Press Release
For Press Inquiries Only:
Sarah Edwards Holley
Publicist
(202) 842-6359
s-holley@nga.gov
Chief Press Officer
Deborah Ziska
ds-ziska@nga.gov
(202) 842-6353
Release Date: November 5, 2003
Washington, DC -- Throughout December, the National Gallery of Art will celebrate the 2003 holiday season with free programs that include caroling, concerts, gallery talks, and a special lecture, while a selection of holiday treats from around the world will be served in the East Building's Espresso and Gelato Bar and the Sculpture Garden's Pavilion Café. Decking the West Building's grand Rotunda and Garden Courts will be an array of traditional holiday plants and greenery, from amaryllises and poinsettias to fir trees decorated with sparkling white lights. Seasonal items and art-related gifts for sale are already on display in the Gallery Shops.
Gallery Talks and Lectures
The Christmas Story in Art, a 50-minute talk led by Gallery lecturers Philip Leonard and J. Russell Sale, will present paintings in the collection with holiday themes. Meet in the West Building Rotunda on December 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31 at 1:00 p.m.
A slide lecture A Painting for the Medici? The Gallery's "Adoration of the Magi" Tondo, will take place on Sunday, December 21, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the East Building Auditorium.
Holiday Caroling
Visitors are invited to sing along with guest ensembles in the West Building Rotunda at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on December 13, 14, 20, and 21, and at 12 noon on December 19.
December 13
First Mount Zion Baptist Church Massed Choir
Dumfries, Virginia
Sylstea C. Sledge, minister of music
December 14
The Xaverian High School Chorus
Brooklyn, New York
Joseph Loposky, director, Joseph Appel, pianist
December 19
The Potomac School Madrigal Singers
McLean, Virginia
Jerry Rich, director
December 20
Bolling Air Force Base Gospel Choir
Washington, DC
December 21
The Alexandria Choral Society Children's Choir
Alexandria, Virginia
Kevin Carr, director
Concerts
Concerts take place on Sunday evenings in the West Building, West Garden Court, and are free to the public. Performances are from 7:00 to approximately 8:30 p.m. Audiences are admitted on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 6:00 p.m. The Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, entrance to the West Building remains open until 7:00 p.m. (no one is admitted after the doors close), and the Garden Café is open until 6:30 p.m.
December 21
Traditional Christmas Concert
National Men's Chorus
Thomas Beveridge, conductor
January 4
Gala Viennese New Year Concert
National Gallery Orchestra
Peter Wilson, guest conductor
Gallery Shops and Restaurants
The Gallery Shops, voted by The Washington Post readers as the "best museum shop in Washington, DC", offer a delightful array of distinctive art-related gifts. The West Building Shop specializes in jewelry, scarves, ties, illustrated books, greeting cards, note card sets, wrapping paper, calendars--including the popular National Gallery of Art engagement and Advent calendars-- and new ornament designs inspired by works of art. The Concourse Bookstore offers an extensive selection of books on art, architecture, and photography, and the Children's Shop carries a unique assortment of gifts designed to inspire creativity.
Special refreshments--mulled cider, cocoa, and holiday sweets with an international flavor-- can be purchased in the Espresso and Gelato Bar in the East Building concourse and in the Sculpture Garden Pavilion Café during the month of December.
General Information
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times
free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd
and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information
call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)
at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.
Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon
entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and
located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented
at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray
screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances.
For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried
into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot
be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in
the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by
the Gallery or its checkrooms.
For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:
Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov
Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov
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