Smithsonian Marks National Pride Month With Exhibits and Public Programs

The Smithsonian invites the public to celebrate National Pride Month in June through activities, in-person programming and extensive digital resources and online collections from its museums in Washington, D.C. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.

Pride Family Day
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard
Saturday, June 1; 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Visitors can celebrate Pride with their chosen family and friends at the museum. They can 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, D.C. Participants can then move their bodies to the Brazilian beats of Batalá Washington and make rainbow-themed crafts; face painting will be available for visitors ages 12 and under. The Courtyard Café will offer special treats, and visitors can explore the galleries with a scavenger hunt to learn more about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to American art. Tickets are free; registration is encouraged.

Online, the museum celebrates Pride through “SAAM Stories” about LGBTQ+ artists whose work is included in the collection and its digital comics series, “Drawn to Art.”

Artist Talk: Jeffrey Gibson
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ring Auditorium
Tuesday, June 4; 7–8 p.m.
Jeffrey Gibson is making history at the 2024 Venice Biennale: His installation, “the space in which to place me” is the first solo presentation by Native American artist for the U.S. Pavilion. Gibson’s interdisciplinary practice forges a hybrid visual language characterized by a bold use of color, pattern and text that combines Indigenous, Queer and American histories with references to popular subcultures, literature and global aesthetic and artistic traditions. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, Gibson deploys these myriad influences as a form of resistance.

Gibson will join Hirshhorn assistant curator Betsy Johnson in conversation to discuss defining elements of his practice and the inspiration behind his work, as well as what it means to represent the United States on a global stage.

This event is presented in partnership with the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy on the occasion of the Meridian Cultural Diplomacy Awards and the Culturefix Initiative, the center’s dynamic cultural diplomacy platform. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the National Museum of the American Indian will co-present the conversation in the Hirshhorn’s Ring Auditorium. Free tickets for this in-person event are strongly encouraged.

Trivia Night: Pride
National Portrait Gallery, Kogod Courtyard 
Tuesday, June 25; 5 p.m.–6:45 p.m.
Participants can celebrate Pride Month at the National Portrait Gallery with a happy hour trivia night. Contestants will test their knowledge of historic LGBTQ+ figures, events and artwork inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. The free collections-themed trivia game can be played individually or in teams of up to six people. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening. The museum’s Courtyard Café will be open during the event, and snacks and beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are free; registration is encouraged.

James Baldwin Exhibition
National Portrait Gallery
Mid-July through mid-April 2025
The National Portrait Gallery opens “This Morning, This Evening, So Soon: James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance” in July, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the writer, essayist, playwright and activist. Through portraiture and biography, the exhibition will explore Baldwin’s legacy alongside his contemporaries in art, music, film, literature and activism.

“Baldwin was bolstered by a community of like-minded creatives, including Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and Bayard Rustin, and his influence remains steadfast in the next generation of activists and artists,” said curator Rhea Combs. Born in Harlem, New York, Baldwin (1924–1987) considered himself “a witness” and used his writings and his work to talk about America and its history. Attempting to ensure the United States “kept the faith,” Baldwin was often recognized for speaking out against injustice.

Entertainment Nation
National Museum of American History
Ongoing
This exhibition features artifacts and film clips, including:

• Ellen DeGeneres’ suit worn when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
• Billie Holiday’s recording of “Strange Fruit.”
• Billie Jean King’s tennis outfit from the 1973 nationally televised match with Bobby Riggs, known as the Battle of the Sexes. King won, and the game is considered a milestone in the history of women’s tennis.
• Charlotte Cushman’s (1816–1876) costume of Cardinal Wolsey. Cushman was an American stage actress with a voice noted for its full contralto register that enabled her to play both men and women on stage. She blended traditional gender roles on stage and in real life.
• Walter Mercado, a flamboyant Puerto Rican star on Univision and Telemundo who read horoscopes while dressed in sequined capes and closed his shows with the words “mucho mucho amor!”

The National Museum of American History’s website also offers online exhibits, collection highlights and videos.

Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian.com’s Pride Hub highlights a collection of articles related to LGBTQ+ history and culture, featuring stories from the Smithsonian’s collections, exhibitions and programming, as well as outside articles.

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