February at the National Portrait Gallery Includes Presidential Family Fun Day, Recognize Vote, and More

Presidential Family Fun Day
Sunday, Feb. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard

Celebrate Presidents Day weekend during a patriotic family day at the National Portrait Gallery. Enjoy a variety of crafts and performances dedicated to our nation's famous past leaders. Meet Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in person and enjoy several art activities like presidential Polaroids and making picture frames. See performances by local the a capella group Snowday, get your picture taken with the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents, and more.

February Programs

Recognize Vote | Monday, Feb. 2, through Sunday, Feb. 15

The National Portrait Gallery has announced three candidates for the museum's "Recognize" wall, which highlights people in the museum's collection who have made an outstanding contribution to art, history and culture. The voter-selected portrait will be installed in late March. The voting link is posted on the museum's website,Twitter feed, and Facebook page.

Meet the Artist: Karen Miranda Rivandeneira | Saturday, Feb. 7, 2 p.m.
Karen Miranda Rivadeneira focuses on identity and intimacy. With her family's participation, she has staged and photographed memories of her childhood in her family's home in Queens, New York.Join Miranda Rivadeneira to consider how she uses photography to locate the universal while exploring the intersection of memory and tradition. Meet in front of her portraits in "Portraiture Now: Staging the Self" on the first floor.

DC Youth Slam Team Semifinals |Saturday, Feb. 7, 4 to 6 p.m.
Twenty teenaged poets from the DC area will perform their original poetryin this elimination-style performance poetry competition. The top-scoring youth poets, as determined by judges from the audience, will earn a spot in the Grand Slam finals and a chance to become members of the 2015 DC Youth Slam Team. This is not an open mic event; all performing poets qualified earlier in the year. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored in part by the Reinch Family Education Endowment. Follow the team at@DCyouthSLAM.

Pop Quiz: Love Stories |Wednesday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m.
From George and Martha to F. Scott and Zelda, this month's Pop Quiz Trivia night will feature portraits of great romances in American history. Some are fairy tales ... others, not as much. Pop Quiz can be played individually or in teams of up to six; no advance registration is required. Food and beverages will be available for purchase in the Courtyard Café.

3-D Portrait of President Obama |Friday, Feb. 13, through Monday, Feb. 15
In 2014, President Barack Obama became the first president to be scanned using 3-D technology, when a Smithsonian-led team of 3-D digital imaging specialists visited the White House. The data and the printed models are part of the National Portrait Gallery's collection, and will be on view on the first floor of the museum.

Meet the Author: Harold Holzer |Sunday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.
Harold Holzer is one of the country's leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. Join Holzer in the special exhibition "One Life: Grant and Lee," as he discusses his latest book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion.

Face to Face: Ira Aldridge |Thursday, Feb. 19, noon
The essential American endeavor is the struggle for justice. Join historian Jim Barber for a series of three talks about fascinating players in that history: Pocohantas, Ira Aldridge, and Everett Dirksen. The second of three conversations is about the upcoming 150th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States, considers Ira Aldridge. Meet at the portrait of Ira Aldridge (first floor).

Courtyard Movie Palace: Modern Times | Wednesday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.

Spend an evening in the splendor of the covered Kogod Courtyard and enjoy one of the greatest comedy films ever made: Modern Times (1936; 87 minutes). In this masterpiece of comedy mixed with sly social commentary, a kindhearted but clumsy factory worker struggles in an industrialized society where he just doesn't quite fit in. Food and beverages will be available for purchase in the Courtyard Café. Jointly presented with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Family Programs

Portrait Story Days: George Washington Carver | Saturday, Feb. 7, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 to 5 p.m.
Hear a story about a notable figure in the Portrait Gallery's collection and complete a hands-on activity. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Young Portrait Explorers: George Washington Carver | Monday, Feb. 9, 10:30-11:30 a.m. (meet in G Street lobby at 10:25 a.m.)
Toddlers up to age five and their adult companions are invited to become a Young Portrait Explorer. Activities include looking at portraits, listening to a story and participating in a hands-on activity. Registration required. Class size is limited to 25 participants. Parents and guardians must remain with their children. The program will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m.

Portrait Story Days: Abigail Adams and Valentines | Saturday, Feb. 14, 1 to 4 p.m.
Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about First Lady Abigail Adams and create a Valentine's card for someone special. The story will be read at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. on Saturday and at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. on Sunday. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Portrait Story Days: The Tuskegee Airmen | Saturday, Feb. 21, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 to 5 p.m.
Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about the Tuskegee Airmen and complete a hands-on activity. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Portrait Story Days: Harriet Tubman | Saturday, Feb. 28, 1 to 4 p.m.
Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about Harriet Tubman and complete a hands-on activity. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Open Studio Fridays | Fridays,Feb. 6, 13, 20, and 27, 1 to 4 p.m.
Join us on (most) Friday afternoons for some creative fun! Check out a Portrait Discovery Kit to explore the museum. You may also explore a different art material each week.

Portrait Discovery Kits |Saturdays, Feb. 7, 14, 21, and 28, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sundays, Feb. 1, 8, and 22, 3 to 5 p.m.
Portrait Discovery Kits offer a self-guided tour, "Seek and Find" cards, "Portrait Detective" and "Historian Guides," and a "Compare and Contrast" activity using a doll. Visitors may check out kits just outside of the National Portrait Gallery's Education Center, room E151, on the first floor. Kits must be returned prior to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Photo Credit: Abraham Lincoln by Alexander Gardner. albumen silver print, 1865

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