Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian to Reopen Long-Closed DC Museum for Exhibition Exploring Future

โ€œIn a world that feels perpetually tumultuous, there is power in imagining the future we want, not the future we fear"

smithsonian futures rendering
Rockwell Group

The Smithsonian will temporarily reopen a historic museum on the National Mall thatโ€™s been closed for nearly two decades. 

The Arts and Industries Building, located just west of the Hirshhorn Museum, will be the site of the building-wide โ€œFUTURESโ€ exhibit starting in November, Smithsonian officials announced Tuesday. 

The exhibition will โ€œfuse awe-inspiring art, technology, design and history, inviting visitors to dream big and imagine not just one but many possible futures on the horizon,โ€ a statement said. 

Visitors will be able to see Afrofuturist art, a โ€œCOVID-friendly support robot that reduces lonelinessโ€ and foods of the future, among many other offerings. 

The Arts and Industries Building (Credit: Smithsonian/Ron Blunt)

โ€œIn a world that feels perpetually tumultuous, there is power in imagining the future we want, not the future we fear,โ€ building director Rachel Goslins said in a statement.

The free exhibition will be open through July 2022 and include a number of interactive virtual elements accessible worldwide. 

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