Image: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C.
The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, is rolling out a series of public-facing projects tied to America’s 250th anniversary, including a large-scale outdoor mural, weekend art activations and a chalking event in the museum’s Kogod Courtyard. The museum’s announcement frames the initiative as a summer-long invitation to visitors to engage with historical themes and portraiture through hands-on, social and site-specific activities.
At the center of the program is the ‘250th Stair Riser Mural,’ a collaboration with Ground Shift Studio installed on the museum’s outdoor steps at G and 8th streets. The mural is on view through July 19. The gallery says visitors can learn more about the historical figures featured in the work through a Bloomberg Connects digital guide. The museum also describes the intervention as a new look for the 250th, extending the project beyond the building’s interior galleries and onto its exterior architecture.
The mural is part of a broader slate of ‘Art Activations’ taking place every weekend through July 19 in the Kogod Courtyard. According to the museum, these activations present designs by Ground Shift Studio for the nation’s 250th anniversary and are meant to offer “artworks and themes from the museum’s collection in a whole new way.” The program includes indoor components and is presented as an interactive experience, encouraging visitors to take photos and selfies with the installations.
The most direct participatory event is ‘Chalking in the Courtyard with Ground Shift Studios,’ scheduled for Thursday, July 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Kogod Courtyard. The museum says visitors will be able to create their own chalk portrait while listening to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s ‘Take 5: Jazz at SAAM’ concert. The event is listed as free, with registration encouraged.
The Gallery is also highlighting the return of the ‘Declaration of Independence Diorama,’ a commissioned work by artist Bartlett Frost, on view in the Independence Gallery beginning July 2. The museum notes that it has not been on view at the Portrait Gallery since the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. That placement connects the current 250th-anniversary programming to an earlier national milestone already represented in the collection display.
The National Portrait Gallery, located at 8th and G Streets NW, is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The institution’s 250th-related programming combines temporary outdoor installations, a scheduled chalking event and a historical diorama installation, all presented under the umbrella of the museum’s summer programming.
