Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents In-Person and Virtual Programs as Part of the 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival | Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is collaborating for the 11th year in a row with the National Cherry Blossom Festival for a series of in-person and virtual cherry blossom-themed public programs. The museum’s cherry blossom family activities and celebrations are part of its hands-on program series, designed to spark learning, creativity and appreciation for the arts.  

The museum’s popular Cherry Blossom Celebration for children and families will be presented in person Saturday, March 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will begin on the museum’s F Street plaza with a Japanese taiko performance by the drumming group Nen Daiko. Other performances in the museum’s courtyard include double-dutch jump rope and other jump roping displays with Kangaroo Kids, and an all-vinyl music set of Japanese soul, funk, boogie, pop and disco by Les The DJ. More information is available on the museum’s website. Attendees can create their own cherry blossom-themed crafts and a spring-themed scavenger hunt will be available so visitors can explore the American Art Museum’s galleries. Seasonal treats will be available for purchase at the Courtyard Café. This program is free, but registration is encouraged. 

A cherry blossom-themed in-person workshop, part of the museum’s series “Beyond the Studio,” is scheduled for Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m. Nicolas Shi, the official artist of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, will lead participants through an activity inspired by Washington’s beloved cherry blossoms. This program costs $15 and requires advance registration by March 10 at 7 p.m.  

The Art & Me Preservation Family Workshop, a virtual hands-on, artmaking workshop designed for children ages 3 to 8 and their caretakers, will take place Saturday, April 6, at 11 a.m. ET. Families will discover how delicate sakura have been depicted in landscapes, figure paintings and prints for centuries, and how Smithsonian conservators preserve these beautiful yet fragile artworks. Then participants will create their own cherry blossom-inspired creations. This program is cohosted by the museum and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. This program is free, but registration is required. 

A temporary video projection, co-presented by the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the museum, will illuminate the museum’s facade from Wednesday, March 20, to Saturday, March 23, 8–9 p.m. Cherry blossom-themed artworks from Washington artists Robin Bell, Matthew Curry, Jonathan Monaghan and Shi will be projected onto the northwest corner of the building (Ninth and G streets N.W.). Each night, Bell will create a new video tableau, building new visuals upon the previous nights’ work and mixing them live. Support for this event is provided by the DowntownDC BID and Park West Gallery.

Additional family activities are available on the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Family Zone webpage, including seasonal crafts, coloring pages inspired by artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, videos and more.

About the Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the flagship museum in the United States for American art and craft. It is home to one of the most significant and inclusive collections of American art in the world. The museum’s main building, located at Eighth and G streets N.W., is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum’s Renwick Gallery, a branch museum dedicated to contemporary craft, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. and is closed temporarily. Check online for current hours and admission information. Admission is free. Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Smithsonian information: (202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu. 

About the National Cherry Blossom Festival 

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s great celebrations of spring. The 2024 festival runs from March 20 to April 14 and includes four weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and community spirit. The public can add the 2024 festival dates and signature event dates to their calendar and visit NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org or call 877.44.BLOOM for more information. To get the latest updates via email, and the public can follow the Festival on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  

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