What's On April - New Wind Down Wednesday and More! | National Portrait Gallery

Wind Down Wednesday: Orchidaceous

Wednesday, April 20, 5:00 p.m.
Instagram Live @smithsonianNPG

It’s all about flower power! April is National Orchid Month, and the Orchidaceae family is in bloom and on view in the Smithsonian Gardens’ exhibition "Orchids: Hidden Stories of Groundbreaking Women" in our very own Kogod Courtyard. Discover the idiosyncrasies and benefits of having orchids in your home, learn about Georgia O’Keeffe’s obsession with depicting orchids, and open your olfactory senses to experience a demonstration of a fragrant botanical drink. 

Drawing in the Galleries

Drawn to Figures: How to
Draw the Clothed Figure
Thursday, April 14
10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. 
G Street Lobby 

Learn how to draw the clothed figure in this drawing workshop that highlights portraits in our permanent collection. Led by artist Jill Galloway, this session includes instruction, a guided drawing session, and all supplies. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Space is limited.
Fee: $12—Registration required

Drawn to Figures: How to
Start a Basic Portrait
Thursday, April 28
10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. 
G Street Lobby 

This drawing workshop highlights portraits in our special exhibition “Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands.” Led by artist Jill Galloway, this workshop will guide participants through the basics of starting a portrait. This session includes instruction, a guided drawing session, and all supplies. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Space is limited.
Fee: $12—Registration required

Virtual Program

In Dialogue: Smithsonian Objects and Social Justice
Thursday, April 14, 5:00 p.m. 
Online via Zoom

How do museums highlight the images and stories of people who are forced to hide? Together with our co-hosts from the National Museum of American History we will examine Barbara Carrasco’s Pop art print of lawyer, activist, and community leader Antonia Hernández as well as a monarch butterfly poster created by activists in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
This conversation is a part of a series during which educators from the National Portrait Gallery partner with colleagues from across the Smithsonian to discuss how historical objects from their respective collections speak to today’s social justice issues.
Free—Registration required. 

Spotlight Video

Hit Play! Portrait Mode: Portraits Deconstructed

On View

Block by Block: Naming Washington

On view through Jan. 16, 2023

Recent Acquisitions
On view through Oct. 23, 2022

Orchids: Hidden Stories of Groundbreaking Women
On view through April 24, 2022

Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands
On view through May 30, 2022

Visit Us at Home

Let's meet up remotely! Join the National Portrait Gallery for a variety of digital offerings, ranging from artist-led drawing workshops and writing workshops to docent-led group tours for adults. All tours and workshops require registration. Reservations for docent-led group tours must be made three weeks in advance of the desired tour date. To receive a tour request form, e-mail NPGAdultTours@si.edu or click here.

Not ready to come back quite yet? Enjoy several online adaptations of National Portrait Gallery exhibitions and collection highlights, including "Russell Means: A Complex Portrait"  and "Witness to History: The Old Patent Office Building,"through our collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.

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