National Gallery of Art Announces 'American Icon: The US Flag in Art' and Summer Programming

The National Gallery of Art will inaugurate “American Icon: The US Flag in Art,” an exhibition running from June 6 through December 6. Presented in the East Building’s Concourse Galleries, the exhibition will feature works by significant American artists including Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam, Dorothea Lange, Jasper Johns, and Faith Ringgold. The presentation will explore the US Flag’s diverse interpretations and impact across various mediums, such as painting, printmaking, and photography.

Accompanying the exhibition, the Gallery has scheduled a range of public engagements. A block party is planned for Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the 4th Street Plaza. The Sculpture Garden will host Jazz in the Garden: Orquesta Manplesa on Friday, June 12, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Film screenings include “We Have Always Been Here,” focusing on LGBTQ+ freedom, on Friday, June 5, and “Museum of the Night,” an avant-garde theater and cinema piece featuring work by Howard Brookner and Robert Wilson, on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 p.m., both in the East Building Auditorium.

Further programming includes educational sessions: “Storytime: Across the USA with The Very Hungry Caterpillar” on Friday, June 5, at 10:00 a.m. in the East Building, Ground Level, Atrium, and “The Art of Looking: Georges Braque” on Friday, June 5, at 1:00 p.m. Additionally, the Gallery has announced an open call for artists as part of its broader educational initiatives, offering opportunities for engagement with the themes of artmaking and art history.