National Portrait Gallery

April 7 found our group heading to the National Portrait Gallery for our annual visit. While this was a new experience for the Fellows, Mimi and Denise, were looking forward to seeing the NPG team that has worked with our program for the past several years.

We were greeted by Dr. David Ward, Senior Historian at the National Portrait Gallery, and Briana Zadavil Whilte,, School and Teacher Program Coordinator for the Museum.

Our afternoon program began with a guided tour and history of the museum delivered by David Ward. He spoke about the history of the building itself, its days as home to the U.S. Patent Bureau, as the site of President Lincoln’s second Inaugural Ball and as military barracks, hospital and morgue during the Civil War. Since 1968 it has housed both the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The National Portrait Gallery was created by congressional act in 1962, charged with telling the story of America through the people who have shaped it. It is the only museum in the United States dedicated to portraiture. Dr. Ward’s vast knowledge and understanding of the museum’s mission, the strengths and weaknesses in its collections, and how the museum is working toward fulfilling that mission more completely, provided the Fellows with insights that would not have been gained by merely viewing the collections. Following a renovation that closed the building for several years, a secondary mission emerged, that of a focus on contemporary portraiture. Each aspect of his talk was highlighted by specific example as we moved through the various galleries. As is often the case, Fellows who had not previously considered visiting this museum with their students, now began to see the National Portrait Gallery as a very valuable resource.

By the time we returned to the Education classroom, the group was full of questions, and Briana was ready to answer. Her ability to talk about how to use portraiture as a teaching tool, and integrate into a variety of types of classrooms and topics allowed each Fellow to see ways to apply to their own discipline areas. Each Fellow was given a packet of resources that could be tailored to their own needs, and as always, Briana reminded us that she is always happy to work with any of the group on their specific projects.

Needless to say, this was a wonderful afternoon.