Hispanic Heritage MonthClick Here

Calendar of Events | Smithsonian Institution Events

The Smithsonian celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 with more than forty events — films, performances, talks, tours, demonstrations and family programs.

  WASHINGTON D.C.
 
Location: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ring Auditorium
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 29th (3 pm)
Description: We All Need a Pygmalion
Artist Pablo Helguera presents a musical “improvement workshop” to introduce his satirical book The Pablo Helguera Manual of Contemporary Art Style. Part of the Smithsonian Latino Center series "Mexico at the Smithsonian."
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 6th (7 pm)
Description: Ballet de Monterrey
The acclaimed Mexican dance group presents a program of traditional and experimental forms. For information call 202.633.1240. Part of the Smithsonian Latino Center series “Mexico at the Smithsonian.”
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 14th (12 pm)
Description: Meet the Musicians: Ranferi Aguilar
A founding member of Alux Nahual, Guatemala’s best-known rock band, Ranferi Aguilar (Maya) blends traditional Mayan music with the guitar and other modern instruments to create new arrangements of ancient sounds. He discusses his music and culture in an informal setting. Rain location: Potomac Atrium.
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 15th (5:30 pm) Outdoor Welcome Plaza (Rain location: Potomac Atrium)
Description: Indian Summer Showcase 2007: Ranferi Aguilar
Ranferi Aguilar (Maya) blends ancient Mayan sounds with the guitar and other modern instruments, to create new arrangements of traditional Mayan music.
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 19th (6:30 pm) Rasmuson Theater
Description: Native Writers: Nora Naranjo-Morse
The fourth season of the Native Writers Series opens with Nora Naranjo-Morse (Pueblo Santa Clara) reading poetry from Mudwoman: Poems from the Clay.
 
Location: National Museum of the American Indian
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 26th - 28th (10 am - 5:30 pm)
Description: Los Dias de los Muertos/Days of the Dead
Rooted in the indigenous cultures of Mexico, Day of the Dead celebrations honor the memory of departed ancestors, family, and friends. This family festival includes cooking demonstrations around an outdoor fire pit, special film screenings in the Rasmuson Theater, crafts activities, storytelling, and music and dance performances.
 
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 15th (12 - 4 pm)
Description: Portraiture Now: Framing Memory
This Drop-In Family Day includes stories about Frida Kahlo and Cesar Chavez and a hands-on art activity. Recommended for children ages 5-12, accompanied by an adult.
 
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 27th - 29th
Description: The Spanish Contribution to the Independence of the United States
Scholars from Spain, Mexico, and the U.S. discuss the impact of Spain in the United States from 1763 to 1848, particularly its role in the American War of Independence. This symposium complements the exhibition Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848. Sessions are held all day on Thursday and Friday. There are morning sessions on Saturday. Call 202.633.1240 for registration information, or visit the National Portrait Gallery Web site.
 
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 29th (12 - 4 pm)
Description: Legacy Family Day
A Spanish-language tour, hands-on arts activities, and a musical performance are all part of this special day marking the opening of the exhibition Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848. A list of activities is available at the Visitor Services Desk. Recommended for children ages 5–12, accompanied by an adult.
 
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 29th (7 pm)
Description: Zarabanda
The gallery hosts a special evening concert by this trio of baroque classical musicians from Spain. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848.
 
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 6th (12 - 4 pm)
Description: Legacy Drop-In Family Day Program
The gallery presents a series of Drop-In Family Days during run of the exhibition Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848. This first day features a Spanish-language tour, a hands-on art activity, and a reading of a children’s biography of Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish general who assisted the United States during the Revolutionary War.
 
Location: National Postal Museum, Atrium
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 13th (1 - 4 pm)
Description: Hispanic Heritage Family Festival
The museum celebrates Hispanic Heritage with an event that ties together stories, letters, and Hispanic Americans featured on stamps.
 
Location: National Zoo
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 16th (11am-5pm)
Description: Fiesta Musical
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with this family-oriented festival featuring regional music, dance performances, traditional arts and crafts, and a Latin American food court.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: Ongoing Exhibition (10 am - 5:30 pm)
Description: Graphic Eloquence: Limited-Edition Prints from the Smithsonian Associates Art Colectors
This collection of Smithsonian-commissioned prints includes works by Luis Cruz Azaceta, Carlo Mejia, and Felix M. Rodriguez. Signed and numbered lithographs, serigraphs, aquatints, and linocuts are available for sale. Revenue supports educational and cultural programs of The Smithsonian Associates
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, International Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 5th - November 11th
Description: Lola Alvarez Bravo
Lola Alvarez Bravo (1907-1993), is widely recognized as Mexico’s first major woman photographer. The exhibition of more than 56 vintage photographic prints that span six decades shows this pioneer of modern photography’s diverse subject matter and technique including street photographs, images documenting indigenous people and traditional culture in Mexico, portraits, and Surrealist-inspired photomontages.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, International Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 5th - November 11th
Description: Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian
Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian will showcase the full range of the Mexican presence in the Smithsonian’s collections, highlighting the shared histories and cultural exchanges between the United States and Mexico.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, International Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 5th - November 11th
Description: Guided Tours of Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian and Lola Alvarez Bravo
The Smithsonian Latino Center offers interactive bilingual tours of the exhbitions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, by appointment. Recommended for ages 4-12. Call 202.633.1268 or visit www.latino.si.edu.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater and Lecture Hall
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 16th (1 - 4 pm Family Festival; 5 - 6 pm Adult Program)
Description: An Afternoon with Carmen Lomas Garza
This celebration of Latino life, recommended for families with children 7 and older, features the many sides of Carmen Lomas Garza, artist and author of such children’s books as In My Family / En mi familia and Family Pictures / Cuadros de familia. At 1 pm, she reads from her books and holds a signing. At 2:30 pm, she conducts a workshop on the art of papel picado, or decorative paper cutting. At 5 pm in the Ripley Center’s Lecture Hall, she presents a talk for adults on her artwork, some of which is featured in the neighboring exhibition Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian and at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. This is the first event in the Smithsonian Heritage Month series “Sharing Stories / Sharing Heritage,” which explores the ways objects and stories connect us to our heritage and to each other.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, International Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 19th (6:45 pm)
Description: The Giants of Barcelona: Picasso, Miro, Dali, and Gaudi
Art critic Judy Pomeranz highlights the masterpieces of four giants of modern art who lived and painted in Barcelona as the nineteenth century raced into the twentieth. Tickets required. Call 202.357.3030.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 26th (6:45 pm)
Description: The Cities of Ancient America
Scholar George Scheper looks at the origins of cities in North and South America, focusing on Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico, arguably the greastest ancient American city. Tickets required. Call 202.357.3030.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 4th (10:15 and 11:30 am) and October 6th (12 pm)
Description: African Roots, Latino Soul
This passionate play, full of vibrant images and vivid characters, explores what it means to be Latino and black in the American melting pot. Recommended for ages 9–14. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Lecture Hall
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 5th - 6th
Description: Camera Culture Out of Mexico
The Smithsonian Latino Center presents a symposium on Mexican photography in conjunction with the nationally touring exhibition Lola Alvarez Bravo on view at the International Gallery from September 5 through November 11.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center, Discovery Theater
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 9th - 12th (10:15 - 11:30 am)
Description: African Roots, Latino Soul
This passionate play, full of vibrant images and vivid characters, explores what it means to be Latino and black in the American melting pot. Recommended for ages 9–14. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 15th (6:45 am)
Description: Explore Costa Rica
Geologist Kirt Kempter discusses Costa Rica's distinctive geographical and biological features Tickets required. Call 202.633.3030.
 
Location: Schermer Hall, Smithsonian Castle
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 5th - November 11th
Description: Mexican Folk Art from the Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex
Mexican Folk Art from the Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex is small version of the larger, national touring exhibition that features folk art made by a group of master artisans representing urban, rural and indigenous communities from all parts of the country of Mexico.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 15th - October 15th (12:30 and 2 pm; No tour on October 8)
Description: Daily Walk-In Tour at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the museum's docent-led tour features a work by a Hispanic artist. Meet at the Information Desk.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Donald W. Reynolds Center
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 20th (12:30 pm); October 11th and 14th (2 pm)
Description: Latino Art and Culture Gallery Tour
This decent-led gallery tour traces the work of Hispanic American artists from the nineteenth century to the present, highlighting ways in which the Latino experience is reflected in American art. Meet in the F Street Lobby.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 15th - October 15th (12 noon on weekdays, 1 pm on Saturday and Sundays)
Description: Daily Walk-In Tour at the Renwick Gallery
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the museum's docent-led tour features a work by a Hispanic artist. Meet at the Information Desk.
 
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery
City: Washington D.C.
Date: September 26th, October 3rd and October 10th (12 pm)
Description: Renwick Gallery Bilingual Highlights Tours
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Renwick Gallery offers three bilingual walk-in tours of the permanent collection, featuring Game Fish, a whimsical sculpture by Larry Fuente.
 
Location: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Treasures of American History
City: Washington D.C.
Date: October 10th
Description: The Spanish Frontier in North America
Talks typically last 10-15 minutes and begin at the Museum "Great Seal", in the Milestones of Flight gallery on the first floor. Presented by the National Museum of American History as part of the Treasures of American History exhibit.
 
Location:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
City:
Washington D.C.
Date:
September 14th
Description: In Concert: Chéjere and Sonex
Hispanic Heritage Month opens with a splash as Chéjere and Sonex combine the Son Jarocho and the Son Huasteco—two of Mexico’s most distinctive regional styles of music—with contemporary Afro-Latin, hip-hop, funk and electronic sounds.
 
Location:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
City:
Washington D.C.
Date:
September 25th - February 15th
Description: Mexican Cycles: Festival by George O. Jackson de Llano
Organized by the National Museum of Natural History, Mexican Cycles celebrates Mexico's cultural diversity and the creativity of the members of its Indigenous communities by exploring the annual cycle of their religious festivals as captured in the images of the Mexican-American photographer George O. Jackson de Llano.
   
Location:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium
City:
Washington D.C.
Date:
September 27th (10:15 and 11:30 am)
Description: Carnaval Smithsonian!
Discovery Theater presents a joyous program of music, dance, and beautiful images of Bolivia. Recommended for all ages. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700.
 
Location:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium
City:
Washington D.C.
Date:
September 29th (2:30 pm)
Description: A Journey through Mexico with George O. Jackson de Llano
In this illustrated lecture, photographer Jackson de Llano gives personal insights into the work featured in the new exhibition Mexican Cycles.
 
Location:
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Second Floor
City:
Washington D.C.
Date:
October 13th (11 am - 4 pm)
Description: Mexico-Fest
The museum presents a day of craft making and performances that highlight the artistic and cultural traditions of Mexico. Also included are talks by museum scientists on their research activities in Mexico.
 

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