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Freedom Was in Sight: Exploring Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region (Educator Professional Learning)
One-Time Events
Note: This is a multiday workshop - Monday, July 7- Friday, July 11; 9am-4pm daily
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a deep dive into the era of Reconstruction in the Washington, D. C region. Using the new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington D.C. Region, we will take an in-depth look at how African Americans sought to build lives for themselves, their families and their communities. In addition to content and discussion sessions, participants will explore historic sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and meet with curators, historians and other experts on Reconstruction. This seminar investigates Reconstruction through a local lens while drawing connections to the national story of the years following the Civil War and the end of slavery. Throughout the week, sessions will demonstrate effective history teaching strategies and activities designed to meet teachers' personal and professional…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $200 (application should be submitted first; payment link will be sent upon acceptance). Get Tickets/Register: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/REGISTRATION-Freedom-Was-in-Sight-Exploring-Reconstruction-in-the-Washington-DC-Area-Educator-Professional-Learning-Event. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Abstract Artists
Resident Associate Program
Abstract art opens up a boundless realm of creativity. From finger painting and blending watercolors campers explore colors, shapes, and textures in unique ways. Visits to the Hirshhorn, American Art Museum, and the National Gallery introduce campers to artists such Kandinsky, Pollack Gillam, and Alma Thomas. Throughout the week, campers create their own works of art using various mediums for a colorful end of the week exhibit.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263832?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
American Pastimes
Resident Associate Program
The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—in football, baseball, kickball, capture the flag, soccer, and many other competitive arenas. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, campers find many sports-related stories in Smithsonian museums. They design baseball cards, their own team logo, and their own sports-themed mini-museum. The week ends with an “out-of-the-park” presentation for family and friends.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262671?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Collect Them All!
Resident Associate Program
Inspired by the anime world of Pokémon, campers visit exhibits across the Smithsonian making connections to the fictional world and its inhabitants. Trips to the Air and Space, Natural History, and American History museums help campers create their own creatures, cards, and decks unique to the Smithsonian. Campers play games, solve trivia, and beat the nefarious Team Rocket.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262673?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
CSI: Campers Solve It
Resident Associate Program
Campers discover how police and detectives use science and technology to help them solve crimes in this investigative camp with the Science Guys of Baltimore. After trips to the International Spy Museum and the American History Museum to uncover the heroes and villains of historic crimes, they conduct experiments with DNA and fiber analysis, become fingerprint experts, and study anatomy. They collect clues, identify suspects, and crack cases using their crime-fighting tool kits. At the end of the week, the budding detectives work together and use their new skills to solve a mystery—and save the Science Guys!
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262670?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Eco-Heroes
Resident Associate Program
Campers discover fun ways to make our planet a bit greener—and better for all of us—as they learn about the ecological connections between the people and creatures that call it home. They explore many kinds of living organisms as they dig into gardening, explore ocean conservation efforts, conduct their own science experiments, and create eco-themed art. Visits to museums and gardens inspire campers to build an eco-friendly world.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262665?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Gross Me Out
Resident Associate Program
Know someone intrigued by the nasty, icky, and disgusting parts of nature? They can enjoy a week uncovering the science behind snot, the bacteria that live in our belly buttons, and gross creatures inside and outside our bodies. Bones and bodies at the Natural History Museum, insect-eating and poisonous plants at the U.S. Botanic Garden spark campers’ curiosity and inspire their experiments and creations. They share their own “Grossology” exhibit at the end of the week.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262668?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Home Sweet Home
Resident Associate Program
Campers explore the lives and conservation of animals around the world as they explore habitats such as grasslands, rainforests, desert, and the poles and the animals that live there. The week includes hands-on activities, craft projects, science experiments, and a visit to the National Zoo. Campers create a natural habitat of their own for guests to view at the end of the week.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262666?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Mammal Mania
Resident Associate Program
Did you know there are more than 4, 000 different kinds of mammals in the world—including such different animals as bats, pandas, buffalo, and dolphins? Campers investigate their world to discover these animals are great communicators, have highly developed senses, and can make unusual friends. In addition to games, crafts, and storytelling, visits to the National Zoo, and the Natural History, American Indian, and African Art museums inspire campers to create their own animal kingdom.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263831?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Marine Quest
Resident Associate Program
Campers spend a week discovering the amazing watery worlds hidden beneath the waves. They explore the creatures that live in the depths of the ocean and the diverse ecosystems through visits to the National Zoo and the Natural History Museum. Campers conduct experiments, create artworks, and play games designed to develop a new perspective on the 71% of the earth’s surface covered by water.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262667?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
President for a Week
Resident Associate Program
Campers follow in the footsteps of the presidents who guided our country throughout its history. They learn about democracy, the electoral process, and our government by devising team-led political campaigns and running for office. They use resources and inspirations found in the American History Museum, Portrait Gallery, and local historic sites to develop their political platforms, create campaign materials, and enhance their public-speaking skills as they write and deliver speeches designed to land them in the White House.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262672?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Soldiers and Dioramas ACW Petersburg, 1864
Resident Associate Program
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of Civil War battles fought around Petersburg, Virginia, from June 1864 to March 1865. More popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a classic military siege, but rather nine months of trench warfare waged by Union forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Campers explore the battle through discussions and historical simulations using information from maps, timelines, and museum visits. They create dioramas and fight battles with miniature soldiers, as well as engage in group-strategy games using large geographical maps. Fictional and nonfiction accounts, graphic novels, reference books, and related films and documentaries give campers a grounding in the period’s history.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262674?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Water Ways
Resident Associate Program
Our world is made of water. Campers take a deep look at this essential component of life on our planet, which is relied on biologically, environmentally, and symbolically. Visits to the Natural History Museum and Smithsonian art museums help campers understand how our local waterways impact and inspire water-themed artworks, erosion experiments, and conservation campaigns.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262669?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Garden Play: Plant Care!
Smithsonian Gardens
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden. Cost: Join Smithsonian Gardens in the Enid A. Haupt Garden for hands-on activities and a story time exploring this month’s topic, plant care! While you are in the Haupt Garden, be sure to check out plants from our tropical collection on display for the summer.
Location: Find us on the East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden, near the Spencer Fullerton Baird statue by the Arts and Industries Building, southeast of the Smithsonian Castle.
Garden Play is a drop-in program designed for children ages 2 and up… Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival: July 2–7, 2025
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
The Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival returns to the National Mall from July 2–7, 2025 with the theme “Looking Forward: Youth and the Future of Culture.”
In 2025, Youth and the Future of Culture will explore creativity, vitality, resilience, and intergenerational learning and exchange through the contributions and experiences of youth. The program will underscore how young people influence and engage with culture, and how they create, innovate, and sustain cultural practices and traditions.
Drawing from diverse communities and perspectives, Youth and the Future of Culture will feature youth-centered—and often youth-led—projects and organizations, and individuals who are generating new ideas, transforming their communities, and confronting contemporary challenges. By bringing people together in conversation, the program will foster intergenerational connections and explore how young people engage with tradition, influence future generations, and agitate for change.
Youth have participated in many Festival pr…
Venue: Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Event Location: National Mall. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Culinary Arts. Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Shopping/Book Signing. Workshops.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Media Arts Workshops: Zines, Cyanotypes, Animation, Videos and Podcasts, Vinyl Painting
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Every afternoon, join us for ongoing media arts workshops in the north wing of the Arts and Industries Building. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Activities include:
Zine Making: Self-published zines (pronounced zeen, like magazine) are accessible and affordable forms of self-expression. Use materials here to make your zine, then you can make copies to distribute to friends!
Cyanotype Prints: This workshop will demonstrate the expressive nature of reverse photography using cyanotype—one of the oldest forms of photography in the world. The premise is to take a photograph and invert it to create a negative, then print the photo using cyanotype ink and UV light (or sunshine).
Stop-Motion Animation: Stop-motion is one of the earliest forms of animation, and it’s still being used today! Try your hand at creating your own animation here.
Podcasting: Ever thought about making your own film, podcasting, or being an influencer? Learn how…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Categories: Workshops. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged). Venue: Arts and Industries Building.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Plugged In: D.C.-Area Community Resources Fair
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Want to join something? Looking for a new club or extracurricular activity? Come to the rotunda of the Arts + Industries Building to meet with local organizations that create opportunities for youth, from employment and leadership to the arts and more.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (Rotunda). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Categories: Workshops. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged). Venue: Arts and Industries Building.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
DC | Hula with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo
One-Time Events
The museum welcomes Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo (School of the Living Voice of the Descendants), a hula school from the island of Hawaiʻi for a full-length performance that includes the entire hālau (school) and features hula (dances) and mele (songs) celebrating Ke Aukahi Hoʻōla ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian Language Revitalization Movement. The final performance on Monday, July 7 at 1 PM ET will be webcast at americanindian.si.edu/livestream.
The students grew up in Pūnana Leo nests and are either current students or alumni of immersion schools. Kumu hula (teachers) Pelehonuamea (Pele) and Kekoa Harman have dedicated their lives to the Hawaiian revitalization movement. Uniquely, Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo teaches hula exclusively through ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The hālau embraces Kumu Honua Mauli Ola, a core philosophy to cultivate mauli Hawaiʻi, the unique life force of each Hawaiian person, through ʻōlelo (language), pili ʻuhane (spirituality), lawena (behavior, mannerisms), and ʻike kuʻuna (traditional…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Online Link: https://americanindian.si.edu/livestream. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Performances.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit americanindian.si.edu. Coral Reef Tank Talk
One-Time Events
Swim by the Sant Ocean Hall to meet some of the coral reef species that call the Smithsonian NMNH home! Hosted by an Ocean Educator, this interactive cart experience will walk you through the world of saltwater fish, coral colonies, and invertebrates galore!
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Short Films from the 2025 Montgomery County Youth Media Festival
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Enjoy a screening of shorts from the Montgomery County Youth Media Festival, which celebrates youth voices in the media arts industry in the D.C. region. The annual festival promotes the creativity and impact of young filmmakers and artists as it showcases youth talent, highlights social issues, and inspires positive action. Accessibility note: While the films in this session are subtitled or open captioned, introductions prior and discussions after may not be captioned.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Film. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected). Venue: Arts and Industries Building.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. DC | Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers
One-Time Events
The museum welcomes the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers to perform traditional and new songs and dances. The final performance on Monday, July 7 at 3 PM ET will be webcast at americanindian.si.edu/livestream. The Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers were formed in 1987 in Kodiak, Alaska. They continue to learn and share their Alutiiq/Sugpiaq ancestral heritage and increase pride through reawakening their dance traditions. The Alutiiq/Sugpiaq people have always danced as a community to perform rituals and ceremony, to share stories, and to entertain each other. Today, the group honors their ancestors by dancing their stories and living their culture.
At the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival (July 2-7), they will also hold dance workshops where visitors can try Alutiiq social dances. Visitors can watch and participate in Kakangaq, a traditional game to hone hunting skills, where players toss disks at a target on a seal hide. In the group’s tent, visitors can see salve making and headdress beading while learning about Alutiiq dress…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Online Link: https://www.americanindian.si.edu/livestream. Cost: FREE. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit www.americanindian.si.edu. Multimodal Storytelling
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Visual and oral storytellers discuss how they bring stories to life.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required). Venue: Arts and Industries Building.
Monday, July 7, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Birth of a City: From New Amsterdam to New York
Resident Associate Program
In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in New Netherland. The British had dreams of empire, and the Dutch were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, the military officer who led the English flotilla, changed his strategy once he encountered Peter Stuyvesant, New Netherland’s canny director general. Drawing on his new book, Taking Manhattan, author Russell Shorto reveals the founding of New York to be the result of creative negotiations that blended the multiethnic, capitalistic society of New Amsterdam with the power of the rising English empire.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263875?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/263875?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, July 7, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Carve and Create: Learning to Love Linocuts
Resident Associate Program
Learn to love the linocut, a relief printmaking process. Go through each step and come away with a beautiful edition of prints.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263645?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/263645?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, July 7, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
Freedom Was in Sight: Exploring Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region (Educator Professional Learning)
One-Time Events
Note: This is a multiday workshop - Monday, July 7- Friday, July 11; 9am-4pm daily
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a deep dive into the era of Reconstruction in the Washington, D. C region. Using the new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington D.C. Region, we will take an in-depth look at how African Americans sought to build lives for themselves, their families and their communities. In addition to content and discussion sessions, participants will explore historic sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and meet with curators, historians and other experts on Reconstruction. This seminar investigates Reconstruction through a local lens while drawing connections to the national story of the years following the Civil War and the end of slavery. Throughout the week, sessions will demonstrate effective history teaching strategies and activities designed to meet teachers' personal and professional…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $200 (application should be submitted first; payment link will be sent upon acceptance). Get Tickets/Register: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/REGISTRATION-Freedom-Was-in-Sight-Exploring-Reconstruction-in-the-Washington-DC-Area-Educator-Professional-Learning-Event. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 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.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Great Hall Story Time
One-Time Events
Join us in the Portrait Gallery’s picturesque Great Hall for an interactive story time that gets up close and personal with art. Participants will look closely at portraits and read stories as they learn more about the people who have shaped history.
Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-hall-story-time-tickets-1335479447979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Palazzo Vecchio
Resident Associate Program
Constructed in 1299, Palazzo Vecchio was built to be the town hall of Florence. Although it remains a symbol and center for local government, Palazzo Vecchio is now a museum that is home to frescoes by Giorgio Vasari and Domenico Ghirlandaio as well as statues by Michelangelo, Donatello, and Giambologna. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this lesser-known museum that has become a symbol of Florence. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263540?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/263540?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, July 8, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 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.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
The Backstory of Washington, D.C.'s Bedrock
Resident Associate Program
The capital of the United States is underlain by rocks that have a history as turbulent as that of the nation itself. Geologist Callan Bentley explores the variety of rocks found in Washington, D.C. area, and what they tell us about geologic events stretching back a billion years into Deep Time.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263853?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/263853?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, July 8, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
When Washington Burned: The British Invasion of the Capital and a Nation's Rise from the Ashes
Resident Associate Program
The capture of Washington, D.C. on August 24, 1814, threatened the survival of the nation, but this event during the War of 1812 and the reasons behind it are little remembered. Historian Robert P. Watson examines the British campaign and American missteps that led to the fall of the city, as well how courageous young clerks and first lady Dolley Madison risked their lives to save priceless artifacts and documents, including the Constitution, from the flames.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263943?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/263943?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, July 8, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Freedom Was in Sight: Exploring Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region (Educator Professional Learning)
One-Time Events
Note: This is a multiday workshop - Monday, July 7- Friday, July 11; 9am-4pm daily
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a deep dive into the era of Reconstruction in the Washington, D. C region. Using the new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington D.C. Region, we will take an in-depth look at how African Americans sought to build lives for themselves, their families and their communities. In addition to content and discussion sessions, participants will explore historic sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and meet with curators, historians and other experts on Reconstruction. This seminar investigates Reconstruction through a local lens while drawing connections to the national story of the years following the Civil War and the end of slavery. Throughout the week, sessions will demonstrate effective history teaching strategies and activities designed to meet teachers' personal and professional…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $200 (application should be submitted first; payment link will be sent upon acceptance). Get Tickets/Register: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/REGISTRATION-Freedom-Was-in-Sight-Exploring-Reconstruction-in-the-Washington-DC-Area-Educator-Professional-Learning-Event. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Storytime Studio: Weaving Together
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll explore Anni Albers’s textile art and discover different fabrics and materials. We’ll enjoy a read-aloud of Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Martin and create our own woven artworks.
Featured Book: Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Martin, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Art Project: Weave It Together.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. 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, July 9, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Storytime Studio: Weaving Together
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll explore Anni Albers’s textile art and discover different fabrics and materials. We’ll enjoy a read-aloud of Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Martin and create our own woven artworks.
Featured Book: Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Martin, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Art Project: Weave It Together.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Collage and Mixed Media: Animals and Nature
Resident Associate Program
Learn to sketch animals and objects found in nature, then combine your drawings with painting and additional elements and textures to create whimsical or serious mixed-media art.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263646?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/263646?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
Godzilla
Films
Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear bombing and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. The film’s rampaging, radioactive beast—the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears—became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels. (Description adapted from Janus Films.)
(Dir.: Ishiro Honda, Japan, 1954, 96 min. DCP, Japanese with English subtitles), Image courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
Dinner at Casa Teresa
Resident Associate Program
Inspired by the life and cooking of his abuela Teresa, chef Rubén García founded Casa Teresa in downtown Washington as an homage to the home cooks who created the tradition of Catalan cuisine. Enjoy a three-course menu designed for Smithsonian Associates that reflects García’s roots in simple, wood-fired dishes that offer diners a taste of the big family feasts from his childhood in Catalonia.
Event Location: Casa Teresa 919 19th St NW, Washington, DC. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263507?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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Drawing and Abstracting Inspired by the National Zoo
Resident Associate Program
Get inspired by the beloved animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Explore the line, shape, color, and texture of depicting animals in drawing and painting.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263647?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/263647?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, July 9, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:45 PM.
Bamiyan Buddhas
Resident Associate Program
The stone statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, were the largest representations of standing Buddhas in the world until their destruction by the Taliban in 2001. Historian Justin M. Jacobs delves into the history of the Bamiyan Buddhas, their construction and original purpose and function, and how they exemplified Buddhist civilization in Central Asia. He also examines their complex and surprising relationship with successive Muslim rulers of Afghanistan.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263541?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/263541?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, July 9, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of a Friendship
Resident Associate Program
In the spring of 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison journeyed together through Upstate New York and parts of New England. Some observers at the time wondered whether this excursion into Federalist New England by the two most prominent southern members of the Democratic-Republican Party, had an ulterior motive. Historian Louis Masur of Rutgers University reveals that their journey, described as one for "health, recreation, and curiosity, " also provided these future presidents with the foundation of a longtime friendship.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263602?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/263602?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, July 9, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Art of Black-and-White Photography
Resident Associate Program
Learn to harness digital tools to create powerful black-and-white images with the emotive power seen in works by Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Alfred Hitchcock.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263648?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/263648?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, July 9, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
The Art of Floral Design
Resident Associate Program
Learn the fundamentals of floral arranging as this class covers essential base mechanics, sourcing flowers, working with seasonal blooms, and photographing your work.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263649?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/263649?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, July 9, 2025, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Freedom Was in Sight: Exploring Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region (Educator Professional Learning)
One-Time Events
Note: This is a multiday workshop - Monday, July 7- Friday, July 11; 9am-4pm daily
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a deep dive into the era of Reconstruction in the Washington, D. C region. Using the new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington D.C. Region, we will take an in-depth look at how African Americans sought to build lives for themselves, their families and their communities. In addition to content and discussion sessions, participants will explore historic sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and meet with curators, historians and other experts on Reconstruction. This seminar investigates Reconstruction through a local lens while drawing connections to the national story of the years following the Civil War and the end of slavery. Throughout the week, sessions will demonstrate effective history teaching strategies and activities designed to meet teachers' personal and professional…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $200 (application should be submitted first; payment link will be sent upon acceptance). Get Tickets/Register: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/REGISTRATION-Freedom-Was-in-Sight-Exploring-Reconstruction-in-the-Washington-DC-Area-Educator-Professional-Learning-Event. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 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, July 10, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
U.S. Navy Country Current performs Bluegrass music
One-Time Events
The United States Navy Band Country Current is the Navy's premier country-bluegrass ensemble. The group is nationally renowned for its versatility and "eye-popping" musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass. This seven-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive high-profile recording and touring experience in the music scenes of Nashville, New York, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series
Resident Associate Program
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast and fascinating collections. Option to register for this program as a 6-session series.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263790?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/263790?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
U.S. Navy Country Current performs Bluegrass music
One-Time Events
The United States Navy Band Country Current is the Navy's premier country-bluegrass ensemble. The group is nationally renowned for its versatility and "eye-popping" musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass. This seven-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive high-profile recording and touring experience in the music scenes of Nashville, New York, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 10, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 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, July 10, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Arms and Armor: Bringing the Past into the Future
Resident Associate Program
In our modern world, arms and armor reign supreme in the fantasy realms of pop culture. One of the world’s largest private collections of arms and armor holds more than 6, 000 objects, spanning 6, 000 years. It includes pre-Middle Age Viking swords, a rare ancient Greek iron breastplate, and one of the best examples in the world of a Chalcidian bronze helmet (ca. 450 B.C.E.). Nick Richey, “keeper of the arms, ” introduces the collection and discusses avenues of preservation that range from traditional restoration to cutting-edge digitization for a burgeoning metaverse.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263918?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/263918?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, July 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
The History of the TV Talk Show: From Carson to Oprah to Stephen Colbert
Resident Associate Program
From its start in the early 1950s, the talk show has been one of television’s most durable formats. Pioneering programs like “Today, ” “Person-to-Person, ” and “Tonight” established the basic features that have guided the format, later embraced by Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and Jon Stewart, among others. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the history of the television talk show and examines its changing appeal.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263542?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/263542?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, July 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Freedom Was in Sight: Exploring Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region (Educator Professional Learning)
One-Time Events
Note: This is a multiday workshop - Monday, July 7- Friday, July 11; 9am-4pm daily
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for a deep dive into the era of Reconstruction in the Washington, D. C region. Using the new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight! A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington D.C. Region, we will take an in-depth look at how African Americans sought to build lives for themselves, their families and their communities. In addition to content and discussion sessions, participants will explore historic sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and meet with curators, historians and other experts on Reconstruction. This seminar investigates Reconstruction through a local lens while drawing connections to the national story of the years following the Civil War and the end of slavery. Throughout the week, sessions will demonstrate effective history teaching strategies and activities designed to meet teachers' personal and professional…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: $200 (application should be submitted first; payment link will be sent upon acceptance). Get Tickets/Register: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/REGISTRATION-Freedom-Was-in-Sight-Exploring-Reconstruction-in-the-Washington-DC-Area-Educator-Professional-Learning-Event. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Conversation Circles
One-Time Events
Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world to learn about U.S. art, history and culture through portraiture. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Botany and Bugs: Behind the Scenes at the National Museum of Natural History
Resident Associate Program
Spend the morning behind the scenes with curators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, uncovering two of the museum’s collections that showcase the wonders of flora and fauna: the United States National Herbarium and the entomology collection. At the herbarium, explore how specimens are crucial in advancing research in taxonomy, ecology, and conservation. Then discover the importance of insect diversity and its impact on ecosystems.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263961?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, July 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Science on a Sphere
One-Time Events
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Hidden Histories of the Viking Age
Resident Associate Program
Historian Eleanor Barraclough digs into the day-to-day lives of the real Vikings—not the storied kings, raiders, and saga heroes but the ordinary people: the merchants, artisans, slaves, and storytellers who shaped the medieval Nordic world. Barraclough’s tools are artifacts such as a comb engraved with the earliest traces of a new writing system, a pagan shrine found deep beneath a lava field, and a note from an angry wife to a husband too long at the tavern.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263919?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/263919?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, July 11, 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: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, July 11, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Stories from Space
One-Time Events
Meteorites are rocks that came from space, fell through the sky and crashed to Earth. Each meteorite records the story of the formation and evolution of our solar system. Come touch a meteorite and talk to Dr. Glenn Macpherson, Curator of Meteorites, about the science stories from the National Meteorites Collection.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
DC | Close Look: Making a Statement
One-Time Events
Curator Anya Montiel (Mestiza/Tohono O'odham descent) offers a close look at the museum’s special installation Making a Statement, featuring custom Gucci gowns worn by actress Lily Gladstone (Siksikaitsitapi [Blackfeet]/Nimiipuu [Nez Perce]) at the 96th Academy Awards. Then join Montiel and one of our museum educators to get hands-on and learn more about different types of quillwork in the museum’s Teaching Collection.
Image: Photos by Norwood Photography for the National Museum of the American Indian.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: "Making a Statement" special installation. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Making a Statement.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM.
Hands-On Conservation
Lectures & Discussions
Explore conservation for yourself at our pop-up cart! Touch and see the tools and materials we use to preserve art, manuscripts, and other historic objects. Check out fluorescent glue samples, paper and brushes used for scroll mounting, and more. This is your chance to get a peek at what our conservators and scientists are up to behind the scenes. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: West Building (Mall entrance). Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Asia After Dark | Eiko Ishibashi: GIFT
Performances
Register in advance to get the best experience.
Plaza opens: 5:30pm
Film and performance starts: 7:00pm
Join us for a special outdoor screening and performance featuring multi-instrumentalist composer and musician Eiko Ishibashi. GIFT is a collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, Happy Hour), accompanied by a live soundtrack performed by Ishibashi. For each performance, Hamaguchi edits a new, silent version of his award-winning film Evil Does Not Exist, making each performance of GIFT a completely unique experience.
Seating is limited. You can bring a blanket or small folding chair to sit on the plaza, but you cannot bring these inside the museum. Do not bring tents, large folding tables, or beach umbrellas.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
GIFT Synopsis
Located on a plateau rich in nature, Mizubiki Village in Nagano is not so far from Tokyo, and the number of immigrants is on the rise with very gradual development. Takumi and his daughter Hana, who have…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Freer Plaza. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1412740588129?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Films. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
Smithsonian Sleepover at the Natural History Museum
Resident Associate Program
In-person Program: Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums! Geared for children ages 8 to 14 years old, accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History 10th St & Constitution Ave NW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263986?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Kids & Families.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 7:00 PM – Saturday, July 12, 2025, 9:00 AM.
NY | Native Sounds Downtown with Elisapie
One-Time Events
Bring your friends and family for a fun concert featuring acclaimed Inuit artist Elisapie, who will be performing live in French, English, and her beloved mother tongue, Inuktitut at the National Museum of the American Indian. With unconditional love for her Inuit homeland, culture is entrenched in her work as storyteller, singer-songwriter, actor, and director. Elisapie was born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik, in northern Quebec, Canada.
Elisapie earned a Juno Award in the Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year category, as well as five awards at the 2024 ADISQ (Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo/Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries) Gala. Her album Inuktitut, which covers ten classic rock and pop songs from a wide array of artists including Metallica, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Cyndi Lauper and more, all performed in Inuktitut, was nominated at the 2025 Juno Award for Best Album of the year and was awarded Best…
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, Diker Pavilion. Cost: Free, first come, first served. Categories: After Five. Performances.
Friday, July 11, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:30 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, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Summer in the City
One-Time Events
Join us as we discuss the importance of maintaining the garden in the late summer, including methods to extend harvest times and keep garden beds healthy even on the hottest days of summer.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-summer-in-the-city-tickets-1248205328739?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Lectures & Discussions.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Weaving Friendships
One time events
Join Art School this July as we take inspiration from the best of summer camp with that extra-special Art School flair. Every Saturday throughout the month, come together at the Hirshhorn’s Open Studio for community camp-style crafts inspired by artists on view at the Museum. Each week, we’ll gather to create crafts including woven bracelets influenced by Anni Albers, sand art modeled on the work of André Masson, and journals and storytelling driven by Laurie Anderson’s narratives.
This Saturday, we’ll take inspiration from Anni Albers and her artfully designed weavings. We’ll make friendship bracelets to celebrate the meaningful relationships in our lives!
Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Open Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Weave It Together.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. The World & Me: Caring for the Future of our Planet with Company E and Sound Impact
One-Time Events
Join us for a special The World & Me as we celebrate diversity found in nature, movement, and the planet we call home with local dancers from Company | E, musicians from Sound Impact, and educators from the National Museum of Natural History. Watch a performance titled Letters to Earth*, explore different hands-on activities with museum specimens, and discover ways to make an impact in taking care of Earth for future generations.
Performances will be 10:20 - 10:50 & 11:30 - 12:00.
Hands-on stations and activities will be open 10:50 - 11:30. More about Letters to Earth
The Earth is made of the magic of nature. Wondrous ecosystems – biomes – which make up the world we call home. For one special morning, the dancers and storytellers of Company | E and the Musicians of Sound Impact invite you to explore the Letters we write to Earth. A celebration and, at the same time, a cautionary tale of our impact on those biomes as told in the stories of “We Hear You – A Climate Archive.” 77 young people from around the…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Kids & Families. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Techniques in Modernist Painting
Resident Associate Program
Experiment with painting styles such as Cubism, Suprematism, and Abstract Expressionism to learn practical applications of the concepts and techniques of Modernism. Move beyond the basics to discover and develop your unique visual language. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263651?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/263651?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
90’S Hip-Hop Yoga
One-Time Events
Join us in a 1-hour Yoga Session to Hip-Hop songs of the 1990’s. Sessions are suitable for all levels, welcoming beginners, and experienced yogis alike. Ideal for those who enjoy the fusion of music and movement. Participants should: Wear clothing that allows for the ease of movement and expression. , Bring a yoga , Bring optionally, water or a towel to stay hydrated and comfortable throughout the class.
The workshop is for ages 18 and over. Session facilitated by Khepera Wellness.Spaces are very limited. Reserve your spot now. If for some reason you are not able to make it, please cancel your reservation so others can attend since we are only able to accommodate a limited number of spots for the comfortability of participants.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/90s-hip-hop-yoga-tickets-1374630570039?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Family Workshop | Draw and Display
Kids and Family
Join us for a creative challenge! Kids ages 6–11 engineer a safe way to display art—just like museum professionals do—in this workshop designed for families. Tour the exhibition Delighting Krishna and create your own fabric artwork inspired by South Asian pichwai paintings. Then use a variety of craft materials to experiment with different ways to mount and display your art. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1411229107249?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Rick Franklin performs the Piedmont Blues
One-Time Events
Rick's musical style is an acoustic finger style blues with vocals known as the "Piedmont Blues" identified with legendary players like Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller and William Moore along with late local players and friends like "Bowling Green," John Cephas, John Jackson and Archie Edwards.
Rick has been playing acoustic guitar and singing the Blues at community events, local festivals, international festivals, as well as various clubs, cafes and other venues since 1981.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Micro-Macramé Earrings
Resident Associate Program
Students learn several types of macramé knots and finishing techniques to create a pair of delicate yet durable earrings, plus how to translate the earrings pattern into longer pieces like bracelets or necklaces.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263652?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/263652?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, July 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Sightlines Saturday Guided Tour and Activity: Paint, Punk, and Pins
One-Time Events
Join us for our monthly in-gallery program for Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond, an exhibition showcasing the contributions of Asian Americans to Washington, DC. Participants will enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition at noon, followed by a drop-in activity from 1-3 p.m. designing their own pins inspired by artist MISS CHELOVE (aka Cita Sadeli)’s experiences in DC's punk, ska, and hip-hop scenes.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Sightlines Gallery. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sightlines-saturday-guided-tour-and-activity-paint-punk-and-pins-tickets-1355603599859?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Events: Summer Sightlines Saturday Feature Programs DC Martial Arts History Showdown (Saturday, July 12, 2025) , Chinatown Show and Tell (Saturday, July 26, 2025). Related Exhibition: Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through November 30, 2025.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Off The Wall: Going 3D with Assemblage - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Working primarily with wood and boxes as foundation materials, explore a range of options for creating dimensional art pieces that can be freestanding or wall-mounted.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263653?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
Family Workshop | Draw and Display
Kids and Family
Join us for a creative challenge! Kids ages 6–11 engineer a safe way to display art—just like museum professionals do—in this workshop designed for families. Tour the exhibition Delighting Krishna and create your own fabric artwork inspired by South Asian pichwai paintings. Then use a variety of craft materials to experiment with different ways to mount and display your art. Image: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1411229107249?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
Rick Franklin performs the Piedmont Blues
One-Time Events
Rick's musical style is an acoustic finger style blues with vocals known as the "Piedmont Blues" identified with legendary players like Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller and William Moore along with late local players and friends like "Bowling Green," John Cephas, John Jackson and Archie Edwards.
Rick has been playing acoustic guitar and singing the Blues at community events, local festivals, international festivals, as well as various clubs, cafes and other venues since 1981.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
DC | Children's Kapa Workshop with Page Chang
One-Time Events
Learn the art of Hawaiian kapa making with Kumu (teacher) Page Chang of Pūkoʻa Studios from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Made primarily from the paper mulberry or "wauke," kapa (barkcloth) is the traditional fabric of Hawai‘i. Brought to Hawai‘i by Polynesian voyagers more than a thousand years ago, wauke is still grown and harvested locally on the islands. The outer bark of the stalk is stripped and the baste, or inner bark, is peeled, pounded over a rock with a wooden mallet, and set in water to ferment. Additional hand-carved wooden beaters called i‘e kuku are used to spread the bark into a thin cloth, which is then dried and decorated to create fabric for use in clothing, artwork, adornments, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to strip a branch of wauke and pound the baste fiber with traditional tools, and to make and take home their own piece of kapa. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. .
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM.
Summer Teen Studio: Keep It Tight (Knit)
One time events
Teens: Are you 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.
This month, Art School is celebrating summer activities that bring us together. Take inspiration from artist Anni Albers, a fiber artist who experimented with various weaving techniques, allowing her materials to guide her work. Use string, beads, and your creativity to make friendship bracelets. Bonus points if you make a new friend while you work, too!
Summer Teen Studio is the coolest place in town! It’s exclusively for teens to hang out and make art. Drop in any time between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register once by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu for all summer sessions. Join one or join them all! Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Weaving with Anni Albers.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Curator Tour of “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell”
One-Time Events
Please join curator Ann Shumard for a tour of the exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.”.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-curator-tour-star-power-tickets-1335485094869?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. DC Martial Arts History Showdown: Summer Sightlines Saturday Feature Program
One-Time Events
Since the 1960s, Washington, DC has been home to a powerful network of disciplines, communities, and practitioners of Asian martial arts. Join us for a lively series of rounds where local competitors go head-to-head, sparring with their stories, in a respectful battle over DC Asian martial arts history!
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: McEvoy Auditorium. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-martial-arts-history-showdown-summer-sightlines-saturday-feature-program-tickets-1415272701749?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Demonstrations. Performances. Lectures & Discussions. Related Events: Summer Sightlines Saturday Feature Programs DC Martial Arts History Showdown (Saturday, July 12, 2025) , Chinatown Show and Tell (Saturday, July 26, 2025). Related Exhibition: Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through November 30, 2025. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Eiko Ishibashi Live: For McCoy
Performances
In this solo show, Eiko Ishibashi riffs on her acclaimed album For McCoy, inspired by beloved Law & Order character Jack McCoy. Jam out as Ishibashi blends jazz, lush layers of synths, and hints of pop into immersive and affecting structures. This is your chance to see an artist whose latest release was named one of the best albums of 2025 (The Guardian).
Eiko Ishibashi is a Japan-based musician whose works have been released by labels such as Drag City, Black Truffle, and Editions Mego. In January 2020, she was commissioned to compose music for the exhibition JapanSupernatural at The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. This composition was later released as the album Hyakki Yagyo. The following year, in 2021, Ishibashi composed the soundtrack for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film Drive My Car. In 2022, she unveiled her LP For McCoy. Continuing her collaboration with Hamaguchi, she created the score for his 2023 film Evil Does Not Exist. Additionally, they launched the project GIFT, featuring a silent film by…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eiko-ishibashi-live-for-mccoy-tickets-1417511999549?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Performances. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Small Sculptures in Wood - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Students create sculptures in wood based on their own ideas, while learning to use basic tools. The course focuses on assembly techniques rather than carving.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263654?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, July 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 1:15 PM.
Beyond the Studio: Paper Folding with Adi Segal
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Adi Segal teaches participants to create folded shapes inspired by Japanese Menko envelopes and Victorian puzzle purses. Adi’s own work incorporates these shapes, which are also decorated in a way to tell stories when unfolded. This program is for all ages; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on June 29.
$15 | Registration required
Tickets available beginning June 13.
Image: Courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1jOVR. Categories: Workshops.
Sunday, July 13, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
“Stormé at Stonewall” Gallery Talk with LJ Roberts and Charlotte Ickes
One-Time Events
Join us for a conversation with LJ Roberts, the artist behind “Stormé at Stonewall,” and Charlotte Ickes, the National Portrait Gallery’s curator of time-based media art. “Stormé at Stonewall” is a light-box portrait of activist Stormé DeLarverie, who is said to have thrown the first brick at Stonewall—the uprising credited with launching the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in 1969. Roberts created this unconventional portrait in response to DeLarverie’s absence in mainstream narratives about the history of the Stonewall rebellion.
Event Location: “The Struggle for Justice,” Second Floor. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/storme-at-stonewall-gallery-talk-with-lj-roberts-and-charlotte-ickes-tickets-1335500159929?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, July 13, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Alchemists and Apothecaries
Resident Associate Program
Magic exists everywhere. From invisible chemical reactions to giant dragon trees, campers find traces of magic in the natural world around them. Discover how to bewitch blossoms and brew an elixir of enlightenment while creating enchanting art pieces and thrilling experiments. Trips to the Museum of Natural History and a special visit to the Apothecary Museum in Old Town Alexandria bring both the science and the magic of alchemy alive.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262683?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Bugs and Botany
Resident Associate Program
What’s growing in our garden—and what creepy crawlies live there? Campers explore the gardens surrounding the Smithsonian museums and view exhibits at the Natural History Museum and U.S. Botanic Garden. They investigate how plants grow; learn the secret power of worms; and recognize the diverse ecosystems surrounding plants, including pollinators. The young naturalists keep a field guide throughout the week to record their observations, cultivate their own seeds, and learn how to propagate succulents.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262676?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Climate Keepers
Resident Associate Program
The future is in our hands! Through museum visits, campers gain a better understanding of our climate and our earth. Throughout the week, they consider ways to reduce consumption, conserve energy, reduce pollution, and inspire civic action as they conduct labs, design campaigns, and develop sustainable solutions.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263834?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Drop the Mic
Resident Associate Program
Rap! DJ-ing! Graffiti art! B-boying and B-girling! Hip-hop has grown from a New York City–based art form created by urban youth into a worldwide cultural force. Campers explore the history of the genre through visits to the African American History and Culture Museum and the American History Museum. Additional collections and multimedia resources help them expand their understanding of hip-hop's main elements, create graffiti-inspired artwork, and write their own Smithsonian-centric rap songs. The week ends with a performance that includes original music and movement.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262684?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Engineering Earth
Resident Associate Program
Young aspiring engineers and problem solvers take a hands-on journey into the world of technology and design. Campers tackle real-world challenges, build impressive structures, and unleash their imaginations through engineering projects. From constructing bridges and launching rockets to programming robots, with the Science Guys of Baltimore as their guides, campers nurture a passion for innovation and teamwork. Visits to the Natural History Museum, Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, and local monuments inspire the next generation of inventors and builders.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262680?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Innovative Inventions
Resident Associate Program
From the wheel to electricity—or the cutting-board bird feeder to the Dogbrella—there are countless amazing inventions, many of which have changed the world. Campers explore Smithsonian museums to discover the works of artists, inventors, and scientists who have created the many things we use every day and make our lives easier. Trips to the American History Museum’s Picturing Women Inventors exhibition and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s National Inventors Hall of Fame inspire campers as they create and market their own inventions. The week concludes with an Invention Expo.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262678?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Junior Paleontologists
Resident Associate Program
Imagine Washington, D.C. 110 million years ago as a swampy landscape filled with dinosaurs. Campers get the chance to investigate it as junior paleontologists, exploring prehistoric eras and the varieties and unique traits of the dinosaurs that roamed our backyards long, long ago. Through museum visits, campers immerse themselves in creatures form the past and learn what it means to be a real paleontologist by doing some fossil digging themselves.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262677?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Mount Olympus on the Mall
Resident Associate Program
The magical Camp Half-Blood comes to the Smithsonian! Campers undertake quests on the National Mall to illuminate the connections among Mount Olympus, local architecture, and the museum collections. History, mythology, and science of the ancient Greeks are brought to life in the exploration of astronomy, botany, and zoology. Whether Team Greek or Team Roman, campers create a themed display featuring the 12 Olympians. Through riddles from the Oracle or roadblocks from Medusa, campers close out the week victorious with a game of capture the flag, Smithsonian style.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262679?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Smithsonian Safari
Resident Associate Program
A journey to explore the hidden treasures at the Smithsonian beckons young campers. After creating personal travel journals to record their sightings and adventures, they embark on a safari to a different museum each day to discover the vast collections of the Smithsonian. They use their findings in art and science to create mobiles, puppets, giant turtles, and clay fossils.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262675?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Smithsonian Spectrum
Resident Associate Program
Campers explore the science, art, history, and diversity of all colors on the visible—and invisible—spectrum across the Smithsonian. Inspired by camouflage and color-changing creatures of the animal world at the Natural History Museum and artworks featured at the Hirshhorn and Cooper Hewitt, campers conduct color and dye experiments, bend the wavelengths of light itself, and create optical masterpieces.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262682?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Soldiers and Dioramas WWII: Operation Garden Market, 1945
Resident Associate Program
Fought for eight days in Netherlands and Germany, Operation Market Garden was the largest Allied airborne operation of all time. The plan hinged on the seizure of bridges across the Maas (Meuse) River and the Rhine. Unable to secure the bridgehead of the Rhine, Operation Market Garden was a failure for Allied forces. Campers explore the end of WWII through discussions and historical simulations using information from maps, timelines, and museum visits. They create dioramas and fight battles with miniature soldiers, as well as engage in group-strategy games using large geographical maps. Fictional and nonfiction accounts, graphic novels, reference books, and related films and documentaries give campers a grounding in the period’s history.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262685?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Splatters, Splotches, and Dots
Resident Associate Program
Campers explore the world of abstract art. Using various techniques campers explore colors, shapes, and textures in unique ways. Visits to the Hirshhorn and the National Gallery introduce campers to artists such Kandinsky, Pollack Gillam, and Alma Thomas. Throughout the week, campers create their own works of art inspired by random museum objects using various mediums for a colorful end of the week exhibit.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263833?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Video Games: Design and Play
Resident Associate Program
Tired of playing those same, boring video games? Learn to design your own in this high-tech camp. Studying characters and video games in the Smithsonian’s collections and drawing inspiration from museum objects, campers use a video-game engine to create characters, game levels, and animation, and learn the ins and outs of game design and development.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262681?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
The Club: A Haven for American Women Artists in Belle Époque Paris
Resident Associate Program
With its flourishing modern culture, Belle Époque Paris was a haven for artists and intellectuals from around the world. American women artists, unable to thrive or be taken seriously stateside, journeyed to Paris and gathered at a residence for women called the American Girls' Club, opened in 1893. Art historian and author Jennifer Dasal examines how it harbored and nurtured a generation of independent, talented, and driven American women.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263944?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/263944?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, July 14, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
William F. Buckley Jr.: Architect of Modern Conservatism
Resident Associate Program
Beginning in the 1950s, William F. Buckley Jr. emerged as a towering figure in American conservatism—founding National Review magazine, shaping political discourse on television, and mentoring a new generation of conservative leaders including Ronald Reagan. In conversation with Rebecca Boggs Roberts, Buckley’s selected biographer, Sam Tanenhaus, unpacks his multifaceted legacy, exploring his influence on American politics and media, his ideological battles, and the complex, often-surprising life of a man who left an enduring mark on American public life.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263977?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/263977?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, July 14, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
From Millionaires' Row to Embassy Row: Massachusetts Avenue in the Gilded Age
Resident Associate Program
Washington’s movers and shakers once strolled the streets of Dupont Circle, where Massachusetts Avenue was the city’s most fashionable residential address. Its opulent mansions designed to impress society were converted into embassies, social clubs, and offices after the Great Depression. Carolyn Muraskin of DC Design Tours offers stories of Washington’s premier promenade and examines the past and present of some of its most notable buildings.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263900?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/263900?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, July 14, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: Let’s Go to the Beach!
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Take a trip to the beach at Storytime! We’ll transport ourselves to the ocean by looking at the work of Brazilian twin artists OSGEMEOS. We’ll also make our own art with colorful sand.
Featured Book: Flotsam by David Wiesner, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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 will be given the option to return for entry to the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Layered Landscape.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Summer's Discoveries: A Reflective Writing Workshop
Resident Associate Program
Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by works of art by Georgia O'Keeffe and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the summer season offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop invites you to look at the world through the lens of painting and poetry and to respond through reflective writing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263945?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/263945?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, July 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Let’s Go to the Beach!
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Take a trip to the beach at Storytime! We’ll transport ourselves to the ocean by looking at the work of Brazilian twin artists OSGEMEOS. We’ll also make our own art with colorful sand.
Featured Book: Flotsam by David Wiesner, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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 will be given the option to return for entry to the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Layered Landscape.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Great Hall Story Time
One-Time Events
Join us in the Portrait Gallery’s picturesque Great Hall for an interactive story time that gets up close and personal with art. Participants will look closely at portraits and read stories as they learn more about the people who have shaped history.
Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-hall-story-time-tickets-1335479447979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Unpacking Provenance | A Kakiemon Model of an Elephant
Lectures & Discussions
In this webinar, a panel of four experts discuss a Kakiemon model of an elephant from the collections of the NMAA, focusing on provenance research approaches and resources. Manufactured in seventeenth-century Japan, this porcelain elephant likely arrived in Europe as cargo on a Dutch East India Company trading vessel. In examining this object, panelists will articulate research questions, brainstorm approaches, and discuss methods to track down answers about both the object’s journey and the life histories of the individuals who encountered it.
The online series Unpacking Provenance: Retracing the Histories of Asian Art brings together cross-disciplinary specialists to explore provenance research processes and share resources. Discussions focus on a single object, exploring a variety of innovative, strategic, and collaborative approaches to inquiry.
Unpacking Provenance is part of a larger collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz that seeks to cultivate the…
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2PgN4AExQ6GlTHurLrRDrw. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Unpacking Provenance | A Chinese Porcelain Cup. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, July 15, 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: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Charlie Chaplin and the Art of Screen Comedy
Resident Associate Program
During the last century, the world’s moviegoers were filled with delight as Charlie Chaplin ate his shoe, roller-skated blindfolded, was swallowed by an assembly line, and twirled his cane as the beloved Little Tramp. His remarkable 52-year career, however, was not without its share of personal and political traumas. Film historian Max Alvarez examines the laughter and heartbreak behind one of the geniuses of screen comedy.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263946?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/263946?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, July 15, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: Let’s Go to the Beach!
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Take a trip to the beach at Storytime! We’ll transport ourselves to the ocean by looking at the work of Brazilian twin artists OSGEMEOS. We’ll also make our own art with colorful sand.
Featured Book: Flotsam by David Wiesner, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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 will be given the option to return for entry to the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Layered Landscape.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. 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, July 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Storytime Studio: Let’s Go to the Beach!
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 8 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning in July, at 10 am and 11 am, visitors are welcomed into our studio and enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Take a trip to the beach at Storytime! We’ll transport ourselves to the ocean by looking at the work of Brazilian twin artists OSGEMEOS. We’ll also make our own art with colorful sand.
Featured Book: Flotsam by David Wiesner, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a One-hour Experience.
There are two sessions each Wednesday in July with entry times at 10 AM 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 will be given the option to return for entry to the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Layered Landscape.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
The Exquisite Enigma of Maurice Ravel: Polished Perfection, Hidden Genius
Resident Associate Program
The music of Maurice Ravel brings a unique form of magnetism, delicacy, passion, and a frisson of disquiet to the concert experience. Concert pianist and speaker Rachel Franklin celebrates Ravel's 150th birthday by exploring a wide range of works from such masterpieces as Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse to solo display works like Tzigane that dazzle with their beauty and technical brilliance.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263947?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/263947?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
German-Jewish Responses to the Rise of Hitler
Resident Associate Program
The rapid changes brought during the first weeks after Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in January 1933 made it clear to the country’s Jewish population that they would never be viewed as assimilated German citizens. Historian Michael Brenner explores the broad variety of reactions from Jews to Hitler’s rise—including Zionist, Liberal, and Orthodox branches—ranging from attempts to accommodate the new regime to religious responses to calls for emigration.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263920?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/263920?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, July 16, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Beyond the Myth: Frida Kahlo at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Resident Associate Program
Despite being one of the most documented artists of the 20th century, Frida Kahlo remains an elusive figure, clouded by a mythology that was partly of her own making. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibition “Frida: Behind the Myth” explores the defining moments of Kahlo’s life as depicted through self-portraits plus prints and photographs of her. The day also includes a visit with the Latin Ballet of Virginia. Arts journalist Richard Selden leads the tour.
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/263966?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, July 17, 2025, 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM.
Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Sketch Break
One-Time Events
Join us for a sketching session in our galleries. Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Participants can expect guided instruction from an artist educator before heading into the galleries to sketch on their own. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own sketchbooks.
Event Location: In the Galleries. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-sketch-break-tickets-991180235767?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. U.S. Marine Corps plays American music
One-Time Events
"The President’s Own” United States Marine Band was established by an Act of Congress in 1798, and its mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The band's ensemble "Free Country" pays tribute to the men and women in uniform with country classics, patriotic favorites, and original works.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom—Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Santorini: Pompeii of the Aegean
Resident Associate Program
The island of Santorini boasts one of the most well-preserved archaeological sites of the Greek Bronze Age. It is often described as the “Pompeii of the Aegean” because around 1600 B.C.E. a cataclysmic volcanic eruption engulfed the island in layers of pumice and ash up to 60 yards deep. It was not until 1967 that systematic excavations began in earnest. Art historian Renee Gondek delves into the ancient site and discusses the colorful frescoes found in many of the preserved structures.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263921?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/263921?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Sketching the Smithsonian: Weekly Lunchtime Drawing Series
Resident Associate Program
Pull out your sketchbook and pencil to take an artful break as you explore the Smithsonian while drawing objects from vast and fascinating collections. Option to register for this program as a 6-session series.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263791?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/263791?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
U.S. Marine Corps plays American music
One-Time Events
"The President’s Own” United States Marine Band was established by an Act of Congress in 1798, and its mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The band's ensemble "Free Country" pays tribute to the men and women in uniform with country classics, patriotic favorites, and original works.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Flag Hall. Cost: Free. Categories: Performances. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom—Americans at War. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Feeling Abstract
Resident Associate Program
Learn the difference between Abstract art and Abstract Expressionism by discovering their basic elements, characteristics, and principles while creating fun, enlightening experiments using an array of media.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263655?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/263655?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Take 5: Jazz at SAAM with Zoë Jorgenson
One-Time Events
Celebrate a uniquely American art form with Take 5: Jazz at SAAM, a series of free, live performances in the Kogod Courtyard. Zoë Jorgenson is a bassist, composer, and educator whose music is deeply rooted in jazz, indie, folk, and ambient genres. She has been hailed for her innovative approach to melodic bass and vocal lines. Jorgensen will perform a variety of original compositions and jazz standards with her quartet.
Borrow a board game to play during the concert and stop by the Courtyard Café to purchase refreshments.
Image credit: Keith Butler Jr.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Tickets available beginning June 16. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1iXxN. Categories: After Five. Performances.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Design on the Water: Washington, DC, Architecture Cruise
Resident Associate Program
Spend a summer evening sailing on the Potomac, taking in Washington, D.C.’s architectural icons and history from a new perspective. Cast off from Georgetown with your architecture guide from DC Design Tours and professional crew from Capitol River Cruises. As you cruise south on the Potomac, soak in sunset views of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Georgetown waterfront, then sail past Theodore Roosevelt Island, under Arlington Memorial Bridge, and along the National Mall and Tidal Basin.
Event Location: Tour begins at Washington Harbour in Georgetown at west (upriver) end. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263964?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Q?rius After Hours - July
One-Time Events
Q?rius After Hours is back! You have two more chances to hang out in the Coralyn W. Whitney Q?rius Science Education Center after hours this summer. Both nights will feature NMNH collections specimens, crafts, puzzles, and games, but check out these featured experts for July: The Biology of Berries with NMNH botany laboratory technician Gabriel Johnson , Knot tying, Chesapeake Bay Maritime History and Sailing Tools with the crew of Mildred Belle, the Living Classrooms Foundation’s Chesapeake Bay buyboat. , What Was Insect Pollination Like before the Origin of Flowering Plants? NMNH paleoecologist Conrad Labandeira , The Art of Preserving Plants featuring hands-on botany specimen preparation with NMNH museum specialist Erika Gardner , Try your hand at painting insect art with micro-photography Register here for the July 17th program.
After July, your last chance to catch Q?rius After Hours this summer is on August 13th. Register here!
This program is designed for adults. Registration is free and…
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/51366481/qrius-after-hours-july-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Galileo: Lessons from a Great Scientist
Resident Associate Program
Galileo Galilei is one of the larger-than-life heroes of intellectual history. Astrophysicist Mario Livio traces his fascinating life, examining Galileo’s monumental and enduring achievements in astronomy, mechanics, and the development of the scientific method. Livio also analyzes Galileo’s complex and tragic interaction with the Catholic Church, which eventually led to the scientist being denounced as a suspected heretic by the Inquisition.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263892?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/263892?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, July 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Kierkegaard on the Madness of Mass Media
Resident Associate Program
In his published works and private journals, the 19th-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard presented an analysis of the dangers of the daily press—particularly how it fosters a culture of anonymity and conformity, eroding the foundations of meaning, truth, and moral responsibility. Steven M. Emmanuel, a professor of philosophy at Virginia Wesleyan University, explores the parallels between Kierkegaard’s stance and present-day concerns about the effects of algorithm-driven social media and news culture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263948?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/263948?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, July 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The Indispensables: How the Marblehead Regiment Saved Washington’s Army
Resident Associate Program
A group of white, Black, Hispanic, and Native American soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts, became one of the most indispensable forces of the American Revolution. A special-operations–like regiment, Marbleheads did everything from seizing British ships to ferrying George Washington’s troops across the ice-filled Delaware River on Christmas night of 1776. Military historian Patrick K. O’Donnell discusses the exploits and heroism of this unique group of soldiers.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263922?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/263922?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, July 17, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Heritage, Design, and Culture in the Black Home
One-Time Events
In celebration of the recently released publication Making Home: Belonging, Memory, and Utopia in the 21st Century, join artists and designers Robert Earl Paige, Renée Stout, Jomo Tariku, and Hadiya Williams in conversation with Michelle Joan Wilkinson, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, as they explore ideas about home through the lens of heritage, culture, and design. The speakers will reflect on their experiences of making home through art, design, and through cultivating spaces for the nourishment of self and community. In their work, which includes textiles, altars, tablescapes, and furniture, we find examples of how each uniquely addresses refuge, ancestry, and interconnection in home living spaces and the objects they create.
The program highlights the "Making Home – Smithsonian Design Triennial" exhibition, a collaboration between two Smithsonian museums, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse, Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/73464537. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Shopping/Book Signing. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Conversation Circles
One-Time Events
Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world. Together, we’ll use portraiture to learn about U.S. art, history and culture. This program takes place every other week. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu.
Event Location: Online via Zoom. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
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, July 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Botany and Bugs: Behind the Scenes at the National Museum of Natural History
Resident Associate Program
Spend the morning behind the scenes with curators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, uncovering two of the museum’s collections that showcase the wonders of flora and fauna: the United States National Herbarium and the entomology collection. At the herbarium, explore how specimens are crucial in advancing research in taxonomy, ecology, and conservation. Then discover the importance of insect diversity and its impact on ecosystems.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Tour meets in the Constitution Ave lobby of the National Museum of Natural History. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263962?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, July 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Free weekly tours of the Enid A. Haupt Garden are offered every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. from April 30 through September 26, 2025, weather permitting.
Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Glass Flowers and Royal Chandeliers: Inside the World of Czech Glass
Resident Associate Program
Czech glassmaking has captivated the world for centuries. What began in the medieval regions of Bohemia and Silesia has evolved into a world-renowned tradition celebrated for its artistry and innovation. Art historian Jennie Hirsh explores the development of Czech glassmaking, the distinctive techniques that define it, and the wide range of luxury objects that artisans produce. She also offers a virtual tour of the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at Harvard University. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263978?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/263978?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, July 18, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Friday, July 18, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Privacy, Security, and Safety in Digital Space
One-Time Events
How privacy-aware are you online? Is it safe to share personal information in a group text? How do targeted ads work? Come chat with a team of computer scientists and privacy researchers from the John Hopkins University and the University of Notre Dame. Ask them about digital privacy and test your skills at being safe online!
Presented by:
Dr. Yaxing Yao, Computer Science Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Toby Li, Computer Science Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Lanjing Liu, Privacy Researcher, University of Notre Dame
Chaoran Chen, Privacy Researcher, University of Notre Dame
Julia Qian, Engineering Professor, University of Notre Dame
Photographs courtesy of the presenters (left to right): Chaoran Chen, Julia Qian, Lanjing Liu, Toby Li, and Yaxing Yao.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Cellphone Exhibition Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Cellphone: Unseen Connections. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Artist Workshop: Sacred Ornamental Pattern with Adam Williamson
Workshops
Registration required through Eventbrite.
Learn to draw designs based on the symmetry of nature and inspired by traditions from around the world. In this workshop, you'll use a compass and straightedge to recreate beautiful patterns. Meanwhile, you'll develop a solid grounding in the language of symmetry in sacred ornamental art.
Throughout human history, many cultures have used geometry to make art, directly inspired by the rhythms and structures of life itself. Principles like symmetry and tessellation govern how crystals and plants grow. In this sense, geometric art is beyond time and place. All ages welcome , No previous experience required , Limited seating available , All supplies are provided , Take your drawing home, This program is presented in partnership with the Reed Society for Sacred Arts.
About Adam Williamson
A trained geometer and carver, Adam is drawn to particular shapes and patterns that can tessellate into perfectly balanced structures. His work focuses on universal principles found in…
Venue: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Event Location: Flex Space; Gallery 27. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1388615499339?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Conservation Cart Talk | Persian Writing Boxes
Lectures & Discussions
Discover the hidden layers of Persian lacquered writing boxes and what they reveal about craftsmanship, materials, and care. Gretchen and David Welch Conservator in Training Dhruvika Bisht will guide you through the fascinating world of these intricately decorated objects, which she is currently examining and preparing for conservation treatment. Explore a model showing how the boxes are built, examine pigments and materials up close, and view striking images—from artisans at work to glowing UV photos that uncover hidden details. Learn how close looking and technical study help us better understand and preserve these masterful works of art.
Want to see an example? Watch a video about a lacquer box in our collection with close up views of the decorations and details. Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: West Building (Mall entrance). Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Spain on the Brain
Resident Associate Program
Spain’s history has been inexorably linked to wine since the 3rd century B.C.E. As a gastronomic culture, no Spanish table is complete without it. Today, the country boasts over 70 demarcated wine regions. From fresh, bright coastal wines to intense wines from inland areas to unique fortified wines, Spain has something for every palate and every plate.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263856?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/263856?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Webcasts & Online.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Caught by the Tides
Films
Watch the trailer
One of the world’s greatest living directors, Jia Zhangke (A Touch of Sin, Ash is Purest White) has taken his boldest approach to narrative yet with his marvelous Caught by the Tides. Assembled from footage shot over a span of 23 years—a beguiling mix of fiction and documentary, featuring a cascade of images taken from previous movies, unused scenes, and newly shot dramatic sequences—Caught by the Tides is a free-flowing work of unspoken longing, carried along more by music than dialogue as it looms around the edges of a poignant love story.
The film mostly adheres to the perspective of Qiaoqiao (Jia’s muse and spouse Zhao Tao) as she wanders an increasingly unrecognizable country in search of long-lost lover Bin (Li Zhubin), who left their home city of Datong seeking new financial prospects. The always captivating Zhao carries the film with her delicate expressiveness, while Jia constantly evokes cinema’s ability to capture the passage of time and the persistence of change: of people,…
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://icymi.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, July 18, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 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, July 19, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Let’s Go Get Away!
One time events
Join Art School this July as we take inspiration from the best of summer camp with that extra-special Art School flair. Every Saturday throughout the month, come together at the Hirshhorn’s Open Studio for community camp-style crafts inspired by artists on view at the Museum. Each week, we’ll gather to create crafts including woven bracelets influenced by Anni Albers, sand art modeled on the work of André Masson, and journals and storytelling driven by Laurie Anderson’s narratives.
This Saturday, we’ll take inspiration from summer beach vacations and André Masson’s assemblage artwork Caryatid (1939). Assemble your own ocean-inspired artwork using colorful sand, seashells, and sea glass!
Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Paint it black like Louise Nevelson.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Handmade Cards: Hello Friend!
Resident Associate Program
Surprise friends and family with beautiful greeting cards you made by hand. This class teaches you everything you need to know.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263656?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/263656?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, July 19, 2025, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Diversión Storytime: "Paletero Man"
American Latino Museum
Join us for a fun-filled Summer Saturday with special storytimes and music with Multi-Grammy Award-winning musician and author Lucky Diaz. The story times will feature "Paletero Man," a picture book celebrating the strength of community and the tastes of summer.
Enjoy hands-on activities and games in our General Motors Learning Lounge, and learn about the many educational resources available to you via the Smithsonian and the National Museum of the American Latino.
ASL interpretation will be provided.
Event Highlights:
Hands-On Activities in the General Motors Learning Lounge highlighting "Paletero Man" and "Nuestra América: 30 Latinas/Latinos Who Have Shaped the United States," an illustrated anthology from the National Museum of the American Latino.
Schedule: Ongoing (11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) 11:00 a.m. "Paletero Man" Storytime with Lucky Diaz and a Young Ambassador Program participant , 1:00 p.m. Interactive Sing-along with Lucky Diaz , 2:00 p.m. Lucky Diaz Book Signing , 3:30 p.m. "Paletero Man"…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: General Motors Learning Lounge, Molina Family Latino Gallery. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Curatorial Tour of "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States"
American Latino Museum
Join the National Museum of the American Latino in a one-hour curatorial tour of the "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States" exhibition. This tour will guide visitors through the exhibition, highlighting key objects and stories that tell major chapters in U.S. history from the Latino lens. The tour also allows visitors to understand the formation of the U.S. Latino community from pre-Columbian to present day. After the tour, participants are encouraged to explore the digital components of the gallery including our Somos Theater, which features a 14-minute documentary style video that explores the Latino community's identity answering key questions of who we are as Americans and who we are as Latinos.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation will be provided. For questions, please email: nmalgroupreservations@si.edu.
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Únase al Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense en un recorrido curatorial en inglés de la exhibición "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States". Este recorrido…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, National Museum of American History. Cost: Free, No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Origem with the Lucini Bros & Friends: The Influence of Brazilian Music on Jazz
One-Time Events
This event will offer a dynamic and educational exploration of the lasting influence of Brazilian music, especially Samba, Bossa Nova and Baiao, on jazz. Attendees will gain insight into how these rich Brazilian traditions have shaped and been woven into the fabric of jazz music.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free! Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Crafty Caps
One-Time Events
Join Artist Tamara Thomas as she leads a workshop on designing baseball caps using paint pens, fabric, patches, stickers, gems and other decorative materials. Supplies are provided. This workshop is best for ages 8 and up.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crafty-caps-tickets-1374725654439?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, July 19, 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/o/national-portrait-gallery-810710525. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Culture Queen’s Dance Party
One-Time Events
Join Culture Queen on an interactive journey through the Swinging '60s as she teaches the hottest dances of the era like “The Twist” and the music of Rock & Roll kings and queens like Chubby Checker, and Little Evarp and many more.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/culture-queens-dance-party-tickets-1374661011089?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Origem with the Lucini Bros & Friends: The Influence of Brazilian Music on Jazz
One-Time Events
This event will offer a dynamic and educational exploration of the lasting influence of Brazilian music, especially Samba, Bossa Nova and Baiao, on jazz. Attendees will gain insight into how these rich Brazilian traditions have shaped and been woven into the fabric of jazz music.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Coulter Plaza, 1st Floor West. Cost: Free! Categories: Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Star Power: Saturday Movie Matinee
One-Time Events
The Portrait Gallery’s Star Power: Saturday Movie Matinee series returns this summer with another beloved vintage Hollywood film inspired by the exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.” Enjoy the glamour of the Golden Age and watch some of Hollywood’s most iconic stars in this 1934 classic.
The featured film will be “The Thin Man” (running time: 93 minutes). This comedic murder mystery stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as husband-and-wife detective duo Nick and Nora Charles. Watch the couple sip martinis and exchange witty banter as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of an inventor accused of murder.
Event Location: McEvoy Auditorium. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/star-power-saturday-movie-matinee-tickets-1234756733629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Films.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:40 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Curatorial Tour of "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States"
American Latino Museum
Join the National Museum of the American Latino in a one-hour curatorial tour of the "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States" exhibition. This tour will guide visitors through the exhibition, highlighting key objects and stories that tell major chapters in U.S. history from the Latino lens. The tour also allows visitors to understand the formation of the U.S. Latino community from pre-Columbian to present day. After the tour, participants are encouraged to explore the digital components of the gallery including our Somos Theater, which features a 14-minute documentary style video that explores the Latino community's identity answering key questions of who we are as Americans and who we are as Latinos.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation will be provided. For questions, please email: nmalgroupreservations@si.edu.
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Únase al Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense en un recorrido curatorial en inglés de la exhibición "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States". Este recorrido guiar…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance, National Museum of American History. Cost: Free, No Registration Required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Sounds of Africa Concert Series
One-Time Events
Grab a drink, enjoy the lively beats, and dance the night away!
The National Museum of African Art’s Sounds of Africa concert series features music from the African diaspora. This ongoing series, which runs through November 15, brings together a stellar lineup of artists who are pushing the boundaries of music from Africa while honoring its roots. Enjoy drinks for purchase!
Kicking off the series on Saturday July 19 is Grammy-nominated Malian musician Cheikh Hamala Diabaté! Dubbed “King of the n’goni,” the West African stringed instrument related to the banjo, Cheikh Hamala Diabaté has long explored the connection between America’s traditions and his own griot roots. Born into a griot family in Kita, Mali, he travels all over the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, performing and teaching. Diabaté is first cousin to kora master Toumani Diabate, and nephew to Super Rail Band guitarist, Djelimady Tounkara. He has collaborated with Bela Fleck and banjo player Bob Carlin.
Sounds of Africa Concert Series …
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Haupt Garden. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sounds-of-africa-concert-series-tickets-1431688802749?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Smithsonian Sleepover at the Natural History Museum
Resident Associate Program
In-person Program: Go on an interactive exploration of the Natural History Museum and participate in hands-on crafts projects and games. Then roll out your sleeping bag and dream away in the darkened halls of one of the world’s most famous museums! Geared for children ages 8 to 14 years old, accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History 10th St & Constitution Ave NW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263987?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Categories: After Five. Kids & Families.
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – Sunday, July 20, 2025, 9:00 AM.
Celebrating Smithsonian Gardens: From Sketching to Creating in 3D - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Explore Smithsonian gardens as you begin with sketching and photographing in the gardens, then head back to the studio to turn your vision into mixed-media artwork.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263657?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, July 20, 2025, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM.
The Monk and the Gun
Films
Followed by a Q&A with director Pawo Choyning Dorji and a reception for all attendees!
Watch the trailer
Set in 2006, in the run-up to Bhutan’s first democratic elections, the plot of this wry ensemble comedy is set in motion when an elderly Buddhist monk sends an assistant out to find two guns that he needs for mysterious reasons. Meanwhile, an American gun collector is on a mission to buy the same weapons, and a put-upon election official is struggling to drum up support for a mock election in advance of the real one. A “droll political satire” (Marya E. Gates, Rogerebert.com) of crossed paths and missed connections, The Monk and the Gun is a true delight. After the screening, join a conversation with director Pawo Choyning Dorji and Bhutan Foundation Executive Director Tshewang Wangchuk, and enjoy free refreshments.
(Dir.: Pawo Choyning Dorji, Bhutan/Taiwan/France/United States/Hong Kong, 2023, DCP, English and Dzongkha with English subtitles), Image Courtesy of Swank Motion Pictures.
Venue: Freer Gallery of Art. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://icymi.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, July 20, 2025, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Animal Kingdom
Resident Associate Program
Did you know there are more than 4, 000 different kinds of mammals in the world—including such diverse animals as bats, lions, buffalo, and dolphins? Campers investigate their world to discover these animals are great communicators, have highly developed senses, and can make unusual friends. In addition to games, crafts, and storytelling, visits to the National Zoo, and the Natural History, American Indian, and African Art museums inspire campers to create their own animal kingdom.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262688?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Critter Mania!
Resident Associate Program
Insects are the most plentiful animals on earth. Campers embark on an adventure-filled trip through the world of bugs, butterflies, and bees to gain a deeper appreciation for these critters and the benefits they bring. Campers create environments inspired by field trips to the U.S. Botanic Garden, the National Zoo, and the Natural History Museum’s Insect Zoo. Stories and games also help them understand these powerful and beautiful creatures.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262689?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Deep Blue Dive
Resident Associate Program
Campers plunge in and discover the wonders of the watery world. Through visits to locations including Natural History Museum and the National Zoo, they explore the world beneath the waves as they discover its ocean zones, inhabitants past and present, and watery habitats. Hearing stories of the sea inspires their own magical depictions of the deep. Campers display what they’ve discovered in a marine exhibition at Friday’s show-and-share.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262686?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Flying Feathered Friends
Resident Associate Program
Let your senses soar as campers discover the amazing world of our feathered friends. From the rhythmic drumming of a woodpecker to the sweet melodies of a songbird to our flightless friend the emu, campers learn to identify birds by sight and sound. Through visits to museums, campers explore the evolution of birds from prehistoric times, the principles of flight, and the migration habits. Through stories, games, and hands-on crafts, campers are immersed in the world of our feathered friends.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263835?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Galactic Adventures
Resident Associate Program
Astronauts, prepare to take off! Campers spend the week exploring outer space, training to be an astronaut, and learning amazing things about our solar system. They tour the Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center to explore the moon and the stars, planets, and the galaxies that fill our universe. The future explorers create crafts, experience simulations, conduct experiments, and take part in other exciting activities with an eye on space.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262687?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Kitchen Chemistry
Resident Associate Program
Mix it, melt it, make it wiggle! Campers join the Science Guys of Baltimore in this food-based chemical adventure filled with experiments that use edible ingredients. Visits to the American History Museum’s FOOD exhibition and Smithsonian gardens containing edible plants inspire campers’ investigations across the periodic table and through the stages of matter. They explore the hidden secrets of the kitchen, create edible slime, make gummy worms, and concoct edible eruptions in preparation for a delicious Friday demonstration for family and friends. (No major allergens are included in this camp.).
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262691?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Master of the Elements
Resident Associate Program
Water…earth…fire…air. Campers must balance the four elements in their quest to become bending masters. Through investigations of Asian arts and culture as well as science experiments and games, they enter the world of the Avatar. Campers learn what style of bending best suits them, practice their skills, and create a festival for families to enjoy. Field trips to the Asian Art and Natural History museums and the National Gallery of Art enrich campers' explorations as they track down the four elements on the National Mall.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262694?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Mission to Mars
Resident Associate Program
The idea of living on Mars has been a staple of science fiction since the 19th century, and NASA hopes to have a manned mission to the planet by 2030. Astronauts-in-training blast off to the Red Planet as they learn about current and past NASA projects, hear from experts, and visit the Air and Space Museum and the Udvar-Hazy Center. Campers complete an astronaut-training obstacle course, design a Mars Rover, and experience a taste of what it’s like to live on the planet.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262690?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Pop Culture Past
Resident Associate Program
MTV in the ’80s, fashion in the ’70s, Pop Art in the ’60s, and food innovations in the ’50s all helped to define America’s recent past. Each day campers time-travel to a different decade and take a cross-cultural look at history through the lens of popular culture. Visits to the Hirshhorn, American History, and African American History and Culture museums spark poster designs, jingles, and recipes inspired by days gone by.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262693?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Smithsonian Shark Tank
Resident Associate Program
Americans have spread innovations in culture and science across the globe for centuries. Campers visit the U.S. Patent Office, the Q?rius Lab, and the American History Museum to explore the entrepreneurs and creations that changed America and the world. Camper-inventors then develop their own big-idea innovations, polish their elevator speeches, and build prototypes to be presented before the judges at the end of the week.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262692?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Soldiers and Dioramas WWII: The Invasion of Okinawa, 1945
Resident Associate Program
Part of Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II. Campers visit the Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center to learn about the history of kamikaze warfare and examine the events that led to Japan’s final surrender—the dropping of the first atomic bombs. Campers learn about the critical role the island played on the Pacific Front using reference books and documentaries. They create dioramas and fight battles with miniature soldiers, as well as engage in group-strategy games using large geographical maps. Fictional and nonfiction accounts, graphic novels, reference books, and related films and documentaries give campers a grounding in the period’s history.
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/262695?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Whirligig and Wild Wheels
Resident Associate Program
Campers mix art and science as they put a spin on the world of kinetic possibility. They discover the engineering design process as they construct machines to solve daily challenges and overcomplicate simple, straightforward tasks just for fun, in the spirit of Rube Goldberg’s wacky machines. They hand-manipulate wire to produce a zany 3D spinning toy, create a colorful interactive pinwheel, and participate in pendulum-powered paintings. Visits to musuems to view patent models inspire campers’ designs throughout the week. Full STEAM ahead!
Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263836?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Teen Futures Week, Session II
One-Time Events
Join us at the National Portrait Gallery for an exciting 4-day camp tailored just for teens. Teens will explore their future through art, discussions and interactive activities. Participants will connect with peers who share similar interests and dive into thought-provoking artmaking to explore what lies ahead in their life and career. This is a unique opportunity to envision 2025 and beyond in a creative and inspiring setting. Free and open to teens going into 9th through 12th grades. Session I is for rising freshmen and sophomores; Session II is for rising juniors and seniors.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teen-futures-week-session-ii-tickets-1334374071769?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Ocean Topics Cart Chat
One-Time Events
Looking for a deeper dive into ocean topics? Come and find one of our Ocean Educators to explore some of the latest discoveries in marine science, stationed at an interactive cart in the Sant Ocean Hall.
Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, July 21, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Andalusia: An Empire of Three Faiths
Resident Associate Program
From the 8th to the 14th centuries, Andalusia—Spain under Muslim rule—flourished as an artistic, cultural, scientific, and intellectual hub for the Mediterranean world. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic artisans, translators, philosophers, architects, and scientists all contributed to a vibrant cultural exchange. Art historian Louisa Woodville discusses the region’s artistic legacy and this unique convergence of influences. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263854?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/263854?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, July 21, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 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.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM.
Teen Futures Week, Session II
One-Time Events
Join us at the National Portrait Gallery for an exciting 4-day camp tailored just for teens. Teens will explore their future through art, discussions and interactive activities. Participants will connect with peers who share similar interests and dive into thought-provoking artmaking to explore what lies ahead in their life and career. This is a unique opportunity to envision 2025 and beyond in a creative and inspiring setting. Free and open to teens going into 9th through 12th grades. Session I is for rising freshmen and sophomores; Session II is for rising juniors and seniors.
Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teen-futures-week-session-ii-tickets-1334374071769?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Science on a Sphere
One-Time Events
Come explore our blue planet with NMNH Ocean Educators. Through NOAA’s Science on a Sphere technology, you’ll encounter a series of interactive visualizations projected on the Sant Ocean Hall’s giant globe. Watch sea turtles migrate coast to coast, track ships through global waters in real-time, explore the changing climate patterns shaping our planet, and much more!
Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Great Hall Story Time
One-Time Events
Join us in the Portrait Gallery’s picturesque Great Hall for an interactive story time that gets up close and personal with art. Participants will look closely at portraits and read stories as they learn more about the people who have shaped history.
Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-hall-story-time-tickets-1335479447979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Meditation and Mindfulness
Workshops
Register to join the sessions.
Join a free online guided meditation. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections.
All are welcome! No previous experience is required. Image: Hishikawa Sori / Landscape: two of the four seasons; autumn and winter, Japan, late 18th–early 19th century, color, ink, and gold on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1906.234.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Cost: Free; registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NeVySe_xTkGKsbcKbl_syQ. Categories: Workshops. Webcasts & Online. Related Events: Meditation and Mindfulness (Online).
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
ONLINE | California Native American Survival and Resilience During the Mission Period (NK360° Educator Professional Development)
One-Time Events
Historian Dr. Olivia Chilcote (Luiseño/San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians) provides a history of Native people’s resilience during California’s Spanish mission period. Native Knowledge 360° program manager Irene Kearns (Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria) guides educators through how to analyze sources to answer the question "How did Native Americans of California resist and persist in the face of extreme adversity?"
This professional development opportunity is free to attend, registration is required.
Event Location: Online only. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yrPtbstYTYid_lTyvpLTfQ#/registration. Cost: Free, registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yrPtbstYTYid_lTyvpLTfQ#/registration. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Spacious Skies in Watercolors
Resident Associate Program
Embrace the beauty of open horizons and endless skies as you learn to capture the vastness of nature with flowing brushstrokes and luminous colors. Learn a variety of approaches and colors to depict expansive, stunning skies, including everything from large cumulus clouds to wispy cirrus clouds.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263658?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/263658?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, July 22, 2025, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Collage Jumpstart
Resident Associate Program
Discover a variety of approaches to creating mixed-media collages and learn techniques for creating interesting, personalized papers for art applications. Find out how to capitalize on everyday materials; learn to use household tools and utensils to make stencils and create patterns and textures on papers.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263659?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/263659?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, July 22, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The Stories We Tell: The Role of Storytelling in Evolution
Resident Associate Program
Whether around a campfire, in a café or in a theater, storytelling is ubiquitous in human culture—suggesting that it has deep roots. It also raises the question of why humans find stories so compelling. Drawing on examples from cave art, archaeologist April Nowell presents evidence for storytelling and narrative in the Ice Age and considers the role it has played in human survival over the millennia.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263923?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/263923?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, July 22, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Are We Alone?: The Search for Life Beyond Earth
Resident Associate Program
Our galaxy likely contains more planets than stars, so what are the odds of finding distant Earth-like worlds that teem with life? Is it possible inhabitants of another planet are trying to contact us—and would we be able to recognize extraterrestrial life if it exists? Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, examines how astronomers and scientists are investigating the possibilities.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263855?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/263855?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, July 22, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Jules Verne and the Invention of the Future
Resident Associate Program
The novels of Jules Verne thrilled and entertained, as well as predicted innovations and technological advancements that in time would become everyday realities. Brimming with intellect, science, adventure, and paradoxes, his work dared to imagine a world beyond the limits of what was thought possible—and inspired others to bring it about. Biographer Laurence Bergreen offers an overview of a singular visionary who profoundly shaped the modern world.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/263949?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/263949?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, July 22, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.