Presented by Sarah Burns, Ruth N. Halls Professor Emerita, Art History, Indiana University Born on a hardscrabble Nebraska farm, artist Perkins Harnly crossed paths with legendary celebrities and colorful characters while visiting famous graveyards, winning prizes at drag balls and toiling in an upscale Los Angeles cafeteria. From the 1930s on, Harnly produced paintings of exuberantly overstuffed Victorian rooms embedded with […]

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 can the desire for cultural recognition spark activism? Together with our co-hosts from […]

March 10: Margaret Wise Brown April 14: Earth, Wind & Fire May 12: Roger Shimomura Join our virtual workshop for children ages 3-6 and their adult companions as we learn about art, history and more! Each month PortraitGallery educators will lead a 30-minute activity that incorporates close looking at portraiture, movement and artmaking. We will […]

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.Why is it important to have agency in how we are portrayed?  Together with our […]

Join the National Portrait Gallery’s Choreographer-in-Residence Dana Tai Soon Burgess in conversation with Prints and Drawings Curator Robyn Asleson as they explore the complex interconnections and complementary experiences that link the modern dance innovator Michio Ito, the sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi, and Burgess himself. Free—Registration required.  Image Credit: Isamu Noguchii (detail) by Winold Reiss, […]