#ColorOurCollections Coloring Event

From Feburary 1-5, 2016 the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) is encouraging cultural institutions and crayon enthusiasts to join together for #ColorOurCollections. Institutions such as NYAM, the Biodiversity Heritage Library and the Smithsonian Libraries will provide inspiration and coloring sheets for artists of all ages to fill in. Colorers can share their creations on social media by tagging the organization and using the hashtag #ColorOurCollections.

The Smithsonian Libraries is particularly excited about this idea because it coincides with the opening of our new exhibition Color in a New Light! Color in a New Light explores the ways in which color connects so many areas of life — from chemistry to catalogs, from colorblind tests to couture. We think colorers will find tons of inspiration in the digitized books from the exhibition.

In honor of #ColorOurCollections and Color in a New Light, the Smithsonian Libraries has created a free downloadable coloring booklet featuring items in our collection, available as a pdf here. We hope you’ll print it out and show off your coloring! Please tag us @SILibraries and using #ColorOurCollections when sharing on social media. We can’t wait to see your masterpieces!