National Portrait Gallery | Events and Programs

July Programs

Calendar editors please note:
All events are held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, located at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C., and are free unless otherwise noted. For public information, call (202) 633-1000. The National Portrait Gallery is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Print July program schedule

National Portrait Gallery Walk-in Tours
Walk-in tours of the National Portrait Gallery begin in the F Street lobby; reservations are not required.

Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery tours
Weekdays, 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.
Docent's Choice tours
Weekdays, 1 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 1:30 p.m.

"Behind the Scenes"
An Introduction to the Lunder Conservation Center
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.

At the Lunder Conservation Center, learn how museum conservators use science, art history and skilled hands to preserve objects in the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum collections. Group size is limited; please register at the Luce Foundation Center information desk before 3 p.m. on the day of the program.

Face-to-Face Portrait Talks
Thursdays, 6 to 6:30 p.m. | F Street Lobby

Each week, a staff member of the National Portrait Gallery or a special guest speaker brings visitors face-to-face with a portrait by offering an insight into one person. Visitors meet the presenter in the F Street lobby and then walk to the appropriate gallery. In the July Face-to-Face talks, "Make a scene at NPG"!

July 3
Historian Amy Henderson speaks about the portrait of Greta Garbo in the exhibition "Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture."
July 10
Researcher Warren Perry speaks about the portrait of Leopold Stokowski by Edward Steichen in the exhibition "Edward Steichen: Portraits."
July 17
Historian David Ward speaks about the portrait of Jack Nicholson in the exhibition "Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture."
July 24
Guest curator Jobyl Boone speaks about the portrait of Ice T by Kehinde Wiley in the exhibition "RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture."
July 31
Curator Wendy Wick Reaves speaks about the portrait of Charlie Chaplin in the exhibition "Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture."

Cultures in Motion
'S Wonderful: The Life and Music of George Gershwin
Sunday, July 6, 4 p.m.
Monday, July 7, 7 p.m.
Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium

In conjunction with the exhibition "Edward Steichen: Portraits," Cultures in Motion presents a musical narrative highlighting the life of composer and pianist George Gershwin. Celebrate the fourth of July with one of America's favorite musicians, from his early Tin Pan Alley "piano-pounding" days to the Broadway stage, Hollywood and more. Featuring David Ylvisaker as Gershwin and scripted and narrated by the Portrait Gallery's Jewell Robinson, the program includes singers Alvy Powell, Gina Watson Powell, Beverly Cosham and Henry Fiske. The performance is free, but seating is limited. For reservations please call (202) 633-8520 or e-mail NPGPublicPrograms@si.edu.

Cultures in Motion
'S Wonderful: The Life and Music of George Gershwin
Sunday, July 6, 4 p.m.
Monday, July 7, 7 p.m.
Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium

In conjunction with the exhibition "Edward Steichen: Portraits," Cultures in Motion presents a musical narrative highlighting the life of composer and pianist George Gershwin. Celebrate the fourth of July with one of America's favorite musicians, from his early Tin Pan Alley "piano-pounding" days to the Broadway stage, Hollywood and more. Featuring David Ylvisaker as Gershwin and scripted and narrated by the Portrait Gallery's Jewell Robinson, the program includes singers Alvy Powell, Gina Watson Powell, Beverly Cosham and Henry Fiske. The performance is free, but seating is limited. For reservations please call (202) 633-8520 or e-mail NPGPublicPrograms@si.edu.

Art @ Your Library: Be the Artist
Saturday, July 26, 12–3 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and National Portrait Gallery's Education Center

During this program, visitors ages 12 and older will create a self-portrait modeled after the works of Kehinde Wiley, whose paintings are featured in the Portrait Gallery's exhibition "RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture." Wiley’s contemporary interpretations of 17th, 18th and 19th century art are bold re-creations of known paintings with modern-day sitters. Participants will have a chance to view Wiley's paintings in the exhibition and create their own portraits, using inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. This program is limited to 20 participants. The library's Young Adult Services Division will register students. Look forward to a reception and exhibition showcasing student artwork created during the workshop at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library Gallery. This program is a collaborative effort between the MLK Jr. Memorial Library and the National Portrait Gallery. At noon, meet at the library, 901 G Street, NW, Young Adult Services Division, Room 106, Washington, DC 20001. The group will continue to the National Portrait Gallery at 8th and F streets N.W. To register for this program, contact the library's Young Adult Services Division at (202) 727-5535 or register in person by visiting Room 106 at the library.

Curator's Tour and Book Signing
Sunday, July 20, 1:30 p.m.
Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture

Interweaving the themes of poster art, celebrity promotion and advertising, "Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture" explores how posters have defined and disseminated images of prominent Americans. Join the exhibition's curator, Wendy Wick Reaves, on a tour of poster portraits. Reaves signs copies of the exhibition book following the tour. Meet at the exhibition entrance (second floor, west).

A Night of Hip Hop at NPG
Thursday, July 24, 2 p.m–7 p.m.

The National Portrait Gallery's exhibition "RECOGNIZE! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" demonstrates the influence of hip hop in portraiture. These programs are planned to celebrate both the exhibition and the broad-reaching cultural impact of hip hop. Admission is free; no reservations required.

Live Broadcast: EZ Street, WKYS-FM
2 p.m.–6 p.m.
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard
EZ Street is back at NPG! Visitors are welcome to listen in on a live broadcast with EZ Street, WKYS-FM (93.9) in the Kogod Courtyard.
Hip Hop Happy Hour
5 p.m.–6:45 pm
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard
While listening to EZ's live broadcast, enjoy the hip hop and R&B beats with a cool drink in hand. A wine and beer cash bar will be open from 5 to 6:45 p.m.
Face-to-Face Portrait Talk
6 p.m.–6:30 pm
Meet at F Street
After the live broadcast, learn more about Kehinde Wiley's portrait of Ice T in the exhibition with guest curator Jobyl A. Boone.

Reel Portraits
Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky) and New York Is Now
7 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m.
Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium

Paul D. Miller is a conceptual artist, writer and musician working in New York. Using archival footage and early avant-garde cinema mixed with his own music, Miller composes New York Is Now as an exploration of memory through the interplay of images and sounds, creating a digital multimedia opera about a city made of improvisations, disjunctions, overlapping histories and multiple rhythms. A conversation with Miller follows the screening.