12/14-12/20

This week: Explore Ruth Orkin's inversion of the male gaze, learn how artists across centuries depicted the Christmas story, and more.

This Week

Ruth Orkin: Women on the Move [Exhibition] Now-March 29 | National Museum of Women in the Arts | $16

Ruth Orkin had a passion for capturing people as they were. This exhibition of 21 vintage photographs explores women’s lives in mid-20th century America through her lens, from Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps members to Broadway stars. The daughter of a film star, Orkin also brought her camera into classrooms, homes, and urban neighborhoods to capture confident women forging new paths in postwar America. Barred from the cinematographers’ union because she was a woman, Orkin applied her narrative filmmaking vision to photography instead. Tickets

Amy Sherald: American Sublime [Exhibition] Now-April 5 | Baltimore Museum of Art | $18

Amy Sherald transformed American portraiture, and this exhibition traces her evolution from 2007 to the present. From early, rarely seen works to her iconic larger-than-life portraits of Black Americans, the show tells the story of a defining voice of her generation. Sherald made history in 2016 as the first African American to win the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, and was then commissioned to paint Michelle Obama’s official portrait. Both works are featured in this show, along with her Vanity Fair portrait of Breonna Taylor. Tickets

The Christmas Story in Art [Lecture] December 14, 1-2:30 PM | National Gallery of Art | FREE

Senior lecturer David Gariff examines how artists have depicted Christmas across centuries, exploring the symbolism, technique, and historical context of works by Duccio, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Giorgione, and Gerard David. He’ll also reference Biblical excerpts that inspired these portrayals of Christ’s birth. Pro tip: Arrive early because NGA over-registers its events and will turn away registrants if the space fills up. Register