November Museum Roundup
Still from John Gerrard's "Animated Scene" (Oil Field), 2007
>> At the National Portrait Gallery, three artists ask the question: What is community? Rose Frantzen, Jim Torok, and Rebecca Westcott present their own answer with portraits of friends, family and characters from their respective lives in Portraiture Now: Communities. Opening November 6.
>> Twenty years ago this Sunday, the Berlin Wall came down. Celebrate with the whole family at the Newseum's Berlin Wall Family Day. Hear how graffiti has been a form of protest, then try it out for yourself on the Newseum's re-created wall. Play quiz games and search for clues in a scavenger hunt. November 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
>> The Anacostia Community Museum opens The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present. This exhibit highlights the traditions and popular culture of Afro-Mexicans showcasing many paintings, masks, photography, and other works of art. Opening November 9.
>> A comprehensive exhibit of Yinka Shonibare MBE's work will be on display at the Museum of African Art. The exhibit will highlight recent works including painting, sculpture and installation, photography and moving images of this Nigerian born artist. Opening November 10.
>> Over centuries, African Americans and Native Americans created shared histories, communities, families, and ways of life. IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas highlights race, community, culture, and creativity within the African American, American Indian communities. American Indian Museum, opening November 10.
>> At the Corcoran hear Edward Burtynsky talk on his photographic works in Edward Burtynsky: Oil. November 11 at 7 p.m. $15 members, $20 public.
>> On November 12, Nature's Best 2009 Photography Awards: Windland Smith Rice International Awards opens at the Natural History Museum. This exhibit includes the 19 prize winning photographs from amateur and professional nature photographers from around the world.
>> The American History Museum opens two exhibits this month. Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings contains drawings developed by Native warriors from the Northern and Southern Plains in the late 19th century. Holidays on Display examines the art, industry, and history of holiday displays across the United States, primarily between the 1920s and the 1960s. Both open November 13.
>> In conjunction with the Phillips Collection, the University of Maryland, College Park presents the symposium: African Art, Modernist Photography, and the Politics of Representation (PDF). The symposium examines the representation of African art within the context of early 20th century modernism. On November 13 attend the cocktail reception from 5 to 6 p.m. followed by a keynote address by Dr. Jack Flam on Modernist Primitivism: The Heart of the Matter, at the Driskell Center. Then on November 14, at the Phillips Collection, attend a full day of panel discussions and talks from 10 to 5 p.m. The symposium is free but registration is required.
>> Children playing is a timeless theme. At the Freer, view Chinese objects and paintings dating from the first through the 20th century, depicting children playing in urban and rural settings in Children at Play in Chinese Painting. November 14.
>> Nearly 2,000 years ago, thousands of life-size clay figures were buried in massive underground pits to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, into the afterlife. On November 19, the National Geographic Museum opens Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, an exhibition featuring treasures from the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi including 15 life-size figures, weapons, armor, coins, and more. $12
>> The Air and Space Museum opens a new permanent exhibit on November 19. Moving Beyond Earth explores the achievements and challenges of human spaceflight in the United States. See a 12-foot-tall space-shuttle model and other launch-vehicle models. As well as, astronaut gear, space gloves, and parts of the Hubble Space Telescope.
>> New in the Black Box Theater at the Hirshhorn view Next Floor. This twelve minute film is part night mare, part morality tale that explores pre-economic crash consumerism. Starting November 30.
Filed in Arts and Events and tagged art, exhibit, gallery, museums