Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Announces Spring Programs

ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE FOR EASTERN TIME 

In-Person Programs, March – April

First Thursdays: Come Look with Us
Select Thursdays, March 6 & April 3, 5:30 – 6:15 p.m.
G Street Lobby

Need to wind down after work? Let the National Portrait Gallery's educators share their favorite portraits with you. Participants spend time slowing down, conversing and looking at an artwork in the galleries. Free – Registration Required.

Conversation Circles  
Select Fridays, March 7 & 21; April 4 & 18, 10 a.m. – noon 
G Street Lobby 

Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world to learn about U.S. art, history and culture through portraiture. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu. Free – No Registration Required. 

Writing Workshop Inspired by Women’s History Month
Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m. – noon
G Street Lobby

Join us for a creative writing workshop exploring the images and stories of contemporary women featured in the National Portrait Gallery collection. Participants will look closely at portraits, discuss with each other and respond to guided writing prompts to honor and celebrate these leaders, activists and artists. Free – Registration Required.

Women's History Day Celebration
Saturday, March 8, 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In the Galleries

Celebrate Women's History Day with the Portrait Gallery – Join us all day for activities throughout the museum's galleries. Inspired by the portraits of women in the museum’s collection, the celebration is a chance to learn, reflect and enjoy with art activities, meditation, recipe swaps, story times, guided curator tours and much more. This event is for all ages. Free – Registration Encouraged.

Curator Tour: From Pocahontas to Belva Lockwood: Seven Women Who Shaped American History
Sunday, March 9, 3 - 4 p.m.
G Street Lobby

Join the Portrait Gallery’s Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings Robyn Asleson for a lively tour of select portraits in our permanent collection. These portraits are drawn from the museum’s collection of works highlighting women who contributed to the country’s history. Free – Registration Encouraged.

Sketch Break After Dark
Thursday, March 13, 5 – 7 p.m.  
In the Galleries

Join us in the galleries for a drop-in sketching session with artist educator Laurain Park. Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. All materials will be provided. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Free – Registration Required.

A Walking Tour of “Untitled” (America)
Select Wednesdays, March 19 & April 2, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
G Street Lobby

What does a portrait of America look like? In the exhibition “Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return,” “Untitled” (America) (1994) comprises twelve light strings that are shown in different configurations across locations inside and outside the museum, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

Please join exhibition co-curators Charlotte Ickes, curator of time-based media and special projects at the National Portrait Gallery, and Josh T Franco, head of collecting at the Archives of American Art, for a special walking tour of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” (America) (1994). Participants will discuss the connections between democracy, labor, change and the site-specific installation of the work. Free – Registration Required. 

Sketch Break  
Select Thursdays, March 20 & 27; April 3 & 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  
In the Galleries 

Join us for a sketching session in our galleries. Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Participants can expect guided instruction from an artist educator before heading into the galleries to sketch on their own. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own sketchbooks. Free – Registration Encouraged.  

Star Power: Saturday Movie Matinee
Saturday, March 22, noon
McEvoy Auditorium

Join the Portrait Gallery for a Saturday movie matinee inspired by the current exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.” These screenings will spotlight films from the 1930s that have become Hollywood classics. The featured film will be The Women (running time: 2 hours, 13 min.). Directed by George Cukor, this 1939 melodrama features an all-woman cast starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell. Free – Registration Required.

In-Gallery Portrait Signs  
Select Saturdays, March 29 & April 26, noon – 1 p.m. 
G Street Lobby   

Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language. Tours explore portraiture, history and biography through the lens of our special exhibitions and permanent collection. Dates and topics are continually updated. Free – Registration Required.

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Sunday, Apr. 6, 2 – 3 p.m. 
G Street Lobby

Join a volunteer docent on select Sundays for lively tours of the Portrait Gallery in Spanish. We hope to see you there. Free – No Registration Required.

Teen Pop-Up: AP Study Break Edition
Wednesday, April 16, 5 – 6:45 p.m.
Kogod Courtyard

Curious about the sources of the images in your textbooks? Tired of cramming for exams with notecards? This pop-up teen event features artworks that illustrate pivotal aspects of Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. and AP Government syllabi and that are by artists on the AP Art History list of 250 required works. Free – Registration Required.

Star Power: Saturday Movie Matinee
Select Saturday, April 19, noon
McEvoy Auditorium

Join the Portrait Gallery for a Saturday movie matinee inspired by the current exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.” These screenings will spotlight films from the 1930s that have become Hollywood classics.  The featured film will be It Happened One Night (running time: 1 hour, 45 min.). This sparkling 1934 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, stars Clark Gable as a down-on-his- luck reporter who aids runaway heiress Claudette Colbert in hopes of getting a big story. Free – Registration Required.

Curator Tour: “Earth, Fields, Land: Honoring Earth Day Through Our Permanent Collection”
Sunday, April 27, 3 – 4 p.m.
G Street Lobby

Join the Portrait Gallery’s Curator of Painting and Sculpture Taína Caragol for a lively tour of works from the museum’s permanent collection related to Earth Day’s homage to nature. Free – Registration Required.

Portrait Gallery Kids  
All Mondays, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 
Education Center, E151  

Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the National Portrait Gallery. Join educators every Monday to explore a new topic and different materials. Participants will look at art, enjoy hands-on activities, listen to music and participate in story time. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other. Our friends from DC Public Library will join us on the second Monday of each month for a special story time about the day’s theme. Free – No Registration Required. 

Portrait Gallery Art Studio
Select Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Education Center, E151 

Calling all artists – Join the National Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise in various artistic disciplines. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page. Free – No Registration Required. 

Virtual Programs, March – April

Virtual Writing Hour 
Select Tuesdays, March 4 & 25, 5 – 6 p.m.  
Online via Zoom

Join us for a virtual creative writing hour at the National Portrait Gallery. We’ve set up an online space where writers can create, connect and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Bring a happy hour beverage of your choice and write with us. We will provide writing prompts, but participants are also welcome to bring their own in-progress writing projects. Attendees will write for about 30 minutes, and each session will end with a brief discussion or reading. Free – Registration Required.  

Drawn to Figures 
Select Thursdays, March 6 & 13; April 10 & 24, 11 a.m. – noon 
Online via Zoom  

Discover your inner artist in this live virtual drawing workshop. Facilitated by artist Jill Galloway, each program will highlight a National Portrait Gallery exhibition or a portrait from the collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. Free – Registration Required. 

Virtual Young Portrait Explorers  
Select Tuesdays, March 11 & 25; April 8 & 22, 11 – 11:30 a.m. 
Online via Zoom  

Join educators with the National Portrait Gallery as we learn about art, history and more. This 30-minute virtual workshop incorporates looking at portraiture, movement activities and artmaking. Recommended for children ages three and up and their adult companions. Free – Registration Required. 

Conversation Circles  
Select Fridays, March 14 & 28; April 11 & 25, 10 – 11 a.m. 
Online via Zoom 

Calling all English-language learners – Join National Portrait Gallery educators and friends from all over the world. Together, we’ll use portraiture to learn about U.S. art, history and culture. This program takes place every other week. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. For more information, email Beth Evans at evansb@si.edu. Free – No Registration Required.