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

ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE FOR EASTERN TIME

In-Person Programs, March – May

For Teens, By Teens: Focus Group

Friday, March 1, 5 – 6 p.m. \  Saturday, April 20, Noon – 1 p.m. \ Education Center, E151

Are you a teen and want to have a say in the Portrait Gallery’s teen programming? Here’s your chance! Attend one of our focus groups to help build programming for teens, by teens. Attendees will be eligible to receive community service hours. Free – Registration Required.

Conversation Circles 

Select Fridays, March 1, 15 & 29, April 5 & 19, May 3 & 17 / 10 a.m. – noon / G Street Lobby

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.

For Teens, By Teens: Focus Group

Friday, March 1, 5 – 6 p.m. /  Saturday, April 20, Noon – 1 p.m. / Education Center, E151

Are you a teen and want to have a say in the Portrait Gallery’s teen programming? Here’s your chance! Attend one of our focus groups to help build programming for teens, by teens. Attendees will be eligible to receive community service hours. Free – Registration Required.

Teen Conversation Circles

Select Saturdays, March 2, April 6 & May 4, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. / G Street Lobby

Calling teen 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 and alternates between in-person gatherings (meet in the G Street Lobby) and virtual conversations on Zoom. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. Open to teens, ages 13-19. Free – Registration Required.

Weekend Workshops

Select Saturdays & Sundays, 12 – 3 p.m. / Education Center, E151

Calling all artists! Get creative during our drop-in workshops for all ages. Learn about artists and change-makers and create art inspired by their stories. Free – No Registration Required.

Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours

Select Sundays, March 3, April 7 & May 5 / 2 – 3 p.m. / G Street Lobby

Spanish-language tours are returning! Join our volunteer docents on select Sundays for lively tours of Portrait Gallery favorites. We hope to see you there! Free – No Registration Required.

Portrait Gallery Kids 

Select Mondays, March 4, 11, 18 & 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29, May 6, 13 & 20 / 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. / Education Center, E151 

Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators on select Mondays as we explore topics like colors, emotions, STEM and history. Portrait Gallery Kids incorporates looking at art, hands-on activities, music and movement. This program is a fun way to engage with art and each other. Free – No Registration Required.

Writing Workshop Inspired by Inventors and Innovators

Wednesday, March 6, 5 – 7 p.m./ G Street Lobby

Join the National Portrait Gallery for a creative writing workshop inspired by the inventors and innovators who transformed U.S. industry. During the 19th and 20th centuries, these individuals developed commercial products that reshaped American culture, business and society. Participants will explore their indelible impact through portraiture, readings, discussion and guided writing prompts. Free – Registration Required.

Sketch Break

Select Thursdays, March 7, April 11 & 25, May 16 & 30 / 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.

Women’s History Month Festival

Saturday, March 9, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

This one’s for the ladies (and everyone else, too) as the Portrait Gallery hosts its annual Women’s History Month festival for all ages! Come see our newest portraits of Oprah, Beyoncé, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and other inspiring women. Join the celebration in the Kogod Courtyard, featuring performances and workshops from The Washington Ballet, art activities, spotlight talks, scavenger hunts and story times – there will be something for everyone! Free—Registration Encouraged.

In Conversation: Opal Lee and Sedrick Huckaby

Saturday, March 9, 3:30 p.m. / McEvoy Auditorium

Join us for a conversation between Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” and Sedrick Huckaby, who painted her portrait. Lee is the retired teacher, counselor and activist who led the push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition finalist Huckaby portrays his friend in a life-sized oil painting. Sitting at her dining room table, she seems to welcome viewers to join her in conversation. Free – Registration Encouraged.

Teen Graphic Novel Reading Group

Tuesday, March 12, 5 – 6:30 p.m. / Wednesday, April 10, 5 – 6:30 p.m. / Saturday, May 11, 10:30 a.m. – noon / Education Center E151

Teens are invited to join us as we read a selection of graphic novels inspired by the sitters in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. Through group discussion about autobiographies, fantasy and historical fiction, attendees will develop visual literacy and critical thinking skills. Open to teens ages 13-19. Free – Registration Required.

In-Gallery Portrait Signs 

Select Saturdays, March 16, April 13 & May 11, 12 – 1 p.m. / G Street Lobby  

 Explore the National Portrait Gallery’s collection with a Deaf docent. These 60-minute tours in American Sign Language are offered monthly. Free – Registration Required.

Trivia Night: Women’s History Month

Tuesday, March 26, 5 – 6:45 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

Who run the world? Girls! Join us to celebrate Women’s History Month at our happy hour trivia at the National Portrait Gallery. With our friends from New Columbia Pub Quiz, we will test your knowledge of incredible women in our collection, including none other than Beyoncé! Our free collections-themed trivia game can be played individually or in teams of up to six people. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening. The Courtyard Café will be open during the event, and snacks and beverages will be available for purchase.  Free—Registration Encouraged.

A Conversation: The Enduring Legacy of Frederick Douglass

Thursday, March 28, 6 – 7 p.m. / McEvoy Auditorium

 The renowned abolitionist, author and orator Frederick Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century. In conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition “One Life: Frederick Douglass,” this panel discussion will explore the ways Douglass used speeches, personal narrative and images to further his activism. Hear from the exhibition’s co-curators, John Stauffer, the Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African American Studies at Harvard University, and Ann Shumard, the National Portrait Gallery’s senior curator of photographs. Joined by Kenneth B. Morris, Douglass’s great-great-great-grandson, they will discuss the freedom fighter’s ongoing legacy. Free – Registration Required.

Curator Tour of “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell”

Sunday, April 14, 3 – 4 p.m. / G Street Lobby

Join the Portrait Gallery’s Senior Curator of Photographs Ann Shumard for a lively tour of “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.” These vintage prints from the 1930s and ‘40s feature Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Anna May Wong and more Golden-Age favorites! Free – No Registration Required.

Curator Tour with Charlotte Ickes: Understanding Time-Based Media Art

Tuesday, April 16, 3 – 4 p.m. / G Street Lobby

How can video and other types of moving images be portraits? Explore this question and more with Charlotte Ickes, the Portrait Gallery’s curator of time-based media art and special projects. The tour will center on works of time-based media from the museum’s permanent collection, which is growing rapidly in this area! Free – No Registration Required.

Earth Day Family Festival

Saturday, April 20, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

Join the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum to learn how art and science can help protect the earth. Attendees of all ages can enjoy nature-themed activities and there will be face painting for children 12 and under. A scavenger hunt in the galleries features works from both museums that highlight the Earth’s natural wonders and the various ways artists help care for our planet.  Free – Registration Encouraged.

Trivia Night: The Great Outdoors

Tuesday, Apr. 23, 5 – 6:45 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

Celebrate Earth Day at the National Portrait Gallery with our happy hour trivia night. Together with our friends from New Columbia Pub Quiz, we will test your knowledge of climate superheroes and Mother Nature. Questions will be inspired by the museum’s collection  "Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism.” Our free collections-themed trivia game can be played individually or in teams of up to six people. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening. The Courtyard Café will be open during the event, and snacks and beverages will be available for purchase. Free – Registration Encouraged.

Writing Workshop Inspired by Portraits of Performers

Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. – noon / G Street Lobby

Join the National Portrait Gallery for a fun, interactive creative writing workshop that celebrates legends of the stage and screen. Through portraiture, readings, discussion and guided writing prompts, participants will explore the fascinating life stories of performers such as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Robeson and Florenz Ziegfeld. Pay homage to the figures who helped shape American theater, film and dance while weaving your own memories and experiences into new short stories. Open to writers of all levels and genres, ages 18+. Free – Registration Required.

Glacier: A Climate Change Ballet

Sunday, April 28, 4 – 4:45 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

It’s Earth Month! In conjunction with the Portrait Gallery’s “Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism” exhibition, Moveius Contemporary Ballet will present “Glacier: A Climate Change Ballet.” Moveius works at the intersection of policy and performance, creating a path for ballet to speak to contemporary issues and stories. In 2018, the company’s “Glacier” became the first ballet to be presented at an international climate conference. Created by Moveius Artistic Director Diana Movius, a climate policy expert, this piece imagines the dancers as melting polar ice caps; they ripple, crack and plunge in dance movements that connect the audience to the motion of ice in the arctic. Free – Registration Required.

Writing Workshop Inspired by “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris”

Wednesday, May 8, 5 – 7 p.m. / G Street Lobby

Join the National Portrait Gallery for an interactive creative writing workshop that explores the exciting stories of expatriate American women artists, performers and cultural innovators in Paris. Participants will gain inspiration from the exhibition “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939,” which features portraits of Josephine Baker, Isadora Duncan, Zelda Fitzgerald, Loïs Mailou Jones, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Anaïs Nin, Gertrude Stein, Ethel Waters and Anna May Wong. Through creative writing exercises, we will develop new, experimental texts that blend genres and forms. Open to writers of all levels and genres, ages 18+. Free – Registration Required.

Curator-Led Tour of “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939”

Sunday, May 19, 3 – 4 p.m. / G Street Lobby

Robyn Asleson, the Portrait Gallery’s curator prints and drawings, will reveal how the sitters in “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939” used portraiture to carve out new personal and professional identities. Explore lesser-known stories about renowned women like Josephine Baker and Gertrude Stein and discover the compelling biographies of newly rediscovered figures. Free – No Registration Required.

Trivia Night: AANHPI Heritage Month 

Tuesday, May 28, 5 – 6:45 p.m. / Kogod Courtyard

This month we’re celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with trivia about AANHPI sitters from our collection. From athletes and activists to entertainers and engineers, test your knowledge with our friends from New Columbia Pub Quiz.  Our free collections-themed trivia game can be played individually or in teams of up to six people. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening. The Courtyard Café will be open during the event, and snacks and beverages will be available for purchase. Free—Registration Encouraged.

Virtual Programs, March – May

Virtual Writing Hour

Select Tuesdays, March 5 & 19, April 2 & 23, May 7 & 21 / 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 choice and write with us. We will provide writing prompts, and participants are welcome to bring their own writing project-in-progress. Attendees will write for about 30 minutes and end each session with a brief discussion or reading. Free – Registration Required.

Virtual Young Portrait Explorers 

Select Wednesdays, March 13 & 27, April 10 & 24, and May 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 close 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 8 & 22, April 5 & 19, May 3 & 17 / 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.

Drawn to Figures

Select Thursdays, March 14, April 4 & 18, May 2 & 23 / 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 Portrait Gallery exhibition or a portrait from the collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. Free – Registration Required.

Teen Conversation Circles

Select Saturdays, March 16 & April 20, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. / May 18, 11 a.m.  – noon / Online via Zoom

Calling teen 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. It alternates between in-person gatherings (meet in the G Street Lobby) and virtual conversations on Zoom. Meet new friends, learn about different cultures and practice your English. Open to teens, ages 13-19. Free – Registration Required.

For Teens, By Teens: Focus Group

Saturday, March 16, Noon – 1 p.m. / Online via Zoom

Are you a teen and want to have a say in the Portrait Gallery’s teen programming? Here’s your chance! Attend one of our focus groups to help build programming for teens, by teens. Attendees will be eligible to receive community service hours. Free – Registration Required.

Virtual Portrait Signs 

Thursday, April 18 / 5 – 6 p.m. /  Online via Zoom  

Explore the National Portrait Gallery’s collection with a Deaf docent. These 60-minute tours in American Sign Language are offered monthly, both in person and on Zoom. Free – Registration Required.