National Portrait Gallery

After last week’s fabulous opening panel, the Fellows were looking forward to our trip to the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), and our seminar, The Democratization of Portraiture: Prints and Drawings of all the People by the People. Following a brief introduction by Briana Zavadil White, School and Teacher Programs Manager, NPG, we were greeted by Asma Naeem, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Media Art at NPG and our guide for the first part of the afternoon. As we moved into the galleries, she reminded us of the elitist nature of portraiture, traditionally a way to communicate propaganda about power, wealth and status,  and the role that prints have had in presenting a more complete and balanced history. Prints are cheaper, more portable, and more accessible, thus allowing  for a broader expression and representation of people and ideas. As we toured various museum galleries, a number of works were identified that allowed the Fellows to critically think about the messages the artists were trying to communicate and to see how a wider, more diverse American story was being communicated. Fellows gained a new appreciation for the need to include prints, drawings and photographs in its collections if the museum is to fulfill its mission of telling the story of America through the people who have shaped it.

Following a break, Briana took the group into another gallery where they engaged in a reading portraiture activity. This opportunity allowed Fellows to combine what they had learned from the earlier part of the afternoon, with information Briana presented. A bonus of the afternoon was seeing the new portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The day ended with a group discussion on classroom applications, and as always everyone left with a folder full of resources.