Exhibitions
Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and Popular Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture
nmaahc.si.edu
Spirit in the Dark examines Black religious life through a selection of photographs from the Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony, Jet, and Negro Digest. The images in the exhibition spotlight noteworthy individuals and uplift objects from the museum’s collection, many on display for the first time. Together they reflect diverse aspects of the Black religious experience and testify to the role religion has played in the struggle for human dignity and social equality.
To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
anacostia.si.edu
Women have led the environmental justice movement. Women are often the ones who notice patterns of disease in their communities, fight to protect their families and neighbors, and bear the burden of health disparities. In this exhibition, explore how local women of color draw on a long history of activism and advance environmental justice efforts not only in D.C., but across the country and beyond.
Music HerStory: Women and Music of Social Change
National Museum of American History
library.si.edu
From our earliest musical encounters to the formation of complex social identities, the American musical landscape wouldn’t be what it is today without the countless contributions of women changemakers, groundbreakers, and tradition-bearers. Women’s leadership in music and social change is central to the American story. Music HerStory explores these contributions through unique media collections from across the Smithsonian.
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures
National Museum of African American History and Culture
nmaahc.si.edu
Investigating Afrofuturist expression through art, music, activism and more, this exhibition explores and reveals Afrofuturism’s historic and poignant engagement with African American history and popular culture. From the enslaved looking to the cosmos for freedom to popular sci-fi stories inspiring Black astronauts, to the musical influence of Sun Ra, OutKast, Janelle Monae, P-Funk, and more, this exhibition covers the broad and impactful spectrum of Afrofuturism.
The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas
National Museum of Asian Art
asia.si.edu
The Art of Knowing brings together highlights from our collections to explore religious and practical knowledge across time, space, and cultures. Featuring stone sculptures, gilt bronzes, and painted manuscripts from India, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia, this exhibition illuminates the critical role of visual culture in conveying Buddhist and Hindu teachings from the ninth to the twentieth centuries.
