by Bruce Schaefer

Following are a number of photography-related exhibits and events occurring now, or soon, in the extended Washington D.C. area. These include gallery and museum exhibits, college exhibits, special events, and sometimes exhibits or events to photograph yourself.

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW – Washington, DC

Superheroes

1st Floor, East

This showcase presents artifacts from the museum’s collections that relate to Superheroes, including comic books, original comic art, movie and television costumes and props, and memorabilia. The display includes George Reeves’s Superman costume from the Adventures of Superman TV program, which ran from 1951-1958, as well as Halle Berry’s Storm costume from the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The Batmobile

1st Floor, Center Floor Plan

The Batmobile from the Tim Burton-directed superhero film “Batman” is on view. The film—starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker—was the first installment of Warner Bros.’s initial “Batman” film series. Originally built on the chassis of a Chevrolet Impala, the Batmobile was designed by Anton Furst, drawing inspiration from Salt Flat Racers and the Corvette Stingrays of the 1950’s and reflecting the Art Deco influences that Burton’s depicted in his Gotham City. The vehicle is on loan from Warner Bros.

 

Art in Industry

3rd Floor, Center

Art in Industry looks back at a time when Americans embraced artistic skills as a way to build a consumer-oriented industrial economy. This display features artistic industries as varied as publishing and pottery from the 1830s to the 1930s through three lenses: learning, working, and selling. Examining movements including the Arts and Crafts Movement and industrial design, the display showcases objects such as an 1894 ornate cash register, electric toasters, pocket watches, cameras, and ceramics, including vases and tableware. Also on view are a copy of the first American drawing manual and other educational materials, engraving tools, and drawing instruments.

 

 

NATIONAL ZOO

3001 Connecticut Ave., NW – Washington, DC

Naked Mole-Rats on the Move

Small Mammal House

The naked mole-rats at the National Zoo are having a blast in their new, multistory habitat with more than 25 feet of connecting tunnels. You can also experience the action 24 hours a day on the Zoo’s latest webcam.

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE 

15th St. and Constitution Ave., NW – Washington, DC

Represent: Hip-Hop Photography

2nd Floor, Center for African American Media Arts gallery

Inspired by the four elements of hip-hop—DJ’s, MCs, breakdancers and graffiti—Represent showcases photographs from the Eyejammie Hip Hop Photography Collection that illustrate the early days of hip-hop and its rapid expansion to a cultural phenomenon in the mid-to-late 1990s. Photos showing some of hip-hop’s iconic figures and moments are paired alongside other images from the museum’s photography collection to explore how different social movements, historic figures, art, culture and dance have influenced the musical genre.

 

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDEN

7th Street & Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20560

‘Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse’ – Nov. 1 – April 28, 2019

Innovative Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer will bring the largest interactive technology exhibition to the Hirshhorn in the museum’s history starting Nov. 1. Pulse will take up the entire Second Level, with three major installations using heart-rate sensors to create audiovisual experiences from visitors’ biometric data. Together, the biometric signatures will create spellbinding sequences of soundscapes, lights and animations.

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW – Washington, DC

23rd Annual Nature’s Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

2nd Floor

See the world’s natural wonders through a whole new lens. Named for nature photographer and conservationist Windland Smith Rice, Nature’s Best presents breathtaking fine art prints and short videos that highlight the best of nature photography—and our spectacular planet.

From more than 26,000 entries submitted to the 2018 Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, 60 stunning images were selected to showcase the extraordinary work of photographers from around the world. United by their creativity and technical skill with a camera, these artists of all ages and experience levels share their visions of nature to inspire future photographers and conservationists alike.

 

FREER GALLERY OF ART

Jefferson Drive and 12th Street, SW – Washington, DC

Peacock Room, Gallery 12

For a limited time, enjoy the Peacock Room as Whistler saw it—as a work of art in itself. The shelves of the Peacock Room are empty prior to an installation of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain of the type that filled the room in the late nineteenth century. Here is a rare chance to examine the peacock patterns and color harmonies Whistler created in this icon of American art.

 

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

8th and F Streets NW, Washington, DC

Portraits of the World: Korea

2nd Floor, North Galleries

Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suk Nam (born 1939) uses portraiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present. A wood assemblage portrait of her mother is the centerpiece of this exhibition, which includes portraits of American artists, such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, and Marisol. The exhibition highlights shared themes and artistic approaches that have activated women artists from different parts of the globe. Robyn Asleson, associate curator of prints, drawings and media arts, National Portrait Gallery, is curating this installation.

 

 

One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey 

A one-room exhibition that looks back at an extraordinarily important and memorable time in American history. The show relies on some 30 portraits to tell the story of 1968, the year when the Vietnam War reached a turning point, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, and television sets displayed everything from the Olympic Games to the first manned orbit of the moon. Representations of Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon will share the walls with portraits of cultural figures such as Peggy Fleming, Arthur Ashe, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Depictions of other significant personalities, notably the Apollo 8 astronauts, will round out the exhibit. The major artists who will be represented include Roy Lichtenstein, Irving Penn, George Tames, David Levine, Robert Vickrey, and Louis Glanzman.

 

WASHINGTON POST

Here is a link to the online Washington Post’s lists of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia photography-related exhibits and museums.  I have found that the various photography-related exhibits appear in different parts of the online paper, making a simple search or link unreliable. You can search within

Photography section:  Photography

Going Out Guide:  Going Out Guide

Art Section: Art

 

Online Photo Sites:

Following are some websites that offer terrific images for the armchair adventurer.

Nat Geo annual photo contest:

Browse our editors’ favorite submissions to the photo contest.

nationalgeographic.com/photography/contests/photo-contest-2018

 

New Atlas selects top photographs of 2018.

52 images:

https://newatlas.com/gallery-best-photographs-2018-year

 

The Pano Awards – Top 50 for 2018

2018 Open (Nature)

2018 Open (Built)

 

NIKON INTERNATIONAL SMALL WORLD COMPETITION, 2018

images-that-won-nikon-small-worlds-microscope-photography-contest

 We know science is cool, but it can also be stunningly beautiful. Every year, Nikon Instruments celebrates the beauty seen under the microscope with the Nikon International Small World Competition, now in its 37th year. It is open to anyone with an interest in microscopy and photography. Experts judge the images based on originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact. The winners were announced on Instagram (@NikonInstruments) this year.

 

SIENA PHOTO AWARDS:

the-stunning-winners-siena-international-photo-awards

Siena International Photo Award is one of the photo contests with the highest international participation ever. 2018 edition has received nearly 48.000 images from amateur and professional photographers from 156 countries worldwide.