New Virtual Programs from the National Portrait Gallery –Book Club, Writing Workshops, The Outwin 2019 People’s Choice Awardee and More

 

Light It Blue

On April 23, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum lit up our shared building in blue to show support for health care workers. We are proud to have joined others across the Smithsonian, the nation, and the world to recognize those on the front lines.

 

New Programs

Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion

Monday, May 18
5:30–6:30 p.m.

Join the Portrait Gallery, the DC Public Library, and the #DCReadsToni Book Club for a virtual conversation about portraits and prose. Discuss Robert McCurdy’s portrait of Toni Morrison from the museum’s collection alongside her book, “Paradise.”

*DCPL Cardholders can access "Paradise" here.
Free—Register at npg.eventbrite.com

 

Writing Hour

Tuesdays, 5:00–6:00 p.m

Join us for a virtual creative writing hour. Our goal is to set up an online space where writers can create, connect, and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's online exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture.

Free—Register at npg.eventbrite.com

 

Highlighted Programs

Story Time

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m.
Facebook @smithsoniannpg

Immerse yourself in tales of presidents, artists, inventors, athletes, and more! Join a Portrait Gallery educator for Story Time every Wednesday on Facebook. Each week will focus on a different person. Children will learn more about familiar names and faces, and will also meet new people from U.S. history!

This month we've partnered with our music-loving friends at the National Museum of American History to learn more about jazz legends.

Select Story Times are presented en español! Check out our latest addition, "Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz," here.

 

More Digital Workshops

Young Portrait Explorers

Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.
Instagram @smithsoniannpg

Explore portraits of astronauts and activists, scientists and star athletes — and discover the stories behind them! Join us every Tuesday on Instagram Stories for a close look at a featured portrait. Then we'll dig deeper with some discussion questions and get moving with fun activities on the day's topic. Download PDF activity guides from our website. For children ages 3 and up and their families.

 

Drawn to Figures

Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.
Instagram Stories @smithsoniannpg

Learn tips and tricks for portraying the human body in this digital workshop. Each Thursday on Instagram, artist Jill Galloway will share sketching techniques to help you overcome the challenges of figure drawing. Open to all skill levels, ages 13 and up.

 

Open Studios

Fridays, 11:00 a.m.
Facebook @smithsoniannpg

Join artist Jill Galloway on Facebook for Open Studio sessions each Friday. Discover your inner artist! Create an original artwork inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection while exploring a different technique or tool each week. Open to all skill levels.

 

Discover New Additions to Google Arts & Culture

Winold Reiss & the Harlem Renaissance

Explore the life of German-born artist Winold Reiss and learn how he used portraiture to challenge racial stereotypes.

 

American Origins

Tour highlights from our permanent collection exhibition "American Origins" and discover the men and women who shaped our nation.

 

What does it mean to be American?

Get up close to "Shimomura Crossing the Delaware." Artist Roger Shimomura combines American culture and Asian tradition in a portrait that challenges Asian stereotypes while raising thought-provoking questions about racial and cultural identity.

 

Discover New Additions to Google Arts & Culture

The Outwin 2019 People's Choice Award

The Portrait Gallery celebrates ADÁL as winner of "The Outwin 2019" People’s Choice Award. During this triennial, more than 17,000 visitors bid for their favorite artwork from "The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today." Puerto Rican artist ADÁL won with the most votes for his compelling photograph “Muerto Rico” featuring a portrait of a masked individual submerged in water. The subject wears a black t-shirt designed by Bold Destrou with the message “Muerto Rico” (Dead Rico). With this achievement, ADÁL joins seven jury-selected prize-winners for the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. View the winning works and more at portraitcompetition.si.edu or on the Portrait Gallery’s Google Arts & Culture page.

 

Access

Audio Descriptions of America's Presidents

Encounter the Portrait Gallery's signature exhibition from a new perspective. Our detailed audio descriptions of select presidential portraits are geared toward those who are blind or have low vision, but anyone can enjoy them! Available on our website and on SmARTify. This free and easy-to-use app allows you to explore more than 1,000 artworks from the Portrait Gallery’s collection.

 

ASL Exhibition Tours

Enjoy ASL tours of select exhibitions, including "The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today," which features works by contemporary artists that challenge the definition of portraiture. Our ASL tour of "One Life: Marian Anderson" explores the life and legacy of the acclaimed vocalist and symbol of the civil rights movement. Check them out on the Portrait Gallery's YouTube channel.

 

Where Portraiture Meets Performance

Choreographer-in-Residence Dana Tai Soon Burgess

View excerpts of stunning performances inspired by the National Portrait Gallery's exhibitions. Find select pieces by Dana Tai Soon Burgess, the Smithsonian's first choreographer-in-residence, on our YouTube channel.

 

IDENTIFY: Performance Art as Portraiture

Expand your horizons with videos of works commissioned for IDENTIFY, the Portrait Gallery’s performance art series. Now in its sixth year, IDENTIFY has highlighted artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Martha McDonald, Lee Mingwei, and Wanda Raimundi Ortiz. See select performances on the "Visit from Home" page of the museum’s website.

 

Podcast

PORTRAITS is back with a brand new season. Join our host, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet, as she chats with historians and thought leaders about the portraits and stories of individuals who have shaped our nation. May episodes will include a conversation about the connections between President John F. Kennedy and his unconventional portraitist Elaine de Kooning. There will also be a special episode on “Social Distancing with Portraiture” with Taína Caragol, curator of painting and sculpture and Latino art and history.

All new episodes for season two premiere bi-weekly on Tuesdays through June. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, PRX, Radio Public, Spotify, Stitcher, and website.

 

EDUCATION RESOURCES

The National Portrait Gallery is meeting teachers and students where they are! Check out more than 125 Learning Lab collections created by Portrait Gallery educators and classroom teachers. The Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources, creating content with online tools, and sharing in the Smithsonian's expansive community of knowledge and learning.

 

All images belong to the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, unless otherwise noted.

National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum building (detail) by an unidentified photographer, 2020. Untitled (Toni Morrison) (detail) by Robert McCurdy, oil on canvas, 2006. Gift of Ian M. and Annette P. Cumming. © Robert McCurdy. The Courtyard Cafe (detail) by Tony Powell, 2019. Young Portrait Explorers (detail) by Tony Powell, 2019. Young Portrait Explorers (detail) by Tony Powell, 2019. Drawn to Figures (detail) by Tony Powell, 2019. Open Studios (detail) by Tony Powell, 2019. Langston Hughes (detail) by Winold Reiss, c. 1925. Gift of W. Tjark Reiss, in memory of his father, Winold Reiss. © Estate of Winold Reiss. Pocahontas (detail) by an unidentified artist, after 1616. Gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, 1942. Shimomura Crossing the Delaware by Roger Shimomura, 2010. Gift of Raymond L. Ocampo Jr., Sandra Oleksy Ocampo, and Robert P. Ocampo. © Roger Shimomura. Muerto Rico by ADÁL, inkjet print, 2017. Collection of the artist. © ADÁL. George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) (detail) by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796. Acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. ASL Tour (detail) by Tony Powell 2019. A Tribute to Marian Anderson (detail) by Tony Powell, 2020. Wanda Ramundi-Ortiz, photo courtesy of Dominic DiPaolo. Portraits by the National Portrait Gallery, 2019.