Black Arts & Culture Feature:
- The federal government reopened after the longest shutdown, allowing museums to resume operations starting Friday, Nov. 14.
- The National Gallery of Art begins phased reopening Nov. 14–15; West Building and Sculpture Garden open first.
- The Smithsonian reopens key sites Nov. 14; most museums and the National Zoo return on a rolling basis by Nov. 17.
- Several exhibitions were cut short, including the concluded With Passion and Purpose; other major shows remain on view.
Installation view of “With Passion and Purpose: Gifts from the Collection of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson” (June 7-Oct. 5, 2025) at the National Gallery of Art. Shown, works by Elizabeth Catlett (foreground), Mavis Pusey, and Daniel LaRue Johnson (from left, in background). | Photo by Victoria L. Valentine
GEORGIA COLLECTORS Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson gifted 175 works to the National Gallery of Art in 2023. The donation was historic, the largest-ever group of works by Black artists to enter the Washington, D.C., museum’s collection at one time.
The National Gallery celebrated the landmark acquisition with a generous survey showcasing selections from the gift. “With Passion and Purpose: Gifts from the Collection of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson” (June 7-Oct. 5, 2025) featured more than 60 works by an array of artists including Charles Alston, Radcliffe Bailey, Selma Burke, Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, Daniel LaRue Johnson, Cliff Joseph, Archibald Motley, Rose Piper, Mavis Pusey, Mildred Thompson, Kara Walker, Larry Walker, Charles White, and Purvis Young.
A glorious presentation spanning 100 years, “With Passion and Purpose” was scheduled to close on Oct. 5, but visitors never got a chance to have a final look at the expansive exhibition of African American art. The last day of the show was the first day the National Gallery of Art closed, “until further notice,” due to the government shutdown.
The shutdown started on Oct. 1, 2025, after the U.S. Congress failed to come to a budget agreement, which affected the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian. Both institutions are partially federally funded. Ordinarily open daily, and free to the public, the museums did not close immediately, remaining open for a short period utilizing reserve funds.
After more than a month and the longest shutdown in U.S. history, the federal government has reopened. The shutdown ended yesterday evening. The U.S. Senate passed a funding package earlier this week and on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Day 43 of the shutdown, the U.S. House approved the bill and Trump signed it into law. (Previous shutdown records were 35 days in 2018-19 and 21 days in 1995-96.)
Visitors never got a chance to have a final look at the expansive exhibition of African American art. The last day of the show was the first day the National Gallery of Art closed due to the government shutdown.
The Smithsonian has been shuttered for 33 days (since Oct. 12) due to the government shutdown. Shown, The Smithsonian Institution, The Castle Building, Washington, D.C. | Courtesy Smithsonian
Both the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian continue to be closed today (Thursday, Nov. 13) and will begin to reopen on Friday, Nov. 14.
At the Smithsonian Institution, which receives about 60 percent of its budget from the federal government, the National Museum of American History, National Air and Space Museum, and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will reopen on Friday. The Smithsonian announced all other museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will reopen “on a rolling basis” by Monday, Nov. 17.
At the time of this publication, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture had yet to specify its reopening date/plan.
The Smithsonian has been shuttered for 33 days (since Oct. 12). During that time, the many exhibitions closed to visitors included several dedicated to African American art and artists.
Highlights include “Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen” at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (April 4, 2025–Jan. 3, 2027); “Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour — Frederick Douglass” at the Smithsonian American Art Gallery/National Portrait Gallery (Dec. 8, 2023-Dec. 6, 2026); and “A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000” at the Anacostia Community Museum (March 23, 2024-Jan. 4, 2026).
Both the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution will begin to reopen on Friday, Nov. 14.
The National Gallery of Art has been closed for 40 days (since Oct. 5) due to the government shutdown. Shown, National Gallery of Art, East Building, Washington, D.C. | Courtesy National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art has been closed for 40 days due to the shutdown (since Oct. 5). The museum begins to reopen tomorrow, Nov 14, when the West Building and Sculpture Garden will observe regular hours. The entire museum campus opens Saturday, Nov. 15.
Unfortunately, the run of “With Passion and Purpose: Gifts from the Collection of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson” has concluded at the National Gallery of Art. However, two other prominent exhibitions remain on view. “Chakaia Booker In the Tower: Treading New Ground” (April 5, 2025-Aug. 4, 2026) and “Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985” (Sept. 21, 2025-Jan. 11, 2026) are featured in the East Building.
“Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985” had recently debuted and was only open for two weeks before the shutdown. The National Gallery of Art introduces the exhibition as “the first exhibition to consider photography’s impact on a cultural and aesthetic movement that celebrated Black history, identity, and beauty.” The groundbreaking presentation features 150 works by artists, photojournalists, and street photographers, including Kwame Brathwaite, Roy DeCarava, Doris Derby, Barkley Hendricks, Barbara McCullough, Gordon Parks, Moneta Sleet Jr., Ming Smith, Frank Stewart, and Carrie Mae Weems. The show is scheduled through Jan. 11, 2026. CT
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BOOKSHELF
“Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985” and “Adam Pendleton: An Abstraction” are new volumes published on the ocassion of their respective exhibitions. Also consider, “Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour – Frederick Douglass,” and “Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge.” The latter documents Mark Bradford’s 360-degree installation currently on long-term view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
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