National Portrait Gallery Announces Schedule of March Events, Including Elaine de Kooning Exhibition

Elaine de Kooning: A Life in Frames, Portraits and Stories I Friday, March 13, noon

Artist Denise Lassaw speaks about the life and work of her godmother, Elaine de Kooning.

Meet the Artist: Rachelle Mozman I Saturday, March 14, 2 p.m.

Starting often from her own experience and family history, Mozman explores how culture shapes individuals and how environment affects behavior. She takes on these questions through multiple photographic series that conflate both documentary style and fictional narrative. Mozman's photographs show servants and masters in their most intimate surroundings. They engage each other sparsely, if at all, playing off of established social roles. The common introspective look of Mozman's lone characters suggests alienation-not what one would expect in a domestic setting. Meet in front of her portraits in "Portraiture Now: Staging the Self."

Pop Quiz: Curators' Choice I Wednesday, March 18, 6:30 p.m.

The National Portrait Gallery curators have handpicked the portraits featured in tonight's Pop Quiz! Gather your friends and test your knowledge of the people who have influenced science, art, literature and more. 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.

Face to Face: Everett Dirksen I Thursday, March 19, noon

At noon on the third Thursday of each month, a Portrait Gallery curator discusses a single portrait and the life it seeks to capture. Join historian Jim Barber in the last of three conversations about the upcoming 150th anniversary of passage of the 13th Amendment, as he considers Sen. Everett Dirksen. Meet at Dirksen's portrait in "Time Covers the 1960s."

Women's History Month Family Day I Saturday, March 21, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Celebrate Women's History Month at the National Portrait Gallery! Join us for a day of day of family friendly music, hands-on activities, a tour of the Portrait Gallery's "Elaine de Kooning" exhibition, and more! This family day is presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access. This program is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Cine-concert: Andrew Greene and Safety Last! I Saturday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.

Andrew Greene, director of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, performs his original score for the Harold Lloyd comedy classic Safety Last!(1923). In this side-splitting silent comedy, Lloyd plays Hugo Cabret, a small-town guy trying to make it in the big city who gets drawn into a wild publicity stunt at the department store where he works. Jointly presented with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Reel Portraits: Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power (2014) I Thursday, March 26, 6:30 p.m.

Combative, provocative and searingly blunt, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover was an unusual American hero. When few thought it possible, then-Captain Rickover undertook to harness the power of the atom to drive the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s. Many questioned Rickover's goal of an all-nuclear navy. However, few contest that he transformed the navy and changed the course of America's technological development. A conversation with the filmmakers follows the screening. Presented in partnership with the Environmental Film Festival.

Teen Museum Council's Paint Ball I Friday, March 27, 7-10 p.m.

Do you like museums? Do you enjoy dancing? Come join the Teen Council for their first annual Paint Ball! What IS the Paint Ball, you may ask? It's a dress-to-impress teen-only dance with free food, arts and crafts, dancing, a photo booth, and loads more activities. This dance is aimed towards teens (grades 9-12): teen DJs will keep the music going, and there will be teen photographers to catch you looking cute. Bring your student ID to get in, and dress in your semi-formal best. For more information, e-mail npgteens@si.edu.

Portrait Story Days: Susan B. Anthony I Saturday, March 7, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sunday, March 8, 2 to 5 p.m.

Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about Susan B. Anthony and create a hands-on activity. This program is a part of the museum's Women's History Month programs and sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Young Portrait Explorers: Susan B. Anthony I Monday, March 9, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Toddlers up to age five and their adult companions are invited to become a Young Portrait Explorer and to discover the National Portrait Gallery through history and art. The activities include looking at a portrait or two, listening to a story and participating in a hands-on activity. Registration required. Follow this link to register: http://www.eventbrite.com/org/810710525. 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. This program is a part of the museum's Women's History Month programs.

Portrait Story Days: Clara Barton I Saturday, March 14, 1 to 4 p.m.

Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about Clara Barton and complete a hands-on activity. This program is a part of the museum's Women's History Month programs and is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Portrait Story Days: Maya Angelou I Sunday, March 22, 2 to 5 p.m.

Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story about Maya Angelou and complete a hands-on activity. This program is a part of the museum's Women's History Month programs and is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Portrait Story Days: Toni Morrison I Saturday, March 28, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sunday, March 29, 2 to 5 p.m.

Young visitors and their families may drop in to listen to a story written by Toni Morrison and complete a hands-on activity. This program is a part of the museum's Women's History Month programs and is sponsored in part by the Reinsch Family Education Endowment.

Open Studio Fridays I Fridays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 1 to 4 p.m.

The museum's Education Center is open Friday afternoons for creative fun. Different art materials are available each week. Portrait Discovery Kits are also available and allow young visitors to explore the museum.

Portrait Discovery Kits I Saturdays, March 7, 14, 28, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sundays, March 8, 22, 29, 2 to 5 p.m.

Portrait Discovery Kits are an interactive and imaginative way for visitors to learn more about people who are in the National Portrait Gallery and their contributions to American history. The 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 can 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.