Art
Studying the Design of a 19th-Century Mental Asylum
An exhibition at the National Building Museum explores St. Elizabeths in Washington, DC, and the history of mental health architecture in the United States.
Washington DC
Art
Fights to Withhold Paintings from Capitol Hill Show Their Political Power
Recent disputes over a painting by an 18-year-old and another from the 19th century illustrate art's ability to speak truth to power, but also to become a pawn in politicians' power games.
Art
Mining Portraits of the Past for Stories of Our Shared Humanity
Whitfield Lovell reinterprets found imagery and references evocative cultural touchstones to add further layers and textures to his drawings and mixed media installations.
Interview
Artist Targeted by #Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory Speaks
After being dragged into one of 2016's strangest news stories over a mural he made six years ago, Arrington de Dionyso took a public stand against far-right extremists' mob censorship.
Interview
On Teaching Native American History Through the Smithsonian’s Presidential Portraits
The Native American performance artist DeLesslin George-Warren is giving walking tours of the National Portrait Gallery's hall of presidential portraits with a focus on the history of indigenous American populations.
Art
An Alluring Glimpse into Japan's Embrace of Art Deco
An exhibition in Washington, DC examines how Japanese artists and designers adopted Art Deco to capture the seductive qualities of a rapidly modernizing society.
Art
Watching War and Displacement from Afar
Rachel Farbiarz's exhibition at G Fine Art features intricate collages of expressionistic drawings that heighten the experience of watching others witness their lives being upended.
Art
A Collective Reading at the White House Reenvisions Who Might Be President
One hundred people gathered to adapt Zoe Leonard's 1992 text piece “I want a president...” for 2016.
Art
A Journey from Brutality to Brightness at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
In the heart of what was once known as Chocolate City a new museum has found its place on the National Mall.
Art
A New National Museum Conveys the Pain and Power of the African American Experience
WASHINGTON, DC — After 100 years of lobbying, 10 years of planning, and almost 5 years of construction, the newest member of the Smithsonian family is finally here.
Art
A Lesbian Artist Who Painted Her Circle of Women at the Turn of the 20th Century
WASHINGTON, DC — Tucked into a far corner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an exhibit showcases the extensive career of artist Romaine Brooks, a turn-of-the-20th-century icon who’s since been largely forgotten by the mainstream.
Art
Corcoran Art School Lays Off Over Half Its Faculty, Sowing Discontent and Distrust
The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design’s class of 2016 had its graduation ceremony on May 14. The following week, more than half of the art school’s full-time faculty were told their contracts would not be renewed.