Media Advisory: Press open house for the new exhibition “Explore! With the Portrait Gallery”

WHAT:    Press open house for the new exhibition “Explore! With the Portrait                        Gallery”

WHEN:    Tuesday, Jan. 24
                   10–11:30 a.m.

WHERE:    National Portrait Gallery
                    Eighth and G streets N.W.

WHO:    Kim Sajet, director, National Portrait Gallery
                 Rhonda Buckley-Bishop, president and CEO for Explore! Children’s                          Museum of Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, in partnership with Explore! Children’s Museum, will opens its first-ever space dedicated to children Jan. 28. “Explore! with the Portrait Gallery” will expand experiences of portraiture by allowing kids to do hands-on activities with portraiture to answer questions such as “What is a portrait?” “How do I see myself?” and “How do others see me?” 

Located on the first floor of the museum, this space represents the Portrait Gallery’s first exhibition with an interactive bilingual gallery for visitors with children ages 18 months to 8 years. Visitors will be able to trace each other’s silhouettes, strike a pose for a projected video art piece and experiment with expression and emotion by building faces out of illustrated blocks. 

Under the principle that children learn through play, “Explore!” was designed to give children the experience of learning without even knowing they are doing so. The exhibition will feature multisensory elements to ensure accessibility for visitors with disabilities. 

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