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Home>Stories>A Guide to Your Artsiest Summer Yet

1.   Enjoy Jazz in the Garden, a local summer tradition.

For more than two decades, Washingtonians have spent their summer Friday evenings in our Sculpture Garden. This year Jazz in the Garden returns with performances by musicians from around the nation. 

The weekly event is popular, though—you’ll need to enter a lottery the week before each concert for a chance to snag passes.

Lottery details

 

2.   Stroll through the Sculpture Garden.

But you don’t have to wait for Jazz in the Garden to enjoy our urban oasis. Bring a picnic to the Sculpture Garden any day of the week. Plus you can add a snack or drink from the Pavilion Café. 

While you’re there, learn about the modern and contemporary sculptures on a free guided tour. Join us for these hour-long strolls at 12:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

Add to your calendar.

Still from Rose Lowder’s Les Tournesols (1982) courtesy of Canyon Film Foundation

3.   Cool off.

Looking for some relief from the heat? Or maybe you’re on the hunt for cheap things to do while you can save for that summer getaway. Well, we have air conditioning and visits are free. Stop by to cool off in the galleries or stay longer and catch a film. 

All summer long we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of the invention of 16mm film with a series that shows how the format inspired filmmakers. Short on time? Drop in for some international short films in August. 

Check the schedule.

Ilse Bing, Street Fair, Paris, 1933, gelatin silver print, Gift of Ilse Bing Wolff, 2001.147.24

4.   Grab a scoop of gelato.

 

To beat the heat, treat yourself to a scoop at our Espresso & Gelato Bar. This summer, you can try new flavors like pineapple, watermelon mint, peach, and honey fig mascarpone. 

See our dining options.

5.   Make your own art.

Miss the days of summer camp? Or looking for a way to entertain your little one? Join us the first Saturday of the month in the East Building to enjoy artmaking for all ages. At First Saturdays, you’ll also find pop-up experiences, storytime, and more—this summer, we’ll even have face painting.

Add to your calendar.

Bobby Donovan, 4th of July, D.C., 1986, color woodcut on wove paper, Gift of Jacob Kainen, 2002.98.381

6.   Celebrate the Fourth of July.

Ahead of the holiday, discover a print of fireworks over the monuments during a special session of our virtual Sketchbook Club. If you’re heading to the National Mall on July 4 to see the real thing—pay us a visit! We’re open all day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Plan your visit.

7.   Spend your summer Friday with us.

Out of work early on a Friday? Enjoy an afternoon finally visiting those exhibitions you’ve been dying to see. This summer is your last chance to catch Going through Hell: The Divine Dante, Looking Up: Studies for Ceilings, Drawing in Britain, and Philip Guston Now.

Explore our exhibitions.

A French window with its sill lined with flowerpots opens into a view of boats floating in a body of water in this loosely painted, vibrantly colored, stylized, vertical painting. The doors open inward, and they are painted with coral orange and cranberry red. The wall behind the door to the left is peacock blue and the wall to our right is fuchsia pink, and those colors are reflected in the opposite windows of the doors. Three flowerpots in crimson red, marmalade orange, or royal blue sit on the windowsill in front of us. Foliage in the pots is painted with short strokes of cardinal red and turquoise blue. Over the window, a two-paned transom window pierces a forest-green wall. The view through the panes has a band of salmon pink across the top and dabs of celery green and banana yellow below. The dabs and dashes of pine and lime green continue down the sides of the window and across the sill, suggesting vines growing up around the opening. A band of ultramarine blue beyond the flowerpots could be a balcony. Several rust-orange masts of ships with hulls painted with swipes of indigo blue, flamingo pink, forest green, and marigold orange float in the water beyond. The water is painted with parallel strokes in pale pink and butter yellow. The sky above is painted with thick, wavy lines of steel blue, periwinkle purple, and seafoam green. The artist signed the work in red paint in the lower right, “Henri Matisse.”

Henri Matisse, Open Window, Collioure, 1905, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1998.74.7

8.   Escape to the beach.

 

Maybe the ocean is a bit too far for a day trip. Instead, find some summery vibes in our galleries. Transport yourself to the French Riviera through Henri Matisse’s Open Window, Collioure. Or travel to the serene sandy seaside in Dutch painter Jacob van Ruisdael’s Dunes by the Sea. 

Browse beachy art.

9.   Entertain your little ones.

Are your kids looking for something to do while they’re home for summer? Follow our new DIY Art YouTube series for inspiration.

Or explore our resources and activities for kids of all ages.

June 09, 2023