrant from Afghanistan who dreams of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer. Training in secret because of her conservative family’s disapproval, Maydegol battles not only her opponents but also the prejudicial attitudes of many Iranians toward foreigners living among them, physical abuse from her father, and the hopelessness of being unable to leave. Yet she finds joy and fellowship with fellow athletes and immigrants. Like The Crowd, Maydegol shows the resilience of Iranian Generation Z youths in the face of overwhelming societal pressure.
Director: Sarvnaz Alamgeigi. Countries: Iran, Germany, France. Released: 2024. Length: 73 min. Format: DCP. Language: Persian and Dari with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Tavskovski Films.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://ffi2026.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Science on a Sphere
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, 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, February 2, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
One-Time Events
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 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.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | Arts of China
Gallery Talks & Tours
Examine the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of one of the world’s oldest civilizations in this in-person, docent-led tour. Learn about Chinese artworks such as ritual bronze vessels, calligraphy, brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Please meet at the West Building Information Desk for the tour. Dish with foliate flaring rim; Ming dynasty, Xuande reign, 1426–35; Jingdezhen ware; porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze; H x Diam: 4.8 × 21.3 cm; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1951.13a-b.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Secrets and Symbols in Art: The Iconography of Allegory and Personification of Ideas
Resident Associate Program
When figures represent abstract concepts—such as justice, envy, or time—an artwork enters the world of allegory. Art historian Noah Charney breaks down how allegories were constructed by artists and contrasts Titian’s straightforward Allegory of Prudence with a brilliant and baffling painting by Bronzino, Allegory with Venus and Cupid, a multilayered complex riddle. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265722?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/265722?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Creating Tiny Books in Mixed Media
Resident Associate Program
Create a miniature work of art that unfolds into something magical. Explore the charm and versatility of the accordion book form—perfect for storytelling, journaling, or simply experimenting with imagery.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265251?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/265251?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 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, February 2, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); 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 Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 12; Tour starts in the West Building lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, February 2, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
California Modern Architecture: Redefining Modern Living
Resident Associate Program
Few movements have defined a region’s identity as clearly as California Modernism. From the 1920s through the 1960s, noted contemporary architects, designers, and developers transformed Los Angeles into a showcase of modern living. Using glass, steel, and concrete, they created homes that embodied clarity, openness, and light. Art historian Jennie Hirsh explores the generation of architectural visionaries who reshaped the modern landscape of design across California and beyond. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265454?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/265454?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, February 2, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
Resident Associate Program
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265602?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/265602?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, February 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
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, February 3, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Going the Distance
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 12. Follow the lives of Olympians Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph from childhood infirmity to Olympic glory in this soaring musical.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265012?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
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 play an art detective game as they enjoy the modern and contemporary art galleries at SAAM. Participants will then assemble their own mixed-media collage artworks.
Please note that space is limited for this program and registration is required.
Image credit: Firelei Báez, Untitled (Premiere Carte Pour L'Introduction A L'Histoire De Monde), 2022, oil and acrylic on archival printed canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, © 2023, Firelei Báez. Image courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photographer: Jackie Furtado.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2M7g1. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 10:30 AM.
Going the Distance
Resident Associate Program
Ages 6 to 12. Follow the lives of Olympians Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph from childhood infirmity to Olympic glory in this soaring musical.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265013?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 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: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: West Building. 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, February 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Masterpieces of the Symphony
Resident Associate Program
For composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky, the symphony was both a personal benchmark and a lasting measure of greatness. Their mastery of the form has captivated music lovers for generations. In a 5-session series, opera and classical music expert Saul Lilienstein examines the rich tapestry of the symphonic tradition with excerpts from landmark works spanning the late 18th to the close of the 19th century.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265487?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/265487?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, February 3, 2026, 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: Gong Xian (ca. 1610–1689); Winter Landscape; China, mid- to late 17th century; album leaf; ink on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1961.11.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/8R9H5FxSRciJf6x6PSGd0w. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 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.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Virtual Tour | Lunar New Year
Gallery Talks & Tours
Leap into the Year of the Horse in 2026 with art from our collections! In this tour, you’ll learn about legends, fortunes, and the symbolism of animals, plants, and colors associated with the Lunar New Year. Treasure box of eternal spring and longevity 剔紅春壽寶盒; China, 1736-95; carved red, green, and lacquer on wood core; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1990.15a-e.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m-wwWf8ZStuuflZ43FndmQ. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Lunar New Year. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Tour | The Peacock Room at 150
Gallery Talks & Tours
Learn how a dining room built in London 150 years ago has become one of the most famous artworks in the United States today. This free guided tour closely examines American artist James McNeill Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, inspired by Asian art and decorated with Chinese blue and white porcelain. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room (detail); 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 Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 12; Tour starts in the West Building lobby. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Mosaic Basics
Resident Associate Program
This workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to the art of mosaics. Whether you're exploring mosaics for the first time or looking to strengthen your skills, gain the knowledge and confidence to create visually compelling and technically sound mosaic artwork.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265252?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/265252?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease and the Dementias: What We Know, What We Can Do
Resident Associate Program
Alzheimer’s disease, and the dementias in general, are among the most-feared consequences of being lucky enough to survive into older age. Barry Gordon, a nationally recognized expert on memory and memory disorders, sheds light on these debilitating conditions and provides guidance on what you need to know to take the most informed and active steps if faced with one of them—whether personally or in a family member or friend.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265488?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/265488?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, February 3, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.