Highlights Tours
Free docent-led tours of the galleries are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.
All Programs by Date
March
Book Talk: "No Access Washington, D.C."
Beth Kanter exposes the unknown and unseen parts of D.C., from secret alleys to hidden caverns to artistic hideaways.
Consultations: Ask a Curator, Ask a Conservator
Bring in textiles that you own for a consultation with museum experts.
GW Arts Walk
Celebrate all the exciting creativity on campus at GW's second annual arts walk, followed by an after-party at the Corcoran!
Lecture: The Slaves Who Built D.C.
Historian Lina Mann tells the stories of enslaved individuals who built the iconic buildings of Washington, D.C., including the White House, U.S. Capitol, Post Office, Patent Office, and many others.
Gallery Talk: Fakes and Forgeries in Textile Fragments
This week, visit "Delight in Discovery: The Global Collections of Lloyd Cotsen" with Jenna Campolieto and see if you can identify which fragments are forgeries or fakes.
Lecture: Hidden History in Foggy Bottom’s Alleys
Expert Washington tour guide Carolyn Crouch shares the unique history of the museum's neighborhood, Foggy Bottom, and its many secrets and untold histories.
Book Launch: "For Love or Money: Confronting the State of Museum Salaries"
Kristina Durocher, co-editor of "For Love or Money," brings a highly critical focus to the causes and effects of pay inequality in the international museum profession, and proposes effective strategies to remedy the problem.
Gallery Talk: Selections from "Delight in Discovery: The Global Collections of Lloyd Cotsen"
This week, Academic Coordinator Marie-Eve Celio will show you highlights from the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection of fragments dating from antiquity to the present day.
Film Screening: "RiverBlue"
Paddler and conservationist Mark Angelo documents the extensive impacts of the global fashion industry on waterways. (Paddle Productions, 2017, 95 minutes)
Family Day: Japanese Fashion Cherry Blossom Festival
Celebrate Japanese fashion at this family day featuring colorful clothing, accessories, and dances from Japan.
Lecture: The Exorcist’s Washington
Join David Wilt, GW lecturer in film studies, to uncover the real events in 1940s Washington, D.C., that inspired the horror film.
Gallery Talk: Lia Cook’s “Attitude”
This week, Curator of Contemporary Art Caroline Kipp will introduce you to the work of American fiber artist Lia Cook through her 1999 piece "Attitude."
The Quilt Phenomenon
Rebecca A. T. Stevens, the museum’s retired consulting curator of contemporary textiles, will trace the journey of the quilt from bedcovering to a contemporary art object.
Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon: Women Fiber Artists
Learn how to edit Wikipedia and work together to improve and create Wikipedia articles about women fiber artists.
Lecture: History of the State Department
Historian Seth Rotramel explores the origin and evolution of the State Department, one of the original U.S. departments.
April
Consultations: Ask a Curator, Ask a Conservator
Bring in textiles that you own for a consultation with museum experts.
Curator Tour for Members: "Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists"
Curator Robyn Kennedy leads a tour of this landmark exhibition at the Renwick Gallery—the first major thematic show to explore the artistic achievements of Native women.
Gallery Talk: "Pis Siyabit," Head Coverings from the Philippines
This week, museum docent Linda Yangas will discuss the artistic influences, cultural practices, and impact of geography and history in the creation of this traditional garment from the southwestern Philippines.
Book Talk: “The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution”
Author Lindsay Chervinsky shares the story of George Washington’s creation of the Presidential Cabinet.
Gallery Talk: Mali Tent Weaving
This week, join museum docents Julie Geschwind and Nancy McCarthy for a discussion about the creation of elaborate tent panels (arkilla jenngo) woven by Fulani weavers for the nomadic Tuareg in Mali.
Film Screening: “Kindred Spirits: Artists Hilda Wilkinson Brown and Lilian Thomas Burwell”
Filmmaker Cintia Cabib will screen and discuss her new documentary exploring the lives and work of two accomplished but unsung African American women artists who lived and worked in Washington, D.C.
Gallery Talk: Kay Sekimachi’s "Moon and Mauna Kea"
This week, Curator of Contemporary Art Caroline Kipp will introduce you to the work of American fiber artist Kay Sekimachi through her 1998 piece "Moon and Mauna Kea IV."
Discussion: Championing the Empathetic Museum
Melanie Adams, director of Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, and museum consultant Gretchen Jennings discuss the characteristics of a museum that prioritizes institutional empathy.
May
Book Talk: "Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home”
Richard Bell discusses his new book, Stolen, which shares the troubling story of five free young men kidnapped from their home in Philadelphia and their courageous journey back to freedom.
Consultations: Ask a Curator, Ask a Conservator
Bring in textiles that you own for a consultation with museum experts.
Curator Tour for Members: "Adorned: African Women & the Art of Identity"
Associate Curator of African Art Kevin Tervala leads a tour of the Baltimore Museum of Art's exhibition, which brings together two dozen works from its collection to demonstrate the critical role of women in shaping social identities across 20th-century Africa.
Gallery Talk: Threads of Silver and Gold
Join docent Pam Kaplan for a magnifying exploration of the process behind gold- and silver-wrapped thread and the textiles they embellish.
Gallery Talk: Collecting Japanese Treasures
This week, independent Japanese textile curator Ann Marie Moeller will discuss several fragments (some over a thousand years old) in "Delight in Discovery: The Global Collections of Lloyd Cotsen" that illustrate the long history of textile collecting in Japan.
Gallery Talk: A Pre-Hispanic Poncho from Peru
This week, join museum docent Kathryn Stevens for a discussion of a pre-Hispanic poncho discovered in the Ica Valley of Peru and how it might indicate the wealth and status of the wearer among the Inca elite.
June
Gallery Talk: A Patchwork Coat and the Art of Re-Use
This week, Curator of Education Lori Kartchner explores a one-of a kind patchwork coat and the artful reuse of scraps from more than 20 different types of textiles.
Tour for Members: The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center
Join fellow members on a tour of the museum's new Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center with Academic Coordinator Marie-Eve Celio.
Gallery Talk: "Tapa," Barkcloth of the South Pacific
This week, Curator Lee Talbot will discuss the production and cultural significance of Polynesian "tapa," a textile made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree.
Gallery Talk: The Record-Keeping Khipu
Jeff Splitsoser from GW’s anthropology department will examine how these ancient recording devices were made, how they were used, and the role they played within Inka society.
Curator Tour for Members: "Handmade: Creating Textiles in South Asia"
Exhibition curator Cristin McKnight Sethi will introduce you to saris, scarves, and other garments made by artists in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
701 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-5200
[email protected]
