American Art Museum Finale

Well, we’ve reached the end of our brief tour of the Smithsonian American Art Museum! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun getting to share this unique place with you and introduce you to some artists you might not have heard of. 

I’ll tell you about the two-for-one experience of visiting the museum and its hidden gems. And I have…thoughts…about the stories it tells.

I’ll be taking a break to figure out what’s next for “A Long Look” and thank all of you who’ve come with me on this virtual visit! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I hope you all get a chance to do some long looking yourselves! 

SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW)

“A Long Look” themes are “Easy” by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and “At the Cafe with You” by Onion All Stars https://pixabay.com/users/onion_all_stars-33331904/

Smithsonian American Art Museum
https://americanart.si.edu/

Luce Foundation Center for American Art
https://americanart.si.edu/visit/saam/luce

Lunder Conservation Center
https://americanart.si.edu/art/conservation

National Portrait Gallery
https://npg.si.edu/

TRANSCRIPT
Well, we’ve reached the end of our brief tour of the Smithsonian American Art Museum! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun getting to share this unique place with you and introduce you to some artists you might not have heard of. 

We looked at mostly more historic works but they have amazing contemporary work too. It’s a lot of fun to see some of these experimental pieces in such a traditional style building. 

If you get a chance, you should go visit! The museum is just a few blocks from the National Mall, so it’s easy to get to. And you get two museums in one!! It’s connected to the National Portrait Gallery by a big, beautiful atrium that’s a popular gathering spot. There’s even a little cafe if you need a snack after your long looking! 

Both buildings are a lot of fun to explore, not just for the art but for all the unexpected spaces you discover, like the hidden gems on the gorgeous third floor, The Luce Foundation Center for American Art and the Lunder Conservation Center that give you a great behind-the-scenes look at how all the important objects and art in both museums are cared for. 

As usual, I’ll include links to all this info in the show notes.

One final thought–the American Art Museum and the Portrait Gallery are a fantastic way to explore the story of America. It’s by no means complete but thankfully a lot of historians, researchers, curators, archivists, exhibit designers, all kinds of people have been working hard to uncover lives and share stories we’ve never heard about that all shaped this country. 

I’ll be taking a break to figure out what’s next for “A Long Look” and thanks to all of you who’ve come with me on this virtual visit! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I hope you all get a chance to do some long looking yourselves! Thanks for joining me!