I am excited about the next round of workshops that I will be leading at the National Portrait Gallery. The workshops are hosted in connection with the “UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar” exhibition, which highlights the work of two leading contemporary artists who grapple with the under-representation and the misrepresentation of minorities in portraiture and American history.
Session A
Strike a Prose: Creative Writing Inspired by “UnSeen”
Cost: FREE
Date: Friday, April 20, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register OR Saturday, April 21, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 800 G Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20001
In this creative writing workshop, we will draw inspiration from artwork in the exhibition UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales Day and Titus Kaphar to develop new writing. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writing prompts will be provided. Led by a local writer, these workshops are open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Materials are provided.
Session B
Strike a Prose: The Untold Stories of Our Past
Cost: FREE
Date: Friday, May 4, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register OR Saturday, May 5, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 800 G Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20001
In connection with the exhibition UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales Day and Titus Kaphar, we will create new writing that explores issues of race, gender, and erasure from American history. Participants will be given fiction and nonfiction writing prompts inspired by the thought-provoking exhibition. Led by a local writer, these workshops are open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Materials are provided.
Session C
Strike a Prose: Race, Gender, Identity and the Personal Essay
Cost: FREE
Date: Friday, May 11, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register OR Saturday, May 12, 2018, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Register
Location: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 800 G Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20001
In this creative writing workshop, we will draw inspiration from the portraits in the exhibition UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales Day and Titus Kaphar to explore issues of race, gender, and representation through personal essay writing. The workshop will combine reading, discussion, and craft talk focused on effective techniques of personal essay writing. Led by a local writer, these workshops are open to writers of all levels who are 18+. Materials are provided.
Willona M. Sloan 