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Visitors at the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall - Free art museum in Washington, DC

Fall 2023 Museum Exhibits & Experiences to Check Out in Washington, DC

The District’s museums offer a great lineup of exhibits and cultural experiences throughout the fall.

Arts and culture reign each fall in Washington, DC, as both theaters and museums debut new attractions. Below, we’ve gathered some of the most intriguing exhibits and displays to be found at DC’s museums throughout the season. Don't forget: many of DC's museums can be visited for free.

Jessica Diamond: Wheel of Life – Through June 2, 2024
One of America’s greatest conceptual artists presents her largest museum installation to date at the Hirshhorn. Wheel of Life fills the museum’s second-floor, inner-circle galleries with 15 text-and-image-based works that highlight Diamond’s inventiveness. Much of the work on display reflects on Diamond’s stunning 40-year career as an artist.
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. |  Free Admission
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue & 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20560

 

Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas – Sept. 15 – June 2, 2024
Alma Thomas, who lived in DC and worked at Howard University for many years, developed a style all her own as a painter. She took to abstract painting late in her own life and at a crucial period in the country’s history, as political turmoil dramatically impacted the mid-1960s. The Smithsonian American Art Museum, which possesses the largest public collection of Thomas’ art, will offer an intimate look at her creative evolution from 1959 to 1978 through her signature color-driven pieces.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. |  Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004

 

The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans – Sept. 22 – Jan. 15, 2024
Curated by artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation), the National Gallery of Art presents an unprecedented exhibition that showcases work across a variety of mediums – including sculpture, beadwork, painting, performance, drawing, video and weaving – from 50 living Native American artists practicing across the United States. Visitors can marvel at a dynamic presentation of captivating art that reflects a deep reverence and appreciation of natural landscapes.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. |  Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

 

Smithsonian American Art Museum's Contemporary Art Collection

SAAM / Ron Blunt

Smithsonian American Art Museum Galleries for Modern and Contemporary Art reopen – Sept. 22
After a temporary closure, the Smithsonian American Art Museum reopens its modern and contemporary galleries with recent acquisitions of pieces by Tiffany Chung, Jeffrey Gibson, Miguel Luciano, Kay WalkingStick, Alison Saar, Hank Willis Thomas and Carrie Mae Weems.  Essential works from the collection will also be on display again, including Nam June Paik’s Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. |  Free Admission
Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004

 

Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940 – Oct. 15 – Feb. 4, 2024
Uncover a notable (but oft-forgotten) step in the evolution of photography. Photogravure was a detailed process that involved creating identical photographic prints in ink, practiced by artists and scientists all over Europe from the 1840s-70s. Some of the most incredible photographs ever created came from this new approach, with the pieces offering lush colors and outstanding tonal range on matte surfaces. You can see marvelous work by James Craig Annan, Peter Henry Emerson, Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray and Laure Albin-Guillot.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. |  Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

 

Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism – Oct. 20 – Sept. 2, 2024
The National Portrait Gallery honors key scientists, politicians, activists, writers and artists who influenced attitudes toward the environment in the U.S. from the late-1800s to the present. Trace the environmentalist movement from turn-of-the-20th-century conservationism to mid-20th-century political actions and the backlash to them. It also addresses the current state of environmental justice, biodiversity and climate. Gaze at more than 25 portraits of figures like Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Maya Lin, Henry David Thoreau and Edward O. Wilson.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. |  Free Admission
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20001

 

The National Museum of Women in the Arts reopens – Oct. 21
The only museum solely dedicated to championing women through the arts will reopen its doors with improved interior and exterior spaces, new mechanical systems, enhanced amenities and accessibility, enlarged gallery space and additional research and education space. The reopening will also include a brand-new, groundbreaking exhibit known as The Sky’s the Limit (Oct. 21 – Feb. 25, 2024), as well as numerous other new displays.
More Information
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

 

Simone Leigh – Nov. 3 – March 3, 2024
Discover Leigh’s groundbreaking work in ceramic, bronze, video and installation, with references to the African diaspora. The first comprehensive survey of the artist comes to DC thanks to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Leigh’s pieces focus on Black femme subjectivity, ideas of race and beauty and the role of community in culture, touching on a wide swath of traditions, histories and forms along the way.
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. |  Free admission
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue & 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20560

 

Recent Acquisitions – Nov. 3 – Oct. 27, 2024
The National Portrait Gallery’s annual display of its most recent additions will feature 21 pieces this fall. The latest iteration of the exhibit will focus exclusively on portraits representing women or made by women. Subjects include Beyoncé, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writer Octavia Butler, actress Greta Garbo and many more.
11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. |  Free Admission
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20001

 

Dorothea Lange: Seeing People – Nov. 5 – March 31, 2024
The National Gallery of Art showcases roughly 100 images from one of the greatest photographers ever live in a new exhibit on Dorothea Lange. Seeing People will examine Lange’s prolific and trailblazing career through the lens of portraiture and her exceptional ability to capture the character, resilience, heartbreak, joy, wonder and beauty of her human subjects.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. |  Free admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

 

Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper – Nov. 19 – March 31, 2024
Known for his abstract paintings on canvas (some of which can be seen at the Phillips Collection in DC), Mark Rothko also crafted more than 1,000 paintings on paper over the course of his illustrious, decades-long career. The National Gallery of Art will showcase more than 100 of these tableaus, many of which will be on view to the public for the first time, making for a unique opportunity to see new work from one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. |  Free Admission
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC

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