Release Date: March 21, 2014

Array of Public Programs Celebrating Degas/Cassatt at the National Gallery of Art

Kimberly A. Jones, associate curator of French paintings, presents an introduction to the exhibition on Sunday, May 11, at the National Gallery of Art.

Washington, DC—An array of free public programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition Degas/Cassatt, on view in the West Building from May 11 through October 5, 2014. The exhibition is the first to examine Mary Cassatt’s role in shaping Edgar Degas’s artistic production and in preparing the way for his warm reception in America. Among the programs planned will be a public symposium, a teacher institute, lectures, and concerts featuring music by mid-19th-century composers. All programs are free of charge in the East Building Auditorium unless otherwise noted. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Public Symposium

Degas and Cassatt: Different Perspectives
Sunday, October 5, 2014, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
West Building Lecture Hall
Illustrated lectures by noted scholars

Lectures

Introduction to the Exhibition: Degas/Cassatt
Sunday, May 11, noon
Kimberly A. Jones, associate curator of French paintings, National Gallery of Art

Mary Cassatt's Radical Monstrosities
Wednesday, May 14, 3:30 p.m.
West Building Lecture Hall
Hollis Clayson, Samuel H. Kress Professor, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art

Degas and Women
Sunday, May 18, noon
Theodore Reff, professor emeritus of European painting and sculpture, 1840–1940, Columbia University

Concerts

Emmanuel Ceysson, harpist
Sunday, June 1, 6:30 p.m.
West Garden Court
Music by 19th-century French composers
In partnership with the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France, through a grant from SAFRAN

National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble
Sunday, June 8, 6:30 p.m.
West Garden Court
Music by Fauré, Saint-Saëns, and other French composers
In partnership with the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France, through a grant from SAFRAN

Philippe Entremont, pianist
Sunday, June 22, 6:30 p.m.
West Garden Court
Music by French composers

Gen Tomuro, pianist
Thursday, June 26, 12:10 p.m.
West Garden Court
Music by French composers

Summer Teacher Institute 2014

Session 1: July 14–19, 2014
Session 2: July 28–August 2, 2014

The Teacher Institute is a six-day seminar that helps K–12 teachers (of all subjects) strengthen their knowledge of art history and integrate visual art into classroom teaching. The program features lectures, gallery tours, teaching strategies, and hands-on learning experiences. Activities are designed to meet teachers' personal and professional enrichment needs.

The 2014 Teacher Institute will examine the pioneering artists of French impressionism and post-impressionism whose innovations laid the foundations for 20th-century art. Through lectures, gallery talks, discussion groups, and hands-on activities, participants in the Summer Teacher Institute will analyze French impressionist and post-impressionist works by artists represented in the Gallery’s permanent collection, including Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, and Paul Cézanne.

The seminar will highlight the social and cultural context of art and demonstrate interdisciplinary teaching strategies. Participants will explore connections between the visual arts and photography, music, and language arts, and will visit collections of 19th-century French art in other local cultural institutions.

Online Feature and Exhibition Brochure

A slideshow of 17 works from the exhibition will be featured on the Gallery’s website. A print brochure with 12 illustrations will be available free to the public.

Audio Tour

Narrated by National Gallery of Art Director Earl A. Powell III, the exhibition audio guide ($5) will feature commentary by staff: Kimberly A. Jones, associate curator of French paintings; Ann Hoenigswald, senior conservator of paintings; and Kimberly Schenck, head of paper conservation.

Slide Overview

May 13–October 3, 2014
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 p.m.
Fridays, 11:00 a.m.
(Please note, no presentations are scheduled on May 15 and 20; June 19 and 26; and July 4)
West Building Lecture Hall
A 45-minute introductory slide overview will be offered regularly during the run of the exhibition.