This
hCalendar-compliant page
is optimized for search engines. View this calendar as published at
music.si.edu.
Día de los Muertos Celebration
“Of the People” Festivals
A cornerstone of the public art movement, Self Help Graphics & Art is home to one of the nation’s longest-running celebrations of Día de los Muertos, a pillar of Mexican, Indigenous, and Mexican American heritage that honors and commemorates ancestors and those who have passed. Each year, weeks of seasonal arts workshops culminate in a one-day festival complete with a procession, traditional Aztec dance, public altars, vendors, music, and more.
Categories: Performances. Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Celebrations. Cost: Free. Event Location: Los Angeles, California.
Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Self Help Graphics & Art
Los Angeles, CA.
For more info visit www.selfhelpgraphics.com. Staunton, Shakespeare, and Steam: Fall in the Shenandoah Valley
All Programs
Nestled in the heart of scenic Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia, is alive with history, culture—and a little steam. Washington, D.C. area guide Lynn O’Connell leads a weekend getaway that offers a sampling of Staunton’s best sights, including the only replica of Shakespeare’s indoor theater and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, plus a train excursion.
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/staunton-shakespeare-and-steam?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 7:30 AM – Sunday, November 8, 2026, 7:30 PM.
FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located 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 18 - November 21, 2026.*
You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
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: Plaza. Cost: Free to Attend. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1985418954539?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Garden as Places of Art
One-Time Events
We will unpack the intersections of plants, art, and a living canvas. Through the lens of gardens as living sculptures, we will forage the garden for found objects that inspire and illuminate the growing that surrounds us all. We will create a canvas collage that will reflect our living environment. We will explore the lasting beauty of Mother Nature on canvas.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Community Garden. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-garden-as-places-of-art-tickets-2002299723373?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops. Demonstrations.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Are You Sur(real)?
One time events
It’s all about sculpture this November at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll draw inspiration from the Museum’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden and learn about artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, and more.
Join us this week as we look at Giacometti’s sculpture Monumental Head (1960). Then, using materials like wire, pipe cleaners, and foil, we’ll create our own avant-garde masterpieces.
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft, create, and learn.
No reservations or tickets are required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Avant-Garde Aluminum.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. The World and Me: National Bison Day
One-Time Events
Learn more about your place in the world through explorations of nature and culture.
Join us Saturday, November 7th, as we celebrate National Bison Day! Discover different bison adaptations and learn how the bison almost went extinct but are now rising in numbers. Families with learners of all ages will be invited to explore different stations, make observations of museum specimens up close, and explore bisons through play and art.
This is a drop-in event. Families can drop in anytime from 10:00am - 12:30pm and stay for as long as your family would like. No registration is required. Cost: Free.
Location: Meet at the entrace of Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Q?rius is located next to the Constitution Avenue entrance.
Image information: Bison herd on the move in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park.
Image Credit: Yellowstone National Park from Yellowstone NP, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, Ground Floor. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Celebrating Veterans Festival de Servicio y Conmemoración
American Latino Museum
Across 250 years of American history, generations of Latinos have served the nation through the U.S. military. Celebramos a los Veteranos: A Festival of Service and Remembrance honors that history while bringing together veterans, service members, families and communities to reflect on what it means to serve.
Presented by the National Museum of the American Latino at the National Museum of American History, the festival will explore stories of military service across generations—from Admiral David Glasgow Farragut to Colonel Marisol Chalas and veterans serving today. Through conversations with veterans, service members and military historians; historical tributes; a pop-up exhibition; and participation from veterans organizations nationwide, the program will examine the many ways Latino service has shaped American military history.
Visitors will also experience the music of military and civic life, exploring how marching bands, patriotic music and other musical traditions have become part of the Ameri…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Flag Hall and 1st Floor. Cost: FREE, Registration Recommended. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebramos-a-los-veteranos-a-festival-of-service-and-remembrance-tickets-2003465168250?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families. Lectures & Discussions. Celebrations.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
Mosaic Express - In Person
All Programs
Create a 2D, contemporary mixed-media mosaic artwork while you learn the basics of mosaics, experience working with a variety of materials, and enjoy the company of others in the studio. Everything you need to create a small home décor artwork in this workshop is provided.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/mosaic-express?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 5:15 PM.
DC | Service and Sacrifice: Veterans Day 2026
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. Throughout the day, visitors of all ages can learn more about Native military service and honor veterans through presentations, a short film, hands-on activities, various information tables, and more.
Portions of the day’s events (marked with * below) will be livestreamed, watch at AmericanIndian.si.edu/livestream.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, Level 1, Potomac Atrium, 10:30-11 AM | Posting of the Colors, Welcome*Members of the Native American Women Warriors (NAWW) will present the colors to begin the day's programming. Ralph and Dennis Zotigh (both Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) will share an Honor Song for Native veterans along with an opening prayer, and welcome remarks from museum leadership. 11 AM-12 PM | WWII Indigenous Code Talkers: The Contributions of Pueblo Indian Language Speakers*Dr. Christine Sims (Acoma Pueblo), Associate Professor in…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Potomac Atrium, Rasmuson Theater, Level 3: imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Outdoors: Welcome Plaza, National Native American Veterans Memorial. Online Link: https://www.americanindian.si.edu/livestream. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Webcasts & Online. Kids & Families. Films. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit americanindian.si.edu. Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. NY | Native Sounds Downtown: Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey
One-Time Events
Welcome Cherokee country and blues musician Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey to the Native Sounds Downtown stage at our New York museum this November! Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
Agalisiga "The Chuj" Mackey is a musician and educator from the Cherokee Nation in Northeast Oklahoma. Mackey spent his early years in the traditional Cherokee community of Kenwood, OK, where his mother’s family settled after the forced removal of Cherokee people from what is now North Carolina. Mackey later moved to Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation, to become fluent in the Cherokee language at the Cherokee Immersion School.
Mackey grew up participating in traditional Cherokee ceremonies and singing ceremonial songs. He also draws inspiration from the “Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers and hill country blues musician R.L. Burnside. He writes and sings original compositions in the Cherokee language in his deep baritone voice, melding classic country and blues. In addition to his artistic endeavors,…
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Great Hall. Cost: FREE. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Spirit Toonz: D.C. Soccer in Art
One-Time Events
Join artist Rain Young for a fun, hands-on art workshop celebrating soccer, creativity, and Washington, D.C.’s ever-evolving story. Participants will choose from a selection of featured Washington Spirit players and create one large collectible sports card using a playful, cartoon-inspired interpretation of their chosen player. With illustration, color, and imagination, families can add their own creative style to a one-of-a-kind card to take home.
More than a sports card, each creation offers an opportunity to explore how art and sports can help tell the stories of the people, teams, and moments that have become part of D.C. history. As objects and stories connected to Washington sports rotate through We Make History, the workshop invites families to think about history as something that isn’t only in the past—it’s something we’re all making every day.
Whether you love soccer, drawing, collecting sports cards, or simply creating together, come kick off your creativity and make a little D.C. history of…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spirit-toonz-dc-soccer-in-art-tickets-2002299832700?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Art Walk
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-walk-tickets-1995913274332?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. ONLINE | 2026 Online Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In: Cultural Sovereignty on the 250th
One-Time Events
The annual Online Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in collaboration with Teaching for Change, is an opportunity for educators around the world to access classroom resources from NMAI’s online education portal Native Knowledge 360° the Zinn Education Project, and more. This event will be hosted ONLINE via Zoom. Cost: $15
Teachers select two workshop breakout sessions that include relevant and resource-rich experiences to support effective use of American Indian-focused classroom lessons and resources from Teaching for Change and NMAI. The goal of the Teach-In is to support awareness of the museum’s Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) national education initiative and its classroom lessons to promote improved teaching about American Indian communities. Teachers play a crucial role in advancing the museum’s work to transform popular understandings of Native history, cultures, and contemporary lives.
Professional development credit will be pro…
Event Location: Online, via Zoom. Online Link: https://teachingforchange.app.neoncrm.com/forms/native-knowledge-360-online-teach-in-registration-530. Cost: $15, Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://teachingforchange.app.neoncrm.com/forms/native-knowledge-360-online-teach-in-registration-530. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Workshops. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Wirework Intensive: Explorations in Fiber Jewelry
All Programs
Explore the intersection of fiber art and jewelry to create soft, tactile, textural pieces of wearable sculpture. Working with recycled fabrics and creating bead embroidery and 3D forms are explored.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wirework-intensive-explorations-in-fiber-jewelry?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wirework-intensive-explorations-in-fiber-jewelry?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
NY | Native Sounds Downtown: Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey
One-Time Events
Welcome Cherokee country and blues musician Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey to the Native Sounds Downtown stage at our New York museum this November! Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
Agalisiga "The Chuj" Mackey is a musician and educator from the Cherokee Nation in Northeast Oklahoma. Mackey spent his early years in the traditional Cherokee community of Kenwood, OK, where his mother’s family settled after the forced removal of Cherokee people from what is now North Carolina. Mackey later moved to Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation, to become fluent in the Cherokee language at the Cherokee Immersion School.
Mackey grew up participating in traditional Cherokee ceremonies and singing ceremonial songs. He also draws inspiration from the “Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers and hill country blues musician R.L. Burnside. He writes and sings original compositions in the Cherokee language in his deep baritone voice, melding classic country and blues. In addition to his artistic endeavors,…
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Great Hall. Cost: FREE. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
A Walk on the Wild Side with Photomontage - In Person
All Programs
If you like the idea of using images from magazines to create collages that tell a story, then this class is for you. Take this opportunity to walk down the path of surrealism, political commentary, or any other subjects of your choosing to create your own photomontage.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/walk-on-wild-side-with-photomontage?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
DC | Look, Learn, Create: Water's Edge for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. **This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver. Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A.…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Teen Studio: The Art of Existing
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Dive into the Hirshhorn’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden with weekly workshops inspired by sculptures on view. This Saturday, explore Monumental Head (1960), an existentialist sculpture by Alberto Giacometti. Then morph clay and aluminum wire into sculptures that reflect what it truly means to exist as a human being.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4:30 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session 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 in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.
ABOUT TEEN STUDIO
Teens ages 13–19 are invited to hang out and get creative…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. NY | Native Sounds Downtown: Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey
One-Time Events
Welcome Cherokee country and blues musician Agalisiga “The Chuj” Mackey to the Native Sounds Downtown stage at our New York museum this November! Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.
Agalisiga "The Chuj" Mackey is a musician and educator from the Cherokee Nation in Northeast Oklahoma. Mackey spent his early years in the traditional Cherokee community of Kenwood, OK, where his mother’s family settled after the forced removal of Cherokee people from what is now North Carolina. Mackey later moved to Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation, to become fluent in the Cherokee language at the Cherokee Immersion School.
Mackey grew up participating in traditional Cherokee ceremonies and singing ceremonial songs. He also draws inspiration from the “Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers and hill country blues musician R.L. Burnside. He writes and sings original compositions in the Cherokee language in his deep baritone voice, melding classic country and blues. In addition to his artistic endeavors,…
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, Great Hall. Cost: FREE. Categories: Performances. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Día de los Muertos Celebration with Self Help Graphics & Art
American Latino Museum
***This event will be outdoors on the block of Anderson Street, right outside Self Help Graphics & Art’s Boyle Heights building from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Time.
Self Help Graphics & Art’s 53rd Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration will start with a procession at 2 PM, led by Danza Azteca Chicomecoatl. Join this longtime tradition and walk from Mariachi Plaza (1831 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA) to Self Help Graphics & Art's permanent home on the corner of 1st Street and Anderson Street, where the celebration will take place outdoors on the block of Anderson Street from 3-10 PM.
This communal gathering will feature live music and dance as ofrendas (offerings) to the ancestors, community altars of remembrance and resistance by local community members, Muertos Market featuring local artists and artisans, Self Help Graphics prints for sale, local food vendors, face painting, art activities, and more!
This festival is part of the Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a community of festivals acr…
Event Location: Self Help Graphics & Art | Outdoors, 1300 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/self-help-graphics-arts-53rd-annual-dia-de-los-muertos-celebration-tickets-2000318072201?aff=w. Categories: Kids & Families. Performances. Celebrations. After Five.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 6:00 PM – Sunday, November 8, 2026, 1:00 AM.
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra - 100 Years of Jazz Giants
All Programs
Nineteen twenty-six was the birth year of a generation that would permanently change the course of jazz history. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra honors groundbreaking musical artists who make up “the class of 1926,” including Ray Brown, Melba Liston, and Randy Weston.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/sjmo-jazz-giants?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
Second Sundays: “This Land Is ...”
Spotlight Programs
11 a.m.–2 p.m. PT
The Huntington’s “This Land Is ...” initiative invites visitors to reflect on the American story through the lens of land, drawing from library, art, and botanical collections to spotlight relationships between place, U.S. history, and American identities. In this family-friendly event, visitors can participate in artmaking workshops with AMBOS: Art Made Between Opposite Sides, and join a national conversation at the We Hold These Truths interviewing booth.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Kids & Families. Cost: Free with general admission. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.huntington.org/events?_gl=1%2a12laoua%2a_gcl_au%2aMTE4MDYwMDcxOS4xNzg4OTkxMDYy%2a_ga%2aMTc2NDgyOTc4Ni4xNzg4OTkxMDYy%2a_ga_1BGEDHGTJ6%2aczE3ODg5OTEwNjMkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODg5OTEwNjMkajYwJGwwJGgw. Event Location: San Marino, California.
Sunday, November 8, 2026.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
San Marino, CA.
For more info visit www.huntington.org. All Eyes on Pittsburgh
All Programs
The centerpiece of this art-filled three-day visit to Pittsburgh—a city of smokestacks and steel reborn as a vibrant cultural capital—is the 59th Carnegie International, North America’s longest-running survey of international contemporary art. In addition, the tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden offers a deep dive into Pittsburgh’s distinctive art and history, including visits to the Mattress Factory, Andy Warhol Museum, Senator John Heinz History Center, and National Aviary and a ride on the historic Duquesne Incline.
Event Location: Detailed information for overnight tours is emailed approximately FOUR WEEKS. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/all-eyes-on-pittsburgh?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 8:00 AM – Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 10:00 PM.
Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab! Blessings from the Hmong New Year Table
One-Time Events
Rhythms, Roots, Recipes: Community Stories of Food and Music brings together cooking demonstrations, live music, and storytelling. Each program in the series explores traditions that animate families and communities across the United States—and beyond.
Hmong New Year is a time to celebrate the end of the harvest season while washing away any bitterness and hardship faced during the previous year. Across the Hmong diaspora, it also is an opportunity to renew ancestral ties and impart cultural lessons to the next generation.
Join us as Minneapolis-based, award-winning chef Diane Moua prepares traditional Hmong dishes including nqaj npua tsawg (Hmong pulled pork), pickled mustard greens, sticky rice, and tuav kuas txoj (hot sauce). While Moua cooks, Tiffany Xyooj will perform Hmong folksongs that reference staple ingredients and migration, each echoing the voices and hopes of those who came before. This lively conversation will be facilitated by KaYing Yang of the social enterprise RedGreen Rivers. Noj…
Venue: American History Museum. Stage: National Museum of American History (Coulter Plaza). Folklife Categories: Foodways. Performance. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Pakeezah
Films
New 4K Restoration!
Following our Diwali celebration, enjoy this beloved Bollywood classic, a heartbreaking romance with gorgeous visuals and some of the most beautiful songs ever committed to film. Set against the backdrop of the courtly era of the Nawabs of Lucknow, Pakeezah is a poetically exquisite classic that took fourteen years to complete. The film’s painterly frames are saturated with color, opulent sets and costumes, haunting music, and actress Meena Kumari in an unforgettable performance.
The courtesan Nargis is rejected by the family of her husband Shahabuddin and dies giving birth to her daughter Sahibjaan who grows up to become a renowned courtesan. But she lives in a gilded cage, yearning for love and a life of dignity. Her life takes a turn when a forest officer, Salim, accidentally encounters her while she is asleep in a train compartment. Captivated by her, he leaves behind a note praising her beauty and innocence without knowing her identity. Their paths cross again and they fall in love.…
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pakeezah-tickets-2000643239786?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Films. Celebrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Museums Association of the Caribbean 2026 Conference in Trinidad & Tobago
One-Time Events
Held biennially, the MAC Conference is the principal gathering for the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean museum community. A multilingual gathering across English-, Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking contexts, the conference brings together the people, ideas, and practices shaping the future of the museum sector in the region.
Building on the success of MAC’s 2024 Conference, which welcomed over 200 delegates from 60 institutions across 23 countries, the 2026 conference continues to expand as the region’s leading forum for dialogue, exchange and collaboration.
This year’s Conference is hosted by Trinidad and Tobago Alliance of Museums (TTAM). Conference Theme
Caribbean Museums: Connectors, Conveners, and Catalysts for Change
The MAC 2026 conference explores how Caribbean museums act as connectors, conveners, and catalysts for change by strengthening community ties, advancing cultural stewardship, and fostering sustainable, inclusive futures across the region.
Event Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Cost: https://caribbeanmuseums.com/mactandt2026/faqs.php. Get Tickets/Register: https://caribbeanmuseums.com/mactandt2026/registration.php. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – Friday, November 13, 2026, 11:00 AM.
For more info visit caribbeanmuseums.com. Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Take a Seat!: Chairs of the 20th Century
All Programs
Many of the chairs still in use today were designed in the 20th century—and have stood the test of time for their comfort, function, and striking visual presence. Art historian Jennie Hirsh explores the history of iconic modern chairs from around the world, tracing how designers including Elaine Gray, Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames reimagined seating for a rapidly changing century. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/take-seat?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/take-seat?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Meditation Mondays
One-Time Events
Join us for an in-person meditation on our 4th floor, Panoramic Overlook. This session provides an opportunity for participants of any experience level to explore the museum’s themes through mindfulness meditation practice. Together we will experience freedom in the present moment through insight into oneself. This session will be instructor led. No experience or special clothing is necessary. Seating will be provided.
For inquiries, please contact NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 4th Floor, Panoramic Overlook. Cost: Free! Registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019db082-bc4f-99fb-b26a-979887de5ca5. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM.
Mixed Media Art Warmups
All Programs
Art warmups enable students to jump right into their projects knowing there are no wrong answers. Students work with positive and negative space, do quick sketches, go beyond the color wheel, and use mixed-media techniques to build layers and texture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/mixed-media-art-warmups?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/mixed-media-art-warmups?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
The Art of Historic Preservation
All Programs
Historic preservation is often thought of as the stewardship of grand landmarks associated with great figures like Thomas Jefferson, as well as places of worship, courthouses, and monuments. But the modest houses, working landscapes, and overlooked spaces that hold our personal and collective memories also matter. Public historian Ken Turino traces the history of the preservation movement in America, including how the field has evolved to have a more inclusive vision of what deserves protection.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/art-of-historic-preservation?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/art-of-historic-preservation?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Great Composer-Pianists: Mendelssohn, Liszt, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff
All Programs
Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the creative minds and keyboard talents of a quartet of piano pioneers celebrated for their prowess as both composers and performers. Franklin concludes each lecture by performing a work by the spotlighted composer.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/great-composer-pianists?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/great-composer-pianists?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, November 9, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
A Fall Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island - In Person
All Programs
Enjoy a fall morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The nearly 2-mile path follows Theodore Roosevelt Island’s shore and moves deep into the swamp and tidal inlet along the boardwalk where willows, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of Washington, D.C. Choukas-Bradley gives an overview of the landscape’s mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/walk-theodore-roosevelt-island?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
All Programs
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This session focuses on paintings by the American Impressionist Lilla Cabot Perry with writings by the Gilded Age author Edith Wharton.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/write-into-art-1K0740?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/write-into-art-1K0740?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Shtürmer, Rasputin, and the Russian Revolution From Within
All Programs
In 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power after more than a year of unrest and Russia’s disastrous involvement in World War I. In 1916, Prime Minister Boris Shtürmer had raised the prospect of a separate peace with Germany to support his aspirations to power, and with Rasputin’s help, he contrived to stir up a crisis he could control. Historian and documentarian Indy Neidell examines the facts and myths behind these claims. Before any plan could succeed, however, Rasputin was dead, Shtürmer was imprisoned, and Russia plunged into revolution.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/russian-revolution?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/russian-revolution?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Webcasts & Online.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Book Talk: In the Company of Pandas with Dr. Brandie Smith
Special Zoo Events
A Conversation with Dr. Brandie Smith
Join Dr. Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, for a special conversation celebrating her new book, In the Company of Pandas: My Life with the World’s Favorite Bear.
What is it about giant pandas that makes them nearly impossible to resist? Drawing on decades of experience caring for and conserving giant pandas, Smith will take audiences behind the scenes of one of the world’s most beloved — and fascinating — species. She’ll share stories of the generations of pandas that have called the Smithsonian’s National Zoo home, from raising cubs and navigating their distinctive personalities to the science, international collaboration and “panda diplomacy” that have shaped efforts to save the species.
All proceeds support the Smithsonian’s giant panda conservation program.
The conversation will explore surprising truths about panda biology and behavior, the challenges of breeding and caring for…
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Visitor Center Auditorium. Cost: Tickets: $10 in advance online, not available at the door
Parking: $30 in advance, $40 day-of
Add-On
Book: $30 signed copy available for event pickup (Members get 15% off). Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/book-talk-company-pandas-dr-brandie-smith. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing. Lectures & Discussions. After Five.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Behind the Science with Research Anthropologist and Curator of Human-Environment Interactions Dr. Torben Rick
One-Time Events
“The Fascinating Origins of Tuna and Billfish Fisheries”
Tuna and billfish are among the world’s most important large ocean predators and an important global food source. Millions of tons are caught every year. Despite significant declines in their populations, we know relatively little about tuna and billfish harvest prior to 20th century industrial exploitation. Smithsonian scientists are conducting archaeological, historical, and ecological research to understand the deep history of the fishery and help plan for the future sustainability of these critical fish.
This month, go behind the science with Research Anthropologist and Curator of Human-Environment Interactions Dr. Torben Rick who is exploring this untold history through archaeology and the restudying archaeological and historical tuna and billfishes in museum collections and in the field.
Bonus: find out how Dr. Torben Rick’s research connects the December Behind the Science expert, Dr. Katherine Bemis.
Registration is encouraged. Space is…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/32430410/behind-the-sciencenovember-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. The Rise and Fall of Excommunication in Medieval England
All Programs
Excommunication was originally intended as a severe, rarely imposed punishment that excluded offenders from the sacraments, society, and certain legal rights. Over time, however, it became a routine tool used for political, legal, and personal ends. Historian Charlotte Whatley argues that English bishops increasingly relied on excommunication to resist royal authority, provoking conflict with King Edward III. The Crown ultimately weakened its coercive power, reinforcing the supremacy of English common law.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/excommunication?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/excommunication?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Where's My Muse?
All Programs
This class plumbs the depths of creative inspiration, focusing on harnessing ideas and starting points for making art. Students develop an assortment of materials, a record of ideas, and potential starts for future artworks.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wheres-my-muse?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wheres-my-muse?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Historic New York Restaurants
All Programs
Take your seat as architectural historian David V. Griffin hosts a virtual tour of New York City’s most historic restaurants. From fine-dining establishments to beloved neighborhood eateries and from traditional cuisines to avant-garde fusion, Griffin explores the rich culinary history of the Big Apple through some of its oldest and most famous dining destinations. This visually delicious presentation offers an engaging blend of culinary history, architecture, and New York storytelling, served with plenty of inspiration for your next visit to the city.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/historic-new-york-restaurants?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/historic-new-york-restaurants?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Culinary Arts.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Festival of Faiths
“Of the People” Festivals
Marking its thirtieth year in 2026, the Festival of Faiths brings spiritual and religious leaders, scholars, artists and creative thinkers together for two days of dialogue on pressing social issues. As the preeminent interfaith event in Louisville, Kentucky, the Festival of Faiths highlights the diversity of faith traditions, and their interconnections, in Louisville and beyond. The Festival of Faiths is produced by the Center for Interfaith Relations and is recognized nationally as a model for interfaith work.
Categories: Performances. Lectures & Discussions. Cost: TBA. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Event Location: Louisville, Kentucky.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 – Friday, November 13, 2026.
Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts
Louisville, KY.
For more info visit www.centerforinterfaithrelations.org. A Fall Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island - In Person
All Programs
Enjoy a fall morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The nearly 2-mile path follows Theodore Roosevelt Island’s shore and moves deep into the swamp and tidal inlet along the boardwalk where willows, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of Washington, D.C. Choukas-Bradley gives an overview of the landscape’s mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/walk-theodore-roosevelt-island-1CWB13?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Home Is Where the Heart Is
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 be joined by Inspired Child teaching artist Mama Sylvia, who specializes in West African dance and music, for an interactive read-aloud that will get everyone on their feet celebrating the city we call home: Washington, DC! Then we’ll head into the revitalized Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden to visit Lauren Halsey’s monumental column keepers of the krown (antoinette grace halsey) (2024), which honors the artist’s hometown of South Central Los Angeles and her grandmother. Then, inspired by Halsey, we’ll make our own monuments to people and places that are important to us.
Featured book: A to Z: The Real DC by the teen authors of…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Community Portraits with Aliza Nisenbaum.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Typewriter Poetry Pop-up! with Ars Poetica
One-Time Events
Experience the art of poetry through a personalized encounter with a poet and their vintage typewriter. Visitors are invited to share a thought, memory, or inspiration and receive an original poem written just for them. This unique experience offers a moment of creativity, reflection, and connection, along with a one-of-a-kind keepsake to take home.
The poet will be stationed near The Mothership in the Musical Crossroads gallery on Level 4. This experience is open to all visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
For inquires, please email NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Musical Crossroads on Level 4. Cost: Free! Categories: Demonstrations.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
DC |National Native American Veterans Memorial: Flame Lighting
One-Time Events
In observance of Veterans Day, the flame of the National Native American Veterans Memorial will be lit from 3-5 PM on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Visitors are invited to honor the service of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans at the memorial through quiet reflection.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Outdoors, National Native American Veterans Memorial. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
The Surprising Males of the Orangutan World
One-Time Events
Can you tell a male ape from a female just by looking? Scientists often try to do exactly that with fossils, but orangutans have a twist: adult males come in two very different forms. Come chat with our visiting expert Dr. Alexandra Kralick from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, test your skills sorting ape skull casts and find out what these “two kinds of males” teach us about orangutan lives and skeletons. Bring all your questions about our close evolutionary cousins!
Photo courtesy of Alexandra Kralick.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Hall of Human Origins. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
A History of the Movie Musical
All Programs
As soon as movies learned to talk, they also learned to sing and dance—and the movie musical quickly became one of America’s most popular film genres. Media historian Brian Rose guides you through the rich history of the movie musical, illustrated with extended clips from dozens of classic films. From 42nd Street and Swing Time to Meet Me in St. Louis, West Side Story, and Chicago, the four-part series celebrates the songs, stars, and stories that made movie musicals an enduring part of American culture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/history-of-movie-musical-1J0583C?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/history-of-movie-musical-1J0583C?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Step into the World of M.C. Escher
All Programs
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898–1972), popularly referred to as M.C. Escher, is known for what he called his “mental images,” which connect to mathematics and various branches of science. During his 50-year career, Escher’s works evolved from realistic observations of the world to inventions of his imagination that explored multidimensional alternate realities. Dena M. Woodall, a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, explores how Escher’s imagery transformed 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/programs/world-of-m-c-escher?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/world-of-m-c-escher?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Graphite: The Versatile Medium
All Programs
A simple graphite pencil offers a world of possibilities. Techniques are demonstrated and discussed through simple exercises using graphite materials ranging from soft to hard.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/graphite-versatile-medium?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/graphite-versatile-medium?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Introduction to Bookbinding: The Sewn Book
All Programs
Explore the art and structure of the handmade book in this introductory online workshop focused on sewn binding techniques. Participants are introduced to the history of bookbinding, basic terminology, tools, and materials while learning foundational techniques for creating books.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/introduction-to-bookbinding-sewn-book-1E0AND?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/introduction-to-bookbinding-sewn-book-1E0AND?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Portrait Gallery Reading Rhythms
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and Reading Rhythms for a reading party designed to make it easy for people to gather and read socially. We invite folks to bring any book they want while we facilitate silent reading periods, one-on-one breakouts, and group discussions about the art that everyone is engaging with. This adult program unites a community of readers to learn together and experience art with curated music.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Great Hall. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portrait-gallery-reading-rhythms-tickets-1985367092418?aff=erelexpmlt. Categories: After Five.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Afrobeat Vibes at the Smithsonian
One-Time Events
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Entire museum. Cost: $150. Get Tickets/Register: https://africanart.ticketspice.com/afrobeat-vibes-at-the-smithsonian-nov-12-2026. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM.
Visions of a Brighter Tomorrow: World’s Fairs of the 1930s
All Programs
The World’s Fairs of the 1930s offered visions of a world in flux—attempting to chart a future at a moment when nothing felt stable. As the Great Depression reshaped daily life and global tensions mounted, fairs in Chicago, Paris, and New York became spectacular stages where nations expressed optimism, power, and unease through architecture, technology, and performance. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh examines this trio of landmark fairs, revealing how they transformed crisis into dazzling displays that captured both the aspirations and anxieties of their era. This session focuses on the World's Fair of New York 1939.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/worlds-fairs-1930s-1D0177C?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/worlds-fairs-1930s-1D0177C?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
History Film Forum presents "Amigo", with director John Sayles
One-Time Events
The History Film Forum presents Amigo, followed by a conversation with director John Sayles, in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
Barrio leader Rafael Dacanay (Joel Torre) must decide whether to keep the peace with the American troops occupying his village or join the insurgency with his brother and son in this 2010 drama set during the Philippine–American War.
After the screening, join us in a conversation with Amigo's director, John Sayles, and NMAH curator Theo Gonzalves.
This film has been rated R, or “Restricted” by the MPA (Motion Picture Association). Visitors under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian.
___________________
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…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center. Cost: Free, tickets required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-film-forum-presents-amigo-with-director-john-sayles-tickets-2002465926491?aff=trumba. Categories: After Five. Films. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. After Dark: Stories We Carry
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum for After Dark: Stories We Carry, an evening of art, music, memory, and connection inspired by our exhibition, We Make History.
We Make History explores how everyday people make and preserve history through the stories they tell, the experiences they share, and the communities they shape. Stories We Carry invites you to reflect on the memories, traditions, people, and places that have shaped your story and how those stories become part of our collective history.
Throughout the evening, enjoy a DJ, spiked apple cider and hot chocolate, and snack boxes while experiencing the museum after hours.
Get creative with a hands-on art activation with Pyramid Atlantic, where guests can explore storytelling through art and create something inspired by the stories and experiences we carry with us.
Leave a Recipe, Take a Recipe at Rooted Recipes, a community recipe exchange celebrating the stories and traditions passed from one table to another. Bring a favorite family…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Anacostia Community Museum. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/after-dark-stories-we-carry-tickets-2002672131255?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Workshops. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Becoming Frank Lloyd Wright
All Programs
Historian and architecture lecturer Bill Keene presents an illustrated look at the life and career of Frank Lloyd Wright. He explores Wright’s Welsh heritage, difficult family life, and early love of nature, then traces the personal and professional triumphs and setbacks that shaped his work. Keene also examines influences including Emerson, Whitman, Louis Sullivan, European architects, and Japanese art, concluding with Wright’s growing fame and business success.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/becoming-frank-lloyd-wright?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/becoming-frank-lloyd-wright?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Eunbi Kim
Performances
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per order). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
Pianist Eunbi Kim’s sonic memoir it feels like a dream features a soundworld of classical music threaded with an indie-pop awareness. Meanwhile, hypnotic projected visuals by new media artist Xuan expand the experience. This immersive multimedia performance explores questions of family and identity, offering listeners a space to meditate on the dreams they carry and pass on. it feels like a dream includes works by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Angélica Negrón, Pauchi Sasaki, and Sophia Jani for piano, pre-recorded voices, and electronics, written for and performed by Kim.
The evening also premieres The Dreamers, a new work by Corey Chang written for Kim and commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The work incorporates a poem that Kim’s father wrote more than thirty years ago, shortly after immigrating to the US…
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eunbi-kim-tickets-2001091935848?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Categories: Performances. After Five. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
83rd National Folk Festival
“Of the People” Festivals
Founded in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the longest-running multicultural celebration of the traditional arts in the United States. The flagship program of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, this traveling festival celebrates the artistic traditions of all Americans and honors the nation’s finest traditional artists. In residence in Jackson, Mississippi, from 2025 to 2027, “the National” features over 300 artists on six stages, nonstop music and dance, parades, a Mississippi folklife area, a family area, regional and international cuisine, and a crafts marketplace.
Categories: Performances. Lectures & Discussions. Demonstrations. Kids & Families. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program. Event Location: Jackson, Mississippi.
Friday, November 13, 2026 – Sunday, November 15, 2026.
Downtown Jackson, MS.
For more info visit www.nationalfolkfestival.com. STEAM Career Workshop for Undergraduate Students
One-Time Events
Save the date for an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students!Are you curious about careers in science, museums, or research? Want to find an internship or fellowship in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) field? Join us for a full day of hands-on learning, networking, and behind-the-scenes access to the Smithsonian! Meet museum professionals and explore natural history careers. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent grads from community colleges, colleges and universities are invited to sign up for the event. Agenda 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.: Check-in/Welcome/Continental Breakfast
Participants will meet in the Constitution Avenue Lobby and be escorted to Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Enjoy a light continental breakfast while meeting fellow students and museum staff.
10:45 – 11:00 a.m.: Introduction to the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Natural History
Learn about the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of Natural History,…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Lobby on the Ground Floor of the Museum at Constitution Ave. & 10th St. NW. Cost: Free, but registration is required. Breakfast and lunch are included. Get Tickets/Register: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/jLTHApKEXg. Categories: Workshops. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
The Artists of Renaissance Venice
All Programs
At the crossroads of the Adriatic, Renaissance Venice was a city shaped by commerce, diplomacy, and cultural exchange. Influences from Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire, and Northern Europe helped foster a distinctly Venetian artistic style, celebrated for its luminous color, sensual beauty, and decorative splendor. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine revisits the works of some of the greatest artists who made Venice one of the most fascinating cultural centers of the Renaissance. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/artists-of-renaissance-venice?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/artists-of-renaissance-venice?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Big Moments, Little Stories
One-Time Events
Join us at the Anacostia Community Museum for a cozy story time that brings children, caregivers, and community together through books, creativity, and play. Stories will connect with ACM’s current exhibition and celebrate themes of community, family, neighborhood, history, and the fall and winter seasons.
Families are invited to stay for indoor play, creative exploration, and time to connect with one another. This welcoming, accessible program supports different ways of participating, with sensory toys and tools available for children who benefit from tactile, movement, or sensory experiences.
Come in, get cozy, meet your neighbors, and share stories that remind us that we all have a place in our community’s story.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10:30 a.m.
Duration: About 1 hour.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Sunburst Lounge. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-moments-little-stories-storytime-and-sensory-play-tickets-1999723326300?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Handwork: Contemporary Craft Open House
One-Time Events
Join us at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery for a new installation of the contemporary craft collection. See longtime favorites such as Wendell Castle’s Ghost Clock, as well as works acquired through Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, an initiative organized by Craft in America. Chat with curatorial staff as well as the artists whose work is on view in the galleries, including Roberto Benavidez, Elizabeth Brim, Vicki Essig, Pat Gorelangton, Chief Bill Harris, Aya Oki, Ato Ribeiro and Diego Romero. Craft activities and a scavenger hunt will be available to provide fun for participants of all ages!
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery, second floor galleries. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Registration opens October 30. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3slGL. Categories: Celebrations. Related Exhibition: Handwork: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Threads of the Viking World: Women’s Lives in Cloth and Craft
All Programs
A lost mitten. Names carved into spindle whorls. A carefully mended dress laid to rest in a grave. These small, evocative traces open a window into the everyday lives of Viking Age women—lives often missing from the historical record. Historian and broadcaster Eleanor Barraclough draws on archaeological discoveries to reveal the skills, relationships, and identities of women who helped shape the Viking world.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/threads-of-viking-world?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/threads-of-viking-world?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Forward Religions Conference 2026: Welcome Home
One-Time Events
FORWARD RELIGIONS CONFERENCE 2026
“Welcome Home”
As we commemorate 250 years of Black religious traditions and the 10th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s Center for the Study of African American Religious Life, we recognize both as sacred homes, spaces where Black memory, faith, and cultural life endure.
Welcome home to the spaces where Black lives are celebrated, culture thrives, and past, present, and future unite in remembrance, resilience, and resistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: National Museum of African American History and Culture. Cost: Free, Registration required. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 4:00 PM – Sunday, November 15, 2026, 2:00 PM.
ONLINE | Native Cinema Showcase 2026
One-Time Events
The National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase is an annual celebration of the best in Native film. The festival celebrates the year's best of Indigenous film, spanning documentaries, features, animations, and short-format films by Indigenous filmmakers from across the Western Hemisphere and Arctic. All films will be available to stream free from November 13 (5 PM ET) to November 27, 2026 (5 PM ET).
Event Location: Online only. Online Link: https://americanindian.si.edu/native-cinema-showcase-2026/. Cost: Free. Categories: Celebrations. Films. Accessibility: Audio description. Captioning.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 5:00 PM – Friday, November 27, 2026, 5:00 PM.
For more info visit americanindian.si.edu. Cinema + Conversation: Montmartre
One-Time Events
Fall in love with an evening of cinema and conversation.
This Cinema + Conversation features a French-inspired dinner, a screening of Montmartre, and a conversation with the film’s writer and director, Leon Hendrix III, producer Maurice D. Hendrix, and stars Ito Aghayere and Jesse Williams.
The evening begins at 5:30 pm with a French-inspired dinner, inviting guests to experience the flavors and atmosphere of France before journeying to Paris through the film. After dinner, guests will head to the Oprah Winfrey Theater for the 7:00 pm screening of Montmartre. Montmartre tells the story of a woman dissatisfied with her increasingly disconnected life; Jo travels to the storied Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre, where she meets Toussaint, a tour guide who loves poetry, magic, and romance. As the two grow closer, culture, art, and love intertwine, reconnecting Jo with a passion for life she thought she had lost.
A moderated conversation will follow the screening with Leon, Maurice, Ito, and Jesse about the…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse, Sweet Home Café Oprah Winfrey Theater. Cost: $10. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/f4872a0e-2c46-13da-be7c-812a2294e3f9?tg=1b35cd51-d4ee-11d8-22f0-27bc45355317. Categories: After Five. Culinary Arts. Films. Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
Orchid Diplomacy: How Singapore's Blooms Connect Cultures
All Programs
Marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Singapore in 2026, this special program highlights Singapore’s practice of orchid diplomacy and the Smithsonian’s leadership in orchid research, conservation, and cultivation. Hear from a panel of experts including Smithsonian Gardens Lead Horticulturist Justin Kondrat, who manages the Smithsonian’s Orchid Collection, and Mark Choo, assistant curator at the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Find out how the naming of orchid hybrids has been used to strengthen relationships between nations, commemorate significant milestones, and honor world leaders.
Event Location: Embassy of the Republic of Singapore 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/orchid-diplomacy?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Brewing a Revolution: After Hours
One-Time Events
Taverns and coffeehouses have always been more than places to enjoy a drink. From the Colonial era through today, these places bring people together to exchange ideas, discuss local and global events, and engage in the global marketplace.
As we celebrate the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, we’ll explore the role of taverns and coffeehouses as democratic spaces of civic life, hubs of economic development, and centers of regional and local identity.
Join historians and industry experts for a conversation tracing the evolution of these social institutions and their influence on American culture, then taste history with five samples of historic and modern brews alongside small bites.
Panelists: (Panel starts at 7:00 PM)Favio Garcia, brewery manager of Dynasty Brewing Company, Leesburg, Virginia, Michelle Craig McDonald, historian, educator, and author of Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States, Mike Stein, educator, brewer, author, historian, and cocreator of the…
Venue: American History Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West. Cost: Tickets are $35 and include food and five drink samples. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brewing-a-revolution-after-hours-tickets-2002171639270. Categories: After Five. Culinary Arts. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Destiny
Films
Part melodrama, part musical extravaganza, and part plea for religious tolerance, this film by the celebrated Egyptian director Youssef Chahine is the story of the medieval philosopher Ibn-Rashd (known in the West as Averroes). A tireless warrior for free speech, literacy, and rationalism, he strives to preserve the works of Aristotle and other great thinkers while being harassed by conservative clerics. Meanwhile, his followers counteract the zealots’ austerity through exuberant song and dance. While not based on The Thousand and One Nights, we’re including it in this film series because its setting in the multicultural society of twelfth-century Muslim-ruled Cordoba evokes the tales’ era and atmosphere. “Rip-roaring entertainment . . . a hot-blooded romantic adventure” raved Stephen Holden in The New York Times.
Director: Youssef Chahine. Countries: France, Egypt. Released: 1998. Length: 137 min. Format: 35mm. Languages: Arabic and French with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Pyramide International.
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://1001nights.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Friday, November 13, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
We Tell These Truths: Still We Sing (Concert of Colors Neighborhood Program)
“Of the People” Festivals
7–10 pm ET
Through collaborations with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and community-based organizations across Metro Detroit, the Concert of Colors will host a series of free neighborhood events celebrating the cultural traditions that have helped shape our nation. Together, these programs remind us that the journey toward a more perfect union begins with listening, sharing, and creating solutions together.
Featured artists: Omar Offendum, Lubana Al Quntar, Rewa Zeinati. Presented in partnership with the Arab American National Museum.
Categories: Performances. Cost: Free. Event Location: Dearborn, Michigan.
Saturday, November 14, 2026.
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
Dearborn, MI.
For more info visit www.concertofcolors.com. FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located 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 18 - November 21, 2026.*
You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
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: Plaza. Cost: Free to Attend. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1985418954539?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Corrugated Masks
One time events
It’s all about sculpture this November at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll draw inspiration from the Museum’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden and learn about artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, and more.
Join us this week as we get inspired by Mark Grotjahn’s artwork Untitled (Top and Exterior Gates, DeWalt Mask M33.e) (2014). Grotjahn began creating his “masks” using discarded cardboard boxes from his studio. Based on his artistic practice, we’ll make sculptures out of recycled cardboard and other loose parts!
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Think Inside the Box.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Soar Together at Air and Space Family Day: Maps and Navigation
One-Time Events
How do you find your way to school, across the country, through the skies, or even to another planet? Explore how people map and navigate their world!
Try hands-on activities, conversations with experts, and navigation and mapmaking experiences.
Families will discover how the concepts of location, direction, and route planning connect everyday travel with aviation and space exploration.
Discover how maps help us understand places, plan journeys, and find our way every day. Learn how pilots navigate through the atmosphere, Explore the technologies that guide travelers on Earth, Uncover how scientists map the Moon, Mars, and other worlds, Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.
Venue: Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. Event Location: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA. Cost: Free. Parking is $15. Categories: Kids & Families. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit tickets.si.edu. Embroidery on Paper and Photographs
All Programs
Learn how to add distinctive patterns, color, and texture to photographs using embroidery.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/embroidery-on-paper-and-photographs?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/embroidery-on-paper-and-photographs?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
DC | Always Becoming: Next Chapter
One-Time Events
Join artist Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha’p’o Owenge ([Santa Clara Pueblo]), creator of Always Becoming, and the community that cares for the museum's ephemeral outdoor sculpture family, to learn about the project's evolution over the past two decades, and what the future holds. Learn about the art of clay, traditions of sustainability in Pueblo building techniques, and more. Visitors can enjoy family-friendly art activities, dance performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, watch a short film, and multiple opportunities to hear from the artist, her family, and museum experts that have contributed to the care and revitalization of the sculptures.
*Portions of the day's programming, marked with an asterisk, will be streaming live online at AmericanIndian.si.edu/livestream
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Level 1, Outdoors, 10:30 AM | Welcome CeremonyJoin the artist, her family, museum leadership, and tribal elders for a ceremony to honor Always Becoming with a song and brief remarks. ASL and CART Captions (CC) provided. 11:30…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Outdoors, Level 1: Potomac Atrium, Level 3: imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Demonstrations. Films. Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Gallery Talks & Tours. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
NMAAHC Kids: Book Day
One-Time Events
NMAAHC Kids Book Day: 123 I Like You and Me! Designed for children ages 4-8
Inspired by the Museum’s newest children’s book, 123 I Like You and Me: A Joyful Counting Book, we will celebrate the things that make us the same and different! On this Book Day, we’ll explore select pages together through art projects, games and hands-on activities.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: NMAAHC 4th Floor Overlook. Cost: FREE. Tickets required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/019e92e2-679e-20df-2d27-c27227fb40bd. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Art Walk
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-walk-tickets-1995913274332?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. History in the Making: Carter G. Woodson Zine Lab
One-Time Events
What happens when art meets history at the museum? Join artist Brittany Mona' to make zines—small booklets that offer a creative way to tell a story or explore an idea. This hands-on, family-friendly workshop is inspired by the life and legacy of Carter G. Woodson, historian, educator, and longtime resident of DC’s Shaw neighborhood.
Known as the “Father of Black History, Dr. Woodson worked with artists like Loïs Mailou Jones to publish illustrated books and journals about African American history for learners of all ages. At the time, Black history was seldom included in historical narratives.
The program commemorates the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, founded by Dr. Woodson in 1926, and is offered in partnership with the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site, National Park Service in honor of its grand reopening on November 7.
Visitors can see books and journals by Dr. Woodson by visiting the museum’s current exhibition, We Make History, which explores stories of Washingtonians who wor…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Anacostia Community Museum. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-in-the-making-carter-g-woodson-zine-lab-tickets-2002299912940?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops. Kids & Families. Demonstrations.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
CANCELLED - DC | Look, Learn, Create: Water's Edge for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. **This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver. Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A.…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Cardboard Constructs
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Dive into the Hirshhorn’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden with weekly workshops inspired by sculptures on view. This Saturday, think like artist Mark Grotjahn and create a work of art from discarded materials. Discover new ways to build with cardboard, inspired by the bronze sculpture Untitled (Top and Exterior Gates, DeWalt Mask M33.e) (2014).
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4:30 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session 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 in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.
ABOUT TEEN STUDIO
Teens ages 13–19 are invited…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Sounds of Africa Concert
One-Time Events
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 October, brings together a stellar lineup of artists who are pushing the boundaries of music from Africa while honoring its roots.
Qlatse Band | Ethio-Jazz Project
Composed of talented Ethiopian musicians based in the Washington, DC area, brings Ethiopian melodies to life through a vibrant fusion of traditional rhythms and contemporary jazz influences. Drawing inspiration from Ethiopia’s rich musical heritage, the band blends soulful grooves, captivating melodies, and dynamic arrangements to create a unique and engaging musical experience. With a passion for preserving tradition while exploring modern sounds, Qlatse Band celebrates the spirit of Ethiopian music through its distinctive Ethio-Jazz style.
Sounds of Africa concerts are standing room only (with accessibility seating available upon request). By…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery, Sublevel 1. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2003738610122?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Performances. Related Exhibition: Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa’s Arts. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
American Art Family Day
One-Time Events
Explore SAAM’s newly reopened collection galleries with a day of family-friendly activities. Drop in for a still life sketching studio, then complete an elements of art activity in the galleries. Children 12 and under can enjoy a selection of crafts and coloring pages in the Kogod Courtyard. Food and beverage specials will be available for purchase from the Courtyard Café.
Photo by Norwood Photography.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3slUr. Categories: Kids & Families. Celebrations.
Sunday, November 15, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM.
First Light
Films
Followed by a conversation with director James J. Robinson and a reception featuring Australian wine and snacks from the Philippines!
This screening is copresented with the Embassy of the Philippines and the Embassy of Australia in celebration of the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States and Australia.
Watch the Trailer
Australia’s official 99th Academy Awards entry is an elegant and quietly devastating examination of belief, community, and institutional corruption in a mountain community, centered around a rustic nuns’ convent and a conspicuously majestic church.
Forty-something Sister Yolanda (Ruby Ruiz) lives in a colonial mountain convent and works at the local hospital where she is admired for her kindness and piety. After giving last rites to a young man involved in a horrific construction accident, the nun is troubled by the nature of his death. She starts to piece together the circumstances of the accident in her gentle way and through her…
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-light-tickets-2003009981775?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Sunday, November 15, 2026, 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Garden Play: Houseplants!
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens for a special indoor Garden Play program featuring hands-on activities, story time, and play exploring this month’s topic, houseplants! And be sure to check out the Growing Tomorrow exhibition, Reimagining Houseplants, now on display in the S. Dillon Ripley Center.
Location:
Find us in room 3035 in the S. Dillon Ripley Center (1100 Jefferson Dr SW).
About Garden Play
Garden Play is designed for children ages two and up and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but children of all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
This program received support from Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th. Signature support for Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 has been provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. Additional generous contributions have been made by Target.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: Room 3035 in the S. Dillon Ripley Center (1100 Jefferson Dr SW). Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Growing Tomorrow. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
The Ocean Around Us Tour
One-Time Events
Explore the Sant Ocean Hall to learn about some of the exciting animals and habitats featured and how they are connected to your everyday life no matter where you live. This is a 30-minute interactive walking tour where you can meet a North Atlantic Right Whale, find out what is the most productive marine ecosystem, touch coral, and so much more.
Registration is required for this small group tour of up to 10 people. Each visitor may bring up to 3 guests, but the total number of visitors on the tour will be capped at 10.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, The Sant Ocean Hall, Under the Large Jellyfish. Cost: Free. Registration is required. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: The Sant Ocean Hall. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 250 Years of American Silversmithing
All Programs
Silversmithing—the art of turning silver into beautiful jewelry and objects that are both useful and attractive—has evolved over the past 250 years of American history. Philadelphia Museum of Art curator David Barquist provides an overview of the production of silver goods in the United States.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/american-silversmithing?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/american-silversmithing?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
The Last Invasion of England: 1688 and the Dutch Armada
All Programs
The Glorious Revolution was not simply a peaceful transfer of power from James II to William and Mary. Historian Arthur der Weduwen highlights the crucial role of the Dutch Armada and William’s 1688 invasion of England. Supported by 16,000 Dutch troops, William’s campaign directly enabled James’s overthrow. Der Weduwen argues that Britain’s political revolution depended on Dutch military strength and explores why the commerce-focused Dutch Republic risked a major preemptive strike against England.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/last-invasion-of-england?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/last-invasion-of-england?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Meditation Mondays
One-Time Events
Join us for an evening meditation as a practice in liberation. This session provides an opportunity for participants of any experience level to explore the museum’s themes through mindfulness meditation practice.
For inquires, please email NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration is Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/DnoJ4umxSLG5fOOG1HUKsw. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Workshops. After Five.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM.
Palazzo Barberini
All Programs
With masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio, and Filippo Lippi, the Palazzo Barberini museum in Rome offers a journey through the development of Italian art from the Renaissance through the Baroque period. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero discusses the significance of this collection, the ambitions of the powerful Barberini family, and the artistic innovations that transformed Rome into the cultural capital of the Baroque world. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/palazzo-barberini?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/palazzo-barberini?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
When and How Leaders Matter with Jared Diamond
All Programs
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jared Diamond explores what it takes for a leader to leave a lasting mark, beginning with a striking question: What might have happened if a near-fatal car accident in 1930 had killed Adolf Hitler before he rose to power? Guided by a moderator and drawing on examples from politics, business, sports, and religion, Diamond reveals how leaders’ success depends on a complex interplay of personality, timing, and circumstance.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/when-and-how-leaders-matter?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/when-and-how-leaders-matter?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, November 16, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art
All Programs
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This session focuses on 20th-century British artist Vanessa Bell’s A Conversation and the writings of her sister, Virginia Woolf.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/write-into-art-1K0741?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/write-into-art-1K0741?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Telling Apes Apart: Exploring Differences in Bones and Behavior
One-Time Events
How do scientists tell modern apes apart and how can they identify differences in males and females of the same species? If you want to learn all about living apes, and what they can tell us about our extinct early human relatives, come drop by the Hall of Human Origins to learn more with our visiting expert! Connor Fogo is a PhD candidate at University of Wisconsin-Madison specializing in understanding and interpreting differences between males and females of the same ape species. Come chat with Connor and ask all your questions about our close evolutionary cousins!
Photo courtesy of Connor Fogo.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Hall of Human Origins. Cost: Free. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Drawing with the Portrait Gallery
One-Time Events
Join us in the galleries for a series of drawing workshops with artist, Jill Galloway! Each month, Jill will guide participants through a step by step sketching lesson. Learn new sketching techniques while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. These workshops will include all supplies. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Registration is required.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drawing-with-the-portrait-gallery-tickets-1999713877037?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Analog Nights
One-Time Events
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/analog-nights-tickets-1982549304338?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops. After Five.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Conservation Gallery Talk: Caring for 19th-Century Photography
One-Time Events
Join Mellon Photography Conservator Ariadna Romer and Bank of America Photography Conservation Fellow Emma Dacey to explore the conservation of 19th-century cased photographs recently installed in the museum’s collection galleries. This program will highlight key preservation strategies for these historical objects.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the G Street Lobby. Cost: SOLD OUT | Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3wZi1. Categories: After Five. Related Exhibition: Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Handi-hour
One-Time Events
Celebrate fall with friends and a cozy craft! Make your own miniature, bottle-cap polymer clay pies and explore the museum’s new installation of the contemporary craft collection, Handwork: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery. Listen to live music and enjoy craft cider and beer provided by ANXO. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to the second-floor exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door. Tickets are $25 and available beginning November 3.
Join SAAM Creatives and enjoy discounted tickets!
SAAM Creatives is a membership group that offers young professionals exclusive access to curator-led tours, exhibition opening receptions, and special events. Join today for discounts on Handi-hour tickets.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery, Grand Salon. Cost: $25 | Registration required & must be 21+ to attend.
Registration opens on November 3. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3slpp. Categories: After Five. Workshops.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Faith in Harmony: Voice
All Programs
The most human of instruments, the voice, is foundational to so many spiritual experiences—in its presence and in its absence. This free program explores the role of human voices in uplifting scripture, song, and calls to prayer in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, illuminating a shared dimension of Americans’ faith in harmony.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/faith-in-harmony-voice?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The Art of Chagall
All Programs
Marc Chagall’s whimsical, colorful art blends dreamlike imagery with themes from his Russian-Jewish heritage. A leading figure of the École de Paris, he worked across painting, illustration, stained glass, ceramics, tapestries, prints, and stage design. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar examines Chagall’s life, artistic development, autobiography, persecution as a “degenerate artist,” American years, and major works, including the Paris Opera ceiling, Knesset tapestries, and renowned stained-glass windows. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit) .
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/art-of-chagall?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/art-of-chagall?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
America's Sweet Tooth: 250 Years of Sweets, Treats, and Traditions
All Programs
What can pie, candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies reveal about American history? Food historian Francine Segan explores how desserts reflect the nation’s past, from English-inspired pies to modern social media trends. She examines how invention and necessity shaped sweets such as jelly beans and candy corn, how Depression-era scarcity led home cooks to ingenious recipes like “water pie,” and also uncovers truths behind familiar names and dessert myths—from Betty Crocker (not a real person) to German chocolate cake (not German). Registrants receive a companion recipe handout.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/americas-sweet-tooth?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/americas-sweet-tooth?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Culinary Arts.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
Research Conversations: The Post Office and the Rise of Photography with Natalie Pellolio
One-Time Events
Since the early decades of photography, practitioners have relied on a growing international postal system to send photographs, materials, and information about technological developments to recipients near and far. The official announcement of the invention of photography in 1839 occurred just six years before the landmark Postal Act of 1845, in which the United States Congress reduced postage rates to allow the mail to be, for the first time, an affordable form of communication for most Americans. Central to the history of photography though rarely discussed within it, the mail facilitated the production of photographs and proved a key agent in the evolution of the photograph from a singular and costly object to a reproducible and disseminable image.
Natalie Pellolio is a Visiting Professor in the History of Art and Visual Culture department at California College of the Arts. She received her B.A. in Art History at Reed College in 2009 and her Ph.D. in Art & Art History at Stanford University in 2018. Sh…
Event Location: ZOOM. Cost: The event is free but registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/research-conversations-the-post-office-and-the-rise-of-photography-with-natalie-pellolio. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Captioning.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Circling the Sierra Nevada: California’s Grand Range of Light
All Programs
Journey virtually through California’s Sierra Nevada with naturalist Keith Tomlinson, traveling from the dramatic Eastern Sierra to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Explore the geology surrounding Mount Whitney and visit a remote alpine desert home to ancient trees. Continue to Mono Lake, then cross Tioga Pass into Yosemite’s high country before descending into Yosemite Valley. Conclude among Sequoia’s giant trees and awe-inspiring landscapes.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/circling-sierra-nevada?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/circling-sierra-nevada?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Storytime Studio: Head in the Clouds
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
Our adventures in the revitalized Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden continue with a visit to Yoshitomo Nara’s installation Sentinels of Stillness, featuring three large sculptures of childlike white heads. While massive in their final form, these sculptures began as palm-sized clay models. After reading a book written and illustrated by Nara himself, we’ll make our own head sculptures out of small rounds of clay.
Featured book: The Lonesome Puppy by Yoshitomo Nara
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Draw with Your Face with Janine Antoni.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Story Time with DC Public Library
One-Time Events
Join us for Story Time in collaboration with the DC Public Library! Children and their grown-ups can enjoy story time as an interactive way to exercise language and literacy skills. Story Time is designed for learners ages 5 and under, but all are welcome!
For questions about this event, please email us at: HistoryTeachers@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM.
Treasures of Warsaw
All Programs
Warsaw stands at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe, a dynamic center of business, politics, and culture. Its landscape blends the remnants of the historic city that narrowly survived World War II, the monumental architecture of the communist era, and a striking modern skyline. Guide Christopher Skutela takes you on a virtual journey through the places and stories that bring the city to life, including the Royal Castle, the site of the former largest Jewish ghetto in Europe, the prisons of the communist regime, and the Praga district.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/treasures-of-warsaw?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/treasures-of-warsaw?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Late Autumn
Films
This portrait of family love and conflict centers on Ayako, a young woman who resists marriage because she does not want to leave her widowed mother alone. Three friends of the late husband seek to find matches for Ayako to no avail. But Ayako’s resolve changes when her mother begins to consider her own remarriage.
Late Autumn reworks plot elements and themes of Ozu’s 1949 masterpiece Late Spring. Actress Setsuko Hara played the daughter in the earlier film and returns here as the widowed parent, pointing to Ozu’s regular theme of life’s repeating cycles. Description adapted from Janus Films.
Director: Yasujiro Ozu. Country: Japan. Released: 1960. Length: 128 min. Format: 35mm. Language: Japanese with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/schedule/6a1609ad738727be3b1d2245. Categories: Films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:10 PM.
Inspiring Poetry Through Visual Art | Cultivating Learning
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Join Phoebe Hillemann of the Smithsonian American Art Museum to experience how visual art can inspire multiple forms of poetry and build students’ understanding of literary devices. Then, model pairing a poem with an artwork to make text-to-text connections and consider multiple perspectives. Leave with ready-to-use lesson ideas and writing prompts for your English/language arts classroom!
Program Details:
This is a Zoom webinar with automatic captioning. You’ll be able to participate using the chat and Q&A, and your camera and mic will be disabled. We’ll record and post the webinar on the Smithsonian Learning Lab’s Events page approximately 72 hours after the session ends.
For general questions, or if we can provide additional accessibility services to support your participation, please email us at learninglab@si.edu. Please make your accessibility request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date.
Thumbnail Image: YouTube thumbnail for an upcoming webinar that…
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Related Events: For the 2026-2027 Cultivating Learning series, Smithsonian educators share teaching techniques and resources to help students engage closely with objects to spark curiosity and discussion. Teaching with objects encourages close looking, asking questions, and listening to multiple perspectives. These techniques can be applied to a range of content, including actual material objects and artworks, but also music, primary source documents, oral histories, data sets, and more. Join us to explore strategies for u… Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Natural History on the Big Screen: The Great American Bison Roadtrip
One-Time Events
In March 2026, three monumental bronze bison embarked on an unlikely road trip bound for the Smithsonian and the fulfillment of a century-old promise. On March 19th, 2026, just in time for America’s 250th birthday, they arrived at the entrance of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History after an unlikely migration across the bison’s former range from Colorado to the National Mall.
Join us for a screening of The Great American Bison Roadtrip, the fast and fun documentary that follows their journey. Smithsonian Sant Director Kirk Johnson, sculptor Gary Staab, and filmmaker Trevor Hawkins lead us on a kinetic, funny, and deeply moving adventure through the bison’s near-eradication, survival, and extraordinary return, exploring what America nearly lost and what we still have the power to restore.
After the screening, join Kirk, Gary, and Trevor for a conversation and audience Q&A about the film and their adventures.
Registration is requested. Space is filled on a first come, first served basis. The…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/33853644/natural-history-on-the-big-screenthe-great-american-bison-roadtrip-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: After Five. Lectures & Discussions. Films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. From Hell to Texas: The Psychological Westerns of the 1950s
All Programs
During the Truman-Eisenhower era, Westerns evolved beyond simple white-hat-versus-black-hat tales. Their drifters, lawmen, and outcasts were emotionally scarred antiheroes burdened by guilt, trauma, prejudice, and moral ambiguity. Acclaimed and underappreciated filmmakers alike used the genre to explore complex human and social conflicts. Saddle up as film historian Max Alvarez leads a sprawling multimedia cattle drive through hostile territories of beleaguered sheriffs, gunslingers, bank robbers, ruthless land barons, and jaded saloon gals.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/psychological-westerns-1950s?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/psychological-westerns-1950s?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
When Good Patterns Go Bad: Avoiding and Fixing Knitting Mistakes
All Programs
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.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/when-good-patterns-go-bad-knitting?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/when-good-patterns-go-bad-knitting?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Paleoproteomics in Paleoanthropology
One-Time Events
The diversity and variation of Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene species of early humans in southern Africa has been characterized based on the fossil evidence alone – until recently, with the emergence of paleoproteomics, the study of ancient proteins.
Dr. Palesa Madupe, postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, will present recent paleoproteomic research based on dental enamel proteins extracted from specimens of Homo naledi, Paranthropus robustus, and Australopithecus africanus.
Moderator: Dr. Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants. Image caption: SK-48, a Paranthropus robustus fossil from Swartkrans, South Africa, Image credit: Smithsonian Human Origins Program.
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/34567475/paleoproteomics-in-paleoanthropology-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Categories: Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. A History of the Movie Musical
All Programs
As soon as movies learned to talk, they also learned to sing and dance—and the movie musical quickly became one of America’s most popular film genres. Media historian Brian Rose guides you through the rich history of the movie musical, illustrated with extended clips from dozens of classic films. From 42nd Street and Swing Time to Meet Me in St. Louis, West Side Story, and Chicago, the four-part series celebrates the songs, stars, and stories that made movie musicals an enduring part of American culture.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/history-of-movie-musical-1J0583D?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/history-of-movie-musical-1J0583D?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
DC | Closer Look: Water's Edge
One-Time Events
Join Rebecca Trautmann, curator of Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe, for an in-gallery conversation with Karen Lemmey, the Lucy S. Rhame Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Together, they will offer visitors a closer look at select artworks in the exhibition. Karen Lemmey is the Lucy S. Rhame Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; she joined the museum’s staff in 2012. Lemmey is responsible for research, exhibitions and acquisitions related to the museum’s extensive sculpture collection, which is the largest collection of American sculpture in the world.
Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A. Wheelock.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, exhibition gallery. Cost: Free. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
DC | Inspired to Create: Water's Edge
One-Time Events
Embrace your creativity! Following the “Closer Look” program in Water's Edge take an art break to make a small artwork of your own inspired by the exhibition.
Join a museum arts educator for a hands-on art experience inspired by Truman Lowe’s use of willow branches and light. Participants will play with shadows using willow branches and light to trace the shadows they create. Drop by the tables near the exhibition exit to spend some time creating after your gallery visit.
Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A. Wheelock.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, North Gallery exit. Cost: FREE. Categories: Demonstrations. Workshops. Related Exhibition: Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Virtual America InSight: Verbal Description Tours
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a docent-led virtual tour designed for participants who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights from the collection through rich verbal descriptions that invoke a multisensory experience.
Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3shuI. Categories: Webcasts & Online. After Five.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 5:30 PM.
AI and the Humanities
All Programs
The words “Artificial Intelligence” now appear thousands of times per day. AI affects the global economy, jobs, medicine, national security, and more. Public humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson examines questions arising at the intersection of the humanities and AI: Will it revive engagement with great books or diminish it? How will schools adapt to the AI revolution? Using Hamlet, The Odyssey, and Crime and Punishment, Jenkinson shows how AI can deepen students’ engagement with literature.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/ai-and-humanities?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/ai-and-humanities?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The American Revolution, Part 2
All Programs
The American War of Independence freed the 13 British colonies in North America from Crown rule and set the stage for the United States’ bold experiment in self-government. Drawing on primary sources, historian Christopher Hamner continues exploring the pivotal turning points and strategic choices that shaped the course and the conclusion of the war in a fall series. This session focuses on the Newburgh Conspiracy.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/american-revolution-part2-1D0172D?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/american-revolution-part2-1D0172D?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM.
History Film Forum presents "Join or Die": Civic Engagement and Democracy
One-Time Events
Join the History Film Forum for a screening of the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Join or Die!
Join or Die follows the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis.
Flanked by influential fans and scholars, as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?
After the screening, join us for a conversation with the film's producers as we talk about the history of social groups, associations, and clubs- and why you should join one!
_____________________
The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible.…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Warner Bros. Theater, 1 Center. Cost: Free, tickets required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-film-forum-presents-join-or-die-civic-engagement-and-democracy-tickets-2002570176305?aff=trumba. Categories: After Five. Films. Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. ZooLights
Special Zoo Events
Celebrate the holidays at ZooLights! Enjoy twinkling lights and a festive atmosphere as this beloved winter classic returns to the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Journey through magical displays of glowing animal lanterns, watch live musical performances, sip hot cocoa and other festive treats, and explore the Zoo under the dazzling glow of one million environmentally-friendly LED lights.
ZooLights is a family-friendly, conservation-minded holiday tradition — each visit helps support the Zoo’s mission to save species and protect habitats worldwide.
Venue: National Zoo. Event Location: Throughout the Zoo. Cost: Tickets on sale this fall. Get Tickets/Register: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/events/zoolights. Categories: After Five. Celebrations. Performances. Kids & Families.
Friday, November 20, 2026 – Sunday, January 3, 2027.
For more info visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Big Moments, Little Stories
One-Time Events
Join us at the Anacostia Community Museum for a cozy story time that brings children, caregivers, and community together through books, creativity, and play. Stories will connect with ACM’s current exhibition and celebrate themes of community, family, neighborhood, history, and the fall and winter seasons.
Families are invited to stay for indoor play, creative exploration, and time to connect with one another. This welcoming, accessible program supports different ways of participating, with sensory toys and tools available for children who benefit from tactile, movement, or sensory experiences.
Come in, get cozy, meet your neighbors, and share stories that remind us that we all have a place in our community’s story.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10:30 a.m.
Duration: About 1 hour.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Sunburst Lounge. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-moments-little-stories-storytime-and-sensory-play-tickets-1999723326300?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
War, Memory, and the National Mall - In Person
All Programs
Every monument, memorial, and historic site reflects a series of choices about what to honor, how to tell the story, and what lessons future generations should take away. By looking closely at monuments, you can gain insight into the events they represent and the values and priorities of their creators. Few places offer a richer opportunity for such an exploration than Washington’s National Mall. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a day of discovery that visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: Tour meets at the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/war-memory-and-national-mall?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Book Signing & Pastry Pop-up with Chef Carla Hall
One-Time Events
Meet and greet celebrity chef Carla Hall in the Sweet Home Café and grab a signed copy of her latest book, Carla Bakes. The café will also host a special pastry pop-up station featuring desserts from the cookbook. In Carla Bakes, Hall shares “80 joyful recipes designed to help you bake with confidence, creativity, and a whole lot of heart.”
Copies of the book will be available for sale, courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises.
Timed-entry passes are required to enter the museum.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse Level. Cost: Free to attend. Categories: Culinary Arts. Shopping/Book Signing.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit nmaahc.si.edu. Michelangelo's Painted World
All Programs
While Michelangelo Buonarroti is best known for his masterful sculptures such as “David” and the “Pietà” his paintings reveal another dimension of his artistic genius. In the 551st anniversary year of his birth, art historian Elaine Ruffolo explores Michelangelo's monumental painted works, including the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the dramatic Last Judgment, where he transforms the human form with extraordinary emotional intensity and scale. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/michelangelos-painted-world?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/michelangelos-painted-world?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Art Bites Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks, each focused on one compelling artwork. Discover the stories behind these objects and the insights they offer into the United States’ ever-evolving cultural landscape. Elizabeth Eager, senior fellow, discusses Claire Falkenstein’s Envelope.
Claire Falkenstein, Envelope, 1958, steel wire assemblage, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1981.109.6.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged
Meet in the G Street Lobby. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR3hlbR. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
Lifelong Learners: Printed Perspectives
One-Time Events
Explore wellness, creativity, identity, and build community through portraiture. Printed Perspectives is a playful portrait-making experience that invites Lifelong Learners to explore identity, memory, and connection through art.
Participants paint a self-portrait and transfer the image onto paper to create a one-of-a-kind monoprint. The process encourages experimentation, embracing unexpected colors, textures, and imperfections as part of each person’s story.
Through artmaking and conversation, participants consider how we see ourselves, how we see one another, and the experiences that shape who we are.
Designed for all artistic abilities, the activity supports creative expression, social connection, and continued learning.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lifelong-learners-printed-perspectives-tickets-2002582069879?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 20, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located 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 18 - November 21, 2026.*
You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
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: Plaza. Cost: Free to Attend. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1985418954539?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Shopping/Book Signing.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Growing Community: Fall Harvest
One-Time Events
Join us for the Growing Community: Fall Harvest, the season finale of ACM’s Growing Community program! Come together as we celebrate another season of growing, learning, creating, and building community in the ACM Community Garden.
Participants of all ages and experience levels are invited to enjoy an afternoon of hands-on activities inspired by the season’s harvest. Get your hands in the garden with gardening and harvesting activities, pause for a wellness moment, tap into your creativity with shadow box making, and enjoy more opportunities to connect, reflect, and celebrate.
Whether you’ve been growing with us throughout the season or are joining us for the first time, everyone is welcome. Youth Gardeners and families are especially encouraged to participate as we gather to celebrate the garden, the harvest, and the community that helped it grow.
All experience levels welcome. No gardening experience necessary.
Come grow, create, reflect, and celebrate the season with us!
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Anacostia Community Museum. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-community-fall-harvest-tickets-2003223913651. Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Play with Clay
One time events
It’s all about sculpture this November at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll draw inspiration from the Museum’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden and learn about artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, KAWS, and more.
Join us this week as we get inspired by Yoshitomo Nara’s Sculpture Garden installation Sentinels of Stillness. While creating these artworks, Nara thought about the large snow blocks he recalls from his childhood winters in rural northern Japan. Then, inspired by his artistic practice, we’ll experiment with clay to make playful sculptures of our own!
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Sculpting in Space.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. “What Fools These Mortals Be”: A Closer Look at Shakespeare’s Comedies
All Programs
Shakespeare’s comedies create worlds of mistaken identity, romantic entanglements, disguise, and playful deception. Filled with pirates, bumbling constables, mismatched couples, separated-at-birth twins, and even a memorable dog, they mix lively humor with insight into human nature. In a full-day seminar, historian Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger explores how Shakespeare uses fools, confusion, and magic, tracing his shift from early slapstick to later plays centered on reconciliation and reunion.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/shakespeares-comedies?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/shakespeares-comedies?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Art Walk
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-walk-tickets-1995913274332?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. Categories: Kids & Families. Gallery Talks & Tours.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. DC | A Bison Celebration
One-Time Events
Celebrate the past, present, and future of North America’s largest land mammal. Through captivating films and hands-on activities, learn about the bison’s vital role in restoring grassland ecosystems and its deep spiritual connection to Tribal nations. "A Bison Celebration" is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, Level 1, Rasmuson Theater | 1–2:45PM | Film Screenings, Rebirth of the RangeThis documentary follows the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) as they reclaim the 19,000-acre National Bison Range in Montana. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access, the film explores a rare federal land transfer and the tribes' assumption of stewardship over their sacred bison. More than just a management shift, it’s a powerful story of indigenous environmental leadership reclaiming the land and correcting the historical record. Directors: Kira Kay and Jason Maloney, USA, 2023, 45 min. Waabishki…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1, Rasmuson Theater and Potomac Atrium. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Films. Kids & Families. Accessibility: Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Nourish Body, Nourish Spirit: Harvest, Seeds, and Songs from Indigenous Wisconsin
One-Time Events
Rhythms, Roots, Recipes: Community Stories of Food and Music brings together cooking demonstrations, live music, and storytelling. Each program in the series explores traditions that animate families and communities across the United States—and beyond.
In many Indigenous communities, the autumn harvest is marked by hard work followed by a period of gratitude and reflection. Often anchored in food, songs, and stories, seasonal rituals of connection and regeneration are essential both to individual and communal care.
The 2026 edition of Rhythms, Roots, Recipes concludes with a program featuring chef and restauranteur Elena Terry (Hoocąk/Prairie Band Potawatomi) and her agroecologist daughter Zoe Lea Fess (Hoocąk/Prairie Band Potawatomi). As they prepare sweet corn mush and wild rice dumplings in mushroom soup, father-and-son musicians Wade and Quintin Fernandez (Menominee) will share songs and stories inspired by the many gifts given to us by the natural world. Their conversation will be moderated by master…
Venue: American History Museum. Stage: National Museum of American History (Coulter Plaza). Folklife Categories: Foodways. Performance. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. DC | Look, Learn, Create: Water's Edge for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. **This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver. Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A.…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Head Outside!
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Dive into the Hirshhorn’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden with weekly workshops inspired by sculptures on view. This Saturday, take inspiration from Yoshitomo Nara’s Garden installation Sentinels of Stillness. Nara’s large sculptures are enlargements of hand-molded clay heads that originally fit in the palm of a hand. After learning about Nara, head back to Art School to work with guest artist Kaila Garcia to create your own clay head.
Guest Artist, , Kaila Garcia is a Filipino American visual artist and art educator based in Washington, DC, whose work celebrates identity, culture, and community through sculptural portraiture. Her work challenges beauty standards while creating space for belonging, cultural pride, and self-definition. Her work has been exhibited at…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Sunday, November 22, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Screening of To Kill a Mockingbird
One-Time Events
Join the National Portrait Gallery for Created Equal: An American Ideal on Screen, a film series exploring the legacy of the phrase “all men are created equal.” In the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, generations of Americans have been inspired by this powerful expression of the nation’s founding ideals. Through the stories of figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Harvey Milk and the fictional Atticus Finch, discover how Thomas Jefferson’s famous words have served as a rallying cry in the ongoing struggle for equality.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1963)
Adapted from the beloved novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a small-town Alabama lawyer who defends a Black man falsely accused of rape. This Depression-era story of racial injustice and the loss of childhood innocence is told through the eyes of Finch’s daughter, Scout.
Event Location: McEvoy Auditorium. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/created-equal-an-american-ideal-on-screen-tickets-1995767984767?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. Categories: Films. Related Events: Screening of Lincoln, Screening of Milk.
Sunday, November 22, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:15 PM.
The Thief of Bagdad
Films
Live Musical Accompaniment by Andrew Simpson
Watch the Trailer
Inspired by The Thousand and One Nights, Raoul Walsh’s The Thief of Bagdad is a spectacular accomplishment of production design and special effects. This fantasy epic continues to amaze audiences and inspire filmmakers a century after it was made.
Douglas Fairbanks stars as a carefree pickpocket who falls in love with a princess (Julanne Johnston). He can only win her hand by retrieving the rarest treasures on earth, a quest that grows more fantastic with each passing thrill. An indefatigable Fairbanks battles a fire-breathing dragon in caverns of flame, fights a giant underwater spider, and soars into the clouds on a magic carpet.
Presented in a 4K restoration produced by Patrick Stanbury of Photoplay Productions. Pianist and local favorite Andrew Simpson provides live accompaniment. Description adapted from Kino Lorber.
Director: Raoul Walsh. Country: United States. Released: 1924. Length: 154 min. Format: Restored DCP. Silent with English…
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://1001nights.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Sunday, November 22, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
Masterworks of Five Centuries Series
All Programs
The 50th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the first decade of the 17th century to the early 21st, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 7-concert series. This concert features music of Franz Schubert.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/scms-masterworks-1P0918?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Performances.
Sunday, November 22, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, November 23, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Estudio de Cuentos: Por favor, ¡pasen los tamales!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held the last Tuesday of every 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, is held on Wednesdays. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre el último martes de cada 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
Únete al Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense del Smithsonian para una hora de cuento y manualidades divertidas. Los participantes locales del Programa de Jóvenes Embajadores del museo…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Catch the Sun.
Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Sweet Home Café Harvest Menu
One-Time Events
Join us at Sweet Home Café from November 24 to 30, 2026, to celebrate Thanksgiving week with a specially curated Harvest Menu from Executive Chef Ramin Coles. Enjoy classic Thanksgiving dishes and kick off the holiday season with us. We look forward to your visit!
For more details visit Sweet Home Café's webpage. Please note that Timed-entry passes are required to enter the museum.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse Level. Cost: Free to attend. Menu items vary in price. Categories: Culinary Arts.
Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 11:00 AM – Monday, November 30, 2026, 3:00 PM.
For more info visit nmaahc.si.edu. NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Storytime Studio: I Am Thankful
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
Let’s show thanks at Storytime to the people who are important to us. We’ll visit Dancing at Dusk (2024) in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden by artist Raven Halfmoon, a member of the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma.
Halfmoon often uses a traditional Caddo coiling process to make sculptures honoring the women in her family. We’ll work with clay to make coiled sculptures of our own honoring someone special to us.
Featured book: We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frane Lessac
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Pumpkin Pinch Pots.
Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. NY | Hands On: Clay Pinch Pots
One-Time Events
Get hands-on with clay and create a miniature pinch pot! This engaging activity introduces a time-honored art form practiced by Indigenous communities across the Western Hemisphere. Passed down through generations, pottery-making reflects creativity, skill, and deep cultural knowledge.
All are welcome!
*Children under 15 should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom. Cost: FREE. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Coffee & Gratitude
One-Time Events
Trading the Black Friday rush for Coffee & Gratitude at Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, a gathering centered on art, storytelling, and gratitude.
Start your morning with us and enjoy a light refreshments, coffee, and hot chocolate starting 10AM before settling in for a morning of creativity, reflection, and family fun.Visitors are invited to participate in Cyanotype Portraits: Gratitude Family Workshop, a hands-on art experience inspired by the people, memories, objects and moments for which we are thankful. Using photographs, natural materials, and light-sensitive paper, participants will create one-of-a-kind cyanotype portraits and keepsakes that celebrate family, connection, and the stories we carry.
What is cyanotype?
Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that uses light-sensitive materials and exposure to light to create distinctive blue-and-white images. Participants can arrange photographs, plants, and other objects on specially prepared paper and expose their designs to light,…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coffee-gratitude-tickets-2002300406416?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families. Workshops.
Friday, November 27, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
DC | Native American Heritage Day
One-Time Events
Mark Native American Heritage Day with the museum with dance performances, a closer look at the installation Making a Statement, and hands-on activities.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, Level 1, Potomac Atrium, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM | Jingle Dress Dancing with Denmi WhitemanLearn about the significance of the Jingle Dress and enjoy dance performances by Denmi Whiteman (Oglala Lakota and Southern Cheyenne), who hails from the Pine Ridge reservation located in South Dakota. Whiteman is a published model, content creator, artist, old-style Jingle Dress dancer, and Native American advocate. Whiteman brings her culture and community into every space she enters. Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center, 11 AM–1PM and 2–4 PM | Hands On: Button-makingCelebrate Native American Heritage Day by designing your own magnetic button. 11:15-11:45 AM | imagiNATIONS Activity CenterFamilies are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1, Potomac Atrium, Level 3, Level 4. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families. Performances. Related Exhibition: Making a Statement.
Friday, November 27, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
NY | Native American Heritage Day
One-Time Events
Members of Native Pride Productions, featured North American dancers in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, join the museum’s celebration of Native American Heritage Day. Native Pride Dancers bring together dancers and styles from many Native communities, weaving them together and into a rich tapestry of motion. The dancers will demonstrate different styles of pow wow dance and share the unique stories and traditions surrounding the dances with visitors.
Performances begin at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM.
Image: Photo of Larry Yazzie, courtesy of Native Pride Productions.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, Diker Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Categories: Celebrations. Kids & Families. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, November 27, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Open Studio: Thankful for Art
One time events
It’s all about sculpture this November at Open Studio. Each week, we’ll draw inspiration from the Museum’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden and learn about artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, Raven Halfmoon, and more.
Join us this week as we learn about Halfmoon and her artwork Dancing at Dusk (2024). Halfmoon is a member of the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma. Much of her artwork is made using the coil-built technique, a tradition passed down through generations of Caddo women. Then, inspired by her artistic practice, we’ll work with clay to make coil-built sculptures of our own!
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Sculpting in Space.
Saturday, November 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Go-Go Fitness
One-Time Events
Join Go-Go Fitness LLC as they lead a fun dance fitness workshop to DC’s home sound – Go-Go Music. Dress in loose fitting, comfortable clothes, wear tennis shoes, and bring water and a hand towel. Reserve your spot today!
Since February 2012, Go-Go Fitness LLC has been a trusted partner and leader in dance fitness and total health and wellness in the District, the nation and the world spreading the love of DC’s homegrown Go-Go Music through dance fitness.
Native Washingtonians Danette Tucker and Erica Berry Wilson started Go-Go Fitness to provide a family-friendly environment that encourages women, men and children of all ages to get fit and have fun while doing so. Throughout our history, we have encouraged physical activity to support the health and well-being of families and communities. Ages 18 and up.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-go-fitness-tickets-2003081706305?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Saturday, November 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
CANCELLED - DC | Look, Learn, Create: Water's Edge for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited. **This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver. Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine, Greg and Cathy Tibbles, and Leslie A.…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Kids & Families. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, November 28, 2026, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Dancing at Dusk
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Dive into the Hirshhorn’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden with weekly workshops inspired by sculptures on view. This Saturday, take inspiration from Raven Halfmoon’s Dancing at Dusk (2024). Then head to Art School and use ceramic clay to create a sculpture that honors someone for whom you’re thankful.
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4:30 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session 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 in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time.
ABOUT TEEN STUDIO
Teens ages 13–19 are invited to hang out and get creative at the…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School. Cost: Free. Categories: Kids & Families. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Bun(dt)shaft Cake-Off: Bake a Mini Hirshhorn!
Saturday, November 28, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Categories: Kids & Families. Workshops.
Monday, November 30, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Masada: The Untold Story
All Programs
In the year 74, Masada, a steep, diamond-shaped plateau overlooking the Dead Sea and Judean Desert, was the site of the last stand of Jewish rebels against Rome. They famously chose mass death rather than surrendering to the hated Romans according to the author of the single historical source. But what really happened? Historian Barry Strauss highlights how decades of research by archaeologists and historians, including exciting recent work, has helped unravel the mystery.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/masada?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/masada?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Monday, November 30, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
The Panama Canal: Power, Politics, and Ambition
All Programs
Historian Ralph Nurnberger argues why the Panama Canal can be seen as either a landmark achievement of American diplomacy or a symbol of U.S. arrogance and corruption. Closely tied to Theodore Roosevelt’s vision of global power, the canal became both a strategic success and a long-running controversy. Nurnberger traces its history, including the debate over transferring control to Panama, while examining why the United States built a canal in another country and why Panama was selected.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/panama-canal?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/panama-canal?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Monday, November 30, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Winter's Wisdom
All Programs
Discover the power of reflective writing guided by teaching artist and museum educator Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by Claude Monet’s The Magpie and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that this season offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at paintings and poetry and to look inwardly through writing.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/winters-wisdom?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/winters-wisdom?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268293?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268293?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – Thursday, December 10, 2026, 10:45 AM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268294?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268294?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 11:15 AM – Thursday, December 10, 2026, 12:00 PM.
The Visual Language of Islamic Art
All Programs
Islamic art encompasses a variety of artistic traditions that have flourished across a vast geographic region from southern Spain and North Africa to the islands of Southeast Asia. Museum consultant Sabiha Al Khemir examines the distinctive visual language of traditional Islamic art through examples of calligraphy, painting, ceramics, metalwork, and textiles spanning the 9th to the 19th century. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/islamic-art?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/islamic-art?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Analog Nights
One-Time Events
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/analog-nights-tickets-1982549304338?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile. Categories: Workshops. After Five.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Amaryllis and Paperwhites: Luminous Winter Florals
All Programs
Explore how to translate a festive bouquet into a luminous watercolor, capturing the movement and softness of florals in winter light.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/amaryllis-and-paperwhites-florals?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/amaryllis-and-paperwhites-florals?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
The Grateful Dead and the Quest for Transcendence
All Programs
The Grateful Dead has more than music to share: The band offers lessons on impermanence, interconnection, and the search for meaning, which author Casey Rae explores. Tracing the Grateful Dead’s connections to the Beat generation, psychedelia, and Eastern philosophy, Rae examines how the band’s music, community, and improvisational ethos reflect deeper questions about transcendence, identity, and human connection. He also offers insights into the Grateful Dead’s influence and timeless appeal.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/grateful-dead?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/grateful-dead?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
The Mosaics of Ravenna: A Glittering Vision in Glass and Gold
All Programs
Once a capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogothic Kingdom, and the Byzantine Exarchate, Ravenna is famed for its dazzling 5th- and 6th-century mosaics. These masterpieces, found in UNESCO-listed sites such as San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, illuminate early Christian art. In this richly illustrated lecture, Columbia University art historian Sophia D’Addio explores their artistic innovations, symbolism, patrons, and enduring legacy. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/mosaics-of-ravenna?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/mosaics-of-ravenna?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Re-examining a Moment of Extreme Danger
All Programs
Most Americans know the basic story of the Cuban Missile Crisis: In 1962, the Soviet Union secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, the United States discovered them, and after a tense 13-day standoff, the Soviets backed down. The episode is often cited as a model of effective crisis management. However, historian Allen Pietrobon revisits the crisis to argue that it was less a triumph of leadership than a near-disaster averted largely by luck and fear.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/cuban-missile-crisis?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/cuban-missile-crisis?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268295?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268295?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – Friday, December 11, 2026, 10:45 AM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268296?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268296?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 11:15 AM – Friday, December 11, 2026, 12:00 PM.
In the Company of Pandas
All Programs
Panda expert Brandie Smith, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, offers an insider’s look at giant pandas, highlighting their unique personalities, behaviors, and care. She shares experiences raising pandas, dispels common myths, and explains their unusual biology and reproduction. Smith also explores the challenges pandas face from habitat loss and climate change, and details conservation efforts to protect the species and support their survival.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/in-company-of-pandas?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/in-company-of-pandas?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
The Roots of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Revolutionary Vision
All Programs
For more than two centuries, Thomas Jefferson and his Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom have shaped Americans’ understanding of religious liberty and the First Amendment. Jefferson argued that both religious freedom and political freedom depend on keeping church and state separate. But in 1985, Justice William Rehnquist challenged the historical accuracy of relying on Jefferson and his colleague James Madison to understand the First Amendment. Since then, the argument has been used to support greater government involvement in religion. Historian John Ragosta defends Jefferson’s vision, tracing it to his religious beliefs and reexamining the origins of the First Amendment.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/religious-freedom?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/religious-freedom?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
“Representations of America: USPS Art Directors on Stamp Design” - 23rd Maynard Sundman Lecture
One-Time Events
What can we learn about America – its cultures, history, landscapes, treasures – from its postage stamps? What are the challenges and joys specific to designing postal materials? Join us in person or online as we discuss these questions, the stamps celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, and more with USPS Art Directors Antonio Alcalá Greg Breeding, and Ethel Kessler.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Discovery Center (lower level) and on Zoom. Cost: The event is free but registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/maynard-sundman-lecture-series. Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit postalmuseum.si.edu. The Irrepressible Rosa Bonheur: “The 19th Century’s Most Famous Woman Artist”
All Programs
French artist Rosa Bonheur was one of the 19th century’s most celebrated animal painters. The first woman awarded France’s Legion of Honor, she gained international fame for her highly realistic works and dedication to studying animals firsthand—including at Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. Known for her unconventional lifestyle (trousers, short hair, and smoking in public), Bonheur remains a compelling figure. In an illustrated lecture, art historian Nancy G. Heller examines her life, art, and lasting influence. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/rosa-bonheur?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/rosa-bonheur?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
How to Listen to Jazz
All Programs
Listening to jazz is a skill that can be developed through active listening. Educator and jazz musician Alan Sherwin explains that jazz is not random improvisation but music built on an underlying harmonic structure. Understanding these musical “rules” can reveal the order, beauty, and excitement within a performance. Using familiar songs by leading jazz artists, Sherwin introduces song form, the role of improvisation, and how musicians interact within a jazz ensemble to create the music listeners hear.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/how-to-listen-to-jazz?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/how-to-listen-to-jazz?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268297?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268297?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – Saturday, December 12, 2026, 10:45 AM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268298?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268298?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 11:15 AM – Saturday, December 12, 2026, 12:00 PM.
Color Theory and Chroma-psychology
All Programs
Learn how to make color choices in your art to bring out a reaction from the viewer. Create combinations with colored pencils that illustrate how color theory works.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/color-theory-and-chroma-psychology?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/color-theory-and-chroma-psychology?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Justice on Trial: The Dreyfus Affair and the Making of Modern France
All Programs
Historian and author Alexander Mikaberidze explores the Dreyfus Affair, the case that profoundly shaped modern French political culture. Beginning with the wrongful conviction of Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus in 1894, he traces how the controversy exposed divisions over justice, authority, nationalism, religion, and citizenship. Mikaberidze highlights the role of antisemitism, Émile Zola and the rise of intellectual activism, and the political struggles that reshaped the French Republic, leaving a legacy for civil rights, press freedom, democratic accountability, and the rule of law.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/dreyfus-affair?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/dreyfus-affair?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
“Keep Calm and Carry On": England's Home Front in World War II
All Programs
British government propaganda dubbed World War II “The People’s War.” Historian Julie Taddeo looks at the many ways in which civilians participated in the war effort, from the Home Guard volunteers of “Dad’s Army” to housewives who were reminded to “Make Do and Mend,” to child evacuees and those raising rabbits and collecting scrap metal. She also discusses how memories of World War II live on in British TV shows and films in the 21st century.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/england-home-front-wwii?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/england-home-front-wwii?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
The Fairies of Winter: From Nisser to Huldufolk
All Programs
While most people think of fairies as small, sweet, human-shaped beings with butterfly wings who grant wishes, folklorists say that this tiny, sparkling version is a relatively new idea, and that, in fact, the fairies of older traditions are something much stranger. Among the most compelling are the fairies of winter. Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman explore winter fairies from different cultures, including some who love porridge and one who will suck your breath away if she catches you alone on a mountain during a snowstorm.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/fairies-of-winter?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/fairies-of-winter?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Lectures & Discussions.
Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268299?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268299?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – Sunday, December 13, 2026, 10:45 AM.
Big Moments, Little Stories
One-Time Events
Join us at the Anacostia Community Museum for a cozy story time that brings children, caregivers, and community together through books, creativity, and play. Stories will connect with ACM’s current exhibition and celebrate themes of community, family, neighborhood, history, and the fall and winter seasons.
Families are invited to stay for indoor play, creative exploration, and time to connect with one another. This welcoming, accessible program supports different ways of participating, with sensory toys and tools available for children who benefit from tactile, movement, or sensory experiences.
Come in, get cozy, meet your neighbors, and share stories that remind us that we all have a place in our community’s story.
Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10:30 a.m.
Duration: About 1 hour.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Sunburst Lounge. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-moments-little-stories-storytime-and-sensory-play-tickets-1999723326300?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Seasons of Light
Discovery Theater
Ages 5 to 10. Celebrate the holiday season with traditions from around the world.
Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268300?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/268300?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276224. Categories: Kids & Families.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 11:15 AM – Sunday, December 13, 2026, 12:00 PM.
As You Like It
All Programs
As You Like It (ca. 1599–1600) stands among Shakespeare's most enchanting comedies, celebrated for its pastoral setting, sparkling wit, and unforgettable characters. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi offers an in-depth exploration of Shakespeare's lyrical language, dramatic artistry, and representations of love, identity, nature, and self-discovery, among other central themes.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/as-you-like-it?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/as-you-like-it?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Paul Simon's "Graceland": Days of Miracle and Wonder
All Programs
In 1984, Paul Simon’s new marriage was failing and his career was in danger of stalling. That summer, a bootleg cassette of township jive—the street music of South Africa—became his personal soundtrack. Simon grew determined to create a collaboration that included township jive musicians. The result was “Graceland,” which won two Grammys and sold 16 million records. Music historian Ashley Kahn unfolds the album’s history and impact, revealing Simon’s creative process, the controversies the music raised, and the forces that helped the album achieve mainstream popularity.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/paul-simons-graceland?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/paul-simons-graceland?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Lifelong Learners: Community in a Cup: Tea Blending
One-Time Events
Join artist and educator Brittany Moná for a hands-on tea-blending workshop that invites participants to explore wellness, creativity, storytelling, and community through the art of making tea.
In this interactive experience, participants will explore a variety of herbs, flowers, spices, and natural ingredients, learning about their scents, flavors, and traditional uses. Through guided discussion and sensory exploration, participants will reflect on the ways tea and herbal practices can connect us to memory, culture, family traditions, and everyday wellness.
Participants will have the opportunity to share stories and memories while experimenting with different ingredients to create a tea blend that is uniquely their own. The workshop encourages creativity, conversation, and connection in a welcoming communal setting.
Each participant will leave with their own custom tea blend to enjoy at home, a small reminder of the creativity, stories, and connections shared during the experience.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lifelong-learners-community-in-a-cup-tea-blending-tickets-2003588161125?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Workshops.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In these webinars, 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 "Friends of Winter: Strong and Resilient"
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. Kano School; Pine Tree, Autumn Foliage, Flowers and Snow (detail); Japan, 17th century?; color and gold on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1899.93.
Event Location: Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_J7wmPklwQuC86Ht_UWR6tQ. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_J7wmPklwQuC86Ht_UWR6tQ. Categories: Kids & Families. Webcasts & Online. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa Exhibition Highlights Tour
American Latino Museum
Experience the rhythm, history, and energy of salsa music through a guided tour of "¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa," a bilingual multimedia exhibition presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and on view in the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History.
This vibrant exhibition traces salsa’s journey from its Afro-Cuban roots to its rise as a defining sound in American music. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts—including instruments, performance attire, album covers, and rare memorabilia—the exhibition highlights legendary artists like Celia Cruz and Tito Puente alongside the musicians, dancers, and communities who shaped this global tradition.
During this 45-minute guided tour, visitors will explore the music, stories, and cultural movements that brought salsa from Caribbean rhythms to dance floors across the United States.
Along the way, you’ll engage with interactive experiences that reveal the heartbeat of salsa—the clave—and the musical st…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East, Molina Family Latino Gallery Entrance. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puro-ritmo-the-musical-journey-of-salsa-exhibition-highlights-tour-tickets-2003993050159. Categories: Gallery Talks & Tours. Related Exhibition: Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa ¡Puro Ritmo! | National Museum of the American Latino. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM.
For more info visit latino.si.edu. Brewed Brilliance: A Sake Deep Dive
All Programs
Spend a Friday evening expanding your knowledge of the world of wine as you sip along with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a fall series of delectable adventures. He takes you on an exploration of sake. This immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/brewed-brilliance-sake?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Cost: View registration price. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/brewed-brilliance-sake?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&promo=276223. Categories: Culinary Arts.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Arabian Nights: Volume 1, The Restless One
Films
Watch the Trailer
We conclude our series Beyond Aladdin: The Thousand and One Nights on Film with Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’s ambitious trilogy that transports the tales’ narrator, Scheherazade, to modern Portugal. There, she weaves a tapestry of stories blending comedy, emotion, and documentary. Though they work together as a trilogy, each film stands alone.
The first volume juxtaposes three absurdist tales of life under Portugal’s austerity measures in the 2010s, linked in the same surprising ways as The Thousand and One Nights. A rooster is put on trial for crowing too early in the morning. A mermaid emerges from a whale that explodes. And a group of impotent economists search for a cure (an apt metaphor for Portugal’s economic condition at the time).
Intended for mature audiences.
Director: Miguel Gomes. Countries: Portugal, Germany, France, Switzerland. Released: 2015. Length: 126 min. Format: DCP. Languages: Portuguese, English, French, German, and Mandarin with English subtitles. Image…
Venue: Asian Art Museum. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://1001nights.eventive.org/films. Categories: Films. After Five. Related Exhibition: From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Friday, December 4, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM.