Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Announces Select In-Person Programs and Virtual Workshops

ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE FOR EASTERN TIME

In-Person Programs, March – May

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Weekend Workshops

Select Saturdays, March 4, 11, 18 & 25, April 8, 15, 22 & 29, May 6, 13, 20 & 27  

11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

Select Sundays, March 5, 12, 19 & 26, April 16, 23 & 30, May 7, 14, 21 & 28 

11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

Education Center, E151  

Calling all artists! Get creative during our drop-in workshops for all ages. Learn about artists and changemakers and create art inspired by their stories.

 

Creativity is Magic: Maya Lin Festival at the National Portrait Gallery  

Saturday, March 11, 12 –3 p.m.  

Kogod Courtyard  

 

Join the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Gardens for a festival of art and ideas in honor of Women’s History Month. Tour the special exhibition “One Life: Maya Lin,” participate in art workshops, and take part in her ongoing multi-site memorial What Is Missing? Participants of all ages can also create art inspired by Lin’s designs, which meet at the intersection of art and environmentalism. 

 

Writing Workshop Inspired by Kinship

Wednesday, March 15, 5 – 7 p.m.  

G Street Lobby  

 

In this creative writing workshop inspired by “Kinship,” we will explore the theme of family. Join us as we develop strong characters with distinctive voices and delve into the joys and complexities of familial relationships. Open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Free – Registration required.   

 

Writing Workshop Inspired by Early 20th-Century Portraiture   

Friday, April 14, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

G Street Lobby  

 

In this creative writing workshop, participants will write stories inspired by the National Portrait Gallery’s collection of early 20th-century portraiture, with a focus on the recently acquired portrait of the Osage leader Shonke Mon thi^. Using guided writing prompts, reading, discussion and imagination, participants will develop stories that weave together history and culture. Open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Free – Registration required.    

  
Curator Tour of Out of Many with Robyn Asleson

Sunday, April 23, 3 – 4 p.m.

First Floor South, East Entrance

 

Come and see the refreshed exhibition “Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900,” which reopened in summer 2022. Curator of Prints and Drawings Robyn Asleson will discuss the process of reinvigorating the galleries. Free – No registration required. 

 

Transformations by Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company

Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m. & 5 p.m.  

McEvoy Auditorium  

 

The National Portrait Gallery's resident choreographer, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, concludes his residency with a new modern dance entitled “Transformations.” Performed by seven dancers, the 30-minute abstract piece is inspired by the work of the Transcendental Painting Group, active in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1938–1942. Pianist Dana Scott will perform an accompanying composition by Dane Rudhyar. Patricia Michaels, a leading fashion designer with Taos Pueblo roots, created the costumes. Free. Seating is limited to first come, first served.  

Curator Tour of 1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions

Sunday, May 21, 3 – 4 p.m.

Second Floor West Galleries

 

Join Taína Caragol, curator of painting, sculpture & Latino art and history, and Kate Lemay, historian, for a tour of "1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions." Through portraiture and visual culture, this exhibition tells the history of this eventful year and its complex legacy. Free – No registration required. 

Writing Workshop Inspired by I Dream a World  
Tuesday, May 23, 5 – 7 p.m.  
G Street Lobby   

 

This creative writing workshop will explore the lives of the extraordinary women featured in “I Dream a World: Selections from Brian Lanker’s Portraits of Remarkable Black Women.” Using guided writing exercises, participants will pay tribute to pioneers such as Althea Gibson, Odetta, Cicely Tyson and Oprah Winfrey, reflecting on the ways they have shaped American culture while fighting for social justice and civil rights. Open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Free – Registration required.   

 

 

Virtual Programs, March – May

 

Drawn to Figures  

Thursdays, March 2 & 30, April 13 & 27, May 4 & 25  

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.   

Online via Zoom  

 

Discover your inner artist in this virtual drawing workshop. Facilitated by artist Jill Galloway, the it will include guided instruction on the techniques and challenges of figure drawing. Each session will highlight portraits from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection or related themes. Open to all skill levels, ages 18+. Free – Registration required. 

Virtual Writing Hour with the National Portrait Gallery  

Select Tuesdays, March 7 & 21, April 11, May 2 & 16, 5 – 6 p.m.  

Online via Zoom  

 

Join a virtual creative writing hour with the National Portrait Gallery! We've set up a virtual space in which writers can create, connect and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. Bring your own happy hour beverage and write with us. We will provide writing prompts, but participants are also invited to bring their own writing project-in-progress. After writing for 30 minutes, we will end each session with a brief discussion or reading. Free – Registration required. 

 

Virtual Young Portrait Explorers  

Wednesdays, March 8 & 22, April 12 & 26, May 10 & 24  

11 – 11:30 a.m.  

Online via Zoom  

 

Join our interactive virtual workshop for children ages 3-6 and their adult companions to explore portraiture, history and culture. This thirty-minute program incorporates close looking at art, movement and creativity. Learn new stories about changemakers, ranging from astronauts to activists, presidents to painters! Free – Registration required.