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Welcome to the 60th anniversary of Smithsonian Associates!

60th Anniversary

We’ve planned a year of festivities during which the gifts are for you, the community of lifelong learners who define and embody Smithsonian Associates. Whether you’ve been on this educational journey for decades or joined only recently, your support and deep commitment to learning has made reaching this milestone year possible.

Throughout it, you’ll be invited to gather online and in-person for conversations with thought leaders and change-makers from around the world, making connections and sparking curiosity. Together, we’ll meet authors, historians, scholars, curators, and other specialists—opportunities to engage with experts in ways that only Smithsonian Associates can create.

With gratitude and joy, we thank you for your role in helping shape the past six decades of Smithsonian Associates.

Fredie Adelman, Director
Smithsonian Associates


60th Anniversary Programs

All upcoming programs

Programs 1 to 10 of 310
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

Whether deciding on lunch or a career, changing our routines or other people’s minds, it can feel difficult to make the decisions that align with the things we care about. Neuroscientist Emily Falk, author of What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change, explains how we can work strategically with our brains to make more fulfilling choices by connecting our decisions with our core values, which can make us less defensive, broaden our curiosity through different perspectives, and spark innovation.


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET
In-Person Discovery Theater

Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET
In-Person Discovery Theater

Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

Tyrannosaurus rex is the world’s favorite dinosaur. Drawing on his book King Tyrant: A Natural History of Tyrannosaurus rex, Mark P. Witton discusses everything from the research history of T. rex to their anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, behavior, and extinction. He also addresses T. rex in popular culture, showing how our love for this dinosaur has both helped and hindered research.


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Utagawa Kuniyoshi is one of the most creative print designers of the Edo period in Japan. He is known for his imaginative responses—including bizarre monstrous figures—to the censorship restrictions imposed by the military government. Kit Brooks, curator of Asian art at the Princeton University Art Museum, explores Kuniyoshi’s works and why they are so striking. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

One hundred years ago, A. A. Milne published a whimsical short story that introduced the world to a “bear of very little brain” called Winnie-the-Pooh. Today young readers remain captivated by Pooh, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Kanga, Tigger, and Piglet. Celebrate the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh as author Daniel Stashower delves into Milne’s life and legacy and actor Scott Sedar brings some of the writer’s beloved works to life.


Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage, and the site of Islam’s two holiest cities. It is also one of the world’s few absolute monarchies. How did it become what it is today? Saudi specialist David Commins surveys the history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy.


Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET
In-Person Discovery Theater

Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!


Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET
In-Person Discovery Theater

Ages 3 to 6. Join Jojo for this musical mini-travelogue that brings together science, math, literacy—and plenty of fun!


Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

The mystery of clouds has captivated scientists and artists alike. Atmospheric scientist Edward Graham draws on his new book, Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms, as he shares the meteorological techniques of nephology (the study of clouds and cloud formation) that offer skyward-gazers insights into these elusive and transmutable shapes. He also showcases artists who painted clouds from a scientific viewpoint, such as John Constable, Frederic Edwin Church, J.M.W. Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich.