Fresh from a major renovation of its interiors, the Freer|Sackler reopens on October 14 with a weekend celebration of Asian art, food and culture. Four special exhibitions also kick off—including one that examines Buddhism in Asian art through objects and immersive spaces.
This seminal exhibit highlights the artistic diversity of Asia, showcasing an array of objects from India, Nepal, Tibet Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.
Featuring nearly 350 objects and images, from a Tomahawk missile to a can of baking powder, this exhibit demonstrates the ways in which Indian words and images have become ingrained in American culture. It also examines how four Indian narratives—Pocahontas, Thanksgiving, the Trail of Tears and the Battle of Little Bighorn—have engendered enduring fascination and conflict.
This exhibit details the collision of myriad cultures on the Swahili coast in East Africa—a historic crossroads for peoples not only from Africa but also from the Arabian Peninsula, Asia and Europe. Objects on view from a variety
of places and time periods allow viewers to trace the influences of trade and cross-cultural pollination on artistic forms and motifs.
Korean artist Yun Suknam, a pioneering feminist, creates portraits of women past and present. Anchored by a wood assemblage portrait of her mother, this exhibition also features paintings of American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, Kiki Smith and more.
An enduring slice of Americana, the basketball hoop is the subject of 75 large-format prints on display by photographer Bill Bamberger. His images capture hoops of every kind across the globe, from urban, graffiti-covered courts to the playgrounds of South Africa.
Section 14 refers to an area of downtown Palm Springs, California that was the site of a land battle that lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s between developers and Native Americans who resided there because the land was part of their reservation. This exhibition sheds light on the conflict through photographs, documents and plans.
The National Building Museum mined its collection of 320,000 objects related to the built environment to put on this exhibit of architectural objects depicting animals as decorative elements. Sketches, sculptures, architectural drawings and decorative plaster molds are among the many treasures to be showcased.
This exhibition showcases designs for DC landmarks that never made it past the planning stages. Discover unbuilt concepts for Memorial Bridge, the Washington Monument and more through historical prints and paintings from the museum’s Albert H.
Small Washingtoniana Collection.
Sculptor and glass artist Ginny Ruffner combines traditional glasswork with augmented-reality technology to create an interactive experience. Viewers download an app that superimposes digital information over colorless glass tree stumps, then watch the sculptures “grow” mythical flora and fauna through the AR lens.