New Exhibition at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery Features Artwork of Bisa Butler, Nick Cave, Sonya Clark, and More
THIS PRESENT MOMENT: CRAFTING A BETTER WORLD, a new exhibition on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft. The exhibition highlights the role that artists play in our world to spark essential conversations by asking two questions: How have you reimagined...
Celebrating DC Pride, Brendan Fernandes Turns Smithsonian Atrium Into a Space for Dance, Resistance, and Resiliance
THE LIGHT-FILLED ATRIUM at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) was transformed into a dance floor on Sunday. Artist and choreographer Brendan Fernandes staged “Free Fall 49” (2017), a piece he developed in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. On June 12, 2016, a lone gunman killed 49 people and wounded...
Google Begins Black History Month with Doodle Dedicated to African American Sculptor Edmonia Lewis
Sculptor Edmonia Lewis by Sophie Diao TODAY’S GOOGLE DOODLE celebrates artist Edmonia Lewis (1844?-1907). She is considered the first black woman to receive international recognition in the fine art world as a sculptor. The Feb. 1 tribute marks the beginning of Black History Month. The Google logo is executed in script with a painted...
At Smithsonian, Carl Van Vechten’s Photographs Document Familiar Faces, Key Figures From Harlem’s Heydays
Artist Jacob Lawrence, photo by CARL VAN VECHTEN SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING PORTRAITS of Harlem’s 20th century figures were captured by Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964). A writer and photographer, Van Vechten socialized with the greats of African American arts and letters, including Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. A white patron of the...
The Smithsonian is Mounting a Bill Traylor Retrospective, the First Major Exhibition Devoted to an Artist Born Enslaved
THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM (SAAM) says it is mounting the first-ever major exhibition devoted to the work of an artist born enslaved. “Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor,” the retrospective of self-taught African American artist Bill Traylor (1854- 1949) will open Sept. 28, 2018. The Washington, D.C., museum made the announcement in...
