Release Date: November 30, 2012
Welcome the Holiday Season with an Exciting Array of Seasonal Offerings at the National Gallery of Art: Decorations, Caroling, Concerts, and Much More!
View of the West Building Rotunda decorated with poinsettia plants and holiday greenery. Photograph by Dennis Brack/Black Star © National Gallery of Art, Washington
Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art celebrates the holiday season throughout the month of December with festive decorations and a variety of free programs including concerts and caroling. All programs are free and to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden ice rink offers skaters of all ages an opportunity to enjoy brisk winter weather amid stunning large-scale sculpture. The Gallery and Sculpture Garden are closed on December 25 and January 1.
Web Feature
Visitors to the Gallery's website can enjoy a streaming slideshow narrated by Gallery director Earl A. Powell III that explores The Adoration of the Magi (c. 1440/1460), a complex and colorful masterpiece from Renaissance Florence. Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi created the painting to tell the story of the three kings bringing gifts to the Christ child after his birth. The online feature may be found at www.nga.gov/magi/.
Rotunda Decorations
Beginning Tuesday December 4th, hundreds of red poinsettias, white hydrangea, orchids, and eight Christmas trees adorned with sparkling white lights will grace the Rotunda and Garden Courts, lending the Main Floor of the West Building a festive atmosphere for the season.
Caroling in the West Building Rotunda
Caroling in the Rotunda, surrounded by seasonal decorations, has become a favorite family activity at the Gallery during the holidays. Visitors are invited to sing along with guest choirs and ensembles at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. on December 15, 16, 22, and 23. The groups will perform their own music as well as leading the audience in familiar favorite Christmas carols. Performances last for 45 minutes and singers and spectators of all ages are welcome. The following groups will lead caroling this year:
December 15: Xaverian High School Chorus
December 16: Central Bucks High School West
December 22: St. Alban’s Church
December 23: Marriotts Ridge High School Madrigal Singers
Holiday Concerts
Concerts, offered on Sundays in the West Garden Court of the West Building, are free to the public. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at approximately 8:00 (unless noted otherwise). Audiences are admitted on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 6:00. The Garden Café, located in the West Building, offers a concert dessert menu from 4:00 to 6:00. The Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW entrance to the West Building and the Fourth Street entrance to the East Building remain open until 6:30. No entry or reentry to either building is permitted after 6:30. For a full concert listing, visit www.nga.gov/programs/music or call (202) 842-6941.
This year's offerings include:
Empire Brass with Elisabeth von Trapp, soprano
Sunday, December 16, 6:30 p.m.
Holiday concert
West Building Main Floor, West Garden Court
National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble
Sunday, December 30, 6:30 p.m.
New Year concert
Music by Lehár, Strauss, and other composers
West Building Main Floor, West Garden Court
Restaurants
During the month of December holiday refreshments—including hot cocoa and sweets with an international flair—may be purchased at the Espresso and Gelato Bar on the Concourse near the cafeteria. Special seasonal flavors of gelato and sorbetto include apple cider, pumpkin, caramel apple, and peppermint candy cane.
Inspired by Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830, award-winning Chef Cathal Armstrong (chef and owner of Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria, and one of Food & Wine magazine's Fifty Hall of Fame Best New Chefs) has created a buffet and à la carte menu of signature American dishes for the Garden Café. This special menu is presented by Armstrong in partnership with Restaurant Associates and Executive Chef David Rogers at the National Gallery of Art.
For more information about the various dining options at the Gallery, please visit www.nga.gov/dining.
Ice Rink
The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden's 2012–2013 ice-skating season continues through Saturday, March 16, weather permitting. Skating classes are designed for all ages. Located on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue NW, the ice rink is a favorite destination, attracting thousands of visitors to skate in the nation's capital. The ice rink is managed by Guest Services Inc.
Skating in the Sculpture Garden, surrounded by the grand architecture of national museums and monuments, is enhanced by views of post–World War II sculptures by internationally famous artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Roxy Paine, and others from the Gallery's celebrated collection.
For hours, fees, class information, and more, visit www.nga.gov/skating.
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