Note: All submitted events must be approved before they appear in the calendar.
José María Mora, Napoleon Sarony and the Migrant Surround in American Portrait Photography
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 5 p.m.
Closed captioning provided.
Presented by Erin Pauwels, assistant professor of art history at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Leslie Ureña, curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, will moderate the Q & A.This presentation considers how the spaces of photographic portrait studios were constructed to facilitate the performance of diverse American identities during the late nineteenth century. José María Mora, a Cuban-born U.S. photographer, and his mentor Napoleon Sarony, a native French speaker born in Quebec, rose to prominence during the Gilded Age for staging lush portrait tableaus that deployed hand-painted backdrops and richly theatrical studio effects. Conventionally, the vivid artifice of their work has been connected to the commercial excesses of the period. Deeper consideration both photographers’ immigrant status, however, helps illuminate how publicly circulated portraiture participated in the renegotiation of a national types at an historical moment when more than 12 million new arrivals to the United States were reinventing and revitalizing what it meant to be American.The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the recent passing of Daniel B. Greenberg, whose generosity and that of his wife, Susan, makes the Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture possible. The program is hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center.
Free—Registration required.
February
Edmonia Lewis and Wendell Phillips: Kate Clarke Lemay in Conversation with Kirsten Pai Buick and Hélène Quainquin
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 5 p.m.
Closed captioning provided.
Kate Clarke Lemay, interim director of PORTAL and acting senior historian at the National Portrait Gallery, will moderate a conversation between Hélène Quanquin, professor of American Studies, University of Lille (France) and Kirsten Pai Buick, professor of art history; associate dean of equity and excellence for the College of Fine Arts; and inaugural chair of Africana studies, University of New Mexico.
Join us for a conversation about the anti-slavery movement centered on the biographies and portraits of Wendell Phillips and Edmonia Lewis. Known for her medallion busts, sculptor Edmonia Lewis often portrayed abolitionists, African Americans and Native Americans, in addition to biblical and mythological figures. Early in her career, Lewis created a medallion bust of Wendell Phillips, an abolitionist who also advocated for temperance, women’s rights, Native Americans’ rights and labor rights. Through his conversational speaking style, Phillips became a key orator for the abolitionist movement.
The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the recent passing of Daniel B. Greenberg, whose generosity and that of his wife, Susan, makes the Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture possible. The program is hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center.
Free—Registration required.
Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion
Tuesdays, Feb. 8, 2022, 5:30–7 p.m.
Online via Zoom
The National Portrait Gallery and the DC Public Library would like to invite you to a virtual conversation about love, second chances, and the power of a great torch song. Join us as we analyze a portrait of Ella Fitzgerald and discuss the related book “Seven Days in June” by Tia Williams. Participants will be encouraged to share their favorite romance novels and love songs during the event. DCPL Cardholders can access “Seven Days in June” here.
Free—Registration required.
The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. For questions, or to request accommodations such as an ASL interpreter or captioning, please email NPGAccess@si.edu.
In Dialogue: Smithsonian Objects and Social Justice
Thursday, Feb. 10, 5 p.m.
Online via Zoom
Heighten your civic awareness through conversations about art, history and material culture. Each month, educators from the National Portrait Gallery will partner with colleagues from across the Smithsonian to discuss how historical objects from their respective collections speak to today’s social justice issues. How does artwork build empathy and open the possibilities for connecting people near and far? Together with our co-hosts from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, we will explore this key question in relationship to Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s 1992 print Untitled (for Jeff) and Hung Liu’s 2013 painting The Botanist.
Free—Registration required.
Wind Down Wednesday: Heart and Soul
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 5 p.m.
Instagram Live @smithsonianNPG
Make a special Valentine cocktail with a guest mixologist while we celebrate and reflect on the power of love. We will explore Anthony Barboza’s portrait of actor-writers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Their lovefest embraced mutual respect, admiration, Black expression and just plain love. Join us for a conversation about how the couple balanced their humanitarianism and activist spirit with the sweetness of having heart and finding contentment. Yes, love is in the air!
Ongoing Programs: December–February
Writing Hour
Select Tuesdays, 5 p.m.
Online via Zoom
Join us weekly for a virtual creative writing hour. We’ve set up an online space where writers can create, connect and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection.
Free—Registration required.
Young Portrait Explorers
Wednesdays, 11-11:30 a.m. & 3-3:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom
Jan.19: Martin Luther King Jr.
Feb. 2: Faith Ringgold
Feb. 9: Michelle Obama
Feb. 16: Barack Obama
Feb. 23: George Washington Carver
Join our virtual workshop for children ages 3-6 and their adult companions as we learn about art, history and more! Explore with Portrait Gallery educators in a 30-minute activity that incorporates close looking at portraiture, movement and artmaking. Free—Registration required.
Drawn to Figures LIVE
Select Thursdays, 11 a.m.
Online via Zoom
Dec. 2: How to Draw Eyes
Dec. 16: How to Draw the Nose
Jan. 6: How to Draw the Mouth
Feb. 3: Shading your Portraits
Feb. 17: How to Draw Hair
Discover your inner artist in this online workshop on sketching the human body. Artist Jill Galloway will highlight the techniques and challenges of figure drawing while providing guided instruction and helpful tips. Open to all skill levels, ages 13 and up. Free—Registration required.
Online Docent Tours
Group Tours
By reservation
Online via Zoom
The National Portrait Gallery offers docent-led group tours online for adults interested in exploring the museum remotely. The following tours will be available by registration: America’s Presidents, Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery, Docent’s Choice and Special Exhibitions. Reservations must be made three weeks in advance of the desired tour date. To receive a tour request form, e-mail NPGAdultTours@si.edu or click here. All tours are subject to availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Credit: “Sitting Bull” (detail) by Rommler & Jonas Lithography Company (after Rudolf Cronau), hand-colored collotype, 1885. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (left). “The Botanist” by Hung Liu, oil on canvas, 2013. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; gift of Lorrie and Richard Greene and Accessions Committee Fund purchase. © Hung Liu (center). “George Washington Carver” by Betsy Graves Reyneau, oil on canvas, 1942. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the George Washington Carver Memorial Committee to the Smithsonian Institution, 1944. © Peter Edward Fayard (right).
Note to Editors: All events and programs are held virtually, due to COVID-19. For more information on the Portrait Gallery’s remote programs, explore the “Visit at Home” page of the museum’s website at npg.si.edu.
