Best Laid Plans: Unrealized Projects from the Archives of American Art

Best Laid Plans explores unrealized creative work held in the Archives of American Art. Alongside unfinished artworks, the exhibition presents plans for books, exhibitions, and other artistic projects that were abandoned or otherwise never brought to completion. Many of these rarely seen materials exist only in archival form, offering insight into an often overlooked part of the Archives’ collections and bringing attention to projects by both well-known and lesser-known artists and thinkers.

When: April 4, 2026–October 18, 2026

Showtimes: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Venue: The Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, the Archives of American Art’s exhibition space in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture

Location note: The gallery is two blocks from the Archives of American Art’s Washington, D.C., Research Center, at 8th and F Streets NW. Visitors are directed to the Smithsonian’s visit information for current safety requirements.

Featured artists: Carl Andre, Stephen Antonakos, Gregory Battcock, Gretchen Bender, Dara Birnbaum, Bruce Conner, Lowell Darling, Nancy Holt, Robert Irwin, Gyorgy Kepes, Sol Lewitt, Robert Morris, Matt Mullican, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Ilene Segalove, Robert Smithson, Nancy Spero, Jessica Stockholder, Athena Tacha, and Mierle Laderman Ukeles

Tickets: Free