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DC | Curator-led Tour of ‘Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands,’ with Dorothy Moss
March 10, 2022 | 5:30 pm
5:30pm ET
National Portrait Gallery curator Dorothy Moss will lead an in-person tour of her major exhibition on the poignant work of the artist Hung Liu, who sadly passed away from cancer just a few weeks before the show opened. Dr. Moss will provide an overview of the exhibition currently on view at the National Portrait Gallery, and share additional insights into her close working relationship with the artist.
Please note that this program will pivot to a virtual event if Covid restrictions prevent an in-person tour. Registrants will be notified of any change in advance.
This program is open to ArtTable members and their guests only. Not a member? Join today!
Admission
- ArtTable Members – $10
- Members may bring a guest for an additional $15
Please review before registering:
Covid-19 Guidelines
Please note that by registering for this event you consent to have your contact information shared with ArtTable to be used in the event that contact tracing is needed.
Visitors ages two and older are required to wear a face covering during their visit. Face coverings may be removed while eating or drinking in designated spaces.
Face coverings should fit properly, covering the nose, mouth and chin with no large gaps on the outside of the face, and they should have a minimum of two layers. Face shields are not permitted as a substitute for a face covering but may be worn over a face covering or mask. Bandanas, single-ply gaiters and face coverings or masks with an exhalation valve are not permitted.
Accessibility
The National Portrait Gallery offers a variety of free programs and services to make the museum accessible to all.
- Service dogs are welcome. The SI follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA requirements for service dogs. The dog must be trained to assist a person with a disability. Visitors are not allowed to bring emotional support animals into Smithsonian museums.
- Wheelchairs/Mobility Devices:Arriving and Parking
All visitors will be directed to enter and exit through the entrance at 8th and G Streets NW.
Getting Around in the Museum
Elevators serve all areas of the building. All restrooms and water fountains are wheelchair accessible. Family/companion care restrooms are located on the first and second floors near the F Street elevators.
Wheelchairs are available for your comfort. To borrow one, ask the security officer stationed at the G Street entrance.
Limited metered parking is available on the streets around the museum. Red Top meters are reserved for drivers with disabled parking placards. For more information about the Red Top Meter Program, check the District Department of Transportation website.
ADA parking spaces are available, for a charge, at nearby parking garages. View the map of their locations.
Visitors using the MetroAccess paratransit service should tell the driver to go to 800 G Street, or to G and 8th Street.
- Visitors Who are Blind or have Low Vision:Navigate the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum with Aira - a free app that connects you with sighted agents who provide verbal descriptions on demand. This subscription service is free when visiting the museums and connected to our Wi-Fi. To learn more, download the Aira app.
Audio Portrait Descriptions
The Portrait Gallery has developed audio descriptions of select portraits from our permanent collection. Designed for people who are blind or have low vision, these descriptions use precise, evocative language to convey the visual appearance of art, and are equally valuable for sighted visitors seeking closer observation. The descriptions can be accessed on the Audio Portrait Descriptions page or on the SmARTify app.
To get the app:
Download the app from the Apple or Android store
Open the app and tap on the “Explore” icon
Find the National Portrait Gallery and scroll to “Trending Tours”
Select “Visual Description tour of select portraits in America’s Presidents” - Visitors with Developmental and Sensory Disabilities: The Portrait Gallery is, on average, a relatively quiet museum. Nevertheless, it can get busy at certain times. If you or your family member are sensitive to noise, consider bringing noise cancelling headphones. There are usually quiet areas throughout building to take a break. The following resources will help you plan for an enjoyable visit:Visiting the National Portrait Gallery – A Social Story [PDF]
Things to Remember – A Social Story [PDF]
If you have any further questions after reading this page, please contact Visitor Services at 202-633-8300 or email: NPGAccess@si.edu
Getting There
ArtTable is a 501.c.3 organization. All programs are non-refundable.
About Dorothy Moss
Dorothy Moss, PhD is a curator of painting and sculpture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG). Her recent projects include the exhibition and book Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands (Yale University Press, 2021) and The Obama Portraits (Princeton University Press, 2020). In 2015, Moss initiated IDENTIFY, the NPG’s first performance art series featuring internally recognized artists, including Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, James Luna, and Jeffrey Gibson. Her upcoming exhibitions are One Life: Maya Lin (September 2022) and Kinship, with curators Leslie Ureña, Robyn Asleson, and Taína Caragol (October 2022).
About the exhibition
Hung Liu (1948–2021) was a contemporary Chinese-born American artist, whose multilayered paintings established new frameworks for understanding portraiture in relation to time, memory, and history. Often sourcing her subjects from photographs, Liu elevated overlooked individuals by amplifying the stories of those who have historically been invisible or unheard. Having lived through war, political revolution, exile, and displacement, she offered a complex picture of an Asian Pacific American experience. Her portraits speak powerfully to those seeking a better life, in the United States and elsewhere. Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands will be the first major exhibition of the artist’s work on the East Coast. This is also the first time that a museum will focus on Liu’s portraiture.
Image: Hung Liu (American, born China 1948, died California, 2021), Resident Alien, 1988, Oil on canvas; Collection of the San Jose Museum of Art; gift of the Lipman Family Foundation; Dorothy Moss and Hung Liu
Thank you to Shelley Langdale, Curator and Head of Modern Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art (and ArtTable DC Chapter programs co-chair) and Concetta Duncan, Head of Communications, National Portrait Gallery for organizing this program.
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ArtTable is a 501.c.3 organization and all programs are non-refundable. Should a program be postponed by ArtTable for any reason, the purchaser’s ticket will be honored for the rescheduled program. Should a program be canceled and not rescheduled, the purchaser will receive credit to be used toward a future program. Please email programs@arttable.org with any questions.