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This week: Learn how trauma and politics shaped Impressionism, explore how artists use the American flag as a representation of protest and pride, and more.
This Week
Honouring Our Future: Yukon First Nations Graduation Regalia [Exhibition Opening] January 30-May 29 | Canadian Embassy | FREE
Since 1975, Yukon First Nations high school graduates have celebrated in handmade regalia featuring designs reflecting their heritage. This exhibition brings together pieces handcrafted by mothers, aunties, and community elders that tell stories resonating deeply with their communities. Some of the pieces were started years before the student’s graduation. Led by Indigenous curator Lisa Dewhurst, the exhibition focuses on the artistry and stories behind each piece. Visiting hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM-5 PM. More Info
Artists’ Reception: Continuum [Gallery Opening] February 1, 4-6 PM | The Athenaeum | FREE
Seven artists explore connections that persist through continuity and gradual transformation in this sculpture show. Floor and wall-mounted art plus site-specific installations take advantage of the gallery’s high ceilings and light-filled space. Featuring Chris Combs, Roger Cutler, Seemeen Hashem, Jackie Hoysted, Carl Johnson, Brian Kirk, and Valerie Theberge. More Info
America Will Be! [Exhibition Opening] February 6, 5-7 PM | The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland | FREE
Timed to the nation’s 250th anniversary, this exhibition explores how artists and communities have examined the complexities, opportunities, failures, and triumphs of the American experiment. Through 25 artworks, objects, and documents that harness the imagery of the U.S. flag, the show asks: How is race used to politically disenfranchise citizens and asylum seekers? And how have members of the Black community responded to systematic exclusion with resilient, creative forms of political participation? Highlights include David Hammons’s African American Flag (1990) and Hank Willis Thomas’s 14,719 (2018), where each embroidered star represents a person shot and killed in the United States that year. On view through May 8. More Info
Looking Ahead
Opening Celebration: Big Things for Big Rooms [Museum Opening] February 20, 6-8 PM | Hirshhorn Museum | FREE
The Hirshhorn celebrates the opening of Big Things for Big Rooms with 10 large-scale immersive works from contemporary art heavyweights, including Sam Gilliam, Lygia Pape, and Robert Irwin. The centerpiece is Rashid Johnson’s monumental installation The Changes (2025), a home-like assemblage of steel, foliage, video, lights, ceramics, and books. At 7 PM, jazz musician Elijah Balbed will activate Johnson’s sculpture with a performance. The museum has also added 54 artworks to Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860-1960. All four gallery floors will be open, plus Hirshhorn Art School will have hands-on art-making. Reserve
