Music & Film

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How Graffiti Left a Mark on the Art Scene

Hip-hop’s street artists created a splashy new genre that burst into galleries and museums

Big Boi in between verses at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta on September 10, 2016.

A Rap Legend Looks Back on 50 Years of Hip-Hop

Outkast’s Big Boi traces the genre’s indelible impact on global music and culture

Illustration by Nina Goldman / Images via Smithsonian Folkways Records

Celebrating 75 Years of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

The vast, eclectic public archive of American music—and other sounds—is featured on a new episode of the Sidedoor podcast

Humans have been fascinated with mermaids since antiquity, writes columnist Jackie Mansky. The 1914 silent film Neptune's Daughter, featuring champion swimmer and actress Annette Kellerman (above), captured the public imagination.

The Return of Mermaidcore

For a century, a collective love of tails and fins has helped women transgress on land and sea

A mural of Bob Dylan by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra is on display in downtown Minneapolis.

Follow Bob Dylan's Footsteps Through Minnesota and New York

To mark the musician's 82nd birthday, consider a romp through these 11 sites that hold meaning to him

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio star in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.

A Brief History of Long Movies

At the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, "Killers of the Flower Moon" will become the latest movie to ask just how much time we ought to give it

Designer Nudie Cohn sits in his Pontiac convertible.

How a Rhinestone Cowboy From Ukraine Left His Mark on the Music World

Making his famous “Nudie suits,” tailor to the stars Nudie Cohn lived and breathed the bedazzled American dream

Master potter Alice Chéveres in her Taíno pottery workshop in Cabachuelas, Morovis, Puerto Rico.

How Artisans in Puerto Rico Sustain Native Culture

A photographer returns to his native island to document a handful of artists devoted to preserving its rich creative traditions

Willie Nelson performs in concert during Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022 in Luck, Texas.

Now 90 Years Old, Willie Nelson Is Always on Our Mind

A look back at the life of the country music rebel, superstar, and elder statesman who is back on the road, again

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid.

'The Little Mermaid' Has Been Subverting Expectations for Decades

The 1989 Disney movie musical may have saved the Disney corporation, but it also sent important messages about identity to its young audiences

An anonymous watercolor portrait of Francis Johnson holding an early 19th-century horn

Long Before Jazz, Frank Johnson Was Playing the Hottest Music in America

The innovations of a forgotten genius who laid the groundwork for the nation's signature music

The museum's curator Ryan Lintelman says the egg is emblematic of the cultural import of Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley, who battles the magnificently ugly "xenomorph."

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Curator Reveals New Details on an Egg From Sigourney Weaver’s Iconic ‘Alien’ Franchise

Get the inside scoop on the iconic prop, now on view in the exhibition “Entertainment Nation”

Adam Driver stars in the new movie 65.

What Earth Would Have Really Looked Like in Adam Driver's '65'

If you were to travel back in time you’d find a mix of the familiar and strange on our planet

In November 1955 at Carnegie Hall, Anderson performed Mozart, Schubert, spirituals and more.

How Marian Anderson Took the World by Storm

Her mighty contralto propelled her across color lines

Works entering the public domain this year include The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, Metropolis and The Jazz Singer.

These Works Are Now in the Public Domain

The latest additions are a rich trove of books, films, songs and other works from 1927

The 1.3-acre campus includes the Parker's family home, a museum, a neighboring house and a gift shop.

You Can Now Buy Ralphie Parker's House From 'A Christmas Story'

For years, fans of the 1983 classic movie have been flocking to the home and museum in Cleveland

The silver-screen version of Namor has a reimagined backstory, reigning over Talokan, a Mesoamerican-inspired underwater civilization, instead of the legendary Atlantis. 

The Mesoamerican Influences Behind Namor From 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

The sequel to the 2018 Marvel blockbuster features a Maya-inspired antihero played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta

The “Ole Bull” Stradivarius, made in 1687, photographed with flowers and props reminiscent of a Dutch still life from the period.

When It Comes to String Instruments, Stradivariuses Are Still Pitch Perfect

Even after three centuries of their existence, the violins spark debate over what makes their sound special

The enigmatic John Smith Hurt, shown in 1966, was a pioneer of the vital American art form known as Mississippi Delta blues.

A Pilgrimage to Honor a Blues Legend

With a mysterious memento from long ago in hand, a devoted fan of the blues artist Mississippi John Hurt returns to the Delta

Members of the Preservation All Stars perform in the hall on August 18, 2022.  

How Preservation Hall Has Kept New Orleans' Iconic Jazz Alive

The plucky institution staged a brassy comeback for America’s signature music

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