National Portrait Gallery February Programs – Celebrate Black History Month, Presidential Family Fun Day and a Major Exhibition by John Singer Sargent
Presidential Family Fun Day
Saturday, Feb. 15, 11:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Kogod Courtyard
Enjoy a party loaded with crafts, music, dancing, games, and special tours of "America's Presidents." Celebrate with artists, President Lincoln's Cottage, the DC Public Library, the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing!
Spotlight Series
Strike a Prose Jr.
Saturdays, 10:00–11:30 a.m.
G Street Lobby
In this creative writing workshop for young people, we will gain inspiration from the portraits and words of icons featured at the Portrait Gallery.
Feb. 1: High School Edition
Feb. 22: Middle School Edition
Feb. 29: Elementary School Edition
Drawn to Figures
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
This drawing workshop series highlights portraits in our permanent collection. Led by artist Jill Galloway, each session includes instruction and materials. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up.
Feb. 12 & 15: Proportions
Feb. 19 & 22: Shading
Grab a Friend!
Portraiture 101
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby
Do you love museums but are unsure how to look at art? Do you wonder about the choices the artist made? Do you think about the materials used to make a portrait? If so, this program is for you! Join us to discuss these questions and others during this interactive, in-gallery experience led by a National Portrait Gallery educator. On your next museum visit, impress your family and friends with all that you've learned!
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company: A Tribute to Marian Anderson
Monday, Feb. 3, Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Monday, Feb. 24
6:30 p.m.
McEvoy Auditorium
Coreographer-in-Residence Dana Tai Soon Burgess debuts a new performance in response to the museum's exhibition "One Life: Marian Anderson." Opera singer Millicent Scarlett and pianist Jeffery Watson accompany six dancers in this inspiring tribute.
Art AfterWords: Brown Girl Dreaming
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 5:30–7:00 p.m.
G Street Lobby
Discuss our portrait of Angela Davis and "Brown Girl Dreaming." Jacqueline Woodson tells the moving story of her childhood. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in 1960s and 1970s, and describes the influence that civil rights activist Angela Davis had on her life. Presented in partnership with the DC Public Library.
A Lecture on John Singer Sargent by Richard Ormond
Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:00 p.m.
McEvoy Auditorium
Join guest curator Richard Ormond for a lecture on John Singer Sargent. Writer, biographer, former museum director, and Sargent's grand-nephew, Ormond is the author of the John Singer Sargent catalogue raisonné. In addition, he has written several books on the work of Sargent and other famous artists.
In the neighborhood? Check out our drop-in programs!
Conversation Circles
Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–noon
G Street Lobby
Practice English in small groups while learning more about U.S. history through portraiture.
Open Studios
Fridays, 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Education Center, E151
Discover your inner artist. Create an original artwork inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection while exploring a different technique or tool each week.
In Focus: Come Let Us Build a New World Together
Thursday, Feb. 6
12:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby
Celebrate Black History Month as we take a close look at a 1963 Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee poster of John Lewis and the photograph that inspired it.
Coming Soon
John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal
On view Feb. 28–May 31
In 1907, at the height of his success as a portraitist, John Singer Sargent astonished the transatlantic art world when he stopped painting portraits in oil. Afterward, he switched to charcoal, producing several hundred likenesses of individuals recognized for their accomplishments in fields such as art, music, literature, and theater. "John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal" is the first exhibition of Sargent’s portrait drawings in over fifty years.
The exhibition is organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., and the Morgan Library & Museum, New York. The presentation of the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery is made possible with lead funding from Ann S. and Samuel M. Mencoff. Additional support is provided by Dr. and Mrs. Paul Carter, Andrew Oliver Jr., and the American Portrait Gala Endowment.
The Obama Portraits
This new book celebrates the official paintings of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama that entered into the museum’s collection in 2018. An inspiring history of the creation and impact of these two portraits, this richly illustrated volume speaks to the power of art—especially portraiture—to bring people together and promote cultural change.
Essays by Taína Caragol, Dorothy Moss, Richard J. Powell, and Kim Sajet. Published in association with Princeton University Press (Available February 11, 2020).
On View
Portraits of the World: Denmark
Dec.13, 2019–Oct.12, 2020
"Portraits of the World: Denmark"explores artists' colonies in Denmark and the United States and the friendships and rivalries that shaped 20th-century modernism. This is the third exhibition in the museum’s series "Portraits of the World," curated by Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings.
Recent Acquisitions
Nov.15, 2019–Aug.30, 2020
"Recent Acquisitions" showcases the latest portraits to enter the Portrait Gallery’s collection. The individuals featured have made lasting contributions in areas such as medicine, music, art, media, and social justice. Portraits of the 2019 American Portrait Gala honorees are included in this exhibition. "Recent Acquisitions" is curated by the museum’s team of art historians.