What's On this Aug - Book Club with Mikki Kendall, New Virtual Henrietta Lacks Exhibition, and Women's Equality Day Celebrations

 

Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Names Bradford Grant as Museum’s New Instagram Artist-in-Residence

I am pleased to announce that the National Portrait Gallery has named Howard University architecture professor and sketch artist Bradford Grant as the museum’s first Instagram artist-in-residence. During his residency, Grant will interpret and depict the museum’s programs, community, and spaces through the lens of his sketch work and made-from-life drawings. His sketches will premiere on the museum’s Instagram and social media feeds @smithsoniannpg.

Grant has a gifted eye for finding and documenting stories. His work as a sketch artist flows from his training as an architect and his fascination with the intersection of space, structure, community, and culture. We hope his residency will be an opportunity for you to experience the museum from new angles as we continue to try to unpack and explore the complexities of American history through biography and portraiture.

Kim Sajet
Director
National Portrait Gallery

 

PORTAL

Queer Art and Controversy at the Smithsonian: A Conversation with Lonnie G. Bunch III and John W. McCarter Jr.

Tuesday, Aug. 4
5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom

Join Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and former Smithsonian Regent John W. McCarter Jr. for a discussion on the censorship of a video by David Wojnarowicz in the National Portrait Gallery’s 2010 exhibition “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.” This program is sponsored by the Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia Conversation Series on LGBTQ+ Portraiture and is organized by PORTAL, the National Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center.

Free—Registration required

 

Genevieve Gaignard and Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz in Conversation with Taína Caragol

Tuesday, Aug. 18
5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom

Join Portrait Gallery curator Taína Caragol as she engages artists Genevieve Gaignard and Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz in a discussion of their individual photographic and performance practices. Gaignard’s work is featured in “The Outwin 2019” exhibition of contemporary portraiture, while Raimundi-Ortiz has participated in the Portrait Gallery’s IDENTIFY performance art series. This program is part of the Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture Conversation Series and is organized by PORTAL, the National Portrait Gallery's Scholarly Center.

Free—Registration required

 

Special Programs

Love Letter, 2020: A Celebration of Black Women in Portraiture

Thursday, Aug. 13
3:30–5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom

Join the National Portrait Gallery for an online exploration of identity and biography through the lens of Black women in portraiture. Participants will discuss how visual culture lends itself to understanding the contributions of Black women in the history of art and in fields such as science, education, and politics. We will use the elements of portrayal—visual clues found in portraits—to discover deeper meaning in a selection of works and to share joy through the celebration of Black women in art.

Free–Register at npg.eventbrite.com

 

Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion

Tuesday, Aug. 18
5:30–7:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom

The National Portrait Gallery and the DC Public Library invite you to a virtual conversation about visual culture, activism, and prose. Join us as we reflect on Gordon Parks’s portrait of Malcolm X from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and discuss the related book “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall. Participants are encouraged to explore “Talking About Race,” a new resource from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, before the event.

DCPL cardholders can access “Hood Feminism” here.

Free–Register at npg.eventbrite.com

 

Celebrate Women's Equality Day

Instagram Live: A Discussion on Women's Suffrage with Kate Clarke Lemay and Lara Vapnek

Tuesday, Aug. 18
12:00 p.m.
Instagram @smithsoniannpg

Experience the museum's first Instagram Live! Portrait Gallery historian Kate Clarke Lemay and Professor Lara Vapnek, who teaches history at St. John’s University, will delve into the long history of suffrage activism. On Aug. 18, 1920, the movement for women's voting rights culminated in Tennessee's vote to ratify the 19th amendment, which provided the two-thirds majority of states needed for the amendment to become law. The conversation will highlight Leonora O'Reilly, a "working girl" from New York City who became a leading suffrage advocate, and whose portrait is in the museum's collection.

 

Women of Color: The Power of Protest

Ongoing
American Women's History Initiative 

In recognition of Women’s Equality Day, the Portrait Gallery and its Smithsonian colleagues revisit the pan-institutional series “Women of Color: The Power of Protest.” Inspired in part by the Portrait Gallery exhibition “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence,” the Nov. 2019 “Ain’t I a Woman: Activism, Legacy, and Our Quest for Justice” panel paid tribute to Black women crusaders who confronted societal challenges, political obstacles, and racism not only during the suffrage movement, but throughout history. In case you missed it, you can now access this discussion and the two others in the series online. This program is supported by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, #BecauseOfHerStory.

 

Women's Equality Day Crafts and Activities

Ongoing
Smithsonian Learning Lab

Feeling inspired by Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26? Try your hand at three crafts that celebrate remarkable women in the Portrait Gallery’s collection, accessible through the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab. Make a collage of Harriet Tubman, a mixed media portrait of Belva Ann Lockwood, and a word portrait of Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes. Happy Women’s Equality Day!

 

Introducing...

Wednesday, Aug. 26
11:00 a.m.
Facebook @smithsoniannpg

Celebrate Women's Equality Day with the whole family! This special Introducing…. features writer, teacher, and activist Mary Church Terrell. Take a look at her portrait by Betsy Graves Reyneau; hear how Mary Church Terrell fought for women's right to vote and stood up for racial equality; and learn some new vocabulary along the way. For children ages 3 and up and their families.

 

Weekly Online Programs

The National Portrait Gallery is proud to host some of its many public programs online. These digital offerings range from story times for young children to art-making workshops for all ages. Tune in to the museum's social media channels to experience them firsthand.

Visit our website's Visit at Home page for more in-depth program descriptions.

Young Portrait Explorers
Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.
Instagram @smithsoniannpg

 

Writing Hour
Tuesdays, 5:00–6:00 p.m

Free—Register at npg.eventbrite.com

 

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

 

Drawn to Figures
Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.
YouTube @smithsoniannpg

 

Open Studios
Fridays, 11:00 a.m.
YouTube @smithsoniannpg

 

Podcast

Tune in on Tuesday, Aug. 4, for the finale of season two of PORTRAITS. Enjoy a new episode featuring writers Janine Sherman Barrois and Elle Johnson of Netflix’s new limited series “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker.” Together with host and director of the National Portrait Gallery Kim Sajet, these writers go behind the scenes of one of Netflix’s latest productions to share how they created a cinematic portrait of the struggles and triumphs of Madam CJ Walker, the trailblazing African American entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire.

Listen to the full season on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, PRX, Radio Public, Spotify, Stitcher, and npg.si.edu. 

 

Tour the National Portrait Gallery with Google Arts & Culture

Missed it in person? Enjoy several online adaptations of National Portrait Gallery exhibitions and collection highlights, including "Immortalized in Medicine and on Canvas: The Controversial, Lifesaving Legacy of Henrietta Lacks" and "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence," through our collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.

 

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.

 

EDUCATION RESOURCES

The National Portrait Gallery is meeting teachers and students where they are. Check out more than 150 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.