Smithsonian Showcases Burning Man

Each August, more than 75,000 people converge in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, where they erect an entire city and gigantic experimental art installations, one of which is later ritually burned to ashes. Known as Burning Man, the temporary metropolis is a hotbed of artistic ingenuity and communal participation.

This year, for the first time, you won’t have to camp out in the desert to experience Burning Man. Opening March 30 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C., No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man will feature large-scale installations from the event as well as costumes, jewelry, video, photographs, and archival materials. An outdoor extension, No Spectators: Beyond the Renwick, will display art throughout the surrounding 43-square-block neighborhood.

The exhibition will close in two stages, on September 16, 2018 and January 21, 2019.