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Howard Kaplan

Howard Kaplan is a writer at SAAM

Stories from this author

Black and white graphic quilt.

How Black Women Tell the Stories of Their Lives and Communities Through Quilts

Exploring the Women of Color Quilters Network through SAAM's collection

Three Nail Art Projects

Talking With Our Hands: Nail Art Inspiration at the Smithsonian

Finding ourselves in art, objects, and stories.

tiffany-chung-comic-cover.jpeg

Drawn to Tiffany Chung

Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work

An illustrated portrait of the artist Augusta Savage in black and white

Drawn to Augusta Savage

Celebrating the renowned artist with a comic about her life and work

Drawn to Art 2022 Banner_Voices_home page crop

Comic Series Presents Ten (More) Stories About Visionaries and Rule Breakers

"Drawn to Art," SAAM's comic series, returns with new digital tales of inspiring women artists

A black and white photograph of artist Augusta Savage standing next to her sculpture

Presenting Ten More Visionaries and Rule Breakers in SAAM's Collection

The "Drawn to Art" comic series continues to share the lives of women artists you should know

Kevin Bubriski, World Trade Center Series, New York City, 2001, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company Foundation, 2003.65.1, © 2001, Kevin Bubriski

The Art of Remembering 9/11

Artworks in SAAM’s collection and the stories they tell us about 9/11

Two Covers from

New Comic Series Presents Ten Visionaries and Rule Breakers in SAAM’s Collection

SAAM Debuts <em>Drawn to Art: Ten Tales of Inspiring Women Artists</em>

Paul Manship, Four Angels (sketch for Altar Triptych, American Military Cemetery, Anzio, Italy), ca. 1955, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.147

Discoveries from the Collection: Honoring Service and Sacrifice in American Art

Discover how a partnership between SAAM and the American Battle Monuments Commission revealed an unexpected connection between Paul Manship sketches and a U.S. military cemetery located outside of Rome.

Alma Thomas, Autumn Leaves Fluttering in the Breeze, 1973, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 1980.36.9

Five Women Changemakers in American Art

Celebrating Women’s History Month by illuminating the stories of women who challenged both what art could be and who could be an artist

Janet Echelman,

Looking for Light in American Art

View artworks from the collection that illuminate our world

Keara Teeter treating William H. Johnson’s Historical Scene with Mary McLeod Bethune, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation. Photo by Lou Molnar

Unpacking and Preserving William H. Johnson's 'Fighters for Freedom' Series

Explore William H. Johnson’s powerful “Fighters for Freedom” series through the lens of a conservator.

Level Up: Playing to Document and Preserve Video Games

Ever wonder what it takes to conserve and preserve video games? Our collections care initiative fellow at SAAM tells us how.

Helen Cordero,

Fire, Cloud, Earth: Native Women Artists at SAAM

A closer look at three Native women artists in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection

William H. Johnson,

Hey Mom, I Made You This Card

Still looking for the right card? SAAM celebrates all mother figures with artworks from our collection.

Jessie A. Walker,

Animals in Art and At Home

Because at SAAM everything eventually comes back to American art, some of us have been inspired to model our sweet, sassy, bored, annoyed, sleepy, amusing pets after favorite artworks in our collection. We offer them as amusement and inspiration, and as evidence of the creativity and sense of humor we appreciate in each other.

Christi Belcourt (Michif),

How Native Women Artists Guided the Creation of "Hearts of Our People"

The groundbreaking exhibition at the Renwick features more than 80 works from antiquity to the present

Maria Oakey Dewing,

Consider This Maverick of the Aesthetic Movement

Smithsonian Provost John Davis takes a closer look at the painter Maria Oakey Dewing, who described herself as a "garden-thirsty soul."

David Levinthal,

The Puck Stops Here: David Levinthal's Hockey Photographs

Giving America's favorite pastime a run for its money

The

Burning Man: Through the Fire

Nearly one ton of hand-written tablets collected at the Renwick Gallery were burned at Burning Man earlier in the month.

Visitors leave hand-written notes after viewing the exhibition,

"Art Does Have an Impact": Visitors Respond

Visitors share their memories, hopes, and fears after viewing "Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975."

Tyler Fuqua,

Mom's the Word with artist Tyler Fuqua

A Mother's Day post with Tyler Fuqua and his mother talking about his work at the Renwick.

Looking at works on paper by Nam June Paik at SAAM.

Museum: A Tale of Art, Life and Everything In Between

I'm throwing this one back five years to one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite poets that was originally posted in 2015. It comes with all good wishes from the blog for a wonderful, story-filled, Happy New Year.