Curator in the Photographic Collection at the NMAH examines three unique photographic portraits, showing how portraiture and the creation of an image between sitter and photographer, can be used to express many ideas, beyond that of simply a picture of an individual.

This is one of five themed videos from The Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (http://www.americanart.si.edu/taovg). The videos feature excerpts from interviews with 20 influential figures in the gaming world—Nolan Bushnell, David Cage, Steve Cartwright, Jenova Chen, Don Daglow, Noah Falstein, Ed Fries, Ron Gilbert, Robin Hunicke, Henry Jenkins, Jennifer MacLean, RJ Mical, Mike Mika, David Perry, Jane Pinckard, Kellee Santiago, Tim Schafer, Jesse Schell,...

This is one of five themed videos from The Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (http://www.americanart.si.edu/taovg). The videos feature excerpts from interviews with 20 influential figures in the gaming world—Nolan Bushnell, David Cage, Steve Cartwright, Jenova Chen, Don Daglow, Noah Falstein, Ed Fries, Ron Gilbert, Robin Hunicke, Henry Jenkins, Jennifer MacLean, RJ Mical, Mike Mika, David Perry, Jane Pinckard, Kellee Santiago, Tim Schafer, Jesse Schell,...

Warren Perry, of the National Portrait Gallery, discusses Grant's victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, both in northwest Tennessee. Filmed in February, 2012.

A Conversation with Andrew Young: Ambassador Andrew Young, joined by his longtime friend Jack H. Watson Jr., discusses his role in the American Civil Rights movement. Watson is chair of the National Portrait Gallery's Commission; he served as chief of staff for former President Jimmy Carter and is a fellow Atlantan. His portrait is now on view in our exhibition "The Struggle for Justice." Recorded at NPG, April 30, 2011. Image: Andrew Young by Ross R, Rossin, oil on canvas, 2009, National...

Former Senior Scholar and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, James Gardner discusses the museum's collection efforts and object stories follwing the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Teens in the Hirshhorn Museum's ARTLAB+ program filmed and edited this movie on the RACE: Are we do different? exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. http://artlabplus.si.edu

In 2002, Iraqi-American jazz and classical trumpeter Amir ElSaffar put his New York career on hold to study the music of his father's ancestral past. He traveled to Iraq, throughout the Middle East, and to Europe to learn from master artists who could teach him the centuries-old tradition of the Iraqi maqam, the classical Arab system of melodic modes and compositions that is one of Iraq's great artistic legacies. He became versed in Iraqi maqam, learned to sing its modes and melodies, and...

Heirloom plants are open-pollinated plants that were grown in earlier periods of time. Americans have chosen to preserve these seeds and have passed them down from generation to generation. The medicinal and cultural uses of heirloom plants have transcended national boundaries, and have been preserved here at the Smithsonian Heirloom Garden as a way to celebrate America's colorful and diverse past. These plants have not changed since then, still smelling and looking like the plants our...

Heirloom plants are open-pollinated plants that were grown in earlier periods of time. Americans have chosen to preserve these seeds and have passed them down from generation to generation. The medicinal and cultural uses of heirloom plants have transcended national boundaries, and have been preserved here at the Smithsonian Heirloom Garden as a way to celebrate America's colorful and diverse past. These plants have not changed since then, still smelling and looking like the plants our...

In 1886, the United States sent over 500 Chiricahua Apache men, women, and children from Arizona to Florida as prisoners of war. For twenty-seven years, the War Department held these people in Florida, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Oklahoma. When the War Department freed the Chiricahua prisoners in 1913 and 1914, it sent them either to the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico or to small farms in Oklahoma. Most POW descendants now live in those places. U.S. officials never allowed the...

The story of the relationship of Native peoples and horses is one of the great sagas of human contact with the animal world. Native peoples have traditionally regarded the animals in our lives as fellow creatures with which a common destiny is shared. The glory days of the horse culture were brilliant but brief, lasting just over a century. The bond between American Indians and the Horse Nation, however, has remained strong through the generations. The rodeo continues to be an important part...

Narrated by basketball legend Bill Russell and in conjunction with the archived exhibition “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers” from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Museum of American History. Featured are those who made a difference both on and off the athletic fields, including Gertrude Ederle, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, and many more. The “Sports” online exhibition is available at...