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Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Art surrounds us. Welcome to our page! Please feel free to share thoughts about our posts, ask us questions, or tell us about your visit.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden welcomes visitors at all levels of understanding to experience the transformative power of contemporary art. The museum collects, preserves, and presents international modern and contemporary art in all media, distinguished by in-depth holdings of major artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By collaborating with art

ists on exhibitions, programs, and special projects, the Hirshhorn provides an important national platform in Washington, DC for the vision and voices of artists. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm (closed December 25) and is located at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW; admission is free. We hope you’ll contribute to this interactive forum and to our ongoing conversation about the work we do to further the Smithsonian's mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. While on-topic discussion is encouraged, we ask that you express yourself in a civil manner and treat other users with respect. The Smithsonian also monitors and may remove posts consistent with its terms of use, as described at http://si.edu/Termsofuse#user-gen. For our Privacy Policy: http://www.si.edu/Privacy

Operating as usual

One gift. Infinite possibilities. Fill their social calendar with the Washington City Paper’s pick for best museum membe...
12/13/2022
Gift a membership - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

One gift. Infinite possibilities.

Fill their social calendar with the Washington City Paper’s pick for best museum membership. Unlock year-round benefits—including reserved timed passes to experience "One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection,” early access to special programs, and more—by giving the gift of a Hirshhorn Insider membership.

As the national museum of modern and contemporary art, the Hirshhorn is a platform for artists to push the boundaries of what art can be, a hub where timely conversations […]

Happy birthday to photographer Carlotta Corpron! Corpron is known for her experimental black-and-white images that study...
12/09/2022

Happy birthday to photographer Carlotta Corpron! Corpron is known for her experimental black-and-white images that study light, defying assumptions that photography is inherently better suited to representation than abstraction or emotion.

See Carlotta Corpron's "Light Follows Form" (1945–1946) in the current exhibition "Put It This Way": http://ow.ly/3mZ150LZ1NR

12/08/2022
Artist Emily Mae Smith: On Art and its Legacies

Join artist Emily Mae Smith in conversation with Hirshhorn curator Anne Reeve to explore how she uses simple objects and techniques of artists in history to draw attention to important issues of our time.

Often using whimsical themes, humor, and an interplay of styles including Surrealism, Pop art, and Symbolism, Emily Mae Smith thoughtfully mines art history to question historic approaches to gender. She often depicts simple, everyday objects such as a needle, a paint brush, or, often, a broomstick as a nod to daily work, while also metaphorically calling attention to contemporary issues of gender, sexuality, capitalism, and violence.

A response to William Holman Hunt’s The Lady of Shalott (1888-1905), Smith’s oil painting on linen Unruly Thread (2019) is on view in with Put It This Way: (Re)Visions of the Hirshhorn Collection, on view at the museum through Fall 2023.

SCHEDULE

7:50 pm EST | Zoom broadcast opens

8 pm EST | Emily Mae Smith in conversation with Anne Reeve

ASL translation will be provided on Zoom, and CART (real-time captioning) will be provided across all platforms. If you have any questions about accessibility for this program, please email [email protected].

Tomorrow at 8pm EST, join us for a free online conversation with artist Emily Mae Smith. In conversation with Hirshhorn ...
12/06/2022
Artist Emily Mae Smith: On Art and its Legacies - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

Tomorrow at 8pm EST, join us for a free online conversation with artist Emily Mae Smith. In conversation with Hirshhorn curator Anne Reeve, Smith will explore how she uses simple objects and techniques of artists in history to draw attention to important issues of our time.

🪡 Register now:

FREE This program is online only (via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live). Advance registration is required for Zoom participation, including the chance to ask the artist a question (time permitting). After registering, you […]

The Hirshhorn mourns the passing of Ashley Bickerton, known for sharply humorous artworks that exposed the impact of con...
12/05/2022
Ashley Bickerton, Indefinable Artist Who Lampooned Consumerism with Passion, Dies at 63

The Hirshhorn mourns the passing of Ashley Bickerton, known for sharply humorous artworks that exposed the impact of consumer marketing on identity, such as his series of self-portraits composed of logos for brands such as Tylenol, TV Guide, Body Glove, and Fruit of the Loom. We were honored to share his work in the 2018 exhibition "Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s."

Learn more about Bickerton’s legacy in ARTnews:

He became the toast of the New York art scene in the 1980s, only to depart it in the ’90s.

New month, new programs: Join us next Wednesday at 8pm EST for Artist Emily Mae Smith: On Art and Its Legacies. , in con...
12/01/2022

New month, new programs: Join us next Wednesday at 8pm EST for Artist Emily Mae Smith: On Art and Its Legacies. , in conversation with Hirshhorn curator Anne Reeve, will explore how she uses simple objects and techniques of artists in history to draw attention to important issues of our time. Often using whimsical themes, humor, and an interplay of styles including Surrealism, Pop art, and Symbolism, Smith thoughtfully mines art history to question historical approaches to gender.

🪡 Link in bio to save your spot. Plus, come eye-to-needle-eye with Emily Mae Smith’s “Unruly Thread” (2019) in the current exhibition “Put It This Way.”

📷 Image credit: Emily Mae Smith, “Unruly Thread,” 2019. Oil on linen. 58 x 47 inches (147.3 x 119.3 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Petzel Gallery, New York. Gift of Iris and Adam Singer, 2022. Photo by Ron Blunt.

[Image description: A large silver needle in the middle of a gradient background of black, blue, and red. The needle’s point is cut off at the bottom, a tiny pair of lips are outlined just below the needle’s eye, and a red and blue gradient string loosely surrounds the needle, weaving in and out.]

Today, we mark the occasion of Sam Gilliam's (1933–2022) birthday, whose groundbreaking work over six decades showcases ...
11/30/2022
(In Person) Coming Full Circle: Conversations about Sam Gilliam - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

Today, we mark the occasion of Sam Gilliam's (1933–2022) birthday, whose groundbreaking work over six decades showcases the limitless possibilities of abstraction and the value of looking deeply within. Earlier this year, we were honored to highlight Gilliam's irreplaceable art in the exhibition "Sam Gilliam: Full Circle" and to explore Gilliam's legacy with a gathering of artists and scholars during Coming Full Circle: Conversations About Sam Gilliam.

Join the Hirshhorn for a gathering of artists and scholars to celebrate the life and legacy of Sam Gilliam.

11/16/2022

Artist-architect Hiroshi Sugimoto and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden joined Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu, and artists Laurie Anderson, Jeff Koons, and Adam Pendleton in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden for a groundbreaking ceremony today. The artist-led ceremony began with a performance by Ami Yamasaki.

Photo credit: Photo by Tony Powell. Courtesy of the Hirshhorn.

BIG NEWS: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has appointed J Balvin, global superstar and entrepreneur, as its in...
11/15/2022

BIG NEWS: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has appointed J Balvin, global superstar and entrepreneur, as its inaugural cultural ambassador. This landmark honor makes the Latin Grammy-winner the first artist to receive this special designation designed to connect young global creatives with the most exciting art, artists, and ideas of our time.

In J Balvin’s words: “Art is for everyone. I understand how important creative self-expression can be in promoting mental health and wellness. I am proud to support the Hirshhorn’s mission to connect a global audience with the museum’s innovative art education programs, especially for young adults.”

📷 Image credit: J Balvin in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, May 20, 2022. Photographer: Tony Powell. Courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Reminder: the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is open today, 10am-5:30pm.We look forward to welcoming all of you t...
11/11/2022
National Native American Veterans Memorial - Native Veterans Procession and Dedication Ceremony | National Museum of the American Indian

Reminder: the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is open today, 10am-5:30pm.

We look forward to welcoming all of you today, and encourage you to visit our neighbors Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian for their dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, honoring the exceptional military service of Native Americans.

The NMAI fosters a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will be open through the long weekend, including tomorrow, Nov. 11.As always, ...
11/10/2022
Visit - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will be open through the long weekend, including tomorrow, Nov. 11.

As always, we're excited to share the Hirshhorn's breathtaking art and thought-provoking exhibitions with you. We also encourage everyone to stop by our neighbors at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian tomorrow for their formal dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, a lasting and meaningful tribute to the Native people who have fought in service to the nation.

Free Admission Visitation Guidelines Know what to expect on your visit to our campus so you can get back to enjoying the unexpected.

The Hirshhorn mourns the loss of iconoclast Lee Bontecou, who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. Bontecou holds a s...
11/09/2022
Lee Bontecou, Acclaimed Creator of Unusual Sculptures, Dies at 91

The Hirshhorn mourns the loss of iconoclast Lee Bontecou, who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. Bontecou holds a special position within the annals of postwar American art; in the words of historian Calvin Tomkins, "only a handful of male artists broke from the starting gate as strongly as she did in the nineteen-sixties, and no woman came close."

She leaves behind a staggeringly inventive and lastingly influential body of work, including "Untitled (Cocoon)" (1967), which is featured in the current exhibition "Put It This Way: (Re)Visions of the Hirshhorn Collection."

Her use of what one critic called “a three-dimensional form that was neither painting nor sculpture” earned the kind of praise typically reserved in the 1960s for male art stars.

Get ready: starting tomorrow, free next-day passes to "One with Eternity" will be released daily at noon exclusively on ...
11/08/2022
One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

Get ready: starting tomorrow, free next-day passes to "One with Eternity" will be released daily at noon exclusively on the Hirshhorn website.

So go on - plan ahead, sleep in, and reserve your passes tomorrow at noon on the (polka) dot.

The exhibition will be closed for maintenance on November 7, 8 and 9, and will reopen on November 10. Prepare for your visit View more FAQ ONLINE PASSES – COMING […]

NOW OPEN: "A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China" chronicles how, over three decades, Chinese artis...
11/04/2022
A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

NOW OPEN: "A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China" chronicles how, over three decades, Chinese artists shifted their camera lenses away from the collective and toward the self.

The window is now open for you, only at the Hirshhorn.

A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China will be the Hirshhorn’s first survey of photography by leading multigenerational Chinese artists made between the 1990s and 2000s. The exhibition will showcase 186 […]

REMINDER: "One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection" will be temporarily closed for maintenance start...
11/03/2022
One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

REMINDER: "One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection" will be temporarily closed for maintenance starting Monday, Nov. 7, through Wednesday, Nov. 9. The exhibition will reopen on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Beginning Nov. 9, free next-day passes will be released online daily at noon on the Hirshhorn’s website. You may reserve up to two timed passes for the following day until all passes are claimed. Same-day walk-up passes will no longer be available after Nov. 6. So go ahead and sleep in a bit next week - next-day passes will be waiting for you at noon.

The exhibition will be closed for maintenance on November 7, 8 and 9, and will reopen on November 10. Prepare for your visit View more FAQ ONLINE PASSES – COMING […]

How do we understand our bodies in relation to the earth? Artist Michelle Stuart, whose work is currently on view in "Pu...
11/02/2022
Season 2 Episode 10: The Art of Detection: Knowing and Feeling with Jerome Caja and Michelle Stuart | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

How do we understand our bodies in relation to the earth? Artist Michelle Stuart, whose work is currently on view in "Put It This Way: (Re)Visions of the Hirshhorn Collection," explores this question in a recent episode of the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art podcast ARTiculated.

How do we understand our bodies in relation to the earth? In this episode, Columbus, Ohio-based artist Dionne Lee meditates on the wonder and danger of landscape through the work of Jerome Caja and Michelle Stuart, and their understandings of fragility, proneness, and seismic potential.

It’s true: Today Washington Post confirmed Selldorf Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill  will jointly revitalize o...
10/31/2022

It’s true: Today Washington Post confirmed Selldorf Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will jointly revitalize our Museum interior and plaza for the twenty-first century. Since opening our doors almost 50 years ago, art-making has expanded, and so has our annual attendance - by 40% since 2017. In addition to upgrading our elevators and fine art storage, we’ll be thinking about how to share more art and art-making inside and around our concrete doughnut.

We’re still in the visioning stage, years away from hammers and nails. Once our façade and roof repair is complete, we’ll revitalize our Sculpture Garden. Reconsidering our indoor galleries and plaza will be the third and final step of a campus renovation.

Happy birthday to Niki de Saint Phalle! Saint Phalle was one of the most exhibited women artists of the 20th century and...
10/29/2022
Mixed Up Portraits - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

Happy birthday to Niki de Saint Phalle! Saint Phalle was one of the most exhibited women artists of the 20th century and is known for her "Nana" sculptures of strong, whimsical women.

Celebrate Saint Phalle's birthday today by making your own Mixed Up Portrait, inspired by her work, at home. Plus, visit her artwork in our current exhibition, "Put It This Way."

Assemble a colorful self-portrait inspired by Niki de Saint Phalle’s Pink Lady. Use your favorite art materials and objects to show the colors, shapes, textures, and lines that represent you! […]

OPENING IN ONE WEEK: "A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China" will be the Hirshhorn’s first survey o...
10/28/2022

OPENING IN ONE WEEK: "A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China" will be the Hirshhorn’s first survey of photography by leading multigenerational Chinese artists made between the 1990s and 2000s. The exhibition will showcase 186 artworks by 25 artists and explore how emerging Chinese artists independently embraced the immediacy of print and digital photography, recorded performance, and video art to focus on the self.

Encounter groundbreaking artworks like Huang Yan's "Chinese Landscape Series No. 3" (1999) in "A Window Suddenly Opens," opening Friday, Nov. 4, at the national museum of modern art.

📷 Image credit: Huang Yan (b. Jilin, 1966), "Chinese Landscape Series No. 3," 1999. Color photograph; 47 ¾ × 64 in. © Huang Yan

[Image description: Hands held in front of a bare chest, fingers laced and bare arms bent at the elbows. The body is painted with colorful imagery atop a white base layer, depicting spindly trees growing up the person's arms and mountains looming on their chest over a small cluster of rustic houses.]

BIG NEWS: "One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection" will remain on view through spring 2023!Plus, st...
10/26/2022
One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian

BIG NEWS: "One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection" will remain on view through spring 2023!

Plus, starting Wednesday, Nov. 9, free, next-day passes to "One with Eternity" will be available exclusively on the Hirshhorn's website via Etix. That's right: plan your visit a day in advance online and spend less time in-line. For more details, click the link below.

Prepare for your visit View more FAQ There are two ways to experience One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection. Passes are not required to enter the rest […]

09/28/2022
Artist Amoako Boafo: On Art and Portraiture

Join artist Amoako Boafo and Hirshhorn Head Curator Evelyn Hankins to explore representations of personal identity and how Blackness has often been objectified in both popular media and art.

Boafo’s paintings are characterized by their rich color and striking portrayals of African Diasporic subjects that challenge conventional notions of both Blackness and gender. Boafo often takes inspiration from photographs of people in his own life. He then meticulously renders his paintings’ surfaces and palettes to create portraits where style and fashion merge together in celebration of his subjects’ identify. By challenging conventional representations and offering new possibilities for the construction of Black identities, Boafo highlights the critical role portraiture can play within contemporary culture.

Boafo’s portrait Cobalt Blue Dress (2020) recently entered the Hirshhorn Collection through a generous gift by Sandra Hoffen.

Van alle gratis musea aan de National Mall in DC is het Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden onze favoriet (tot we weer...
08/19/2022

Van alle gratis musea aan de National Mall in DC is het Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden onze favoriet (tot we weer ergens anders binnenlopen)

05/27/2022
On the Healing Power of Creativity: Deborah Roberts and Cleo Wade

This program is online only (via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live). Advance registration is required for Zoom participation, including the chance to ask the artist a question (time permitting). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the talk.

Join artist Deborah Roberts, poet and artist Cleo Wade, and Hirshhorn Assistant Curator Betsy Johnson to explore the transformative and healing powers of creativity.

Roberts and Wade make different kinds of creative gestures – Roberts most often uses the power of images and Wade the power of words – but through their work, they each share a message of hope, resilience, and a greater future for women and people of color. Roberts creates powerful, collaged portraits of girls and boys in an effort to challenge standard “ideals” of beauty and emphasize the important message that “every child has character and agency to find their own way amidst the complicated narratives of American, African American and art history.” Likewise, Wade’s popular Instagram account () and published books are full of poetry, affirmations, and illustratations that encourage readers to remain hopeful through the challenges of daily life.

This program is inspired by the work of Yayoi Kusama and the Hirshhorn’s current exhibition One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection.For decades, Kusama has been open about the powerful healing effects that art has had on her. .
The program is made possible with generous support from and is presented in partnership with La Grande Dame by V***e Clicquot. The partnership is a continuation of the storied French champagne House’s commitment to supporting creative voices and its longstanding relationship with the visionary artist, who lent her signature dot motif to the La Grande Dame 2012 cuveé.

La Grande Dame invited renowned poet and artist Cleo Wade to bring her own vision of optimism and joy to Washington, D.C. Her poem celebrates audacious women, and encapsulates the bold spirit of Madame Clicquot.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Deborah Roberts is a mixed media artist whose work challenges the notion of ideal beauty. Her work has been exhibited internationally across the USA and Europe. Roberts' work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York, New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, New York; LACMA, Los Angeles, California; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia and the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas, among several other institutions. She was selected to participate in the Robert Rauschenberg Residency (2019) and was a finalist for the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, as well as the recipient of the Anonymous Was A Woman Grant (2018), and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2016). Roberts received her MFA from Syracuse University, New York. She lives and works in Austin, Texas. Roberts is represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, CA.

Cleo Wade is a writer, poet, and the New York Times Best-selling author of What The Road Said, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life, and Where To Begin: A Small Book about Your Power to Create Big Change. Her work is dedicated to exploring love, freedom, self-care and the power of community. She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine, named one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company, and sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, and the Women’s Prison Association. Cleo is from New Orleans, Louisiana and currently lives in California with her family.

ASL translation will be provided on Zoom and CART (real-time captioning) will be provided across all platforms. If you have any questions about accessibility for this program, please email [email protected].

03/08/2022
O Superwomen: Artist Talk with Rada Akbar and Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is joined by Afghan conceptual artist Rada Akbar on International Women’s Day to discuss their upcoming collaboration, “A Fashion Show for Spirits,” in addition to exploring issues of women and power, perception and photography in Akbar’s ongoing project Abarzanan, which translates to “Superwomen” in Dari Persian, and Anderson’s Fully Automated Nikon (1973), currently on view in Laurie Anderson: The Weather at the Hirshhorn.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Rada Akbar, born and raised in Afghanistan, is an activist and artist who uses her art to speak out against misogyny and oppression. Her work consists of a mixture of wearable monuments, performance, painting, photography, curation, and installation pieces. It has been displayed in numerous national and international exhibitions. In 2015, she received an honorable mention in the UNICEF Photo of the Year Award. In 2020, her art exhibit called Abarzanan—Superwomen—which celebrates pioneering Afghan women, was featured in the New York Times, and in 2021 she received the Prince Claus Seed Award, MujerHoy awards and BBC 100 Women.

As a Grammy Award-winning musician, performer, writer, and artist, Laurie Anderson has an international reputation as an artist who combines the traditions of the avant-garde with popular culture. Anderson’s theatrical works combine a variety of media, including performance, music, poetry, sculpture, opera, anthropological investigations, and linguistic games, to elicit emotional reactions. As a visual artist, Anderson has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum, New York; SoHo, New York; and extensively in Europe, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris. She has also released seven albums for Warner Brothers, including Big Science, featuring the song “O Superman,” which rose to No. 2 on the British pop charts. She is currently Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University.

02/23/2022
(Online) On Process with Laurie Anderson

By the time most of us see an artwork, it’s “finished” and ready for the world to view. What we often don’t see is what the work went through to reach its final state. What was the initial idea? What did the first draft look like? How and why did it evolve to what it looks like now? Does it live up to the artist’s vision? What was it like to produce a major exhibition during a global pandemic?

Critically acclaimed artist, writer and perfomer Laurie Anderson has a constantly changing relationship with process in its many forms—from drawing sketches of video installations, to improvising large-scale wall paintings, to generating and editing language with artificial intelligence.

Anderson will join Hirshhorn curator Marina Isgro to explore the artist’s process and talk through the evolution of some of her biggest projects to date, many featured in The Weather

“I’m much more of a map person, to see how things relate to each other. Eventually I think it does help to have an overall shape and how you feel at the end is really important to me. But I don’t know that at the beginning, so I prefer to make a map and see how things push against each other.” – Laurie Anderson on the making of Chalkroom for On Virtual Realities: Artist Talk with Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang

ABOUT THE ARTIST

As a Grammy Award-winning musician, performer, writer, and artist, Laurie Anderson has an international reputation as an artist who combines the traditions of the avant-garde with popular culture. Anderson’s theatrical works combine a variety of media, including performance, music, poetry, sculpture, opera, anthropological investigations, and linguistic games, to elicit emotional reactions. As a visual artist, Anderson has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum, New York; SoHo, New York; and extensively in Europe, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris. She has also released seven albums for Warner Brothers, including Big Science, featuring the song “O Superman,” which rose to No. 2 on the British pop charts. She is currently Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University.

SCHEDULE

5:50 pm EST | Zoom broadcast opens

6 pm EST | Laurie Anderson in conversation with Marina Isgro

ASL translation will be provided on Zoom and CART (real-time captioning) will be provided across all platforms. If you have any questions about accessibility for this program, please email [email protected].

02/02/2022
(Online) On Joy: Artist Talk with Derrick Adams

Artist Derrick Adams is driven by his dedication to uplift Black joy and culture. This commitment takes shape in the artist’s diverse range of approaches to artmaking, from traditional media—such as painting, sculpture, and performance—to broader creative endeavors such as fashion, NFTs, and community engagement projects. Among his celebrated works are the more than one hundred paintings of Black subjects relaxing on bright, fantastical pool floats that make up his Floater series, and a new series titled Beauty World that features large, colorful, semi-abstracted portraits of mannequin heads adorned with sculptural wigs and eye-catching makeup. Currently on view at the US Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, are Head #12 and Head #17 from Adams’s Deconstruction Worker portrait series, in which Adams collaged together wood-grain-patterned vinyl and wallpaper to convey gradations in skin and hair color. The richness of his formal techniques for artmaking are married to the complexity of Black history and culture, with the emphasis on line and color as strong as his historical references.

Adams also founded The Last Resort Artist Retreat, a series of both artist and non-artist residencies that bring together Black creatives for an invitation-only escape from the world. In a swing into the digital world, Adams was commissioned by hip-hop icon Jay-Z to create an NFT marking the 25th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt.

Adams will be joined in conversation by Rhea L. Combs, who is director of curatorial affairs for the National Portrait Gallery.

This program is presented in partnership with the US Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies and the National Portrait Gallery.

ASL translation will be provided on Zoom and CART (real-time captioning) will be provided across all platforms. If you have any questions about accessibility for this program, please email [email protected].

Address

Independence Avenue At Seventh Street, SW
Washington D.C., DC
20024

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5:30pm
Sunday 10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+12026331000

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