Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum acquired more than 80 works over the past year
Ranging from painting to installation and beyond, the latest additions to the museum's holdings include contemporary voices as well as legends like Nam June Paik and Robert Irwin
Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter's portrait goes on view at National Portrait Gallery
The pastel double-portrait of President Jimmy Carter's recently deceased wife was drawn by Robert Clark Templeton
Federally funded museums in the US brace for government shutdown
The Smithsonian Institution and National Gallery of Art are making plans for continuing operations amid a government shutdown that appears increasingly likely
Jenny Holzer to project quotes about democracy in DC to celebrate Art in Embassies anniversary
The work will appear on the facades of two museums on the Mall, a “very resonant location for democracy in America”
Republican lawmakers move to block funding for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino
Under a new bill, the planned museum, which was created by an act of Congress in 2020, would be banned from receiving federal funding
Smithsonian under fire for abrupt cancellation of Asian American literary festival
The institution cited “unforeseen circumstances”, leaving angry participants with debt and many unanswered questions
American Women’s History Museum founding director Nancy Yao withdraws from role
Yao, who was picked to lead the new Smithsonian museum through design and construction, said she needs to prioritise her family
Smithsonian picks architect for $130m Bezos Learning Center on Washington, DC's National Mall
The new education annex of the National Air and Space Museum will be funded through a $200m gift from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Museum lawyers weigh in on diversity initiatives, joint acquisitions and more at industry conference
The annual gathering organised by the American Law Institute and co-sponsored by the Smithsonian took place recently in Philadelphia
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is looking for a new director—again
Ngaire Blankenberg quietly left the institution at the end of March
Kimchi and K-pop: National Museum of Asian Art marks centenary with festival
The Washington, DC, institution wants to better connect with Asian American communities
Smithsonian women’s history museum names its first director
Nancy Yao, the director of New York’s Museum of Chinese in America, will take the helm at the in-development Washington, DC museum in June
Digital shadows: what happens to an artefact's data after it is restituted?
Museums are stepping up efforts to return physical objects to their original owners—but repatriation policies often do not consider the digital information associated with them
Smithsonian to display 77 looted artefacts from Yemen in shared stewardship agreement
The artefacts will go on view at the National Museum of Asian Art, rather than be returned to Yemen, due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis there
The Smithsonian and MTV are launching a reality television art competition
The winner of “The Exhibit” will receive $100,000 and a solo exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum
'Black History Month is not a checkbox—museums need to work on yearlong, holistic programming'
As Black History Month begins in the US, arts administrator and historian Tsione Wolde-Michael gives three key points for institutions to consider
Biden picks rising star at the Smithsonian to head presidential arts committee dissolved by the Trump administration
Tsione Wolde-Michael, director of the Center for Restorative History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, is the first Black leader of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
US campaign group sues Smithsonian over return of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Restitution Study Group have lost their first legal battle but insist the case is still pending
Forthcoming Smithsonian American Women's History Museum receives $1m donation
The donation is the museum’s first corporate gift, from Zurich-based insurance giant Swiss Re
Jill Biden presides over groundbreaking party for Hirshhorn Museum’s controversial sculpture garden revamp
The project’s architect, artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, told attendees at the celebratory event that he repeatedly thought the project would be abandoned due to opposition
Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC picks architects for major revamp of its building and plaza
The renovation, to be executed in part by the architecture firm that designed the building’s original construction in 1974, comes after a contentious project to renovate its sculpture garden
Smithsonian selects preferred sites for long-awaited Latino and women’s museums
The site selections must be approved or rejected by the US Congress by the end of the year
Trove of Benin bronzes in US museum collections repatriated to Nigeria
The National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum marked the return of the sculptures with a ceremony in Washington, DC
Legislation to create national LGBTQ museum in Washington, DC introduced to US Congress
Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin introduced legislation to establish the National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture within the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian reveals shortlisted designs for $130m Bezos Learning Center at National Air and Space Museum
The institution is welcoming public feedback on proposals from five anonymous architecture firms bidding for the project on the National Mall
Whistler’s famed Peacock Room, ‘vibrant and revamped’, reopens following major conservation project
The historic interior, with its elaborate avian ornamentation, has undergone months of cleaning and restoration to shore up worn elements and return others to their original lustre
Donald Trump’s political action committee gives Smithsonian $650,000 to pay for presidential portrait commission
The funds will cover nearly the entire cost of commissioning official portraits of the former president and former first lady Melania Trump for the National Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian's hunt for sites for national Latino and women’s museums narrowed down to four locations
The institution will announce the selected Washington, DC sites for the National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum by the end of the year
Smithsonian adopts new ‘ethical returns policy’ to handle artefacts with problematic histories
The new policy, adopted by all Smithsonian museums on 29 April, will allow each institution to tailor it to their particular collections and provenance considerations
Smithsonian lists potential sites for new Latino and women’s museums—including the FBI headquarters
The long list of possible locations also includes the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building