New Video: Exploring Art Conservation

How do art conservators treat important paintings to ensure they last into the future? How do you become an art conservator? In a new video made with educators in mind, SAAM Paintings Conservator Keara Teeter discusses her treatment of William H. Johnson’s Fighters for Freedom series and her own path to a STEAM career.

Check out other learning resources for the exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice. If you are in D.C., come visit in person to see a display of student responses to Johnson’s paintings, and learn who inspires them to fight for justice!

Smithsonian National Education Summit
Tuesday, July 16–Thursday, July 18

Save the date for the 2024 National Education Summit. This year's theme is: “Together We Thrive: Connecting at the Intersections.” Join educators from across the country to explore the power of interdisciplinary approaches and the significance of embracing diverse viewpoints to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues we face today.

Sessions will support four Summit tracks:

• Using Art to Connect Past and Present
• Inclusive Storytelling
• Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
• Youth Taking Civic Action

Free registration for virtual and in-person sessions will open in May 2024.

Local Offering

Pride Family Day
Saturday, June 1, 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and G Streets NW 
Kogod Courtyard
Free | Registration encouraged

Celebrate Pride with your chosen family at SAAM. Start the day with a performance by DC’s Different Drummers, followed by GenOUT, the youth chorus of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. Then move your body to the Brazilian beats of Batalá Washington.

Attendees can make rainbow-themed crafts, and face painting will be available for visitors ages 12 and under. Enjoy special treats from the Courtyard Café and explore the galleries with a scavenger hunt to learn more about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to American art.

Know Before You Go
Registration helps us plan for supplies and staffing support. Entry is first come, first serve. Crafts and face painting are while supplies last. The line for face painting closes at 2:30 p.m.

Featured Profile

Meet Amy Fox
Social Media and Digital Content Specialist at SAAM

What is your job?  
I help bring the stories of artists and their artwork to curious people online. Specifically, I present complex ideas to online audiences and talk to all sorts of folks on various social media networks. 

What kind of training is needed to do your job?  
A broad knowledge of art and history and a deep understanding of how people communicate and interact online. For me, that was a liberal arts education and a lot of practical experience, but many folks just starting out in my career formally studied social media and online communications. 

What skill do you use most often?  
You might think it’s video or image editing, but it all rests on writing informed by critical thinking. And empathy. 

What’s something that has surprised you about working in museums?  
My understanding of the world is constantly evolving, thanks to the perspectives of my colleagues, artists, and audiences. This flipped the script on my expectations early in my career!   

What’s something you’re most proud to have done?  
Learning about and constantly updating my understanding of what it means to make information and ideas accessible. Every day I work with colleagues to push us forward to make everything we do more accessible online.

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