In their depiction of the female form, central African artists in the 19th and early 20th centuries often paid homage to motherhood and the pivotal role women played as the pillars of family and morality. This exhibit assembles nearly 40 objects including monumental headdresses and sculptures of mythic female figures. artbma.org

A collection of murals displayed on the museum’s west lawn was created in response to last summer’s social-justice protests in Washington and beyond; six additional murals celebrate the life of the late civil rights champion U.S. Representative John Lewis. Murals on view in DC’s Gallery Place neighborhood are also part of the show. nbm.org

Responding to a population emerging into the world after a period of hibernation, the museum has mounted a show of 20 photographs from its collection that explore nature in all of its complexity. Works by 11 women photographers are on view, including For the Last Tree by Mwangi Hutter. nmwa.org

Visitors to this Richmond venue can peruse nearly 300 artifacts salvaged from the lost Egyptian cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, which flooded more than 1,000 years ago. The exhibit spotlights jewelry and coins, utilitarian and ritual objects, colossal statues and more. vmfa.museum

Nearly 100 oil sketches created en plein air capture scenes ranging from a simmering Mount Vesuvius to tumultuous seas along the Baltic coast. Notable 18th- and 19th-century luminaries such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Richard Parkes Bonington (above) are represented. nga.gov

This exhibit spans the 60-year career of Baltimore-based sculptor and printmaker Valerie Maynard. A highlight is her seminal “No Apartheid” series from the 1980s and 1990s, which combines varied artistic techniques. artbma.org

This exhibit chronicles the rise of Chicano graphics amid the 1960s social-justice movement that led to new political and cultural consciousness among people of Mexican descent in the U.S. Also on view, current works trace how Chicanx artists have adapted those methods and messages for today. americanart.si.edu

Built in the eighth century, the Tokaido Road connecting present-day Tokyo to Kyoto had become a well-traveled thoroughfare by the early 1600s. Artist Utagawa Hiroshige’s woodblock prints depicting landmarks along this 320-mile passageway, first published in 1833, later became one of Japan’s most iconic print series. Twelve of these prints are on view, providing viewers […]

Since the mid-1800s, Black craftswomen in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, have fashioned worn clothing, sacks and other fabric remnants into one-of-a-kind quilts. The Baltimore Museum of Art recently acquired five quilts by Gee’s Bend artists; four of these will be on view in the American Wing’s Berman Textile Gallery. artbma.org

This virtual, participatory exhibit combines the work of nine artists with submissions from the public, all of which will examine women’s role in providing sustenance and healing. The artists will share their own kitchen tables via photos, videos and stories that depict food as a creative medium; cooking-related submissions from the public will be layered […]

Ukranian-born artist Vladimir Kanevsky began his career as an architect before moving to the U.S. in 1989. After designing porcelain tableware for a project, he switched gears and wound up pursuing his fascination with botany as a flower sculptor. During winter’s throes, a profusion of the artist’s creations will bloom at Hillwood Museum. Each petal […]

This exhibit commemorates Mexican and Central American independence from Spain while exploring cultural exchanges between indigenous and European peoples. Perusing 19 works of art including books, gold adornments and ceramic vessels, viewers can reflect on the vibrant societies that once flourished in what today are Mexico and Central America. thewalters.org

This exhibit focuses on 15 large-scale landscapes by contemporary painter Lisa Yuskavage. Noted for their exuberant, ethereal flair, the works encourage viewers to immerse themselves in the mysterious worlds Yuskavage creates. artbma.org

Edward Hopper often conveyed a sense of loneliness and isolation by painting subjects in hotels, motels and boarding houses. This Richmond exhibit highlights 65 paintings and works on paper by the artist depicting such settings, plus 35 pieces by John Singer Sargent, David Hockney and others who explored similar themes. vmfa.museum

Though he earned a degree in architecture, DC-based Alan Karchmer has devoted his career to photographing buildings rather than designing them. This show presents images of structures Karchmer has captured around the world—including Washington National Cathedral’s Visitor Gateway (below), designed by SmithGroup Architects—and sheds light on his creative process.

Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self explores the significance of the Black female form in contemporary culture through her work. Two sculptures and 13 paintings that incorporate stencils, tracings, prints, casts and mechanically stitched lines of thread are on view.

Modern Australian artist Marley Dawson has created ghosts, a two-part kinetic sculpture installation that riffs on The Phillips Collection’s art and architecture. One installation consists of five chairs in brass, suspended from the gallery’s domed stairway (above), while the other is a wall-mounted work made of hundreds of brass rods, hung to spark a dialog […]

In 1804, Prussian naturalist and author Alexander von Humboldt spent six weeks in the U.S., exchanging ideas about art, science, politics and nature with luminaries such as Thomas Jefferson and Charles Willson Peale. This exhibit examines von Humboldt’s impact on American cultural development through 100 sculptures, maps, artifacts and paintings—including Albert Bierstadt’s 1864 Valley of […]