America InSight Online: Verbal Description Tours
Thursday, September 2, 5:30 p.m. ET
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum online for a docent-led tour designed for participants who are blind or have low vision. Discover highlights from the collection through rich audio verbal descriptions that invoke a multisensory experience.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | Registration Required via Eventbrite
Art Signs Online: Artful Conversations in ASL
Thursday, September 9, 5:30 p.m. ET
Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute virtual conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. This program is presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation for hearing participants. A Zoom link will be provided via email upon registration.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | Registration Required via Eventbrite
Beyond the Studio Virtual Workshop: Block Printing with Lauren Emeritz
Sunday, September 12, 1–2 p.m. ET
Venture beyond the studio with the Smithsonian American Art Museum for this engaging virtual workshop. Participants draw, carve, and print with their own custom stamp alongside DC-based graphic designer, letterpress printer, and book artist Lauren Emeritz. Emeritz is president and creative director at the graphic design firm Abstract Orange in Washington, DC, and teaches printing and design at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. In 2016, her hand-printed and bound book, Hand Carved Alphabet, was acquired by the Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
Please note that space is limited for this program, and registration is required. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 29.
Materials kit includes:
– Speedball Speedy Carve Block
– Linoleum cutter
– Ink pad
– Paper for drawing, tracing, and printing
– Pencil
This program is presented in partnership with Abstract Orange.
Location: Online
Tickets: $10| Registration Required via Eventbrite
Clarice Smith Virtual Lecture Series with Fred Wilson
Wednesday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. ET
Take a journey lead by the creative powerhouse, Fred Wilson, during this captivating virtual lecture. Listen as he traces his artistic career and process through many decades, mediums, and techniques. Wilson is known for challenging assumptions of history, culture, race, and conventions of display by reframing objects and cultural symbols, altering traditional interpretations, and encouraging viewers to reconsider social and historical narratives.
From his earliest museum intervention, Mining the Museum (1992–93), to his selection at the American Pavilion of the 2003 Venice Biennale, a newfound practice in glassworks, and most recently, a project titled “Afro Kismet,” which comprises glassworks, museums, and the history of Venice and Istanbul, Wilson is known for making his mark on the American and international art and craft world. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is honored to include his 2013 glass and woodwork piece
I Saw Othello’s Visage In His Mind in our collection and host him as the first speaker in our annual series, the Clarice Smith Distinguished Lectures in American Art.
This program is part of our annual Clarice Smith Distinguished Lectures in American Art series, which presents new insights into American art from the perspectives of outstanding artists, critics, and scholars. The series is made possible by the generosity of Clarice Smith.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | Registration Required via Eventbrite
Wine and Design Virtual Handi-hour: The Stamp Edition
Thursday, September 23, 7 p.m. ET
“Errors,” “Freaks,” and “Oddities” are all terms for postage with printing mistakes that can make stamps exceptionally valuable. Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Postal Museum for this joint virtual happy hour program. Grab your favorite beverage and learn how printing mistakes happen and what makes these faulty stamps so prized during a conversation lead by Lauren Maloy of the National Postal Museum. Then join Gloria Kenyon, acting head of public programs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, for a step-by-step crafting tutorial on how to make a stamp out of household materials like wine corks, Styrofoam, and even vegetables. Gloria also shows you how to turn accidents, like that coffee mug ring on your nice watercolor paper, into beautiful artworks. Space is limited. A full materials list is provided after registration.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | Registration Required via Eventbrite
Podcast Release: Luce Listening Party with Hometown Sounds and Night Train 357
Friday, September 24
Luce Unplugged has gone digital! SAAM’s Luce Foundation Center has teamed up with Paul Vodra, and Anthony Porecco of local music podcast Hometown Sounds to feature music and conversations from DC artists. Tune in for an episode featuring emcee Night Train 357. Train, winner of the 2021 Wammie award for Best Rap Album, is an emcee who combines wordplay, pop culture references, and socially conscious topics with a touch of nerd rap.
Listen to this episode and subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast now!
SAAM is celebrating 10 years of Luce Unplugged and our local music community! Check out our anniversary page and enjoy performance recordings, interviews, and special content highlighting the amazing local musicians who have performed in the Luce Foundation Center as part of this beloved concert series.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | No Registration Required
Building Your Future in a Changing Museum World
Wednesday, September 29, 2–4 p.m. ET
Museums are powered by professionals with wide-ranging backgrounds—from historians and scientists to accountants, attorneys, computer programmers, and graphic designers. Join staff members from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and Smithsonian Gardens for an engaging virtual conversation about the changing landscape of the museum field and the need for greater diversity among the professional staff. Discuss your passions, studies, and experience with practicing museum professionals during this informational session. The program starts with a panel discussion with Smithsonian staff discussing their unique career paths, followed by breakout sessions where representatives from an array of departments—including conservation, visitor services, education, publications, and more—offer advice and guidance to aspiring museum professionals.
Location: Online
Tickets: Free | Registration Required via Eventbrite
