Hirshhorn Plaza

September 1, 2015

Fall 2015 Programs Include Sir Anish Kapoor, Rachel Harrison and MoMA Director Glenn Lowry; Shirin Neshat Returns

The fall season of public programs at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden begins Sept. 2. Events will be held at the museum’s Ring Auditorium. All are free of charge. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lunch Bytes: On Hype-Cycles, Post-Internet, and How the Digital Became Fashionable
Wednesday, Sept. 2; 6:30 p.m.
Artists, curators and writers from Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. address the increasing interest in Internet-related art and discuss how hype and trends govern the tides of the art world. Speakers will be Karen Archey, curator and critic, New York; Adam Cruces, artist, Switzerland; and Vivien Trommer, curator, New York. Moderated by Amsterdam-based curator Melanie Bühler. Organized in cooperation with Lunch Bytes, the Goethe-Institut Washington and the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States.

Panel Discussion: Portraying History: Gender and Politics in Iran
NEW DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 9; 6:30 p.m.
On the occasion of her major survey “Shirin Neshat: Facing History,” which closes Sept. 20, the artist speaks with Nazila Fathi, author of The Lonely War:  One Woman’s Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran, about the role of women in Iranian society. Moderated by Tyler Green, the host and producer of the Modern Art Notes Podcast. Presented in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Panel Discussion: Voices on the Middle East: Art Then and Now
Tuesday, Sept. 15; 6:30 p.m.
Museum of Modern Art Director Glenn Lowry, chief curator and curator of Islamic art at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler galleries Massumeh Farhad and Egyptian artist Ghada Amer join Hirshhorn director Melissa Chiu to discuss the present state of art in the Middle East.

The Average Mysterious and the Shirt Off Its Back
Performative Lecture from Le “New” Monocle by Shana Lutker
Thursday, Oct. 29; 6:30 p.m.
Artist Shana Lutker stages a 40-minute multimedia performance based on chapter three of her forthcoming book Le “New” Monocle: The History of the Fistfights of the Surrealists.Actors Jenny Greer and Bilal Mir are joined by live piano and a 16 mm film projection.

James T. Demetrion Lecture: Sir Anish Kapoor
Tuesday, Nov. 10; 7 p.m.
The recipient of numerous honors, including the 1991 Turner Prize, Sir Anish Kapoor creates sculptures and large-scale site-specific installations that challenge perception and provoke metaphysical introspection. This annual program is made possible by the Friends of Jim and Barbara Demetrion Endowment Fund, established in 2001 to celebrate Jim Demetrion’s 17-year tenure as the Hirshhorn’s second director.

Rachel Harrison: Meet the Artist
Thursday, Dec. 10; 6:30 p.m.
A visual artist most well known for her sculpture, Rachel Harrison creates work that wittily combines art historical and pop-cultural references through an eclectic play of materials. Her sculpture “Pretty Discreet,” 2004, will be on view in “At the Hub of Things: New Views of the Collection.” She speaks with National Gallery of Art Senior Curator Lynne Cooke.

About the Hirshhorn

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the Smithsonian Institution’s museum of international modern and contemporary art. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the leading collections of postwar American and European art. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs that explore modern and contemporary art. Located at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street S.W., the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission to the galleries and special programs is free. For more information about exhibitions and events, visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Follow the Hirshhorn on Facebook at facebook.com/hirshhorn, on Twitter at twitter.com/hirshhorn, on Tumblr at hirshhorn.tumblr.com and on Instagram at instagram.com/hirshhorn. Or sign up for the museum’s eBlasts at hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/social-media. To request accessibility services, contact Kristy Maruca at marucak@si.edu or (202) 633-2796, preferably two weeks in advance.

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