Harry Benson: Washington DC
Iconic Photographs for the Nation’s Capital
707-709 7th St., NW
Washington, DC 20001
Wed-Sun 10 AM – 5 PM; Open until 7PM on Capitals and Wizards home gamedays
Free Admission
www.harrybensondc.com
Located next door to the Capital One Arena, the gallery showcases over 150 photographs by the legendary photojournalist, Harry Benson. Benson is renowned for his photographic documentation of culture, music, movies, television, and sports through the 20th and 21st centuries.
The gallery spans two floors with over 10,000 square feet and will feature every president and first lady since Dwight Eisenhower, iconic photographs of athletes including Mohammed Ali, musicians, the Beatles arrival to the US, a historic chronicling of the civil rights movement in America and much more.
National Gallery of Art
4th St. & Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC
10:00 Am – 5:00 PM
www.nga.gov
The 70’s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography – Through April 6, 2025
Approximately 100 works by more than 80 artists examine how photographers reinvented documentary practice during this radical shift in American life. The questions these artists explored – about photography’s ethics, truth and power continue to be considered today.
National Archives Museum
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC
www.archivesfoundation.org
Power and Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey – March 16, 2024 – Dec. 7, 2025
The exhibit features a collection of photographs that explore the under-researched and never-before-exhibited images of those who helped build our nation post-WWII.
Multiple Exposures Gallery
The Torpedo Factory Art Center, Studio 312
105 Union St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
www.multipleexposuresgallery.com
Mon-Sun 11 am – 5 pm
No exhibitions are mentioned as of this posting. Check the website for any February exhibitions.
Previous photographic exhibits may also be viewed online at www.multipleexposuresgallery.com under Exhibitions – Virtual Galleries.
Glen Echo Photoworks
7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, MD
www.glenechophotoworks.org
Gallery Hours: Saturday 1-4 PM
The Colors of Life – Through March 2nd
Celebrates the wide spectrum of member’s photographic genres, subject matters and life experiences inside and outside the nation’s capital. Travel photography, landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, architecture, and photojournalism are represented in this juried show.
Past Exhibits may also be viewed online under Galleries
National Portrait Gallery
Eighth & G Streets
Washington, DC 20001
www.npg.si.edu
Mon-Sun. 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Powerful Partnerships: Civil War-Era Couples – Through May 18, 2025
The exhibit illuminates the stories and faces of five “power couples” whose work and lives shaped the nation around them during tumultuous times.
Picturing the Presidents: Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes
Through June 8, 2025
To mark the 2024 presidential election year, this exhibit features some of the earliest photographic images of the eleven men who attained the nation’s highest office.
Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age, by George Hurrell –
Through January 4, 2026
The preeminent photographer created timeless images of Hollywood’s most glamorous icons of the 1930s and 1940s.
Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris 1900-1939 – Through Feb. 23, 2025
“Through portraiture and biography, “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939” illuminates the accomplishments of sixty convention-defying women who crossed the Atlantic to pursue personal and professional aspirations in the vibrant cultural milieu of Paris. As foreigners in a cosmopolitan city, these “exiles” escaped the constraints that limited them at home.”
National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Ave., NW
Washington, DC. 20005
Tues. to Sunday 10am to 5pm
www.nmwa.org
Samantha Box: Confluences – Through March 23
“Bronx-based photographer navigates social and cultural landscapes through complex images exploring race, gender, class, and sexuality.”
National Museum of African American History & Culture
1400 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20560
Mon: 12:00PM – 5:30 PM; Tues – Sun. 10:00AM – 5:30PM
Free Timed-Entry Passes Required
Forces for Change: Mary McLeod and Black Women’s Activism
July 19, 2024 – Ongoing
Featuring 75 images, artifacts and multimedia film, the exhibit illuminates connections across time to Black women changemakers who continue Mary McLeod Bethune’s social justice legacy.
Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE
Washington, DC
(202) 633-4820
Open Daily 10AM – 5PM
www.anacostia.si.edu
ACM Main Gallery
Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC, 1900-2000 – current until March 2, 2025
Through original artworks, rare video footage, photography and artistic artifacts, A Bold and Beautiful Vision traces the story of teachers and students who made Washington, DC a truly unparalled center for Black arts education.
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 272-2448
Open Thurs. – Mon. 10AM – 4PM
www.nbm.org
Capital Brutalism – Through Feb. 17
Explores the history, current state, and future of seven polarizing buildings, including the WMATA Metro system in Washington, DC. The exhibit uses archival documents, drawings, construction photographs, and contemporary photographs to shed light on the buildings’ stories.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 340-1405
https://vmfa.museum/exhibitions/exhibitions/long-arc-photography-american-south-since-1845/
Admission is Free to permanent collection galleries. The cost for special exhibitions varies.
Home/Grown: Photographs by Susan Worsham and Brian Palmer – Sept. 16, 2024 – April 6, 2025. Free
Washington Post
Photography section: https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/
Going Out Guide: https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/
Art Section: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/art
EVENTS
Sailing Through the Winter Solstice – Through Mar. 2025
Carroll Creek Park
50 Carroll Creek Way
Frederick, MD
https://www.visitfrederick.org/sailing-into-the-winter-solstice/
Free
DC Chinese New Year Parade – Year of the Snake – Feb. 2
Gallery Place 2PM – 4PM
www.dcparade.com
DC Tattoo Expo – Feb. 7 – 9
Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel
900 S Orme St., Arlington, VA 22204
www.dctattooexpo.com
Orchids: Masters of Deception – Feb. 14 – Apr. 27
U.S. Botanical Garden
100 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20001
Open daily 10AM – 5PM
www.usbg.gov
29th annual orchid exhibition featuring thousands of orchids in a collaboration between the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Smithsonian Gardens.
Note: the orchid display at the Kogod Courtyard at the American Art Museum will not be held in 2025.
Cupid’s Undie’s Run – Feb. 8
12PM – 4PM, Race begins at 2PM
The Admiral’s Cup
1647 Thames St
Baltimore, MD
www.mycupids.org
Street photo op…capture some fun photos of participants running about a mile in colorful costumes, undies or whatever they love to wear to help raise funds and awareness for the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis.
Cupid’s Undie Run – Feb. 15
12PM – 4PM
The Wharf – Union Stage
760 Maine Ave., SW
Washington, DC. 20024
www.wharfdc.com
George Washington Birthday Parade – Feb. 15
2PM – 4PM
Old Town Alexandria
www.washingtonbirthday.com
This is the oldest and largest George Washington Birthday Parade in the country. This year’s theme is: George Washington: America’s Commander-In-Chief, marking the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States Army. Vist the link for the parade route.
Plan Ahead:
Philadelphia Flower Show – March 1 – 9
Pennsylvania Convention Center
www.phsonline.org
Baltimore Tattoo Arts Festival – March 7 – 9
Baltimore Convention Center
www.villainarts.com