October Programs at SAAM Have Something for Everyone!

October Programs at SAAM

Featured Program

Virtual and In-Person Lecture with Scholar Shirley Reece-Hughes
Wednesday, October 11, 6:30 p.m.

Scholar Shirley Reece-Hughes, curator of painting, sculpture, and works on paper at the Amon Carter Museum, discusses her recently opened exhibition The World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury. This exhibition illuminates Nevelson’s multidimensional mastery of form and attunement to postwar American culture.

Artist Louise Nevelson was an avid collector of objects, and she assembled various found wooden scraps—table legs, bannisters, rolling pins, milk crates, moldings, and other architectural fragments—to create her sculptures. She aimed to create a spiritual experience out of everyday objects, transforming them from the material to the immaterial. Reece-Hughes will connect her talk to artworks in SAAM’s collection, including the monumental Sky Cathedral.
This lecture replaces the one with Debra Yepa-Pappan originally scheduled for this date.

Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL
Thursday, October 12, 5:30 – 6 p.m.

Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute in-person conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, this month featuring the exhibition Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies

Observe the Conservation of James Hampton’s Throne of the Third Heaven
Thursday, October 12, 2 – 6 p.m.
Friday, October 13, 2 – 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 19, 2 – 6 p.m.
Friday, October 20, 2 – 6 p.m.
Saturday, October 21, 12 – 4 p.m.
Thursday, October 26, 2 – 6 p.m.
Friday, October 27, 2 – 6 p.m.

Join us to watch ongoing treatment of James Hampton's The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly in a temporary conservation space on the museum’s first floor. In this recurring program, conservators and registrars at SAAM talk with the public about the intricate methods and materials used by Hampton as they do their work.

Converse with a Conservator: Alma Thomas
Friday, October 13, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

SAAM’s paintings conservators lead a conservation-focused tour through the exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas. Participants will be able to explore the works while getting insight into the working methods and painting materials of this beloved Washington Color Field artist. Learn how Thomas achieved her visual effects in her large-scale works, and how the museum cares for these artworks.

Tours for the Colorblind
Thursday, October 19, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m

Do you want to see art in a new light? Are you colorblind, or know someone who is? The Smithsonian American Art Museum welcomes you for an in-person exploration of selected works from the museum’s collection. Rediscover old favorites and make new ones on a docent-led tour using museum-provided colorblind correcting glasses.

Luce Unplugged Community Showcase
Friday, October 20, 6 – 8 p.m

The Luce Center’s signature community concert series returns in support of our exhibition, Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies. Two local musical acts, Jru Anthony and Ari Voxx and The Sad Lads, selected by Washington City Paper’s Arts editor, Sarah Marloff, will perform in an after-hours concert. While the music plays, visitors are invited to browse the artworks on display in the Luce Center’s cases. Libations and small snacks will be available for purchase from a cash bar as well as free tastings from DC Brau.
The Luce Unplugged Community Showcase is presented with sponsorship from Washington City Paper.

Virtual Conversation with the Partner Museums of Many Wests
Thursday, October 26, 7 p.m

Hear from the five curators engaged in creating the exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea. They will discuss the exhibition's development and the process of working across multiple partner institutions. Go in-depth with the behind-the-scenes challenges of a traveling exhibition and how local ties play a role into each venue for the tour.
Eleanor Jones Harvey, senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, moderates the virtual panel of museum peers featuring Amy Chaloupka of Whatcom Museum, Melanie Fales of Boise Art Museum, Anne Hyland of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Danielle Knapp of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, and Alisa McCusker of Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

Art Bites Gallery Talk
Friday, October 27, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks as they share new discoveries about artworks on view. Learn the stories behind these objects and how each one tells us about America’s ever-changing culture. Tyler Shine, the Will Barnet Foundation Predoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, discusses Alma Thomas’ Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music.
To view other Art Bites talks, visit SAAM’s full calendar of events.

Celebrate Día de los Muertos with the Smithsonian American Art Museum! Bring the whole family to see exciting live performances, including traditional Mexican folk dance by Ballet Folklorico Mi Herencia Mexicana, an exhilarating mariachi performance by Mariachi Aguila DC, and a showcase of different Latin American music genres and dances with Sol y Rumba.
Attendees ages 12 and younger can enjoy face painting throughout the day, while visitors of all ages can try out our featured Día de los Muertos-themed crafts. Have fun with a Día de los Muertos scavenger hunt that will take you through the museum’s stunning new exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is able to create and share experiences like these thanks to funding from generous supporters like you.
Thank you for ensuring that American art is available to all.

Image Credits:
Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982, painted wood, overall: 104 3⁄8 x 288 3⁄8 x 15 3⁄4 in. (265.1 x 732.5 x 40.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1994.85A-AA
Photo courtesy of Shirley Reece-Hughes
ASL tour, Photo by Mary Tait
Conservation photo of Hampton's Throne, Photo by Anna Nielsen
Jack Whitten, Photograph of Alma Thomas at Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition opening, 1972, Alma Thomas papers, circa 1894-2001, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Angel Rodríguez-Díaz, The Protagonist of an Endless Story, 1993, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible in part by the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1996.19, © 1993, Angel Rodriguez-Diaz
Alma Thomas, Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music, 1976, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 1980.36.2A-C
Día de los Muertos Family Day, Photo by Norwood Photography

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