Smithsonian Museum Announces Cherry Blossom Festival Events for Families
WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian American Art Museum will host a series of cherry blossom-themed public programs next month as part of its 13th consecutive collaboration with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, museum officials announced.
The museum’s popular Cherry Blossom Celebration for children and families is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will begin on the museum’s F Street plaza with a Japanese taiko performance by the drumming group Nen Daiko.
Additional activities in the museum’s courtyard include an all-vinyl music set of Japanese soul, funk, boogie, pop and disco by Les The DJ, a ballet showcase by Misako Ballet Company, and a Japanese model train display from Japan Rail Modelers of Washington, D.C.
Children ages 12 and younger can create cherry blossom-themed crafts, and visitors can participate in a spring-themed scavenger hunt through the museum’s galleries. The Courtyard Café will offer seasonal treats for purchase.
The Cherry Blossom Celebration is free, but registration is encouraged. More information is available on the museum’s website.
A separate cherry blossom-themed workshop will be held Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. as part of the museum’s “Beyond the Studio” series. Multidiscipline artist and arts educator Lea Craigie will discuss linocut printmaking and lead participants in creating their own cherry blossom-inspired designs. The workshop costs $20, and space is limited. Registration opens March 5 and closes April 5.
The programs are presented as part of the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs March 20 through April 12.
During the festival, the museum is featuring the special exhibition “Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work,” which explores paintings by Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma Moses,” and “Nick Cave: Mammoth,” an immersive commissioned project. The museum’s galleries also showcase works by Asian American and Asian diasporic artists, including Glenn Kaino’s “Bridge” and Shahzia Sikander’s “The Last Post.”
Daily docent-led tours are available. Information is posted on the museum’s website.
Worcester Art Museum Unveils Winter-Spring Schedule Featuring New Exhibitions, Free Days, and After-Hours Events
WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester Art Museum has announced its winter and spring 2026 schedule, featuring a slate of public programs including artist talks, free admission days, After Hours parties, and the return of the annual Flora in Winter event.
The programming coincides with several exhibition openings, including the newly opened Arms and Armor Galleries, “A Weather Eye: Art and Early Modern Meteorology” (March 28–June 28), “Fever Dreams of a Cool-Breathed Earth” (March 28–August 16), and the reimagined American Art Galleries, which open April 25.
Flora in Winter 2026
The museum’s annual Flora in Winter event runs Thursday, Feb. 26, through Sunday, March 1, featuring dozens of floral arrangements interpreting artworks throughout the galleries. Special admission prices apply, though museum members are admitted free. Tickets are available at the door only, with select talks and demonstrations requiring advance registration online.
Talks and Lectures
The museum will host several talks by artists and experts this spring:
- March 29: Storm chaser and climate educator “Pecos Hank” Schyma discusses weather and climate-themed exhibitions
- April 26: Art historian Felipe Pereda joins museum director Matthias Waschek for the annual Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture at Tuckerman Hall
- May 17: Artists Christa Donner and Andrew S. Yang discuss their immersive exhibition “Fever Dreams of a Cool-Breathed Art”
- June 21: Curators Kathleen A. Foster of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Karen Sherry of WAM discuss reinterpreting American art
Free Admission Days
The museum will offer free admission on several holidays:
- April 20: Patriots Day
- June 7: Pride Celebration, presented in partnership with Worcester’s Love Your Labels
- June 19: Juneteenth
After Hours Series
The museum’s After Hours events combine exhibition openings with music and drinks. Upcoming events include “Party up a Storm” on March 27 and “Unveiling the New American Art Galleries” on May 8. Events are free for members and students at College Partner schools.
Ongoing Programs
Guided tours of the galleries are offered every Sunday at 1 p.m., free with admission. Live demonstrations and hands-on art cart activities are available on a rotating schedule.
Registration is open for youth classes during April vacation week and summer vacation in the Higgins Education Wing. The wing also hosts community exhibitions, including “Open Call: Dreams and Dreaming” (April 8–May 17), which is accepting art submissions exploring dreams as a source of creativity. Admission to the Higgins Education Wing is free.
The Worcester Art Museum, at 55 Salisbury St., is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free. More information is available at worcesterart.org.