Events &amp; Exhibits

On Being Conquered in Byzantium

Register now for the 2021 Byzantine Studies virtual symposium, which seeks to better understand both how Byzantines themselves understood being conquered and, as importantly, what being conquered in Byzantium can mean for us now.

Land Back: Indigenous Landscapes of Resurgence and Freedom

Register now for the 2021 Garden and Landscape Studies virtual symposium, in which speakers highlight the many ways Indigenous peoples understand and practice land relations for political resurgence and freedom across the Americas.

Ancient Art at Dumbarton Oaks

In this online exhibit, explore a selection of ancient Mediterranean art in the collection, which offer an opportunity to consider the continuities and changes in artistic production from the classical to the medieval period.

Margaret Mee: Portraits of Plants

Centered on the paintings of botanical artist Margaret Mee, this exhibit explores the traditions of women botanical artists and illustrators primarily using materials from the Rare Book Collection.

Enjoy Dumbarton Oaks Safely

Learn more about Dumbarton Oaks’ response to COVID-19, virtual opportunities, and plans to reopen the museum and gardens to visitors.

Upcoming Events

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Apr 16, 2021 - Apr 17, 2021

On Being Conquered in Byzantium

This symposium seeks to better understand both how Byzantines themselves understood being conquered and, as importantly, what being conquered in Byzantium can mean for us now.

Apr 24, 2021 - Apr 30, 2021

Anthony McGill and Anna Polonsky

Clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Anna Polonsky perform music by James Lee III, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Jessie Montgomery in a concert recorded live and streamed from the Music Room.

Apr 29, 2021 - Jun 10, 2021

Land Back: Indigenous Landscapes of Resurgence and Freedom

In this symposium, speakers highlight the many ways Indigenous peoples understand and practice land relations for political resurgence and freedom across the Americas.

Recorded Events

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Mar 04, 2021

Where Was Jim Crow? Living in Frank Lloyd Wright’s America

Dianne Harris illuminates architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s role in the history of the divided and segregated American city. Mabel Wilson, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University will join Dr. Harris in a discussion following the lecture.

Nov 18, 2020

“The chatter, dialogue, and squabble of the Byzantine corridors of power”: Writing History in the Aftermath of Mantzikert (1071)

Eric McGeer honors John Nesbitt, a distinguished Byzantine historian and scholar in Byzantine sigillography, and discusses their book “Byzantium in the Time of Troubles: The Continuation of the Chronicle of John Skylitzes (1057–1079).”

Nov 12, 2020

Barrio America: How Latino Immigrants Saved the American City

A. K. Sandoval-Strausz illuminates the indispensable role Latin American immigrants have played in reviving American cities.

Music at Dumbarton Oaks

Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss designed Dumbarton Oaks to be beautiful without and within, filling the gardens with flowers, the library with rare volumes, and the house itself with fine art and music. Music at Dumbarton Oaks, founded in 1946 as the Friends of Music, continues this tradition with classical concerts from established and rising musicians.

The 2020–2021 Music at Dumbarton Oaks concert series has been postponed to 2021–2022. Please read this message for more information.

Learn More Early-Career Musician Residency

Online Exhibits

Explore curated selections from across our collections in a series of online exhibits. Select recent exhibits below, or view them all.

Margaret Mee: Portraits of Plants

Centered on the paintings of botanical artist Margaret Mee, this exhibit explores the traditions of women botanical artists and illustrators primarily using materials from the Rare Book Collection.

Ancient Art at Dumbarton Oaks

Art from the ancient Mediterranean represents a small but significant part of Dumbarton Oaks’ collections. When viewed alongside Byzantine art, these works offer an opportunity to consider the continuities and changes in artistic production from the classical to the medieval period.

Written in Knots: Undeciphered Accounts of Andean Life

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, the people of South America had a system of recorded information that was portable, precise, and so complex that it remains undeciphered today.