This
hCalendar-compliant page
is optimized for search engines. View this calendar as published at
www.si.edu.
Storytime Studio: Express Yourself
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
Find self-confidence at Storytime! We’ll learn about artist Genesis Tramaine’s (b. 1983) abstract portraits and read I Am Enough by Grace Byers before celebrating our unique personalities through self-portraiture.
Featured Book: I Am Enough by Grace Byers
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Lower Level/ Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 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, September 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Highlights Tour - Sports: Leveling the Playing Field
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Because sports were among the first and most high-profile organizations to accept African Americans on terms of relative equality, sports have a unique role in American culture. Go on a docent led tour. Hear about the contributions of athletes on and off the field.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one hour tour program meets at Level 3 in the Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibit. 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.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:15 AM – 12:30 PM.
Ship to Shore: Live from the Science Vessel Point Sur
One-Time Events
Travel with us to the Gulf far off the coast of Alabama as we chat - live- with scientists and experts onboard the ship Point Sur who are working to restore and learn more about deep seafloor habitats. Join us for a chance to ask these experts questions about these exciting restoration efforts taking place in the Gulf!
This program is also offered at 11:30 a.m.
Photo Credit: Michael Viveiros URI Inner Space Center, NOAA.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This program is also offered at 11:30 a.m. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669561857459?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 10:30 AM.
NY | Native Plants: Look, Learn, and Draw
One-Time Events
While the Cooper Hewitt's galleries are closed for installation, join free drop-in design activities in the Garden.
Native Plants: Look, Learn, and Draw, Explore Cooper Hewitt’s garden with museum educators from the National Museum of the American Indian. Choose a plant card, find your match among the native plants, and take time to sketch its unique colors, shapes, and patterns.
Drop-In Sketching in the Garden
Experience Cooper Hewitt’s Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden through drawing! Participants will explore the Gilded Age architecture of the Carnegie Mansion and garden. Draw on your own or get inspired by prompts, from considering patterns, focusing on botanical studies, diving deep into architectural fragments to reimagining the mansion at a different time.
* During inclement weather activities will move indoors. LOCATION: Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, 90th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues
ACCESSIBILITY AND WHAT TO EXPECT
Format: Drawing prompts and…
Event Location: Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, 90th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.cooperhewitt.org. Storytime Studio: Express Yourself
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
Find self-confidence at Storytime! We’ll learn about artist Genesis Tramaine’s (b. 1983) abstract portraits and read I Am Enough by Grace Byers before celebrating our unique personalities through self-portraiture.
Featured Book: I Am Enough by Grace Byers
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Lower Level/ Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Paint, Scoop and Preserve: Make Sweet Memories
One-Time Events
Join us for Paint, Preserve, and Scoop at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Creating memories is as easy as 1, 2 ,3! Choose a canvas curated by Charlecia Joy of Stapledon Arts celebrating family heirlooms, traditions, and storytelling. (Multiple designs will be available), Dive into a guided painted journey designed to help you create treasured family memories. Enjoy a scoop (or two) of ice cream from Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats while you create a masterpiece. Perfect for all skill levels – 7 years old and up.
No experience necessary.
Don’t miss this sweet opportunity to celebrate NMAAHC's 9th Anniversary.
All supplies will be provided.
* Two 2-hour sessions will be offered (11:00AM and 2:00PM)
** Space is limited
.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/a74f69c3-250d-371a-2a2c-0b9bc5965217. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Workshops. Kids & Families. Related Events: NMAAHC Anniversary.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Ship to Shore: Live from the Science Vessel Point Sur
One-Time Events
Travel with us to the Gulf far off the coast of Alabama as we chat - live- with scientists and experts onboard the ship Point Sur who are working to restore and learn more about deep seafloor habitats. Join us for a chance to ask these experts questions about these exciting restoration efforts taking place in the Gulf!
This program is also offered at 10:30 a.m.
Photo Credit: Michael Viveiros URI Inner Space Center, NOAA.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: This program is also offered at 10:30 a.m. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669760722269?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 1:30 PM.
Paint, Scoop and Preserve: Make Sweet Memories
One-Time Events
Join us for Paint, Preserve, and Scoop at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Creating memories is as easy as 1, 2 ,3! Choose a canvas curated by Charlecia Joy of Stapledon Arts celebrating family heirlooms, traditions, and storytelling. (Multiple designs will be available), Dive into a guided painted journey designed to help you create treasured family memories. Enjoy a scoop (or two) of ice cream from Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats while you create a masterpiece. Perfect for all skill levels – 7 years old and up.
No experience necessary.
Don’t miss this sweet opportunity to celebrate NMAAHC's 9th Anniversary.
All supplies will be provided.
* Two 2-hour sessions will be offered (11:00AM and 2:00PM)
** Space is limited
.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/a74f69c3-250d-371a-2a2c-0b9bc5965217. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Workshops. Kids & Families. Related Events: NMAAHC Anniversary.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 24, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Forbes Colloquium on Conservation and Scientific Research: A Codex in Late Antiquity
Lectures & Discussions
In person registration, Virtual registration
The 2025 Forbes Colloquium will mark the launch of a major new research initiative focused on the Washington Gospels Codex—also known as the Freer Codex or Codex Washingtonianus. As one of the earliest surviving parchment codices of the Gospels and a significant object of the National Museum of Asian Art’s collections, this manuscript offers a unique opportunity for renewed scholarly and scientific inquiry.
This colloquium will introduce the project’s scope and goals, highlighting the collaborative efforts of an international, multidisciplinary team. Speakers will discuss the codex’s significance and outline ongoing and upcoming scientific and conservation research that will guide future studies.
The colloquium, organized by the National Museum of Asian Art’s Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, will be held in the Meyer Auditorium on September 24, 2025.
A reception will follow in the museum courtyard.
Speakers: Chase Robinson, Dame Jillian…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium (Enter on Independence Avenue); Freer Courtyard (reception); Online. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Q?rius After Hours - September
One-Time Events
Join us for another evening of Q?rius After Hours in the Coralyn W. Whitney Q?rius Science Education Center stocked with science and joy, crafts, puzzles, and games. Come explore NMNH collections and meet these NMNH experts: The Art of Preserving Plants featuring hands-on botany specimen preparation with museum specialist Erika Gardner , The Evolution of Domestication (crops and dogs!) with curator of archaeogenomics and archaeobotany Logan Kistler , Mass Extinctions in Ancient Oceans with paleobiology postdoctoral fellow Sarah Leventhal , Ocean Biology with ocean educator Bayley McKeon , The Dynamic Mangrove Forests Through the Eyes of Satellites with post doctoral research scientist Suvarna Punalekar , Deep-Sea Habitats with Peter Buck postdoctoral fellow Melissa Betters, Register Here
About the series:
If you think back to a time when you were having fun as a kid, what were you doing that made you so happy? Odds are it included some of the universal elements of play – a concept we know is critical…
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/76665037/qrius-after-hours-september-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. William Franklin: Divided Loyalty
Resident Associate Program
William Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin yet loyal servant of the British king during the American Revolution, moved from familial devotion to political defiance. Historian Richard Bell explores the stark contrast between Benjamin’s ideals of liberty and William’s unwavering belief in the monarchy, creating a portrait of personal and political estrangement that underscores the sacrifices within families that often accompany great historical upheavals.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264414?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/264414?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, September 24, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Diets)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal diets to learn about how we feed all the animals at the Zoo! Make an animal meal in our dramatic play Zoo commissary, feed the animals at our sensory table, and learn how to turn unused food into art!
Little Critters Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
The Smithsonian Greenhouses and How They Grow
Resident Associate Program
Discover what it takes to keep the Smithsonian’s many gardens and interior plant displays looking their best all year round. Smithsonian horticulturist Vickie DiBella takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Facility in Suitland, Maryland, whose greenhouses provide plants for the institution’s gardens and horticultural exhibits.
Event Location: Tour meets onsite at SI Greenhouses Facility 4222 Silver Hill Rd, Suitland, MD. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264516?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.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Little Artists, Big Stories
One-Time Events
Discover the magic of creativity with our storybook reading program for early learners! Through engaging stories, vibrant exhibits, and hands-on art activities, children will explore the legacy of Black arts education in Washington, D.C. building curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for artistic expression.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10: 15 a.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 1 hour
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.
Questions? Email the ACM Education team at ACMTours@si.edu.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-artists-big-stories-tickets-1396883820109?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 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.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place each at the National Air and Space Museum in DC each Thursday at 11 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: At the National Air and Space Museum in DC. Ask at the Welcome Center for that day's exact location. Cost: This is a free drop-in story time. You will need free timed-entry passes to enter the Museum. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. ¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Sept. 11–Oct. 11 only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month.
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.
--
Del 11 de septiembre al 11 de octubre, solo los jueves, viernes y sábados • 11 a. m. a 3 p. m.
El Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense presentará una serie de actividades y experiencias con carritos móviles frente a la Galería Latina de la Familia Molina, en el Museo de Historia Americana, como parte de su programa de aprendizaje durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana.
Estas actividades prácticas de…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery, National Museum of American History American History Museum. Cost: Free. No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
1st Amendment
One-Time Events
Join us on Thursday, September 25, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as we explore the five freedoms outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution of the United States—Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition—with the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that works to foster First Amendment freedoms for all.
///
Acompáñanos el jueves 25 de septiembre en el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense para explorar las cinco libertades descritas en la Primera Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos: libertad de religión, de expresión, de prensa, de reunión y de petición, con el Freedom Forum, una fundación no partidista que trabaja para promover las libertades de la Primera Enmienda para todos. Ubicación: la entrada a La democracia estadounidense: un gran salto de fe es por 2 West, Horario: mediodía a 2:00 p.m. EST.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith exhibition entrance, 2 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Related Exhibition: American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Exploring Role Identity Across Learning Environments: New Perspectives
One-Time Events
Since 1995, the Lemelson Center’s annual symposium series, New Perspectives on Invention and Innovation, has brought together scholars, educators, and practitioners for cross‑disciplinary dialogue at the intersection of history, innovation, and social change.
The 2025 symposium focuses on role identity — how individuals construct, evolve, and express who they are across different life domains — and examines the narratives, contexts, and forces that shape identity exploration in classrooms, museums, and cultural institutions.
In this online symposium, a distinguished group of historians, educators, psychologists, and museum professionals will: Connect theoretical models, like the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI), to practical applications in educational and cultural settings. , Highlight case studies where identity work fosters belonging, agency, and community engagement. , Provide attendees with tools, frameworks, and strategies to apply in their own learning environments. All are invited…
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Online Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exploring-role-identity-across-learning-environments-new-perspectives-tickets-1623414007999. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exploring-role-identity-across-learning-environments-new-perspectives-tickets-1623414007999. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit americanhistory.si.edu. CANCELLED - Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Exploring Ancient Egypt: Culture, Commerce, and Daily Life
Resident Associate Program
Discover the fascinating world of ancient Egypt in a 4-session series that explores the daily life, culture, and innovations of one of the world’s most influential civilizations. Scholar Shelby Justl of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia draws on the discoveries of ongoing archaeological explorations and experimental archaeology to bring to life the rich history of Egypt and its expanding role on the global stage. This session explores ancient Egyptian trade.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264026?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/264026?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 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, September 25, 2025, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
Visionaries in Art: Exploring Black Creativity & Expression
One-Time Events
Explore the rich legacy of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC through an immersive experience designed for youth audiences. Engage in close-looking activities featuring works by influential local artists and art educators, then bring your own creativity to life through hands-on artmaking. Through inquiry-based discussions and artistic exploration, young learners will deepen their understanding of self-expression and connect their observations to their own creative process.
Recommended Audience: Youth 8+
Time and Schedule: 1:00 p.m. Select Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 25, 2025
Duration: About 75 minutes
For all guided experiences, advanced registration for groups of 10 or more is required at least one week prior to your visit. When registering for groups of 10 more, groups may request free bus transportation. Bus transportation is available on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out the guided student tour form available here at least one week prior to your group's arrival.…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visionaries-in-art-exploring-black-creativity-expression-tickets-1396981753029?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours. Workshops.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Making A Way Out of No Way Highlight Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Learn about the ways in which African Americans created possibilities in a world that denied them opportunities. On this docent led tour visitors will reflect on the perseverance, resourcefulness, and resilience required by African Americans to survive and thrive in America.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Making A Way Out of No Way exhibition, L3. Each 1-hour tour takes place at 1:30 PM and 2:45 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Making A Way Out of No Way.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45-minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit maps.google.com. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 25, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Jews vs. Rome: Resilience and Resistance
Resident Associate Program
One of the most momentous eras in human history was the 200 years of ancient Israel’s battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Historian Barry Strauss, author of Jews vs. Rome, focuses on three major uprisings to examine the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia, the internal conflicts among Jews, and the ethnic conflict between Jews and Gentiles in Judea.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264518?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/264518?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Louis XIV: The Sun King and His Legacy
Resident Associate Program
The reign of Louis XIV, spanning from 1643 to 1715, defined an era of absolute monarchy, cultural splendor, and military ambition. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze explores the ruler’s life from his early years as a boy king under the guidance of Cardinal Mazarin to his transformation into the embodiment of royal authority—famously declaring "L'État, c'est moi.” Mikaberidze surveys his successes and failures and considers how the legacy of Louis XIV continued to influence France and the world long after his death.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264415?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/264415?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Mutiny on the Black Prince
Resident Associate Program
History professor James H. Sweet unravels the dramatic story of the events onboard the British slave ship Black Prince, whose crew mutinied in 1768, and the merchant owners' efforts to capture the rebels. The owners mobilized the power of the British government to seek justice and restitution, Sweet says, foreshadowing forms of corporate-state capture that persist to this day.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264517?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/264517?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 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, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
New Deal Projects, Part 2
Resident Associate Program
President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal left a tangible mark on the United States, with over 500 public works projects in Washington, D.C. alone. Join author David Taylor for a walking tour in Washington that focuses on landmarks, art, and other still-visible signs from the New Deal period not seen on the previous tour. Stops include the Library of Congress, old Social Security Administration building, and Jefferson Memorial.
Event Location: Tour meets at the main entrance of John Adams Building, Library of Congress. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264503?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
The Glorious Waltz: Music, Dance, and Society in Three-Quarter Time
Resident Associate Program
Blossoming in Vienna and spreading like a mania through Europe, the waltz proclaimed a new freedom of sexual expression and individual liberties in the early 19th century. Classical music and opera expert Saul Lilienstein traces the development of a musical form and a dance that changed history.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264416?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/264416?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, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Sept. 11–Oct. 11 only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month.
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.
--
Del 11 de septiembre al 11 de octubre, solo los jueves, viernes y sábados • 11 a. m. a 3 p. m.
El Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense presentará una serie de actividades y experiencias con carritos móviles frente a la Galería Latina de la Familia Molina, en el Museo de Historia Americana, como parte de su programa de aprendizaje durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana.
Estas actividades prácticas de…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery, National Museum of American History American History Museum. Cost: Free. No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Resident Associate Program
With its magic spells, soaring lyricism, and playful plot, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most beloved and frequently performed of Shakespeare’s comedies. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, explores its poetic forms and central themes as he situates the play within both the broader arc of Shakespeare’s career and his evolving understanding of the comic genre.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264512?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/264512?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, September 26, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Taki Katei; Autumn landscape; Japan, 1890; ink and color on paper; Gift of Toshio and Yuka Fujikura in memory of Tome Fujikura, F2014.8.28a-d.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/gz7O3IOSRJKzNc-CWszhlg. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, September 26, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Curator Tour: "Unbound"
One-Time Events
Curated by Emil Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota), this exhibition juxtaposes historical hides, muslins, and ledger books with more than 50 contemporary works commissioned by the museum. Illustrating everything from war deeds and ceremonial events to family life, Native identity, and pop culture, the artworks are as diverse as the individuals who created them. Join the curator for a guided tour of an exhibition that celebrates the full expression of narrative art among Native nations of the Great Plains.
Image: Hunkpapa Lakota dress (back), ca. 1880. North Dakota or South Dakota. Muslin, wool cloth, silk ribbon, thread, paint; 141.5 x 128.4 cm. (21/3665).
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 4, exhibition gallery. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 26, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Conservation Cart Talk | Conserving a Japanese Folding Screen
Gallery Talks & Tours
Get a rare glimpse into a current conservation project: our remounting of a unique Japanese folding screen by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, which features six fan-shaped paintings attached to a painted background.
Our Japanese painting conservators will talk about the process of remounting folding screens. In this traditional conservation technique, a conservator removes the painting from its old screen, constructs a new screen, and carefully mounts the painting to the new surface. Explore models and materials from our conservation studio to see what this process entails, and learn why we do it.
Learn more about how we mount Japanese paintings. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Gallery 5. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Setan Jawa
Films
Live musical accompaniment by singer Peni Candra Rini and her ensemble
Followed by a conversation with director Garin Nugroho.
Kick off our celebration of Indonesian cinema with a multimedia work by its most celebrated director, Garin Nugroho. Setan Jawa is inspired as much by Javanese mythology and shadow puppetry as it is by the German Expressionist silent film masterpieces Nosferatu and Metropolis.
The film follows a poor man from the countryside who falls in love with an aristocratic young woman and makes a deal with the devil so he can marry her. But when she learns of the pact, she sets out to negotiate for her husband’s soul.
Director: Garin Nugroho (Indonesia). Released: 2017. Length: 73 min. Format: DCP. Silent.
Peni Candra Rini is a renowned Javanese singer, composer, and faculty member at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts. The Kronos Quartet has described her as “one of the world’s greatest singers.” She is a master of several traditional forms and is regarded as one of Indonesia’s most…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://indonesia2025.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, September 26, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Teeth)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal teeth and diets to learn about the different ways that animals eat their food.
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, September 27, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Little Critters: Nature Play at Think Tank (Things That Go)
NZP Kids and Families
HONK! HONK! BEEP! BEEP!
Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo as we explore vehicles that help Zoo workers do their jobs!
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: Think Tank Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. DC | Worldwide Day of Play
One-Time Events
Bring your family to enjoy Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play. Multiple Smithsonian museums will offer interactive activities and experiences that encourage the importance of play for all ages. Adults must accompany children at all times. No registration required.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2025. It is the only direct-to-consumer farm stand of its kind East of the River in Ward 8.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 19 - November 22, 2025.*
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1307850759829?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Show Your True Colors
One time events
Start the fall with crisp opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in September at Open Studio. Discover how you can use art to explore your identity, find your power, and change the world! Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges.
At this Saturday’s Open Studio, we’ll explore how artist Genesis Tramaine uses striking colors and abstract forms to create unique expressionist portraits. Then we’ll use oil pastels, paint, and vibrant colors to create our own self-portraits!
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Lower Level/ Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Mixed-Up Portraits.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Visitors cannot overlook the Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin, a circa early 1800s slave cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The cabin is one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island. Its story provides a revealing glimpse into the most formative and troubling chapters in American history.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Point of Pines Planation Slave Cabin, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Musical Crossroads Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the museum with a docent. Meet at the intersection of history and culture and take a musical journey that tells the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to the present day in the Musical Crossroads exhibition.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Musical Crossroads exhibit, located on L4. Tours take place at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Musical Crossroads.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
The Splendors of the English Country House
Resident Associate Program
The country houses of England are among the country’s greatest treasures. In a day-long program, art historian Bonita Billman surveys a selection of these grand estates, known for their architectural magnificence, spectacular decorative art and art collections, and glorious gardens. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264417?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/264417?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, September 27, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:15 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, September 27, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Lowriding Family Festival
One-Time Events
The Corazón y vida: Lowriding Family Festival celebrates the opening of the new exhibition Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture, a showcase of the artistic expression, technological innovations, and storytelling of lowriders.
Featuring activities for all ages, the festival includes local clubs with lowrider cars and bikes, live music performances and DJs of different genres, an expert panel offering insight into the intersection of lowrider culture and music, hands-on activities, a screening of related documentaries, and more.
The family festival is held in partnership with the National Museum of the American Latino.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Outdoors: Constitution Ave and Madison Drive (National Mall) Museum Entrance. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lowriding-family-festival-tickets-1588173282039?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families. Films. Performances. Related Events: DCPL Storytime , History Film Forum. Related Exhibition: Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture
Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts
Third Floor West, North Gallery
Opens Sept. 26, 2025 through Oct. 3, 2027. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Story Time with DCPL: My Papi Has a Motorcycle Book by Isabel Quintero
One-Time Events
Join us for a special vehicle-themed 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.
This session is part of the Corazón y vida: Lowriding Family Festival, celebrating the opening of the exhibition Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture.
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. Related Events: Lowriding Family Festival.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
NY | Celebrate the Equinox with Sisa Pakari
One-Time Events
Andean culture bearers Sisa Pakari join us to celebrate the start of fall by marking the equinox. Equinoxes occur twice a year when the sun appears to be directly above the Earth's equator, marking the start of spring and autumn. Sisa Pakari will share their culture through performances of traditional Indigenous dances and music from the Ecuadorean Andes. Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
This program is part of the museum’s Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Rotunda. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations. Performances.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Art & Me | Family Workshop: Silver Tells a Story
Kids and Family
Explore how silver objects from ancient Iran were made and preserved in this hands-on family workshop for children ages 3–8 and their caregivers. After a guided look at the exhibition Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran, participants will experiment with real silver and learn simple techniques inspired by the science of conservation. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio, Gallery 21. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1587828280129?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Sept. 11–Oct. 11 only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month.
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.
--
Del 11 de septiembre al 11 de octubre, solo los jueves, viernes y sábados • 11 a. m. a 3 p. m.
El Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense presentará una serie de actividades y experiencias con carritos móviles frente a la Galería Latina de la Familia Molina, en el Museo de Historia Americana, como parte de su programa de aprendizaje durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana.
Estas actividades prácticas de…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery, National Museum of American History American History Museum. Cost: Free. No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11:00 AM.
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, September 27, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Story Time with DCPL: The ABC's of Lowriding by R. Cortez
One-Time Events
Join us for a special vehicle-themed 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.
This session is part of the Corazón y vida: Lowriding Family Festival, celebrating the opening of the exhibition Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture.
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. Related Events: Lowriding Family Festival.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Fotos y Recuerdos Festival
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a festival in the Kogod Courtyard. Our friends from Lil’ Libros are returning with more books, activities and fun at this bilingual event for all ages. Learn about figures and artists from both museums and celebrate art, history and culture with a day of art making, dancing, museum tours, story times, book signings and more!
Schedule:
11:30 a.m. Program begins
11:45 to 12:15 Performance by Fraternidad Alma Boliviana, followed by a dance workshop
12:20 p.m. story time with Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, followed by book signing
12:50 p.m. National Portrait Gallery tour with curator Taína Caragol
1 p.m. Lotería
1:30 p.m. Performance by Fraternidad Alma Boliviana, followed by a dance workshop
2 p.m. The Life of/La Vida de story time with Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, followed by book signing
2:30 p.m. Smithsonian American Art Museum tour
2:45 p.m. Lotería
3 p.m. Program concludes.
Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fotos-y-recuerdos-festival-tickets-1544733342009?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Performances. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Community Day
One-Time Events
Celebrate Community Day at the National Museum of African Art with a full day of programming!
Each September, the museum opens its doors to visitors of all ages to inspire them to learn more about the peoples and cultures of Africa and its diaspora through exhibitions, art-making, live performances, tours, and more!
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Throughout the Museum and Haupt Garden. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-day-tickets-1657420392009?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Workshops. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit africa.si.edu. Kitchen Chemistry with Rain Young
One-Time Events
Join artist Rain Young in a fun workshop bridging science with art. Unleash your inner scientist in the kitchen! This hands-on class combines the art of ingredients with the science of chemistry, offering a fun and interactive way to learn about the fascinating reactions behind everyday recipes. Perfect for curious minds of all ages, this class will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the science that makes your meals delicious. No prior experience required—just bring your curiosity and taste buds! Supplies provided. Participants will experiment with ingredients to explore concepts like emulsification, fermentation, and leavening, turning ordinary pantry staples into extraordinary creations.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kitchen-chemistry-with-rain-young-tickets-1376730310419?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
In-Gallery Portrait Signs
One-Time Events
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language. Tours explore portraiture, history and biography through the lens of our special exhibitions and permanent collection. Dates and topics are continually updated.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Inspired by the Collections: Cold Connections and Alternative Materials
Resident Associate Program
The jewelry in the Cooper Hewitt’s Susan Grant Lewin Collection embodies the ingenious use of alternative materials. With an emphasis on upcycled materials, students learn to refine readily available trash items into unique works of contemporary jewelry.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264179?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/264179?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, September 27, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
NY | Celebrate the Equinox with Sisa Pakari
One-Time Events
Andean culture bearers Sisa Pakari join us to celebrate the start of fall by marking the equinox. Equinoxes occur twice a year when the sun appears to be directly above the Earth's equator, marking the start of spring and autumn. Sisa Pakari will share their culture through performances of traditional Indigenous dances and music from the Ecuadorean Andes. Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
This program is part of the museum’s Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Rotunda. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations. Performances.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 1:00 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 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 modes of visual thinking: working from memory, observation, imagination, narrative, and experimental approaches.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264139?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/264139?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, September 27, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Art & Me | Family Workshop: Silver Tells a Story
Kids and Family
Explore how silver objects from ancient Iran were made and preserved in this hands-on family workshop for children ages 3–8 and their caregivers. After a guided look at the exhibition Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran, participants will experiment with real silver and learn simple techniques inspired by the science of conservation. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio, Gallery 21. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1587828280129?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 27, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Summer Teen Studio: Main Character Energy
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–18. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
We’ll kick off the school year with some major main-character energy—this week, we’ll explore portraiture. Take inspiration from artist Genesis Tramaine, who uses bold colors and distorted forms to create unique portraits in an Abstract Expressionist style. Use oil pastels, paint, and vibrant colors to create portraits that represent the deep personality and emotions of your subject.
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 the Hirshhorn and get creative any time.
Do…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Lower Level/ Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School Art School Everywhere, Hirshhorn Artist Diaries: Aliza Nisenbaum.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. NY | Celebrate the Equinox with Sisa Pakari
One-Time Events
Andean culture bearers Sisa Pakari join us to celebrate the start of fall by marking the equinox. Equinoxes occur twice a year when the sun appears to be directly above the Earth's equator, marking the start of spring and autumn. Sisa Pakari will share their culture through performances of traditional Indigenous dances and music from the Ecuadorean Andes. Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
This program is part of the museum’s Hispanic Heritage Month events.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Rotunda. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations. Performances.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. History Film Forum: Lowriding from the 80s to Today
One-Time Events
Finishing off the Corazón y vida: Lowriding Family Festival, the History Film Forum presents a set of screenings exploring how Lowrider culture has evolved in the last 40 years. We begin with Rick Tejada-Flores's 1983 PBS documentary Low ‘N Slow, the Art of Lowriding, which presents a contemporary account of the early 80s lowriding scene. Then we move to the late 2010s with clips from Estevan Oriol's Lowriders, showcasing the community’s growth and change. Afterwards we’ll discuss the films, the history of lowriding culture, and the creation of the new exhibit Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture with museum curator L. Stephen Velazquez and 1970s lowrider poster artist Rudy O. Cuellar.
Before the film, visitors can see special objects out of storage from the museum’s collections related to—but not featured in—Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture.
This event received federal support from the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino.
________________________…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center. Cost: Free, registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-film-forum-lowriding-from-the-80s-to-today-tickets-1660938765559?aff=trumba. Categories: After Five. Films. Related Events: Lowriding Family Festival. Related Exhibition: Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture
Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts
Third Floor West, North Gallery
Opens Sept. 26, 2025 through Oct. 3, 2027. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, September 27, 2025, 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Gettysburg: The Battlefield and Beyond
Resident Associate Program
Some 160, 000 soldiers, both Union and Confederate, fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a journey across the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, delving into soldiers’ personal stories, which include moments of extraordinary courage, unbreakable camaraderie, and heart-wrenching loss. Explore sites like Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, and East Cemetery Hill while discussing the psychological toll of combat and living in the trenches.
Event Location: Departs from the Holiday Inn Capitol at 550 C St SW (corner of 6th & C Sts). Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264519?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.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 8:00 AM – 6:30 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, September 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Performance: Balinese Wayang Kulit Shadow Play
Performances
Performed by I Gusti Putu Sudarta, accompanied by live gamelan and kroncong music performed by members of Gamelan Raga Kusuma.
This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a master of the Wayang Kulit shadow puppet genre perform live! Wayang (“shadow”) Kulit (“skin”) are flat leather puppets made from carved and painted rawhide. The Javanese and Balinese shadow play tradition is at least 1000 years old. It is both a sacred genre and a mass entertainment for local communities. Besides philosophical and religious instruction, performances include a healthy dose of bawdy humor and manic fight scenes.
Sudarta will perform Sutasoma. In this shadow play, the only child of a royal family rejects the throne and escapes to the forest for a life of Buddhist contemplation. But first he must conquer various ogres in the forest, including an elephant-headed beast and a giant snake.
The performance lasts approximately 75 minutes. Afterwards, you can meet Sudarta and learn about his puppets.
I Gusti Putu Sudarta is…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/performance-balinese-wayang-kulit-shadow-play-tickets-1567769533879?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 28, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Opera Jawa
Films
Watch the trailer
In Person: Garin Nugroho, director
Followed by a reception courtesy of the Embassy of Indonesia!
This grand musical film boasts dazzling sets designed by contemporary visual artists, choreography by famed Indonesian dancer Eko Supriyanto, hypnotic gamelan music, and a story based on the abduction of Sita from the Hindu epic The Ramayana. Opera Jawa earned praise from no less a luminary than opera and theater director Peter Sellars, who commended its director, Garin Nugroho, for “creating a new language for film.”
Set in lush forests and pristine beaches, this film tells the story of a potter’s wife who, in a moment of weakness, is seduced by a flirtatious butcher, which sets off an epic battle for her affections. Nathan Lee of The Village Voice calls it “a radiant folk fantasia, at once sophisticated and elemental, freewheeling and composed.”
Director: Garin Nugroho (Indonesia, Austria). Released: 2010. Length: 120 min. Format: 35mm. Language: Bahasa Indonesia. Image courtesy of…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://indonesia2025.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, September 28, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Blue Star Welcome Week for Military Families
One-Time Events
Join at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as we celebrate, honor, and welcome military families to the museum through the Blue Star Families program. Visitors can enjoy docent-led programming in our Price of Freedom military history galleries. As a proud Blue Star Museum, the National Museum of American History welcomes active-duty military members and their families.
///Acompáñanos en el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense para celebrar, honrar y dar la bienvenida a las familias de militares a través del programa Familias Estrella Azul. Los visitantes podrán disfrutar de una programación guiada por docentes en nuestras galerías de historia militar en El Precio de la Libertad. Como orgulloso Museo Estrella Azul, el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense da la bienvenida a los militares en servicio activo y a sus familias. Ubicación: la entrada a El precio de la libertad: estadounidenses en guerra es por 3 East.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition entrance, 3 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 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, September 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Developing Your Creative Practice
Resident Associate Program
Drop the burden of a finished product and focus on developing your ideas. Begin to deal with procrastination, creative blocks, flow, problem solving, and finishing with the support of a stress-free environment. Build confidence alongside other creatives on the same journey.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264180?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/264180?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, September 29, 2025, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669561857459?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 10:30 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=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 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, September 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Tours | The Art of Women
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join us for a docent-led tour highlighting women’s untold stories in the art world, where their contributions have frequently been overshadowed. Discover the importance of women artists, subjects, patrons, and collectors who’ve shaped history. Celebrate women’s creativity and resilience by exploring captivating narratives that include inspirational subjects, ruling monarchs, and revered figures of divinity. Image: Detail, The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United States, 1863–65, oil on canvas, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91a–b.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Artful Mind, Tranquil Mind
Resident Associate Program
In a series designed to provide a tranquil midday break, create small but satisfying works of art as a way to hit “pause” and incorporate a bit of creativity into your at-home routines.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264181?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/264181?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, September 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Converse with a docent. Learn how African Americans flourished in their own communities during the Era of Segregation 1876-1968 despite the turmoil around them. Under a time of intense pressure to take away their rights as citizens, African Americans not only survived the challenges set before them but crafted an important role for themselves in the nation.
Image Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: This one-hour tour program meets in the Defending Freedom, The Era of Segregation 1876-1968 exhibit, located on C2. Tours take place at 12:45 PM and 2:45 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Visitors cannot overlook the Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin, a circa early 1800s slave cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The cabin is one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island. Its story provides a revealing glimpse into the most formative and troubling chapters in American history.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Point of Pines Planation Slave Cabin, Level C3. Talks take place at: 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669760722269?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 1:30 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 29, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
The Book of Kells: The Flowering of Celtic Art
Resident Associate Program
The Book of Kells, housed at Trinity College in Dublin, is one of the most spectacular works of art in history. Manuscripts like this grew out of an artistic tradition that embraced other art forms, including metalwork, sculpture, and embroidery. Historian Jennifer Paxton looks at the diverse strands that influenced the Book of Kells, from indigenous Irish elements to motifs imported from other cultures, and discusses its influence on the revival of Celtic art from the 19th century to the present. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264418?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/264418?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, September 29, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Age of World's Fairs: Spectacles of Innovation
Resident Associate Program
World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display a myriad of advancements, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal exhibitions examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session highlights the Paris World's Fair of 1900.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263981?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/263981?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, September 29, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Martians
Resident Associate Program
A mere century ago, Martians were thought to be real, not fictional, creatures. Journalist David Baron draws on his new book, The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America, to examine this strange case of mass delusion. Although the Martians never were real, says Baron, the excitement about them was genuine and world-changing, since it sparked a new genre called science fiction and helped launch us into space—toward Mars.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264520?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/264520?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, September 29, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Teeth)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal teeth and diets to learn about the different ways that animals eat their food.
Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Blue Star Welcome Week for Military Families
One-Time Events
Join at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as we celebrate, honor, and welcome military families to the museum through the Blue Star Families program. Visitors can enjoy docent-led programming in our Price of Freedom military history galleries. As a proud Blue Star Museum, the National Museum of American History welcomes active-duty military members and their families.
///Acompáñanos en el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense para celebrar, honrar y dar la bienvenida a las familias de militares a través del programa Familias Estrella Azul. Los visitantes podrán disfrutar de una programación guiada por docentes en nuestras galerías de historia militar en El Precio de la Libertad. Como orgulloso Museo Estrella Azul, el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense da la bienvenida a los militares en servicio activo y a sus familias. Ubicación: la entrada a El precio de la libertad: estadounidenses en guerra es por 3 East.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition entrance, 3 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Landscape Elements in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Gain confidence in your ability to paint important natural elements in watercolor. Demonstrations and exercises introduce techniques for creating flowing landscapes.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264182?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/264182?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, September 30, 2025, 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.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Mighty Megalodon!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday we will learn about the mighty Megalodon! While Megalodons, an ancient shark that lived 23 – 3.5 million years ago, are no longer swimming in our ocean, people of all ages are fascinated by its size and large teeth! Together we will learn about this ancient shark that used to roam the ocean, make our own wearable artwork inspired by Megalodon teeth, and have the chance to hold a real Megalodon tooth!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in the Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Ocean Hall is on the 1st floor.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However,…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Explorer Theater in the Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Flights of Fancy Story Time
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Museum staff read stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Each session includes one story and a hands-on activity. The featured book changes each month. See the full schedule.
Takes place at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center each Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and 11:30 am.
These programs are made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: At the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Ask at the Welcome Center for the exact location of that day's story time. Cost: Free, Parking $15. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
How Things Are Made: The Hidden World of Manufacturing
Resident Associate Program
We live in a manufactured world. Unless you're completely disconnected from modern society, you're likely surrounded by a multitude of manufactured products—furniture, technology, clothing, even food. Yet the processes behind how these things come into our lives remain largely invisible. Tim Minshall, a professor at the University of Cambridge, traces the surprising paths everyday items travel from design and creation to delivery—and how they shape nearly every aspect of our daily lives.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264521?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/264521?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, September 30, 2025, 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: Taki Katei; Autumn landscape; Japan, 1890; ink and color on paper; Gift of Toshio and Yuka Fujikura in memory of Tome Fujikura, F2014.8.28a-d.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/gz7O3IOSRJKzNc-CWszhlg. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. DC | Welcome to a Native Place
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Potomac Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, September 30, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Exploring Color in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Enhance your knowledge and understanding of color theory in watercolor. Learn practical skills such as identifying and mixing colors correctly to create your own cohesive palette.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264183?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/264183?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, September 30, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving Continued: Make a Table Runner
Resident Associate Program
Level up your beginning weaving skills and create a distinctively textured, colorful table runner on your rigid heddle loom. Build on the plain weave structure with striking warp and weft float techniques.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264184?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/264184?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, September 30, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Cephalopod Life Cycles: From Alien Larvae to World's Most Patient Moms
Resident Associate Program
When it comes to finding a partner, cephalopods pull out all the stops. Pygmy squid squirt inky backdrops to highlight their dazzling courtship displays. Cuttlefish multitask, decorating one half of their bodies to seduce a mate while the other half flashes a warning to rivals. After fertilization, the situation gets even more incredible. Market squid carpet the seafloor with ghostly egg fingers that repel predators even as the parents are devoured. Deep-sea octopuses set a world record: The mothers guard their eggs for over four years. Biologist Danna Staaf leads a journey through the bizarre beauty of cephalopod life cycles.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264522?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/264522?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, September 30, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Golden Age of Vienna: The Art of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele
Resident Associate Program
At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was a center of political power as well as avant-garde culture, home to some of the world’s greatest composers, architects, writers, and artists. Two who helped define this age of glamour, elegance, and decadence were artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Art critic Judy Pomeranz examines how they were influenced by their time and place and illustrates how powerfully they reflected them in works both beautiful and shocking. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264523?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/264523?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, September 30, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Screening and Discussion: May All the Little Girls Win
Films
Enjoy a screening of artist Charmaine Poh’s short films and a post-screening discussion in this special event organized with the Goethe-Institut Washington.
Working across film, photography, media, and performance, Charmaine Poh examines ideas of agency, repair, and the body across worlds. Her work is also influenced by Eastern philosophy, media criticism, and cyberfeminism.
Order of Screenings Kin (2021, digital film, 2:54 min.) , What’s softest in the world rushes and runs over what’s hardest in the world (2024, 4K digital film, 14:30 min.) , public solitude (2022, 2-channel digital video, synthetic media, 4:00 min.) , GOOD MORNING YOUNG BODY (2023, performance-lecture digital video, synthetic media, 6:23 min.) , in the shadow of the cosmic (2023, performance-lecture, 30:00 min.), Register in advance to get the best experience.
About Charmaine Poh
Charmaine Poh (b. 1990) is an artist from Singapore working across media, moving image, and performance to peel apart, interrogate, and hold ideas of agency,…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1596572233529?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Films. Lectures & Discussions. After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Famous Orchids in History
Resident Associate Program
Humans and orchids have a long and storied history. Learn about highlights, including the Vanilla orchid, Darwin’s orchid, ghost orchid, and the first ladies Cattleya orchids.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264140?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/264140?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, September 30, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Storytime Studio: Shadow Play
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
Kick off the spooky season by playing with shadows at Storytime. We’ll get inspired by artist Alberto Giacometti’s (1901–1966) long, thin sculptures and read Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch.
Featured book: Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. When the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for entry to the 11 AM…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Avant-Garde Aluminum.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 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, October 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: The Paradox of the Liberty
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: The paradox of the American Revolution is the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery. Talk with a museum docent and explore the tension between slavery and freedom—who belongs and who is excluded. Consider how this paradox resonates through the nation’s history and spurs the American people to wrestle constantly with building “a more perfect Union.”.
Event Location: Program meets at the Paradox of Liberty section, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 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, October 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669561857459?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 10:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Shadow Play
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
Kick off the spooky season by playing with shadows at Storytime. We’ll get inspired by artist Alberto Giacometti’s (1901–1966) long, thin sculptures and read Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch.
Featured book: Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. When the 10 AM session reaches capacity, you’ll be given the option to return for entry to the 11 AM…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Avant-Garde Aluminum.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Dead Letter Office: Gallery Experience
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Could you be a postal clerk? In this activity, a volunteer challenges you to sort mail, deciding which letters will be delivered and which would be sent to the Dead Letter Office. Complete the challenge and leave with a prize!
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Moving the Mail Atrium. Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Curator Tour | The Peacock Room in Blue and White
Gallery Talks & Tours
Get an exclusive tour of the Peacock Room's new look with curator Diana Greenwold. Explore the late nineteenth-century fascination with Chinese blue and white porcelain in Europe and Britain, and learn about the room's dramatic origin story.
Please meet at gallery 12 for the tour. We recommend you register in advance. 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Gallery 11, Gallery 12. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1660873059029?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Peacock Room in Blue and White. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Sneak Peek Presentation: “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”
American Latino Museum
Sept. 15–Oct. 15 only on Mondays and Wednesdays • 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Latino is offering preview presentations of its upcoming exhibition, "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," ahead of its spring 2026 opening. Participants will gain insight into the themes and concepts that will be explored in the exhibition. Preview presentations are available for a limited time and on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required. Stay tuned for sign-up information at latino.si.edu.
Event Location: Virtual. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1669760722269?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 1:30 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, October 1, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Little Critters: Nature Play at the Bird House (Animal Teeth)
NZP Kids and Families
Hungry for some fun? Join us for creative, drop-in play at the Zoo!
This week, we are digging into animal teeth and diets to learn about the different ways that animals eat their food.
Little Critters: Nature Play is designed for ages 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Location: Bird House Classroom.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Bird House Classroom. Cost: Free drop-in program; no pre-registration required.Parents and guardians must remain with their children. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Afrofuturism Big Objects Big Stories: The Mothership
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led talk and get a fresh look into a featured object that is on view in one of our permanent exhibitions. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object and experience the infinite possibilities of Afrofuturism.
About this Program: An iconic stage prop, the Mothership symbolizes P-Funk’s Afrofuturist inspired vision as a tangible manifestation of the liberating power and autonomous promise of Clinton’s art.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Mothership, L4. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Musical Crossroads
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 9:45 AM – 12:45 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Objects, Big Stories: Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join us for a docent-led tour to get a fresh look into the Museum's featured object. At each of these 15-minute talks visitors will hear incredibly big stories about a big object.
About this Program: Visitors cannot overlook the Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin, a circa early 1800s slave cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The cabin is one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island. Its story provides a revealing glimpse into the most formative and troubling chapters in American history.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets at the Point of Pines Planation Slave Cabin, Level C3. Talks take place at: 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Sept. 11–Oct. 11 only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month.
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.
--
Del 11 de septiembre al 11 de octubre, solo los jueves, viernes y sábados • 11 a. m. a 3 p. m.
El Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense presentará una serie de actividades y experiencias con carritos móviles frente a la Galería Latina de la Familia Molina, en el Museo de Historia Americana, como parte de su programa de aprendizaje durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana.
Estas actividades prácticas de…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery, National Museum of American History American History Museum. Cost: Free. No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 11:00 AM.
Peacock Room Shutters Open
National Museum of Asian Art
Third Thursday of every month.
Free, no registration required.
See the Peacock Room in a whole new light! Please join us for a beloved NMAA tradition: our third Thursday opening of the Peacock Room shutters. Experience this unique masterwork of art and design in a whole new way as natural light reveals details of James McNeill Whistler's painted interior and accents the gleaming surfaces of Charles Lang Freer's collection of Asian ceramics.
The shutters are open from noon to 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday of each month.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Freer gallery 12 (Peacock Room). Cost: Free. Categories: Demonstrations. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Tours | Whistler's World
Gallery Talks & Tours
Join a walk-in, docent-led tour to explore the many sides of Whistler. Experience Whistler’s paintings along with objects by Asian artists that inspired his style and subjects. Image: Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), United Kingdom, 1876–77, room installation; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1904.61.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Permanent Collection Tour
Gallery Talks & Tours
The National Museum of Asian Art has over 46,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, October 2, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
First Thursdays: Come Look with Us
One-Time Events
Wind down after work with the National Portrait Gallery's educators as they share their favorite portraits with you. Participants will be able to slow down, get a closer look and engage in conversations about artworks in the galleries.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-thursdays-come-look-with-us-tickets-1233093649299?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Postal pARTy
One-Time Events
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Historic lobby, first floor. Cost: Welcome to the Postal pARTy at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum! Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of art and postage. Come dressed as your favorite work of art on October 2 at 6:00 pm for a creative evening of exhibit exploration, hands-on activities, and a cash bar.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to explore the fascinating intersection of art and mail. Whether you're a seasoned philatelist or simply curious about the artistic side of postage, this event is perfect for everyone. Gra… Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/postal-party-tickets-1657578274239?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Drawing Techniques: Perspective
Resident Associate Program
One of the most exciting, and sometimes challenging, things about learning how to draw is recreating what you see in three-dimensional space on two-dimensional paper. Using lines that recede to the horizon, explore basic linear perspective and create objects that visually jump off the page.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264185?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/264185?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 7:15 PM – 9:15 PM.
The Ultimate Celebratory Bakes with Paul Hollywood
Resident Associate Program
Host of “The Great British Baking Show” Paul Hollywood comes from a long line of bakers, started baking as a teenager, and now can be seen on screens around the world, judging amateur bakers’ creations. Drawing on his new book, Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round, and decades of baking experience, Hollywood talks with Washington Post food and dining editor Joe Yonan about his career and recipes for every holiday and occasion.
Event Location: University of the District of Columbia Theater of the Arts Auditorium. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264678?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Culinary Arts.
Thursday, October 2, 2025, 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM.
Blue Star Welcome Week for Military Families
One-Time Events
Join at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History as we celebrate, honor, and welcome military families to the museum through the Blue Star Families program. Visitors can enjoy docent-led programming in our Price of Freedom military history galleries. As a proud Blue Star Museum, the National Museum of American History welcomes active-duty military members and their families.
///Acompáñanos en el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense para celebrar, honrar y dar la bienvenida a las familias de militares a través del programa Familias Estrella Azul. Los visitantes podrán disfrutar de una programación guiada por docentes en nuestras galerías de historia militar en El Precio de la Libertad. Como orgulloso Museo Estrella Azul, el Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense da la bienvenida a los militares en servicio activo y a sus familias. Ubicación: la entrada a El precio de la libertad: estadounidenses en guerra es por 3 East.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition entrance, 3 East. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 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.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Slavery and Freedom Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Explore the complex story of slavery and freedom. Visitors will view priceless objects, connect to the past, and hear about the actions of ordinary men and women, demanding freedom and transforming our nation.
Photo Credit: NMAAHC.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Program meets in the Slavery & Freedom exhibition, located on C3. One hour tours take place at 10:15 AM and 11:45 AM. Cost: Free; walk-in
Tours are subject to docent availability; last minute cancellations may occur. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Enjoy a fall Friday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and join one of our knowledgeable volunteers or staff for a free garden tour! Tours are offered each Friday in October at 10:00 a.m. and run approximately 40 minutes.
Meet at the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW (between the Smithsonian Castle and the S. Dillon Ripley Center). No reservation is required. Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
¡Carritos! A Learning Activity Cart Program
American Latino Museum
Sept. 11–Oct. 11 only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays • 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
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 Hispanic Heritage Month.
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.
--
Del 11 de septiembre al 11 de octubre, solo los jueves, viernes y sábados • 11 a. m. a 3 p. m.
El Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense presentará una serie de actividades y experiencias con carritos móviles frente a la Galería Latina de la Familia Molina, en el Museo de Historia Americana, como parte de su programa de aprendizaje durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana.
Estas actividades prácticas de…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Molina Family Latino Gallery, National Museum of American History American History Museum. Cost: Free. No registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 11:00 AM.
Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Curator’s Tour: Basquiat x Banksy
One time events
FREE
Meet at the Information Desk in the Lobby
Hirshhorn curator Betsy Johnson will walk visitors through the exhibition Basquiat × Banksy, which highlights two major paintings, one by Jean-Michel Basquiat (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1960–1988) and the other by Banksy (anonymous; b. near Bristol, England). Placed in dialogue, Basquiat’s Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982) and Banksy’s response, Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search (2018), reveal throughlines among street art, contemporary art, and the popular imagination.
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Basquiat × Banksy. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. 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: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: West Building. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Assisi: Where the Past and Present Live
Resident Associate Program
Rarely can the spirit of the Middle Ages be so potently felt as in the Umbrian hill town of Assisi. A holy city for Christians and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Assisi is an eternal destination for pilgrims wanting to see the places where Saint Francis was born, where he worked, and where he died. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo leads a journey into Assisi’s extraordinary art, breathtaking architecture, and enduring sacred legacy. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264547?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/264547?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, October 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Taki Katei; Autumn landscape; Japan, 1890; ink and color on paper; Gift of Toshio and Yuka Fujikura in memory of Tome Fujikura, F2014.8.28a-d.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/gz7O3IOSRJKzNc-CWszhlg. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, October 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Artful Movement | SEL Webinars for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In this webinar, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Take Flight.”
These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm. Dish with design of dragons and clouds; China, 1426–35; porcelain with cobalt under clear glaze, enamel over glaze; Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1965.4.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AeoXV_i6Q_KyhWMxs-xN3g. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 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.
The public can schedule reserved group tours using the online reservation form.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Building: West Building. Event Location: Information Desk (West Building). Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit asia.si.edu. Highlights Tour
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Look for our friendly volunteer at the Information Desk for a 45 minute tour of the highlights of the museum.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Starts at the Information Desk in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Tours | Arts Across Asia
Gallery Talks & Tours
Enjoy a guided tour of our East Building and its range of exhibitions. These tours can feature art from any of the exhibitions currently on view, with works from cultures as diverse as ancient Iran to contemporary Japan.
Please meet at the entrance to Gallery 22, near the gift shop, for the tour. Image: Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Collection, The Alice S. Kandell Collection, Photo by John Bigelow Taylor.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 22. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Tours | Arts of Japan
Gallery Talks & Tours
As the seasons change, enjoy a free, hour-long guided tour of the museum’s renowned collection of Japanese art. Experience a variety of artworks, including paintings, prints, screens, ceramics, metalwork, and more. Trees, Master of I-nen Seal (1600–1630), Japan, mid-17th century, ink, color, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1962.30.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. 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, October 3, 2025, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM.
Teachers Night Out
National Air and Space Museum
Educators are invited to join us after hours at the National Air and Space Museum to: Explore the newly opened galleries and get inspiration for your classroom , Try out activities from our onsite field trips , Learn about educational resources from across the Smithsonian , Chat with museum educators about how to bring the museum into your classroom or bring your class to the museum , Talk to our experts about the past, present, and future of aviation and space , Enjoy a live tour of the sky in the Northrop Grumman Planetarium , Sample aviation and space themed food and beverages (first come, first served), This event is for K-12 teachers, administrators, and support. You will be asked for school information when you register. Guests must be 21 or older and must present a valid ID for entry.
Categories: After Five. Gallery Talks & Tours. Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: 650 Jefferson Ave. Cost: Free with registration.
Friday, October 3, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM.