Featured Events in Washington D.C. in July, 2024 (June Updated)

Artificial lights have become such a common nighttime fixture that we take them for granted. But what do brighter nights mean for people and wildlife? The effects of light pollution extend beyond our reduced view of the stars, but solutions can have an immediate impact. Through more than 100 photographs, nearly 250 objects, interactive experiences, tactile models, and a theater program, discover why the dark night matters, rekindle your connection to the night sky, and consider how much light at night is enough—for whom, for what purpose, and who gets to decide?

Latina journalists wrote the first draft of history for Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.Breaking News! Latinas Report Breaking News is a bilingual exhibition featuring stories from Latina journalists to show how Spanish-language television gave voice and visibility to a broad segment of the American public and how these journalists advocate for Spanish-speaking communities and navigate the fast-paced, ever-changing pace of breaking news. In the approximately 1,000-square-foot gallery, visitors will explore broadcast journalism through the work of journalists such as Ilia Calderón, Dunia Elvir, Marilys Llanos, Gilda Mirós, Lori Montenegro, Maria Elena Salinas, and Blanca Rosa Vílchez. A multimedia piece will illustrate these women's accounts as eyewitnesses to important histories like the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as issues of cultural and political significance to local Latinx communities that are sometimes overlooked by English-language news. Working in the characteristic fast-paced, ever-changing environment of news production, these women shaped the narrative of major historical events while collaborating with their local and national Latinx communities to provide news coverage that meets their needs.

Enjoy powerful portraits by one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. Gordon Parks: Camera Portraits looks at a renowned American photographer and how he forged a new mode of portraiture after World War II. Parks merged the documentary photographer's desire to place his subjects where they lived and worked with the studio photographer's attention to clothing, persona, and expression. In doing so, he believed he could create portraits of individuals who embodied their cultural significance. He applied this approach to American icons like boxer Muhammad Ali and conductor Leonard Bernstein, as well as Harlem gang leaders and Detroit couples, revealing the humanity and cultural dignity of each individual. Drawing primarily from the Corcoran Collection, this exhibition features approximately 25 portraits created by Parks between 1941 and 1970. Explore Parks' innovations in portraiture through some of his most famous photographs. Learn how his portraits tell larger stories about the Civil Rights Movement, the African American experience, and American culture.