Anacostia Community Museum

Join the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum for After Dark: Stories We Carry, an evening of art, music, memory, and connection inspired by our exhibition, We Make History.

We Make History explores how everyday people make and preserve history through the stories they tell, the experiences they share, and the communities they shape. Stories We Carry invites you to reflect on the memories, traditions, people, and places that have shaped your story and how those stories become part of our collective history.

Throughout the evening, enjoy a DJ, spiked apple cider and hot chocolate, and snack boxes while experiencing the museum after hours.

Get creative with a hands-on art activation with Pyramid Atlantic, where guests can explore storytelling through art and create something inspired by the stories and experiences we carry with us.

Leave a Recipe, Take a Recipe at Rooted Recipes, a community recipe exchange celebrating the stories and traditions passed from one table to another. Bring a favorite family or community recipe to share or discover one from someone else. Because history isn’t only told in books; it is also preserved in our kitchens, shared around our dining room tables, and carried forward through the recipes we pass from generation to generation.

Come for the art, stay for the music, share a recipe, and celebrate the stories that make history.

Must be 21+ to attend

Join us at the Anacostia Community Museum for a cozy story time that brings children, caregivers, and community together through books, creativity, and play. Stories will connect with ACM’s current exhibition and celebrate themes of community, family, neighborhood, history, and the fall and winter seasons.

Families are invited to stay for indoor play, creative exploration, and time to connect with one another. This welcoming, accessible program supports different ways of participating, with sensory toys and tools available for children who benefit from tactile, movement, or sensory experiences.

Come in, get cozy, meet your neighbors, and share stories that remind us that we all have a place in our community’s story.

Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10:30 a.m.
Duration: About 1 hour

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.

The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*

You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.
 

What happens when art meets history at the museum? Join artist Brittany Mona' to make zines—small booklets that offer a creative way to tell a story or explore an idea. This hands-on, family-friendly workshop is inspired by the life and legacy of Carter G. Woodson, historian, educator, and longtime resident of DC’s Shaw neighborhood.

Known as the “Father of Black History, Dr. Woodson worked with artists like Loïs Mailou Jones to publish illustrated books and journals about African American history for learners of all ages. At the time, Black history was seldom included in historical narratives.

The program commemorates the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, founded by Dr. Woodson in 1926, and is offered in partnership with the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site, National Park Service in honor of its grand reopening on November 7.

Visitors can see books and journals by Dr. Woodson by visiting the museum’s current exhibition, We Make History, which explores stories of Washingtonians who work to improve our communities and those who record and share our history. History is in the making, and everyone can participate!

Through history, art, and imagination, participants will leave with their own handmade zine and a deeper understanding of Carter G. Woodson’s legacy—and new ways of thinking about and making history!

Join us at the Anacostia Community Museum for a cozy story time that brings children, caregivers, and community together through books, creativity, and play. Stories will connect with ACM’s current exhibition and celebrate themes of community, family, neighborhood, history, and the fall and winter seasons.

Families are invited to stay for indoor play, creative exploration, and time to connect with one another. This welcoming, accessible program supports different ways of participating, with sensory toys and tools available for children who benefit from tactile, movement, or sensory experiences.

Come in, get cozy, meet your neighbors, and share stories that remind us that we all have a place in our community’s story.

Recommended Audience: 18 months – 7 years
Time and Schedule: 10:30 a.m.
Duration: About 1 hour

Explore wellness, creativity, identity, and build community through portraiture. Printed Perspectives is a playful portrait-making experience that invites Lifelong Learners to explore identity, memory, and connection through art.

Participants paint a self-portrait and transfer the image onto paper to create a one-of-a-kind monoprint. The process encourages experimentation, embracing unexpected colors, textures, and imperfections as part of each person’s story.

Through artmaking and conversation, participants consider how we see ourselves, how we see one another, and the experiences that shape who we are.

Designed for all artistic abilities, the activity supports creative expression, social connection, and continued learning.