Weekend Roundup: Balloons, Portraits and Winter Fun
By • January 8, 2026 0 165
Congrats, you made it through the first week of the year! Why not celebrate with some weekend fun at Imagination Stage with “Balloonacy,” or see the 2025 Portrait of a Nation honorees at the National Portrait Gallery? There’s lots more to do as well. Have a great weekend!
‘Balloonacy’ is at Imagination Stage
Courtesy Imagination Stage.
This movement-based show revisits the classic film “The Red Balloon.” An old man spends his days gray and dreary until he is visited by a red balloon. The show is set in the style of 1930s silent movies, with the old man an adult version of the boy in the movie. More information on the show, which runs this Saturday through February 15, can be found here.
Folger Shakespeare Library Continues ‘Contemporary Art at the Folger’
Since October 2025, the Folger Shakespeare Library started their “Contemporary Art at the Folger” series, which will extend to April of this year. The Folger will host small solo exhibitions featuring the work of four recent artist fellows at the Folger Institute. Next up is Dominick Porras, whose artist talk will take place on Friday, January 9. Porras’ photography and new media installations explore the rich tapestry of his heritage as a Chicano artist. More information on Porras can be found here.
Don’t Miss the Last Weekend of ‘Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750’
Anna Maria van Schurman, Self-Portrait, 1640; Engraving on paper, 8 1/2 x 6 3/8 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay.
The exhibit “Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts ends this Sunday. The exhibit displays a large range of work by over 40 Dutch and Flemish women artists like Gesina ter Borch, Judith Leyster, Clara Peeters and more. More information on how to get tickets can be found here.
See the Portrait of a Nation 2025 Honorees at the National Portrait Gallery
Brocken Spectre and Glory: Portrait of Temple Grandin by David Lenz, oil on canvas, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired by the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund and an anonymous donor.
The Portrait of a Nation Awards honor those who have made transformative contributions to the country. This exhibit shines light on the most recent recipients like Steven Spielberg, Jason Aldean, Temple Grandin and more. The show is curated by Director of Curatorial Affairs Rhea L. Combs and made possible through the Portrait of a Nation Endowment. More information the exhibit can be found here.
Catch the Winter Skate Spectacular at the National Building Museum
Courtesy National Building Museum.
The National Building Museum is hosting a “Winter Skate Spectacular” now through February 9 in the museum’s Great Hall. This year, guests can enjoy skating throughout the week with early hour times, daytime hours and after-hours skate sessions too. There will also be theme days, like this Saturday’s “Divas Night.” More information on the skate spectacular can be found here.
Catch the Last Few Weeks of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Courtesy Signature Theatre.
Signature Theatre’s production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ ends January 25. The iconic musical is staged in-the-round in Signature Theatre’s intimate atmosphere. It’s directed by Joe Calarco, who directed Signature’s productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Gypsy.” Expect to leave the theater with all the traditional songs like “Sunrise, Sunset” and “If I Were a Rich Man” stuck in your head. More information on tickets can be found here.
