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The majority of Washington’s museums may be closed until early April due to coronavirus concerns, but you can still view some of their exhibits. Whether you need a change of pace after a day of working from home or you’re social-distancing on a weekend, Fast Company reported that Google Art & Culture has partnered with more than 500 museums worldwide to offer digital exhibitions, and the project features over 30 collections from Washington museums, galleries, and historic sites.
Highlights include the National Gallery of Art’s Fashioning a Nation, which showcases American fashion from 1740 to 1895, and Beauty and Struggle at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, highlighting the work of Latino photographers who have documented the decline of urban neighborhoods in postwar America. Other local partner institutions include the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Phillips Collection, and more.
The exhibits vary, but many include detailed slideshows with information about the works and the artists, as well as video footage. Most also offer a “street view” option, so you can peruse the museums and galleries themselves. You can access the virtual collections via your computer or the Google Art & Culture app.
While not affiliated with Google, the the George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum have also made their collections available online, and you can browse more than 5,000 pieces of handmade textile art from all over the world without leaving home.
Nathan Diller has also written for DCist, Vulture, and Bustle. On Twitter, he’s @nateclaydiller.
