Now in its 34th year, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival (formerly known as the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival) will feature the original handmade work of more than 200 contemporary artists and artisans from across the country.

Latin American works ranging from ancient urns and textiles to contemporary ceramics will be displayed in the Baltimore museum’s newly renovated North Court galleries. Representing 40 different cultures and 4,000 […]

Named for the fertile soil of ancient indigenous civilizations in the Amazon, this show celebrates the splendor of the natural world through works by artists of color and Native identity. Environmental injustice and the legacy of European settlement is examined through paintings, sculptures and films.

This exhibition puts the relationship between art and European natural history under the microscope—specifically the study of insects and small animals. Featuring more than 75 detailed works that inspired generations of printmakers, decorative artists and naturalists alongside specimens and taxidermy from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, these “little beasts” will likely leave a big […]

A selection of photographs offers an intimate look at the everyday lives of Indigenous peoples across the Western Hemisphere. Drawn from the museum’s vast archive of more than a half-million images, this show reveals moments of quiet reflection as well as family gatherings and ceremonies, captured from 1852 to the present.

A Romanov by birth, Natalie Paley escaped the tragic fate of her family to live a culturally rich life in France, and later, America as the darling of fashion designers, […]

Its title alluding to periods of rising tension, this exhibit presents the work of four modern-day artists alongside pieces by 20th-century artists whose lives and art were impacted by tumultuous events of their time. Art by Josef Albers, Max Beckmann and others lend context to thought-provoking, 21st-century sculptures, photos, textiles and installations by alumni of […]

David A. Douglas’ large-scale works blend drawing, painting and photography to explore memory and place. Through contemplative landscapes and interior scenes glimpsed through windows and thresholds, the Northern Virginia-based artist encourages patrons to reflect on the passage of time and the natural world.

Recent works by the American-born artist include Rubber Pencil Devil (Hell House), a neon sculpture commissioned by Glenstone to showcase Da Corte‘s videos exploring humor, satire, violence and tenderness. Also […]

Drawing on the National Portrait Gallery’s extensive early photography collection, this show traces the evolution of large-scale portraiture using the three popular mediums of the day: the upmarket daguerreotype, the mid-range ambrotype, and the far more common and affordable tintype.

Upending assumptions about the one-dimensionality of photography and prints, the museum shines a light on 20th- and 21st-century Japanese art that blurs the lines between mediums and conventions. Pieces on display by 17 experimental artists may be layered with plastic, foam, glue, tape or other materials.

Thirty watercolors created over the course of two centuries trace the medium’s evolution from a mode of documentation to an art form. Largely drawn from the Corcoran collection, the paintings […]

Named “Narsha,” an archaic Korean word that means “to soar high,” this exhibit showcases the work of 31 Korean-American artists in a wide array of styles. Celebrating cultural traditions and the lived experience of Korean immigrants in the US, the show is presented by the Han-Mee Artists Association of Greater Washington to mark its 50th […]

This show honors the legacy of artist and activist Vivian Browne through paintings, prints and works on paper. Whether fighting for Black representation in New York museums or challenging the accepted parameters of abstraction and figuration through her work, she remains an admirable figure in 20th-century American art. phillipscollection.org

Photographs, ephemera and prints illuminate the historical hotels, motels, inns and taverns that have hosted visitors to Washington over the centuries. From famous landmarks to humble boarding houses, these accommodations […]

A coterie of artists sets up their easels around historic Easton for the country’s largest juried outdoor painting competition, now in its 20th year. The event will feature demonstrations, art sales, interactive workshops and competitions for participants of all levels along with entertainment and children’s programming.

This Baltimore gallery celebrates feline subjects with a show dedicated to the portrayal of cats in medieval manuscripts. Not only endearing pets, 15th-century cats also played deeply symbolic roles in […]

From a life-size butter cow created on-site by Iowa’s Sarah Pratt to a pyramid of 700 glass jars of preserved fruits and vegetables by canning expert and fellow Iowan Rod Zeitler, the Renwick celebrates the artistry and crafts that play an integral role in state fairs nationwide. More than 240 objects on view date from […]

Marking The Textile Museum’s centennial, this exhibition examines the roles textiles have played over the centuries in celebrations, performances and religious ceremonies around the world. Pieces on view run the spectrum from festival robes to palace carpets.

This show chronicles how 19th-century European and American artists not only documented but also influenced the transformation of pristine environments into resources of industry. More than 50 works on paper—organized […]

This landmark show chronicles the pivotal role women artists played in what is presently the Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The nearly 150 works on […]

This mega-exhibition marking the 
Baltimore venue’s 30th anniversary focuses on alternate worlds by a coterie of self-taught artists. Among 130 creations shown are paintings and lithographs, ceramic subway scenes, handcrafted action figures, chainsaw-carved minotaurs and hand-painted sci-fi galaxies.

Tokyo-born Tawny Chatmon elevates cultural truths and confronts racist myths through her photography-based art. Her large-scale photographs are embellished with digital techniques and handmade elements that include embroidered and mosaic-like patterns.

This exhibition displays recent work by four DMV-based recipients of Anonymous Was a Woman (AWAW) grants. The 25-year-old program supporting mid-career female artists throughout the U.S. takes its name from a Virginia Woolf essay underscoring challenges faced by creative women. The Kreeger show highlights 26 works by Jae Ko, linn meyers, Joyce J. Scott and […]

October 18 to March 1, 2026 –This exhibit offers visitors a rare opportunity to discover modern and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, dating from the late 19th century […]

The museum reexamines the work and life of Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860–1961), the self-taught artist who was propelled to fame after starting to paint in her late 70s. The 88 works on view illuminate lesser-known aspects of Moses’ experience and reconcile the roles she played—from mother of five and dairy farmer in post-Reconstructionist […]

In the most comprehensive unveiling of former Charm City resident Amy Sherald’s work to date, the BMA presents approximately 40 of her portraits, from rarely seen examples to iconic portrayals […]

A permanent exhibit showcases some 3,000 of the museum’s 500,000 historical artifacts. Find architectural models by I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry, an antique blueprint machine, 1960s dollhouses, building fragments from the Carnegie Mansion and more. Items on display will be regularly rotated.

In 2021, family of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-Hee donated his vast art collection to the Republic of Korea. Some 200 items from the endowment are on display in the debut of this traveling exhibit. Spanning 1,500 years, objects range from ancient Buddhist sculpture to Joseon dynasty furnishings and bold, 20th-century paintings.

The 
Phillips brings together some 75 paintings, prints, sculptures and mixed-media pieces spanning more than a century to celebrate and study the beauty and complexity of the American experience through the lens of visual art. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the show reflects on the nation’s ever-changing culture and identity.

Since the late 1960s, immersive, large-scale artworks have blurred traditional boundaries. This exhibit traces the evolution of installation art, displaying early works such as Sam Gilliam’s 1969 Light Depth (pictured) along with those of contemporary artists such as Mika Rottenberg and Spencer Finch.