Smithsonian Gardens’ “Habitat” Sculptures Pop Up Around Your Favorite Museums

For the first time in its 47 year history, the Smithsonian Gardens are presenting a campus-wide exhibit. “Habitat” consists of 14 distinct indoor and outdoor garden spaces, all on the theme ‘protecting habitats protects life.’

“This exhibition… challenges visitors to reflect how protecting habitats protects life,” says Barbara Faust, director of the Smithsonian Gardens. “We hope visitors will begin to understand how habitats are interconnected and fragile, and examine their role in protecting habitats.”

Each exhibit explores the central theme through the lens of the museum near which it is located. For example, Habitat of Flight at the National Air and Space Museum illustrates how the natural world has inspired innovations in flight, and Nests in the National Museum of Natural History’s Urban Bird Habitat highlights the diversity of spaces where birds live and raise their young through large-scale realistic nests.

One of our very favorite Smithsonian museums is the American History museum, so naturally we gravitated toward “Deadwood is Life,” by sculptor Foon Sham, shown here.

“Habitat” will be on display through December 2020.