Second Saturday Arts & Science Programs
A free, monthly drop-in program in the Sant Ocean Hall, designed to deepen understanding of the ocean's vital role through hands-on art activities, live performances, and sustainable seafood demonstrations.
Increased Ocean Literacy
Participants gain a deeper understanding of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
Enhanced Engagement
Multisensory learning through art, performance, and cooking fosters curiosity across ages.
Intergenerational Learning
Inclusive activities encourage families and individuals to create and learn together.
Diverse Programs within Second Saturday Arts & Science
Ocean Friend Resolution
Visitors pledge to become "Ocean Friends" and create posters to take home, learning about water conservation, fish-friendly practices, and responsible waste management.
Sound Bites
Sound Bites is a family-friendly Ocean Hall program that uses the sounds of marine life as a gateway to science learning. Developed in collaboration with Smithsonian scientists, the program highlights the feeding sounds of select sea creatures—accurately documented and creatively presented through an interactive button-making station. Children design and take home wearable buttons featuring the animals and their playful, onomatopoeic sound effects (e.g., slurp, crack, snap), blending scientific accuracy with multisensory fun to make marine biology engaging, memorable, and accessible for all ages.
Sustainable Seafood Cooking
Live cooking demonstrations by guest chefs, sharing insights into ocean-friendly fishing practices and the importance of protecting marine ecosystems.
Second Saturday: Program Impact
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Community/Partner Collaborations
Partnered with local artists, teachers, and cultural organizations.
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Public Accessibility
Free & Open to the Public
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Broad Engagement
Engages ~200-250 participants per program.
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Inclusive Audience
Designed for diverse audiences: families, adults, youth.
Annual Celebrations & Festivals
Vibrant, full-day events marking major exhibition openings and global observances like Earth Day and World Ocean Day.
Immersive Learning Hub
Transforming the museum with hands-on activities, expert-led programs, live demonstrations, and film screenings for all ages.
Sparking Curiosity
Designed to deepen public engagement with science and nature, celebrating the museum's role as a place of discovery.
Event Examples
One World, One Ocean: World Ocean Day Festival, Coral Reef Family Festival, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Family Day, Earth Day, The Hidden Life of Ants Family Festival, Butterfly Festival, Centennial, Celebrating 100 Years, Sant Ocean Hall Anniversary, Folklife Festival.
Lectures, Panel Discussions & Film Screenings
From provocative lectures to lively panels and immersive film screenings, these programs create a forum where science, culture, and art intersect. Each event invites audiences to engage directly with leading scientists, artists, filmmakers, and community voices, exploring urgent and relevant themes such as climate change, evolution, cultural heritage, and the ways art helps us understand scientific discovery.
Our approach blends expert insight with public dialogue, fostering spaces where audiences don’t just listen, but actively question, reflect, and connect ideas across disciplines.
Highlights from Programs
Explore a visual journey through our diverse range of lectures, panels, film festivals, and community celebrations.
Environmental Film Festivals
Connecting scientific communities with the general public and filmmakers, fostering a shared understanding
The Art of Designing an Ocean-themed Opera
Illustrated lecture by Zandra Rhodes: The Pearl Fishers
The Climate-Human Evolution Dialogue
Equipping audiences with new insights into the environmental forces that shaped our species, empowering them to see the deep historical connection between climate and humanity.
Animating the Ocean
Behind-the-scenes look at how science informs animation. Lecture by Robin Cooper (Pixar Animation Studios) and Rick Rothschild (Walt Disney Imagineering)
Girl Scouts STEM Career Day
Inspiring the next generation of women in science.
Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilization
Lecture series exploring archaeology and cultural heritage.
Forensic Files
Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake: Illustrated Lecture, with book signings. Illuminate the personal stories and struggles of the diverse peoples—Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans—who built the first permanent settlements and forged the foundations of a new nation.
Coastal America Student Summit
Fostered a new generation of marine scientists by connecting them directly with leading researchers, culminating in a summit where 80 students presented their climate action plans.
NSF Funded, Changing Tides: A Series of Ocean Discussions
Ocean Discussions with top marine scientists
Integrated Program Approach
Science Communication
Lectures on climate change and oceanography, making complex topics accessible.
Interdisciplinary Panels
Events bridging science, art, and culture, fostering diverse perspectives.
Community Engagement
Democratizing access to scientific and cultural knowledge, inspire a broader sense of civic participation, and cultivate a passion for lifelong learning across all ages and backgrounds
The "Expert Is In" Program
Bridging Research & Public Curiosity
The "Expert Is In" program is a cornerstone public engagement initiative at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, designed to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the curious public. This free program invites leading experts – including scientists, researchers, and artists – directly into the museum's exhibition halls and education centers to share their work on nature-based themes through dynamic, direct engagement with visitors.
- Engages approximately 100 participants per program session through direct, hands-on interactions.
- Built on a scalable framework that has expanded from the Sant Ocean Hall to galleries throughout the museum and the Q?rius education center.
- Connects audiences with cutting-edge nature-based research, innovation, and technology.
