Exhibits and Events

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

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

Diane Arbus: A box of ten photographs, Apr 6, 2018 – Jan 21, 2019  

April 6, 2018, 4–7 p.m. – A box of ten photographs: The Odyssey of Diane Arbus: Register for Free Tickets
May 9, 2018, 5:30 p.m. – Diane Arbus Gallery Talk

In late 1969, Diane Arbus began to work on a portfolio. At the time of her death in 1971, she had completed the printing for eight known sets of A box of ten photographs, of a planned edition of fifty, only four of which she sold during her lifetime. 

This exhibition traces the history of A box of ten photographs between 1969 and 1973, using the set that Arbus assembled for Feitler, which was acquired by SAAM in 1986. The story is a crucial one because it was the portfolio that established the foundation for Arbus’s posthumous career, ushering in photography’s acceptance to the realm of “serious” art. 

U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN

Orchid Spectrum, February 23 – April 8:   An annual exhibition of thousands of orchids.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS!

D.C. Tidal Basin: CherryBlossomWatch.com  See the cherry trees bloom in D.C.’s Tidal Basin.  Currently expected to peak between Apr 8-12.  Photography Tips

 

 

 

Other Locations:  Kenwood Cherry Trees (1200 trees in this neighborhood!)  along Kennedy Drive, and Dorset and Kenwood avenues in Bethesda. The blossoms in Kenwood tend to peak 5-6 days after those at the Tidal Basin.  Other stellar D.C. groves: Oxon Run, Anacostia, and Stanton parks, as well as Dumbarton Oaks.

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE MEDIA ARTS GALLERY

Photography Student Exhibition,  March 19 – April 13
Featuring work of students in the Photography Program in the Media Arts & Technologies Department (Rockville Campus). Media Arts Gallery

NEWSEUM

Current Exhibits

Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery – Permanent, Level 1

This gallery features the most comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs ever assembled, including photographs from every Pulitzer Prize-winning entry since 1942, when the award was first presented. The gallery is updated each year when new winners are announced in April.

Interactive touch screens in the gallery display more than 1,000 images and 15 hours of video and audio compiled from interviews with the prize-winning photographers.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURES GALLERY (TORPEDO FACTORY, ALEXANDRIA, VA)

 

The following museums are usually a good source of photography exhibits.  These can be good locations for your own photographs too:

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The National Geographic frequently has events and exhibitions related to photography.  Check these out here: Events  Exhibitions

Photographer Stephen Wilkes is recognized around the world for his stunning image compositions of landscapes as they transition from day to night. Each of these dramatic images is meticulously crafted from more than 1,500 photographs taken from a fixed vantage point over the course of 15 to 30 hours, from sunrise to sunset. Stephen spent much of 2017 on assignment documenting bird migration routes for National Geographic magazine. This exhibition takes you into the field and behind the scenes, shining a light on the talent and dedication it takes to beautifully capture the passing of time.

 

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Check out the current and upcoming exhibitions here:

For more than forty years, Sally Mann has made experimental, elegiac, and hauntingly beautiful photographs that span a broad body of work including figure studies, still lifes, and landscapes. Some 115 photographs offer both a sweeping overview of Mann’s artistic achievement and a focused exploration on the continuing influence of the South on her work.

HIRSHHORN

Find current and upcoming exhibitions for the Hirshhorn:

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