FUTURES Closed July 6

Vision // what we work for:

We welcome all dreamers, makers, and changers of tomorrow to imagine a more equitable and sustainable future.

Mission // what we do:

The Arts + Industries Building is a Smithsonian hub for creative exchange between ideas and objects from our past and our future. Explore the next chapter of our world through unexpected museum experiences and bold conversations that span art, history, science, technology, and innovation. 

Sustainability Statement:

AIB commits to modeling and championing environmental museum policies and practices that preserve our planet for future generations. To help our visitors imagine a more sustainable future, we strive to incorporate sustainability into each stage of our decision making, as well as acknowledge and affirm that:
-Climate change is among the greatest threats facing humanity’s future.
-Cultural institutions have a responsibility and a duty to not only educate visitors on these issues but also to use their own resources wisely and lead the way for innovative sustainable practices.
-Cultural equity work and sustainability work are interdependent.

Land Acknowledgment:

AIB gratefully acknowledges the Native Peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today.

We acknowledge that AIB sits on the traditional territory of many nations past and present, including the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway Nation and we pay our respects to elders past, present and future.

Welcoming + Belonging Statement

AIB aims to create an inclusive space that allows every individual to see their full value and honor their heritage, histories and multiple futures. Shared knowledge about technology, innovation, art and industry enriches present and future generations.

We call in diverse visitors, partners and perspectives, recognizing that race, ethnicity, class, ability, gender and sexual orientation informs the intersections of our identity and lived experience. AIB supports the work being undertaken to dismantle injustice everywhere. We welcome all to gather and hold space for public dialogue. You belong here. Make meaning. Take action. Spark change.

We affirm that everyone has the power to be a future change agent, but in order to shape the future we must also understand our past. We acknowledge that the Smithsonian has its own history of racism, discrimination and exclusion and is in a season of remedy.

AIB is committed to advancing racial equity and inclusion, now and in the future, as a foundation for diversity, equity and access. We need your participation to guide our way forward.