National Portrait Gallery March Programs – Celebrate Women's History Month, new exhibitions and more!

 

REMIX
#ThisIs30

Thursday, March 26, 6:00–8:30 p.m.
Kogod Courtyard 

Join The Lily and the Portrait Gallery in toasting your 30s at the D.C. premiere of The Lily’s documentary "The Jessicas are turning 30." This happy hour event is the latest edition of REMIX. Whether you’re past this decade, in the middle of it, or not there yet, it’s a milestone. Come celebrate a generation with cake, champagne, games, trivia, art, and a cookie-decorating workshop with The Sweet Feminist. Plus, chill out to throwback music from the ‘80s and early ‘90s by New York DJ April Hunt.

 

Highlighted Programs

D.C. Premiere and Discussion of "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker"

Sunday, March 15, 2:00 p.m.
McEvoy Auditorium

Join the National Portrait Gallery and Netflix for a special preview of the new limited series, "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker." Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer stars as Madam C.J. Walker, the trailblazing African American entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire. Inspired by A'Lelia Bundles' book "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker,"the Netflix original highlights Walker’s rise above racial and gender biases to build a groundbreaking brand that revolutionized Black haircare and beauty products as she fought for social change.

The event will feature a screening of the first episode followed by a panel discussion with actress Octavia Spencer, author A’Lelia Bundles, and executive producers of the series.

This program is free and open to the public. Seating will be allotted on a first-come basis.

 

 

Drawn to Figures: John Singer Sargent

Wednesday, March 25 & Saturday, March 28
10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby

This drawing workshop takes place in the exhibition "John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal," which features the artist's charcoal drawings. Led by artist Jill Galloway, each session includes instruction and materials. Our focus will be setting up a portrait and adding value in charcoal. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up.

 

Grab a Friend!

Portraiture 101

Tuesday, March 10
5:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby

Join us for an interactive, in-gallery primer on how to look at portraiture. On your next visit, impress your family and friends with all that you've learned!

 

Grab a Friend!

Art AfterWords: Brown Girl Dreaming

Curator Tour: In Mid-Sentence
Sunday, March 1, 3:00 p.m.
Meets at the exhibition entrance, Second Floor North

Join Associate Curator of Photographs Leslie Ureña for a tour of "In Mid-Sentence" before it closes on March 8.

 

In Focus: Ulysses S. Grant

Thursday, March 5,
12:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby

On the first Thursday of the month, join an educator to explore our favorite portraits in the collection.

 

Leaders and Dreamers: Women's History Festival with Vashti Harrison

Saturday, March 14, 11:30–3:00 p.m.
Kogod Courtyard

Join the Portrait Gallery and celebrated author and illustrator Vashti Harrison to recognize bold women in history. Enjoy author talks, book signings, curator and artist tours, live music, and activities highlighting remarkable stories of women in the museum’s collection.

 

Artist Talk: Hugo Crosthwaite

Sunday, March 29, 3:00–4:00 p.m.
The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, Second Floor West

The winner of the fifth triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition will discuss his 2018 work "A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez," which chronicles a woman’s journey from Tijuana to the United States in pursuit of the American dream.

 

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.

 

Last Chance!

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company: A Tribute to Marian Anderson

Monday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m.
McEvoy Auditorium

Coreographer-in-Residence Dana Tai Soon Burgess presents 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. 
This program is supported in part by Ambassador Shirley E. Barnes, U.S. Ambassador Retired.
This last performance is sold out, however, we welcome walk-ins, pending seating availability.  If you cannot catch the last Anderson performance, the Choreographer in Residence’s next performance is Reflections on John Singer Sargent in April and May.  Please check Eventbrite.com for listings.

 

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.

 

Visionary: The Cumming Family Collection

On view April 24, 2020–Jan. 18, 2021
This exhibition reveals the results of over twenty-five years of inspired collecting by Ian and Annette Cumming. Beginning in 1995, the Cummings worked with their friend, art advisor D. Dodge Thompson, to commission or acquire over two dozen portraits. Important American artists, such as Chuck Close, Robert McCurdy, and Nelson Shanks, created these likenesses of national and global leaders. Sitters include Warren Buffett, Al Gore, Denyce Graves, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Toni Morrison, and Edward O. Wilson. Twenty-two of the portraits are gifts or promised gifts to the Portrait Gallery, among them "The Four Justices" by Nelson Shanks, an iconic group portrait featuring the women of the Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. "Visionary: The Cumming Family Collection" celebrates this major acquisition of contemporary portraits.

 

On View

Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits

On view through May 31, 2020
In mid-nineteenth-century America, the growing presence of women in public life coincided with the rise of portrait photography. This exhibition of daguerreotypes and ambrotypes from the 1840s and 1850s features portraits of early feminist icons, women’s rights advocates Margaret Fuller and Lucy Stone, abolitionist Lucretia Mott and best-selling author Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Ann Shumard, the National Portrait Gallery’s senior curator of photographs, is the curator of this exhibition.

 

Storied Women of the Civil War Era

On view through March 13, 2022
During the Civil War era, numerous women rose to national prominence—from First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln to the actress and Union spy Pauline Cushman. This intimate exhibition includes portraits of these and other intriguing women who captivated the public while becoming sought-after subjects for Mathew Brady’s camera. Ann Shumard, the National Portrait Gallery’s senior curator of photographs, is the curator of this exhibition.

 

The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Now

On view through Aug. 30, 2020
"The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today" features 48 works by finalists of the Portrait Gallery's latest Outwin Boochover Portrait Competition. Their art challenges the definition of portraiture and responds to some of the most pressing issues of our time.
You can also view the exhibition online at Google Arts & Culture.
Don't forget to vote for the 2019 People's Choice Award at the exhibition kiosks or online: portraitcompetition.si.edu.

 

Recent Acquisitions

On view through 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 also included in this exhibition. "Recent Acquisitions" is curated by the museum’s team of art historians.