Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building

05/31/2024

returns on Saturday, June 22. Join us! https://www.si.edu/solsticesaturday ☀️

Learn more about Smithsonian Solstice Saturday

09/30/2022

FUTURES may be closed, but this is just the beginning of the rest of YOUR futures—of building the world you want to live in, and sharing it with those around you. Thanks for joining us on our journey to !

AIB is temporarily closed, stay tuned for info about its next exciting chapter. Follow along with the Smithsonian for updates and enjoy historic throwbacks with Smithsonian Institution Archives!

08/17/2022

Tour 2050 with Your Future Guide!

To help people wrap their minds around what the future holds, a Smithsonian museum has devised an online experience to help project your mind three decades forward.

08/10/2022

Today is our birthday! The Smithsonian was officially created on Aug. 10, 1846.

In 1829, English scientist James Smithson left his fortune to the United States to found an institution for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Why? It’s a mystery.

Smithson, an Oxford graduate who first identified the mineral now named smithsonite, never visited the U.S. while he was alive.

His bequest sparked widespread debate over what such a national institution might be. Once established, the Smithsonian became part of the process of developing a U.S. national identity. Today we are the world's largest museum, education, and research complex.

This photo of the Smithsonian's 150th birthday party in 1996 comes from Smithsonian Institution Archives.

07/11/2022

06/29/2022

Only 1 Week Left! ⏳
Explore FUTURES before it closes July 6 🤖

On July 6, we’ll open the doors to FUTURES one last time for an epic bash worthy of the next millennia. We’d love it if you joined us to celebrate the endless possibilities of tomorrow. FUTURES may be closing. But this is not the end, this is the beginning—of the rest of YOUR futures, of […]