Public programs and events at the National Portrait Gallery.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for Created Equal: An American Ideal on Screen, a film series exploring the legacy of the phrase “all men are created equal.” In the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, generations of Americans have been inspired by this powerful expression of the nation’s founding ideals. Through the stories of figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Harvey Milk, discover how Thomas Jefferson’s famous words have served as a rallying cry in the ongoing struggle for equality. Lincoln (2012) Directed by Steven Spielberg, this gritty historical drama follows Abraham Lincoln (played by Daniel Day Lewis) in the tumultuous final four months of his life. As the Civil War rages on, Lincoln works tirelessly to end the war, abolish slavery and unite the country.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Explore artful meditations, sound baths and musical meditations. For a detailed schedule of wellness programs please reference the specific dates below. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Join the Portrait Gallery and Reading Rhythms for a reading party designed to make it easy for people to gather and read socially. We invite folks to bring any book they want while we facilitate silent reading periods, one-on-one breakouts, and group discussions about the art that everyone is engaging with. This adult program unites a community of readers to learn together and experience art with curated music.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Taína Caragol, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, will explore portraits that showcase the contributions of the Latino community to U.S. history and culture.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
A Deaf Community Mixer Catch up with old friends and make new ones as you enjoy drinks and light fare in the museum's magnificent Great Hall. ASL Gallery talks begin at 6:15 p.m. Voice will be interpretation provided.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Wind down after work with educators from the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum as they share their favorite portraits. Participants will enjoy close looking and engage in conversations about artworks on view that highlight women.
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for Created Equal: An American Ideal on Screen, a film series exploring the legacy of the phrase “all men are created equal." In the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, generations of Americans have been inspired by this powerful expression of the nation’s founding ideals. Through the stories of figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Harvey Milk, discover how Thomas Jefferson’s famous words have served as a rallying cry in the ongoing struggle for equality. Milk (2008) Based on the inspiring true story of Harvey Milk, this biographical drama follows a charismatic gay rights activist who becomes the first openly LGBTQ+ politician to be elected to public office in California. Starring Sean Penn, the film chronicles Milk's rise as a grassroots political figure in San Francisco’s Castro District, cut short by his tragic assassination in 1978.
Please join Robyn Asleson, Curator of Prints and Drawings, for a tour of two additions to the museum’s “Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900” exhibition: a freshly conserved diorama depicting the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a new Revolutionary War–era gallery titled “Independence: 1770–1783.”
Join us in the galleries for a series of drawing workshops with artist, Jill Galloway! Each month, Jill will guide participants through a step by step sketching lesson. Learn new sketching techniques while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. These workshops will include all supplies. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Registration is required.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
During the 250th anniversary, educators are invited to explore the people, ideas, and debates that have shaped the American story. As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, educators are invited to explore the people, ideas, and debates that have shaped the American story. Using the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900 and artist Bartlett Frost’s immersive diorama depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this workshop examines the document’s enduring promise that “all men are created equal” and explores how that ideal has been interpreted, contested, and expanded. Through guided inquiry, close looking, and collaborative discussion, participants will investigate the origins and meaning of the Declaration’s most famous phrase. Drawing on the portraits featured in Out of Many and the storytelling power of Frost’s diorama, the workshop will model strategies for using visual art as a primary source to engage students in conversations about freedom, citizenship, representation, and belonging. Educators will leave with classroom-ready resources, discussion prompts, and inquiry-based teaching strategies that connect the Declaration to the diverse individuals and communities represented in the exhibition, helping students understand both the nation’s founding aspirations and the ongoing work of creating a more perfect union. Recommended for: Grades 4–12 social studies, history, civics, humanities, and art educators Learning Goals · Examine the historical context and lasting impact of the Declaration of Independence · Explore the origins and evolving meaning of the phrase “all men are created equal” · Analyze portraits and visual narratives as primary sources for historical inquiry · Investigate how Americans from different backgrounds have interpreted and expanded the nation’s founding ideals · Develop classroom strategies that encourage critical thinking, civic engagement, and multiple perspectives on the American experience
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for free Spanish language tours. Experience iconic art and learn from expert guides about the faces and stories that shaped the nation. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike. The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have any questions about the accessibility of this program, or require sign language interpretation or any other accommodations, please contact us.
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Join the Portrait Gallery and Reading Rhythms for a reading party designed to make it easy for people to gather and read socially. We invite folks to bring any book they want while we facilitate silent reading periods, one-on-one breakouts, and group discussions about the art that everyone is engaging with. This adult program unites a community of readers to learn together and experience art with curated music.
Join the National Portrait Gallery every Saturday morning for a themed sketching tour featuring up to three portraits from the museum’s collection. During each session, Portrait Gallery educators will encourage participants to look closely, sketch what they see, and make connections. This program is designed for visitors of all ages, and no prior drawing experience is necessary. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After the tour, participants are invited to continue creating in the Education Center through a hands-on artmaking activity. All art materials are provided by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
The Portrait Gallery strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. If you have questions about the accessibility of this program, or if you would like to request real-time captioning (CART), sign language interpretation, or any other accommodations, please contact [email protected]. Two weeks' advance notice is appreciated for requesting accommodations.
Join us in the galleries for a series of drawing workshops with artist, Jill Galloway! Each month, Jill will guide participants through a step by step sketching lesson. Learn new sketching techniques while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collection. These workshops will include all supplies. Open to artists of all levels, ages 18 and up. Registration is required.
Portrait Gallery · Portrait Gallery
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
Join the National Portrait Gallery for Created Equal: An American Ideal on Screen, a film series exploring the legacy of the phrase “all men are created equal.” In the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, generations of Americans have been inspired by this powerful expression of the nation’s founding ideals. Through the stories of figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Harvey Milk and the fictional Atticus Finch, discover how Thomas Jefferson’s famous words have served as a rallying cry in the ongoing struggle for equality. To Kill a Mockingbird (1963) Adapted from the beloved novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a small-town Alabama lawyer who defends a Black man falsely accused of rape. This Depression-era story of racial injustice and the loss of childhood innocence is told through the eyes of Finch’s daughter, Scout.