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Storytime Studio: Boo!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead at Storytime! We’ll go on a ghost hunt in the galleries to investigate Annette Lemieux’s painting Nomad (1988), read Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, and create our own ghostly artworks. Costumes are encouraged, but please don’t bring large appendages, masks, or weapons.
Featured book: Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Essence Over Detail: Expression and Sketching in Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Discover how to capture your subject with expressive, sketch-like painting that emphasizes the most essential elements over excessive detail.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264215?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/264215?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264964?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264964?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Storytime Studio: Boo!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Celebrate Halloween and Day of the Dead at Storytime! We’ll go on a ghost hunt in the galleries to investigate Annette Lemieux’s painting Nomad (1988), read Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, and create our own ghostly artworks. Costumes are encouraged, but please don’t bring large appendages, masks, or weapons.
Featured book: Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration required
Entry to…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You! Art Project: Draw with Your Face.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264965?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
CANCELLED - DC | Cradleboards and Crawlers
One-Time Events
Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning.
*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.
**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265020?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265020?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Volunteer Recruitment Information Session
American Latino Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) is recruiting volunteers for its upcoming exhibition, ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa. Volunteers will support educational programs by engaging in hands-on activities and tours in the museum’s Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. This information session will help you learn about NMAL’s volunteer program, requirements, and application process.
For questions, please contact nmalvolunteer@si.edu
For ASL interpretation, please email us at nmalvolunteer@si.edu at least one week in advance.
*Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and must be able to volunteer in person at the Molina Family Latino Gallery in Washington, D.C. .
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ia3dWC8uQWezZXIV2TDHiw.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
A History of Fantasy
Resident Associate Program
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on pulp fiction writer, Robert E. Howard.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264587?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/264587?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264966?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264966?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264967?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265021?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265021?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 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, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264425?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/264425?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
The Mystical Core of Traditional Religions
Resident Associate Program
Mysticism—the awareness and the conscious unmediated experience of an ultimate reality, divinity, or God—captures the essence of religious experience. Comparative religion scholar Graham Schweig surveys the role mysticism plays in world religions and considers if there is a core mystical experience among these traditions or if each is shaped by unique cultural, linguistic, and religious contexts.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264652?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/264652?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
CANCELLED - Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
Enjoy a fall Friday in the Enid A. Haupt Garden and join one of our knowledgeable volunteers or staff for a free garden tour! Tours are offered each Friday in October at 10:00 a.m. and run approximately 40 minutes.
Meet at the tour sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW (between the Smithsonian Castle and the S. Dillon Ripley Center). No reservation is required. Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: Enid A. Haupt Garden, Meet at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264968?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264968?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264969?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Resident Associate Program
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265022?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
F?bulas Fairytales
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
For Ages 3 to 8. Classic fairytales come to life with a bilingual twist in this Discovery Theater Original production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265022?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Psycho-Analysis: A Look Inside Hitchcock’s Horror Masterpiece
Resident Associate Program
Alfred Hitchcock often called Psycho “a big joke” and was horrified to discover that audiences “were taking it seriously.” But his flip attitude can’t disguise what made his 1960 film a landmark in movie history. Working without his usual menu of big budgets, big stars, and glamorous locations, Hitchcock crafted a masterful study of fear and anxiety that still has the power to shock. Media historian Brian Rose explores this achievement.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264592?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/264592?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
CANCELLED: Ocean Hall-o-ween
One-Time Events
Visitors beware, you're in for a scare! Join us for an eerie educational experience in the Ocean Hall, where costumed scientists will share curious creatures, and spooky specimens in the spirit of the season!
Photo of Chimaera by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, October 31, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 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.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Preparing For Winter
One-Time Events
In this workshop, we will reflect on what we have learned this season. We will also explore how the climate and advances in technology alter or affect winter gardening and revisit the relevance of past techniques as we challenge ourselves to be better urban gardeners in the future.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Community Garden. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-preparing-for-winter-tickets-1248558986539?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Mysterious Constructs
One time events
Step into the strange and unexpected this fall at Open Studio.
Each week, we’ll dive into the mysterious and unsettling, exploring works by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Nicolas Party, Max Ernst, and more.
This week, we’ll be inspired by artist Aleksandra Exster’s Harlequin. We’ll explore Constructivist art, in which artists think and practice like engineers to build their works. Bring your imagination to life and build your own puppet!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required.…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: In Suspense!
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Poetry Reborn: Reading Dante’s Purgatorio
Resident Associate Program
Even though it was written seven centuries ago, Dante’s Divine Comedy is essential reading today. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explains why as he leads three all-day seminars focusing on each of the Divine Comedy’s three canticles: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He highlights the originality and brilliance of Dante’s poetic vision, explaining how this great poem became one of the most influential works in literary history. This session focuses on Dante's Purgatorio.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264073?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/264073?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Take this drawing fundamentals class as your first step in learning to draw. You learn to translate that stunning image in your mind or what you see in front of you onto paper, building a strong foundation for your drawing or painting practice.
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/264217?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 1:15 PM.
Starting Simple: What You Need to Begin Oil Painting
Resident Associate Program
For those getting started in oil painting, the array of available materials can feel overwhelming. This lecture offers an introduction to the basics needed to create a streamlined, effective setup.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264216?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/264216?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
Joy of African Movement
One-Time Events
Mentally and physically recharge with our Joy of African Movement series using a variety of dance movements from the African diaspora, including Capoeira, Contemporary Dance, Stepping, Hip Hop, and Traditional West African Dance.
On Saturday, November 1 from 10:30am-11:45am in the Sylvia Williams Gallery, join KanKouran West African Dance Company, the premier West African Dance Company in the U.S. KanKouran preserves and promotes traditional West African culture by providing quality entertainment and educational programs to local and national audiences to facilitate cross-cultural enrichment.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery (Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joy-of-african-movement-tickets-1778156858029?aff=oddtdtcreator%29. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit africa.si.edu. CANCELLED - DC | Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
One-Time Events
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life. Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including coloring activities, and paper marigold and mask making. Visitors are invited to leave photos and mementos of their loved ones on the ofrenda (altar), or commemorate them by writing their names on a butterfly to attach to the memorial arch. Papel picado demonstrations will be presented by David Amoroso. Learn about the significance behind the traditions of pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and tin milagros (miracle or surprise). Visitors of all ages can enjoy dance performances by Grupo los Tecuanes (Mixtec) at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
CANCELLED - NY | Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
One-Time Events
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for honoring our ancestors and remembering those we have lost. Learn about the ofrenda (altar), and take the opportunity to commemorate a loved one who has passed with a note or memento.
Family-friendly activities include making paper marigolds and butterfly masks will be available while papel picado artist Blanca Amezcua leads demonstrations from 11 AM-4 PM.
New York-based Aztec dance group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa will present traditional dances around the community ofrenda to honor ancestors at 11 AM and 2:30 PM.
Visitors can experience Mixtec musical traditions with a performance by Pasatono Orchestra at 12:30 PM.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Rotunda. Cost: Free.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
WILD Nature Play Club
One-Time Events
Presented as a pilot program by the National Zoological Park’s Little Critters: Nature Play, our WILD Nature Play Club will meet on the first Saturday of every month at the Anacostia Community Museum where we will explore the half-mile loop trail right next to the museum. Join us for unstructured play time in nature as well as a child-directed hike through the George Washington Carver Nature Trail. At the end of the hike, we will gather together for a story and nature activity then head back to the museum. Come prepared for our time together by dressing for the weather, bringing an extra pair of clothes, closed-toe shoes, water, and a snack!
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place SE. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-nature-play-club-tickets-1685498805299?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Coffee and Critiques: Artworks in 2-D Media
Resident Associate Program
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join Smithsonian Studio Arts instructor Nick Cruz Velleman for a small-group feedback conversation focusing on artwork in 2-D media. Receive kind constructive feedback and ideas, ask questions, and engage in discussion on art theory and practice with the goal of producing the artwork you are working towards.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264218?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/264218?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Masterpieces of the Middle Ages: A Romanesque Reawakening
Resident Associate Program
The year 1000 sparked a remarkable revival of artistic expression, particularly in 11th- and 12th-century France. From that renewal emerged the Romanesque style, which reshaped the spiritual and cultural landscape of medieval Europe. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton explores this vibrant period through its cathedrals, churches, cloisters, and monasteries?beautiful spaces created to instruct and inspire. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264738?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/264738?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Introduction to Pointed-Pen Calligraphy
Resident Associate Program
This elegant script, commonly known as copperplate, is unmatched in its usefulness for social stationery. Beginning with basic tools and mechanics, students discover how to develop their skills and to recognize the small details that make this style of writing so appealing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264219?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/264219?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Figure Drawing - In Person
Resident Associate Program
In this intermediate level class, students revisit fundamentals of human anatomy and experiment with techniques and approaches.
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/264220?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 2:15 PM – 5:15 PM.
Teen Studio: Pulling Strings
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–18. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
This fall, we’re exploring sculpture—with a spooky twist. Get ready to encounter the most haunting artworks lurking in the Hirshhorn’s collection. This Saturday, we’ll take inspiration from Aleksandra Exster’s marionettes, on view in the exhibition Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960. Then we’ll use found objects to create our own marionettes.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing HMSGeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this at home! Transform…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Alien Build with Huma Bhabha.
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Beginning Oil Painting - In Person
Resident Associate Program
In this course, gain the technical background and experience you need to get started as a painter. Working from museum masterpieces, still-life arrangements, or your favorite photos, explore basic painting techniques, including color-mixing, scumbling, and glazing.
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/264221?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 10:15 AM – 1:15 PM.
CANCELLED - DC | Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
One-Time Events
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life. Enjoy family-friendly activities throughout the day, including coloring activities, and paper marigold and mask making. Visitors are invited to leave photos and mementos of their loved ones on the ofrenda (altar), or commemorate them by writing their names on a butterfly to attach to the memorial arch. Papel picado demonstrations will be presented by David Amoroso. Learn about the significance behind the traditions of pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and tin milagros (miracle or surprise). Visitors of all ages can enjoy dance performances by Grupo los Tecuanes (Mixtec) at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
The 1860s Vision of Cézanne: Figures, Portraits, Landscapes, and Still Lifes - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Explore the vibrant and expressive world of Cézanne as you peer into the mindset of the beloved Impressionist and create inspired art, uncovering new layers of artistic possibility in this 3-session weekend class. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
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/264222?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Intermediate Oil Painting - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Expand on your technical background and grow your practice as an oil painter. This class provides students with the opportunity to work on personal projects, set up a still-life arrangement, and explore figure painting from a live model. Unfurl your style with support and feedback from the instructor.
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/264223?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 2:15 PM – 5:15 PM.
Masterworks of Three Centuries Series
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Dvorák with the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264858?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, November 3, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Fairy Tales in Classical Music
Resident Associate Program
Speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin revisits her seasonal tour through the most mysterious corners of classical music and illustrates how fantasy and folklore have inspired some of history’s greatest composers. From ghouls and ghosts to faeries, trolls, and mystical maidens, she surveys the scariest of orchestral compositions, operatic explorations of the occult, and masterpieces inspired by the tales of Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264620?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/264620?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Persepolis
Resident Associate Program
In the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E. the ancient Persians forged a new empire that stretched from the Indus River in the East to the Danube in the West. Historian Justin M. Jacobs analyzes the architectural symbol of their unprecedented wealth and power: the palace complex at Persepolis.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264593?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/264593?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 3, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
A Physicist’s Journey: From Hiroshima to the Extinction of the Dinosaurs
Resident Associate Program
During World War II, physicist Luis W. Alvarez achieved major breakthroughs in radar and played a key role in the Manhattan Project. At the end of his life, he collaborated with his son on a project to demonstrate that an asteroid impact was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. Alvarez was also a combative, ambitious figure who testified as a government witness at the security hearing that destroyed the public career of his friend and colleague J. Robert Oppenheimer. Author Alec Nevala-Lee shares ideas, lessons, and anecdotes from Alvarez’s life.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264769?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/264769?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 3, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
Looking Up: Rise of the Modern Skyscraper
Resident Associate Program
From the 19th century to the early years of the next, technical developments in electricity, heating and cooling, and building methods—as well as innovations such as the elevator—offered new opportunities in construction that set off rivalries in the race to create the tallest building in the world. Bill Keene, a lecturer in architecture and urban studies, traces developments in technology, materials, and regulations that made the Modernist “glass box” skyscraper ubiquitous across the globe by the mid-20th century.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264770?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/264770?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 3, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
A Fall Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a fall morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264816?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
Resident Associate Program
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session focuses on the same London subject by French artists, Claude Monet and André Derain.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264910?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/264910?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: National Bison Day
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
Tuesday, November 4th, is a special celebration for bison! National Bison Day is November 1st, and we are celebrating it for this week's Play Date. Families can celebrate our national mammal by making observations of bison specimens from our education collection, learn about ways they help their ecosystem, and explore how bison have been portrayed in stamp art. Our friends from the National Postal Museum will be here to celebrate alongside us as we learn together through play, exploration, and art.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
A Fall Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a fall morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264817?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Thank You, Adam Pendleton!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Join us throughout November to express gratitude for some of our favorite artists and their work. This week, we’ll celebrate contemporary artist Adam Pendleton (b. Richmond, Virginia, 1984) and admire his abstract paintings currently on display in the exhibition Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen. Then we’ll get familiar with Pendleton’s practice by making our own layered paintings using paper, spray paint, and stencils.
Featured book: To Make by Danielle Davis, illustrated by Mags DeRoma, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM.…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Collage for Change.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: Thank You, Adam Pendleton!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Join us throughout November to express gratitude for some of our favorite artists and their work. This week, we’ll celebrate contemporary artist Adam Pendleton (b. Richmond, Virginia, 1984) and admire his abstract paintings currently on display in the exhibition Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen. Then we’ll get familiar with Pendleton’s practice by making our own layered paintings using paper, spray paint, and stencils.
Featured book: To Make by Danielle Davis, illustrated by Mags DeRoma, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM.…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Collage for Change.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Digital Drawing: Remixing the Collection
Resident Associate Program
Procreate for iPad contains powerful editing features, empowering artists to reference and remix existing images in pursuit of their creative ideas. Combine with Smithsonian Open Access—where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—and you have a recipe for tremendous artistic expression!
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264224?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/264224?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6:15 PM – 9:15 PM.
Composition Studies
Resident Associate Program
This course examines fundamental concepts of composition and their practical application in art practice, offering participants tools to enrich their work as well as to analyze and appreciate visual art in general. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264225?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/264225?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:45 PM.
A History of Fantasy
Resident Associate Program
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on fantasy writer, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264588?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/264588?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
History Film Forum presents "The Big Parade" (1925)
One-Time Events
The History Film Forum proudly presents King Vidor’s The Big Parade with a special new live orchestral score, composed and conducted by Andrew Earle Simpson. Showing on the 100th anniversary of its U.S. premiere, The Big Parade depicts the story of Jim Apperson (John Gilbert), a businessman’s son who joins the army to serve in The Great War. The film starkly represents the battlefield and veteran experience of World War I juxtaposed against a romance between Jim and Melisande (Renée Adorée), a French farm girl.
Presented in restored quality by Warner Bros. The Big Parade is considered one of the greatest war movies of all time and a crucial experience for cinema lovers.
___
The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Captioning and assistive listening devices will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.
Seating is limited and reservation…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center. Cost: Free, registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-film-forum-presents-the-big-parade-1925-tickets-1631968294099?aff=trumba. Related Exhibition: The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. China Camp: A Landscape of California History
Resident Associate Program
Shrimp fishing was one of the few occupations open to Chinese immigrants in 19th-century California. China Camp in Marin County is a surviving shrimping village from this period, one of dozens that dotted the shores of San Francisco Bay. John Martini, a former National Park ranger and historian, tracks its evolution and preservation as he covers the human and structural histories of China Camp over the last 150 years.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264844?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/264844?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Reverse Painting on a Glass Clock
Resident Associate Program
Learn how to do a personalized painting on glass and add components to craft a functional clock.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264226?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/264226?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
A Fall Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a fall morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265187?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 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, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264426?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/264426?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
The Frick Collection, Then and Now: Helen Clay Frick's Vision Renewed
Resident Associate Program
Helen Clay Frick was a visionary force whose devotion to art, scholarship, and public access helped shape one of the most esteemed art collections in the United States. Building on the legacy of her father, industrialist and collector Henry Clay Frick, she expanded the mission of the Frick Collection in the early 20th century beyond private connoisseurship to a vital cultural institution rooted in education, conservation, and curatorial excellence. Art historian Jennie Hirsh traces Helen Frick’s remarkable contributions to the preservation and expansion of the Frick Collection, highlighting her role as both steward and strategist. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264879?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/264879?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
22nd Maynard Sundman Lecture - Astrophilately: Intersection of Space and Postal History
One-Time Events
For nearly one hundred years, human ambitions to reach and explore space have been paired with philatelic aspirations. This intersection of space and postal history – astrophilately - uses philatelic material related to space exploration, particularly covers and their postmarks linking the date and location of key events in aerospace history, to tell stories of humankind’s conquest of the heavens. Learn from astrophilatelist and NASA Solar System Ambassador David Ball about how personal stories, philately, and rockets intertwine.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: National Postal Museum Discovery Center and on Zoom. Cost: The event is free but registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/maynard-sundman-lecture-series.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
State Fairs Conversation and Close Looking with Poetry Camera
One-Time Events
Join us for an evening of close looking and conversation in the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Using Poetry Camera, an innovative new camera that generates poems rather than photographs, attendees will “see” artworks through verse. Participants will be encouraged to slow down to notice line, texture, and color in selected artworks, then join in conversation, moderated by SAAM staff, about the poems and the extraordinary and unconventional crafts on view. Space is limited.
Due to the government shutdown, program registrations are paused temporarily. Please check si.edu for updates or email saamprograms@si.edu.
Image credit: Margarita Cabrera, Arbol de la Vida – John Deere Tractor Model #790, 2007, clay, slip paint, latex acrylic and metal hardware, Courtesy of Margarita Cabrera.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zUqD. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:00 PM.
Main Street USA
Resident Associate Program
Get out in your city and capture the unique qualities and attractions of your downtown area. Discuss techniques to capture vintage storefronts, signage, brickwork, alleys, mannequins, and reflections in the first session and participate in a photo review during the second session.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264227?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/264227?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
The Art Spy: World War II Resistance Hero Rose Valland
Resident Associate Program
Rose Valland was a curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris when the Nazis invaded France, occupied the museum, and began using it as a sorting center for thousands of pieces of stolen art from across Europe. Miraculously, Valland managed to keep meticulous secret records of the provenance and destination of the artwork. Her notes made possible the recovery of many stolen artworks after the war. Journalist Michelle Young shares Valland’s daring exploits.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264796?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/264796?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Revealing Lost Texts in the Sinai Desert
Resident Associate Program
One of the oldest libraries in the world is also one of the most remote, located at the Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai Desert. Within fortress-like walls at the base of Mount Sinai is a trove of handwritten manuscripts in ancient languages, including many that were scrubbed off and overwritten. Michael B. Toth, president of R.B. Toth Associates, discusses how technical experts, scientists, and scholars used advanced imaging systems in such an isolated spot amid political and security risks to reveal the hidden undertexts.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264594?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/264594?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM.
CANCELLED - Fire Aviation in the Palisades (Aviation Adventures Lecture)
One-Time Events
Due to the federal government shutdown, the National Air and Space Museum is cancelling this program. This lecture may be rescheduled at a future date. Please note that even if the government shutdown ends before November 6, the lecture will not take place on this date. Advanced planning and logistics are needed for a successful event and the present shutdown prevents this work. Thank you for your understanding.
On January 7, 2025, a wildfire began burning the Santa Monica Mountains that would take 24 days to fully contain. Known as the Palisades Fire, it engulfed 23,448 acres in Los Angeles County, including Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu. With a fire of this scale, aerial firefighting is a key part of the fire suppression response. For the Palisades Fire, that effort was led by the California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection, also known as CAL FIRE, and supported by National Guards of California and other nearby states.
Members of the CAL FIRE team that helped fight the Palisades Fire…
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater. Cost: Free with registration. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
CANCELLED - ONLINE: Fire Aviation in the Palisades (Aviation Adventures Lecture)
One-Time Events
Due to the federal government shutdown, the National Air and Space Museum is cancelling this program. This lecture may be rescheduled at a future date. Please note that even if the government shutdown ends before November 6, the lecture will not take place on this date. Advanced planning and logistics are needed for a successful event and the present shutdown prevents this work. Thank you for your understanding.
Hear stories from members of the CAL FIRE team that helped fight the Palisades Fire in this year's Aviation Adventures Lecture on Thursday, November 6, 2025 on the Museum's YouTube channel.
CAL FIRE firefighters will share stories from recent and past wildfires, provide a behind-the-scenes look at their night flights, and highlight the people who make aerial firefighting possible from 8-9 pm.
Hear from CAL FIRE and ask questions in real time through our live broadcast via YouTube.
For more information about this event, you can always check out our (event page).
ASL interpretation will be…
Event Location: https://www.youtube.com/@airandspace. Cost: Free with registration.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 8:00 PM – 9:00 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.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Lincoln’s Legacy at Congressional Cemetery
Resident Associate Program
Congressional Cemetery in southeast Washington, D.C. is the resting place of more than 67, 000 Americans—heroes and villains, famous and forgotten—making it a powerful place to explore our shared history. The cemetery holds surprising ties to Abraham Lincoln, although he wasn’t buried there. Author and journalist Chuck Raasch explores some of those intriguing connections during a walk through the grounds.
Event Location: Congressional Cemetery 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264819?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Beyond Blue and White: Exploring Women’s Stories Through Dutch Delftware
Resident Associate Program
In the fall of 2019, over 75 rare pieces of 17th- and 18th-century delftware were discovered in a historic Manhattan townhouse. Decorative arts expert Genevieve Wheeler Brown unveils the history behind this recent finding. Drawing on her book, Beyond Blue and White: The Hidden History of Delftware and the Women Behind the Iconic Ceramic, Brown explores how these vibrant ceramics both represent a beloved decorative art form and illuminate the powerful, often overlooked roles of women across the centuries.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264845?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/264845?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In this webinar, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Fall Foliage.”
These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm. Image: Takeuchi Keishu 武内桂舟 (1861–1943); Fallen leaves (detail); Japan, 1912; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Robert O. Muller Collection, S2003.8.2434.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IakcfDtEQPitMHh4RcJnPQ. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, November 7, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
An Art + History Mystery Tour
Resident Associate Program
Experience a unique adventure with Paul Glenshaw inspired by his Smithsonian Associates’ Art + History series. Join him on visits to several distinctive sites around the Washington, D.C. area as he reveals hidden stories, lesser-known facts, and fascinating connections among art, architecture, and the historical moments they represent. What’s not revealed in advance are the destinations. Are you game for this artfully secretive—but rewarding—excursion? (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
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/264778?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 8:30 AM – 6:30 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.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Gratitude Collage
One time events
Fill yourself with gratitude this November at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll think about what we’re thankful for and get inspired by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Aliza Nisenbaum, and Adam Pendleton.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Pendleton’s Hirshhorn exhibition Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen. Using materials like spray paint, historic photos, and stencils, we’ll create our own story-filled collages.
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Collage for Change.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. CANCELLED - Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Lincoln's Legacy at Congressional Cemetery
Resident Associate Program
Congressional Cemetery in southeast Washington, D.C. is the resting place of more than 67, 000 Americans—heroes and villains, famous and forgotten—making it a powerful place to explore our shared history. The cemetery holds surprising ties to Abraham Lincoln, although he wasn’t buried there. Author and journalist Chuck Raasch explores some of those intriguing connections during a walk through the grounds.
Event Location: Congressional Cemetery 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264820?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Takuga: Botanical Prints in Sumi Ink and Watercolor
Resident Associate Program
Explore the Japanese art of takuga, the intersection between printmaking and watercolor. Use sumi or block printing ink to handprint leaves, flowers, or vegetables. You leave this workshop with many colorful prints in the takuga style, ready for framing or sending as a greeting card.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264228?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/264228?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Story Time
American Indian Museum NY
Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's teaching collection, such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials, which can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. All are welcome.
*Recommended for visitors ages 3–9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver. **Schedule subject to change.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM.
A Time to Build! Cardboard Bridges and Castles
One-Time Events
Join artist and educator, Rain Young, for a fun and creative family workshop where participants will become mini architects! Using cardboard and simple materials, students will design and build their own bridges and castles.
This hands-on activity encourages imagination, problem-solving, and teamwork while introducing the basics of architectural design in a playful way. Perfect for families who want to build, learn, and create together!
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-time-to-build-with-rain-young-tickets-1783065901109?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Sightlines Saturday Guided Tour and Activity: Shining Stars
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. making a Philippine parol (a star lantern) and learning about the history of this traditional decoration.
Event Location: Sightlines Gallery. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sightlines-saturday-guided-tour-and-activity-shining-stars-tickets-1645028036139?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, is currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through November 30, 2025.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Lincoln's Legacy at Congressional Cemetery
Resident Associate Program
Congressional Cemetery in southeast Washington, D.C. is the resting place of more than 67, 000 Americans—heroes and villains, famous and forgotten—making it a powerful place to explore our shared history. The cemetery holds surprising ties to Abraham Lincoln, although he wasn’t buried there. Author and journalist Chuck Raasch explores some of those intriguing connections during a walk through the grounds.
Event Location: Congressional Cemetery 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264821?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Guardians | Virtual Family Workshop: Cut + Paste
Kids and Family
Join us online for a creative workshop for kids ages 6–11 and their caregivers. Families will take a virtual tour of Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs and make collages inspired by the exhibition’s layered designs. Families will learn how light affects delicate contemporary artworks and watch how their own creations change over time.
One registration per household. A Zoom link and a list of suggested materials will be sent to registered participants in advance of the workshop. Image credit: Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recquired). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1853319481459?aff=oddtdtcreator. Related Exhibition: Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
NY | Story Time
American Indian Museum NY
Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. All are welcome. Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver. *Schedule subject to change.
Image: Photo by Matailong Du for the National Museum of the American Indian.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM.
Teen Studio: Love, Hirshhorn Teens
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
Roll up your sleeves: this November, we’re diving into printmaking! Experiment with various printmaking techniques by creating a design to use over and over again. This Saturday, we’ll visit Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen to gain insight into the artist’s process, then design our own silkscreen prints in Hirshhorn Art School.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing hmsgeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time.
Do this at home! Create your own flower prints using materials you…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Andy Warhol: Flower Power.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra - Jazz and the Armed Services
Resident Associate Program
SJMO’s season-opening concert salutes military jazz bands and the role they have long played in inspiring American troops, fostering patriotic support, and promoting national interests at home and abroad. The program includes music by W.C. Handy, F.W. Meacham, and other composers.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264854?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
Jewels of Queens
Resident Associate Program
Arts journalist Richard Selden leads a delightful exploration of the largest of New York’s outer boroughs. The itinerary includes Flushing Meadows Corona Park, site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs; the Museum of the Moving Image; the Noguchi Museum; the Louis Armstrong House Museum; and meals that highlight the borough’s international cuisine. Accommodations spotlight another jewel: the TWA Hotel, Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, now reimagined as a hotel that celebrates the Jet-Age glamour of the 1960s.
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264561?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 7:00 AM – Monday, November 10, 2025, 9:00 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. CANCELLED - Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Postwar Italian Cinema
Resident Associate Program
Few national cinemas offer as compelling a mirror to social transformation as Italy’s. In the decades following World War II, Italian filmmakers shaped a legacy of innovation, reflection, and artistry that still resonates on the global stage. In a four-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh explores pivotal moments in Italian cinema from the birth of Neorealism to the bold experimentation of contemporary filmmakers, and how they captured—and questioned—their time. This session focuses on Italian filmmaking from the late 1950s to 1960s.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264715?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/264715?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Quiltmaking for the Non-perfectionist
Resident Associate Program
This class is for folks who feel utterly untalented at sewing yet want to make a quilt. Journey from not knowing to bold experiments, finding your sense of quiltmaking confidence as you learn strategies for piecing, appliqué quilting, and finishing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264229?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/264229?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, November 10, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
The Splendor of Words: An Introduction to Manuscript Illumination
Resident Associate Program
Early manuscript illuminations are astonishing for their beauty and detail. Art historian Heidi Catherine Gearhart of George Mason University presents the most luxurious and fascinating examples of illuminated manuscripts from western Europe from late antiquity to the later Middle Ages and discusses how practices of illustration evolved over time. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264797?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/264797?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Night Photography in Washington, D.C.
Resident Associate Program
Learn the techniques required to capture great nighttime photos, including how to use exposure modes, exposure compensation, white balance, and ISO. For the second session, meet in the field to photograph the World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264230?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/264230?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
The Church and Museum of Santa Croce
Resident Associate Program
The Basilica of Santa Croce, located in Florence, Italy, is the largest Franciscan church in the world and an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture. Many of its 16 chapels are decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his disciples. The museum complex consists of the church, chapels, monastery, bell tower, and an area for exhibitions. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights key artworks, architectural features, and notable moments from the church’s history. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264595?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/264595?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 10, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Rescued Thousands
Resident Associate Program
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg was a Swedish architect, businessman, and diplomat who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews from German Nazis and Hungarian fascists during one of the darkest chapters of World War II. After Soviet forces drove the Nazis out of Budapest in 1945, he disappeared into the Soviet prison system and was never seen again by anyone outside the Soviet Union. Historian Ralph Nurnberger examines the life and legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, and the events surrounding his suspicious disappearance.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264880?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/264880?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 10, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Gracias, Aliza Nisenbaum!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held one Tuesday per month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. The program’s English-language version, Storytime Studio: Thank You, Aliza Nisenbaum! will be held on Wednesday, November 12. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre un martes al mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de una hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.
Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada. ESTA SEMANA
Expresamos gratitud por nuestros queridos con ayuda de la artista Aliza Nisenbaum (n. Ciudad de México, 1977). Los retratos coloridos hechos por Nisenbaum…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Community Portraits with Aliza Nisenbaum | Retratos Comunitarios con Aliza Nisenbaum.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. 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.
Duration: About 1 hour.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Gallery. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/little-artists-big-stories-tickets-1789725550299?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
DC | Service and Sacrifice: Veterans Day
One-Time Events
Join the National Museum of the American Indian in honoring the enduring and distinguished service of Native Americans in every branch of the US military. This year’s programming focuses on the power of storytelling to preserve history, memory, and culture.
The flame of the National Native American Veterans Memorial will be lit from 3-5:30 PM for visitors to pay their respects.
More information about the day's events to be announced.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1, National Native American Veterans Memorial. Cost: FREE.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM.
Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Gracias, Aliza Nisenbaum!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held one Tuesday per month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. The program’s English-language version, Storytime Studio: Thank You, Aliza Nisenbaum! will be held on Wednesday, November 12. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre un martes al mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de una hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.
Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada. ESTA SEMANA
Expresamos gratitud por nuestros queridos con ayuda de la artista Aliza Nisenbaum (n. Ciudad de México, 1977). Los retratos coloridos hechos por Nisenbaum…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Community Portraits with Aliza Nisenbaum | Retratos Comunitarios con Aliza Nisenbaum.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Express Yourself: Art & Identity in Your Community
One-Time Events
While school is closed for the holiday, unleash your creativity and explore the impact of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC! In A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C. 1900–2000, see how local artists and educators reflected their identity, community, and experiences in their work. Then, express yourself by creating a unique artwork using portraits or photos from your own life, connecting your story to the legacy of Black artistic expression.
Recommended Audience: Teens 13+
Time and Schedule: 1:00 p.m on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (Federal Holiday)
Duration: About 75 minutes.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Gallery and Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/express-yourself-art-identity-in-your-community-tickets-1789436375369?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: Thank You, Aliza Nisenbaum!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll show appreciation for our loved ones with help from community-based artist Aliza Nisenbaum (b. Mexico City, 1977). Nisenbaum’s colorful portraits depict the lives of fellow immigrants and friends in New York City, such as her painting Mis Cuatro Gracias (Brendan, Camilo, Carlos, Jorge) (2018), on view in Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960. We’ll get inspired by Nisenbaum’s work and make our own group portraits with photos and colorful patterns.
Featured book: Amor de colores by Melanie Romero, illustrated by Citlali Reyes, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Community Portraits with Aliza Nisenbaum | Retratos Comunitarios con Aliza Nisenbaum.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264971?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264971?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Storytime Studio: Thank You, Aliza Nisenbaum!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll show appreciation for our loved ones with help from community-based artist Aliza Nisenbaum (b. Mexico City, 1977). Nisenbaum’s colorful portraits depict the lives of fellow immigrants and friends in New York City, such as her painting Mis Cuatro Gracias (Brendan, Camilo, Carlos, Jorge) (2018), on view in Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960. We’ll get inspired by Nisenbaum’s work and make our own group portraits with photos and colorful patterns.
Featured book: Amor de colores by Melanie Romero, illustrated by Citlali Reyes, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience
There are two…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Community Portraits with Aliza Nisenbaum | Retratos Comunitarios con Aliza Nisenbaum.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264972?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265023?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265023?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Peggy Guggenheim and the Art of Collecting
Resident Associate Program
In 1919, 21-year-old Peggy Guggenheim invested a multimillion-dollar inheritance in modern art—and became a visionary collector who later established galleries in New York and London. Today these works are found in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, housed in the palazzo on the Grand Canal that was her home. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar discusses Guggenheim’s life and her role as an influential collector. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264913?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/264913?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
The Wandering Princess
Films
This epic historical drama adapts the memoirs of the Japanese woman who became the princess of occupied Manchuria during World War II. As a Japanese noblewoman, she is forced to marry the younger brother of the soon-to-be disposed Chinese emperor. The personal events of her life in Manchuria brings the political dimensions of this history to new light. In her first film in both color and CinemaScope, director Kinuyo Tanaka realizes with startling depth her ambition to relate a historical saga from a critical woman’s perspective. Description adapted from Janus Films.
Director: Kinuyo Tanaka. Country: Japan. Released: 1960. Length: 102 min. Format: DCP. Language: 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/68cd8be1e756fb800da132b4. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Dorie Greenspan in Conversation with Carla Hall
Resident Associate Program
Join five-time James Beard Award winner Dorie Greenspan for a delectable evening celebrating her new book, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes. Greenspan and chef Carla Hall serve up stories, baking wisdom, and insights into the magic behind the kinds of cakes that don’t need frosting, fuss, or special occasions—just a fork and a little hunger for happiness. The evening includes a Q&A session.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264798?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/264798?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
A History of Fantasy
Resident Associate Program
Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264589?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/264589?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Volunteer Recruitment Information Session
American Latino Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) is recruiting volunteers for its upcoming exhibition, ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa. Volunteers will support educational programs by engaging in hands-on activities and tours in the museum’s Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. This information session will help you learn about NMAL’s volunteer program, requirements, and application process.
For questions, please contact nmalvolunteer@si.edu.
For ASL interpretation, please email us at nmalvolunteer@si.edu at least one week in advance.
*Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and must be able to volunteer in person at the Molina Family Latino Gallery in Washington, D.C. .
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/NMDuqYyVShq-KDwA7rlwpg.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264973?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264973?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264974?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265024?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265024?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 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, fascinating collections. The theme is inspired by the shifting of the seasons and heavily features nature and objects that speak to the changing colors of fall.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264427?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/264427?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
A Revolutionary Triumvirate: Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, and Mercy Otis Warren
Resident Associate Program
Historian Rosemarie Zagarri examines the role of women in the American Revolution, including ordinary women who participated in boycotts against Great Britain as well as more educated women who supported the patriotic cause. Zagarri focuses on the influential wife of a political figure, an enslaved poet, and a satirical playwright.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264799?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/264799?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
A Whirlwind History of the English Language
Resident Associate Program
Why and how does a living language like English change? The answer, in a word, is fascinating. Linguist and English-language historian Anne Curzan offers a lively tour that spans the language’s many influences and shifting landscape, from Beowulf to blogging, texting, and tweeting.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264653?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/264653?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
William T. Sherman and the Settling of the West
Resident Associate Program
Union Gen. William T. Sherman won military fame for his campaigns in the South— but they represented a single chapter of a career largely focused on the American West. Historian Bennett Parten reframes Sherman's overall legacy, discussing how the famous general played a pivotal role in the early history of California; the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad; and the U.S. government's many wars against native peoples.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264914?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/264914?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 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.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
From Farmhouses to Cozy Homes: Create Your Own Toothbrush Basket or Rug
One-Time Events
Join us for a beginner-friendly workshop where you will learn the art of no-sew crafting and create your very own toothbrush basket or rug to brighten your home. This cultural preservation workshop is part of the Save Our African American Treasures initiative, which inspires preservation efforts across the nation by empowering individuals, families, groups, and organizations to protect and share their history.
About the Workshop, This hands-on experience pays homage to the history of home economics programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Early domestic science classes and extension schools taught vital skills such as sewing, table setting, healthy cooking, and other practical practices that supported economic independence and entrepreneurial opportunities. Traditional crafts like rug making and basket weaving not only enhanced home life but could also provide an additional source of income.
Today, crafts such as rug hooking and rag weaving continue to offer meaningful benefits,…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Target Learning Classrooms. Cost: $50.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264975?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264975?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264976?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
New Squid on the Block
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265025?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
New Squid on the Block
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 8. Barefoot Puppets return with a heartwarming tale of friendship and connection at the South Pole.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265025?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
King James VI and I: Uniter of Kingdoms
Resident Associate Program
History has not been kind to King James. A cradle king who was crowned in Scotland in 1567 and England and Ireland in 1603, James VI and I has long been eclipsed in fame and reputation by his cousin and predecessor, Elizabeth I, and his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. Historian and author Clare Jackson reappraises his life and legacy, revealing how the king’s keen interest in joining old and new worlds—the creation of colonies overseas, and closer to home, uniting Scotland, England, and Ireland—set the geopolitical stage for centuries to come.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264915?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/264915?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Venice and Water: A Hydrological History
Resident Associate Program
Few cities in the world are as intertwined with water as Venice. Built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon along the Adriatic coast, Venice evolved from a marshy refuge into a powerful maritime republic—and its relationship with water has defined its history, politics, culture, and identity for more than a millennium. Historian and author Dennis Romano explores how the aquatic environment of the Venetian lagoon has shaped nearly every aspect of life in the city over the course of its 1, 600-year history.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264881?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/264881?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Madeira, a Gift From an Island to the World
Resident Associate Program
Madeira, which originated on its namesake Portuguese island, was consumed at many milestones of early American history. George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Thomas Jefferson were huge aficionados of the wine. In fact, Virginia and much of the U.S. owe their wine industry to Jefferson’s attempts to recreate Madeira at Monticello. Dig into the many styles of this glorious food-friendly wine from a gorgeous island.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264719?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/264719?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, November 14, 2025, 6:00 PM – 8:00 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.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Harvest Celebration!
One-Time Events
Join us to celebrate the end of the growing season with garden activities, cooking demonstration, wreath making, and more.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: 1901 Fort Place Se. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1248571534069?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM.
Open Studio: Community Canvas
One time events
Fill yourself with gratitude this November at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll think about what we’re thankful for and get inspired by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Aliza Nisenbaum, and Adam Pendleton.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Basquiat’s painting Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982). We’ll use materials like paint sticks, oil pastels, and stencils to express our gratitude for our community!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Tear Up the Town.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. CANCELLED - Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Art Nouveau: New Style for a New Century
Resident Associate Program
Noted for its organic, sinuous, and seductive styles, the Art Nouveau movement in modern art and design—called the New Style—flowered for only a decade or so but had a long-lasting influence and popularity. Art historian Bonita Billman explores Art Nouveau’s origins, its identifying characteristics, and chief creators. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264654?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/264654?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
From Farmhouses to Cozy Homes: Create Your Own Toothbrush Basket or Rug
One-Time Events
Join us for a beginner-friendly workshop where you will learn the art of no-sew crafting and create your very own toothbrush basket or rug to brighten your home. This cultural preservation workshop is part of the Save Our African American Treasures initiative, which inspires preservation efforts across the nation by empowering individuals, families, groups, and organizations to protect and share their history.
About the Workshop, This hands-on experience pays homage to the history of home economics programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Early domestic science classes and extension schools taught vital skills such as sewing, table setting, healthy cooking, and other practical practices that supported economic independence and entrepreneurial opportunities. Traditional crafts like rug making and basket weaving not only enhanced home life but could also provide an additional source of income.
Today, crafts such as rug hooking and rag weaving continue to offer meaningful benefits,…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Target Learning Classrooms. Cost: $50.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Handmade Holiday Cards
Resident Associate Program
This year, send friends and family bespoke holiday cards. Learn tips and see demonstrations of techniques for creating simply elegant, unique cards that will be keepsakes long after the season ends.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264231?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/264231?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Block (Print) Party!
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is on view at the Hirshhorn.
Roll up your sleeves: this November, we’re diving into printmaking! Experiment with various printmaking techniques by creating a design to use over and over again. This Saturday, we’ll explore how street artist Banksy’s style is influenced by a need to work quickly. Then we’ll use block prints to create designs that can be printed again and again.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year by emailing hmsgeducation@si.edu (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists at the Hirshhorn and get creative any time. Do this at home! Create your own flower…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Hirshhorn Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School Art School Everywhere, Andy Warhol: Flower Power.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. 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!
On Saturday November 15, 2025 from 7pm to 10pm, don’t miss Armand Ntep, a unique vocalist and innovative composer. His varied style includes his silky baritone, Pygmy syncopation, and tenor ballads. His compositions range from salsa to jazz to reggae to traditional lihongo from his native Cameroon.
Sounds of Africa concerts are standing room only (with accessibility seating available upon request). By attending this event, you grant the Smithsonian Institution permission to photograph, film, videotape you and/or record your voice and likeness in connection with or the promotion of the project.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery (Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sounds-of-africa-concert-series-tickets-1778207459379?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit africa.si.edu. Unearthing Egypt at The Met and the Brooklyn Museum
Resident Associate Program
Step back in time to the land of the pharaohs and take a journey through two of New York’s most prestigious cultural institutions: the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Each museum offers a distinct, captivating lens into the world of ancient Egypt. Biblical scholar and historian Gary Rendsburg leads this exploration of ancient Egyptian culture that includes papyri, artifacts, and even an entire temple.
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264562?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 7:30 AM – Monday, November 17, 2025, 10:30 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. CANCELLED - Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Beyond the Studio: Punch Needle Embroidery with Tyler Sanville
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Local fiber artist Tyler Sanville of Tyler Makes Things leads participants through a combination punch needle and embroidery class. Participants will create one-of-a-kind abstract fiber pieces, inspired by Tyler’s latest practice, which brings a modern twist to this traditional craft. Space is limited. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on October 19.
Image credit: Photo courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zOHl.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Masterworks of Three Centuries Series
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Buxtehude, Bach, and Erlebach with the Smithsonian Chamber Players.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264859?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, November 16, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, November 17, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Humanish: A Crash Course on Anthropomorphism
Resident Associate Program
From naming hurricanes to throwing birthday parties for dogs, the tendency to see human traits in animals, objects, and natural forces is a cognitive impulse known as anthropomorphism. Science writer Justin Gregg delves into the science and psychology behind this universal phenomenon and unravels the reasons behind why people treat pets like babies, fall in love with chatbots, and talk to cars.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264882?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/264882?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 17, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Rock Creek Park: A Virtual Exploration
Resident Associate Program
Drawing on vivid photographs and her knowledge of Rock Creek Park through the seasons, author and naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley introduces the story and natural history of a national park landscape as old as Yosemite. Learn about the Indigenous peoples who hunted, fished, and quarried on the land; the presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, who enjoyed recreation here; and the flora and fauna that find a wild refuge in their urban surroundings.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264846?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/264846?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, November 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
Resident Associate Program
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by 19th-century American artist William Michael Harnett's The Old Violin.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264911?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/264911?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Masterworks of the Choral Tradition
Resident Associate Program
Choral music is a glorious genre in which the sound of a multitude of voices embraces an audience. Opera and classical music expert Saul Lilienstein leads an in-depth series that considers the great choral works and the composers who wrote them from the Renaissance through the Romantic century. Emphasis is placed on enduring and beloved masterpieces, focusing on compositional technique, polyphonic nature, influences among composers, and the relationship between the secular and the sacred.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264655?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/264655?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Converse with a Conservator: Artworks on Paper
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s Lunder Conservation Center Paper Conservator, Basia Nosek, to learn about the care of works on paper in SAAM’s collection. In this gallery talk, she discusses how drawings, prints, and watercolors are cared for at SAAM.
Due to the government shutdown, program registrations are paused temporarily. Please check si.edu for updates or email saamprograms@si.edu.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in G Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zZt7.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Contemporary North American Native Art: Tradition and Experimentation, Tragedy and Humor
Resident Associate Program
Contemporary Indigenous artists produce both 21st-century variations on age-old creative traditions as well as highly experimental paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, installations, and performance pieces. Art historian Nancy G. Heller surveys the most significant work by contemporary Native artists from the U.S. and Canada, placing it in a broader socio-political context and celebrating the accomplishments of North American Indian artists. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264847?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/264847?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
Crossing Borders: Art, Trade, and Pilgrimage in Pre-Modern Asia
Resident Associate Program
The merchants, explorers, pilgrims, and refugees who traveled the often-treacherous trade routes of Asia from the second century B.C.E. through the 15th century brought treasured commodities and new ideas with them. Crossing massive mountain ranges, unforgiving deserts, and dangerous open seas, these routes could be a source of untold riches or of disaster. Robert DeCaroli, professor of art history at George Mason University, focuses on the ways Asian societies participated in, benefited from, and were changed by trade and travel.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264596?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/264596?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
When Good Patterns Go Bad: Avoiding and Fixing Mistakes - In Person
Resident Associate Program
Nothing can be more frustrating than realizing there’s something wrong with your knitting and not knowing how to fix it. This workshop focuses on avoiding errors, learning to detect them sooner, and figuring out what to do once you know there’s a problem.
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/264232?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Romancing the Regency: Fantasies and Realities of 19th-century England
Resident Associate Program
As fans celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday and await the next season of “Bridgerton, ” the Regency era is more popular than ever. But much of what readers and viewers know about the period comes from historical fiction. Historian Julie Taddeo explores the real world of Regency elites, known as the Ton, and the larger British culture of which they were part.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264916?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/264916?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.