Latest Events in Washington D.C.(July Updated)

The "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness" exhibition will span three floors and 300,000 square feet, showcasing 250 important exhibits, including the desk Jefferson used when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Another notable exhibit is the USS Philadelphia, the only surviving gunboat from the early U.S. Navy. This National Historic Landmark, which helped the United States repel the British invasion, will undergo on-site restoration to preserve it for posterity. Visitors and online audiences can gain a deeper understanding of the glorious achievements and challenges of America's journey through a year-long series of engaging activities. These activities include hands-on activities, theatrical performances, educational tools, and virtual field trips to classrooms nationwide.

Artificial light sources have become so commonplace at night that we've taken them for granted. But what do brighter nights mean for humans and wildlife? The effects of light pollution go far beyond our ability to see the stars, but solutions can have immediate results. Explore why dark nights are important, reconnect with the night sky, and reflect on how much light is enough at night—for whom, for what purpose, and by whom? Through over 100 photographs, nearly 250 items, interactive experiences, tactile models, and theatrical performances.

On the centenary of the death of this pioneering figure of American Impressionism, let us remember her. This special exhibition features many of Cassatt's most beloved paintings, as well as some rarely exhibited groundbreaking prints and drawings.

Some 20 works will probe how the layered histories and meanings of Niagara Falls—long associated with our country's nationhood—have evolved from the early 19th century to today.

The profound impact of mobile phones on human life is almost impossible to summarize in a single sentence. Yet, many of us haven't considered how mobile phones connect us to the natural world, and to an invisible global network of people, labor, and infrastructure. Explore how your mobile phone makes those unseen personal, cultural, and technological connections easier through more than 750 items from around the world, multimedia installations, interactive group chats, and a graphic novel spanning three exhibition walls.

The International Spy Museum (SPY) invites you to explore the world of camouflage and deception in a new multi-sensory, immersive experience where all is not what it seems. Opening March 1, the special exhibition, Camouflage: Designed to Deceive examines the fascinating history of camouflage and its many secret connections to espionage. From its origins in the natural world to its contemporary applications in the battlefield and beyond, the exhibit explores the impact of camouflage on covert operations and intelligence gathering throughout history. Discover how military innovators created thousands of patterns to outsmart enemies on ever-changing battlefields and how emerging technologies are reshaping what it means to truly disappear. Whether you are an animal, soldier, or spy—hiding in plain sight can be a matter of life or death. Camouflage: Designed to Deceive spans the intersecting worlds of science, design, military and political history, art, fashion, and pop culture. Utilizing real stories, artifacts, and immersive media, visitors will get an up-close look at how concealment has influenced espionage throughout time and why it remains essential in today's digital world of surveillance.

Over 100 works on paper showcase how artists over the past 250 years have explored America's historical experience by depicting American landscapes, people, and ideals of freedom. These works cover a wide range of subjects, including photographs by Carlton Watkins, Dorothea Lange, and Kelly May Weems; prints by Thomas Hart Benton, Roy Lichtenstein, and Rupert Garcia; and drawings by Thomas Moran, John Wilson, and Tonita Peña.