  |  |  | | National Gallery of Art West Building The National Gallery of Art has opened the ground floor of its West Building, becoming the District of Columbia’s first major art institution to welcome visitors back after an 18-week shutdown. The exhibit Degas at the Opéra now continues on display through October 12, and True to Nature: Open-Air Painting in Europe, 1780-1870 runs through November 29. Passes are not required to visit the outdoor sculpture garden area. To visit the museum gallery, visitors must wear masks and obtain free timed passes for entry. Visitors are limited to 500 per day, and passes are available online here every Monday. |    |   |  |  |  | | It is a tough time for passports and using them too. COVID-19 is not kind to passports. The U.S. Passport Operations showcased its services at last year’s Passport DC. This year with its 17 centers and agencies partially reopened, it issued nearly 200,000 passports two weeks ago and has nearly 1.25 million awaiting issuance. With many foreign embassies closed, social distancing required, and groups of 10 or more prohibited in DC, we have to say, “Passport DC? Not this year.” We started working on a virtual Around the World Embassy Tour to serve as a substitute and learned that the material is so rich, it would be better to create an educational tool from which youngsters and life-long learners across the globe can benefit. More soon. |  |  |  | Friday, July 31 Event -- Artomatic 2.0 Artomatic Exhibit -- Documenting Crossroads: The New Normal National Building Museum Event -- World's Fair DAR Museum Saturday, August 1 Exhibit -- Portrait of an Agency: Secretarial Portraits at the U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of the Interior Concert -- Park Pop-Ups: Eddie from Ohio Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts Event -- Secret Door Tour Mansion on O Street Sunday, August 2 Event -- Virtual Knife Skills Series: Whole Chicken Hill Center Event -- A People at War U.S. National Archives Exhibit -- Graciela Iturbide's Mexico National Museum of Women in the Arts Monday, August 3 Event -- Spit Dat Digital Woolly Mammoth Event -- Veteran Reserve Corps with Dr. Robert Slawson National Museum of Civil War Medicine Exhibit -- Long May It Wave Smithsonian National Postal Museum Tuesday, August 4 Exhibit -- Cold War Aviation Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Tour -- Online: Jefferson Building Library of Congress Event -- Heure du Conte Alliance Française Wednesday, August 5 Event -- The Magic of Spying International Spy Museum Exhibit -- A Piece of Her Mind DAR Museum Tour -- Garden and Monastery Franciscan Monastery Thursday, August 6 Event -- Virtual Science Cafe: Cell Phones, Whales and Redefining Wild Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Tour -- Monuments and Memorials Travel Photography Washington Photo Safari Play -- Macebth Folger Theatre  Newsletter for July 31 to August 6, 2020. Find more events on our calendar, which presents the latest information on the District's most exciting cultural activities. It's all at your fingertips. To view our full calendar, visit our website. | The Bible Museum opened in November 2017. With rare artifacts spanning 3,500 years of history, the museum offers visitors an immersive and personalized experience with the Bible. This year celebrate the 19th Amendment in a virtual discussion about The Woman’s Bible, a biblical commentary written by suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others. The Museum of the Bible is offering free admission to all healthcare workers who present their ID. Visit to experience thousands of years of history and engage with interactive exhibits. |  |  | New Works 2020 & Beyond This summer, Chamber Dance Project (CDP), Washington’s premier contemporary ballet company, is presenting New Works 2020 (& beyond). The free screenings of new works will take place online July 31 and September 24 at 7:00 pm EDT. Preceding the ballets will be a live red-carpet pre-show with the dancers and Artistic Director Diane Coburn Bruning. The September 24 event includes a premiere of a new film which incorporates eight of the company's dancers. The July and September screening will be presented nationally with free links available here. |  |  | Virtual Journey of the Declaration of Independence Sunday, August 2 is the final step of the Virtual Journey of the Declaration of Independence. Join the National Archives on the date when the document was officially signed to hear historic renactors including Ben Franklin discuss the Declaration of Independence. Hear how the document is a building block for the United States, and how the National Archives preserves documentation of government and historical records in Washington, DC. |  | |  | Jay Ungar and Molly Mason: Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs On August 5 at noon, join Jay Ungar and his wife, fellow musician Molly Mason, for an online concert hosted by the Library of Congress. The couple met during the 1970s and continue to perform as a duo, with their band, Swingology, and as the Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band with Jay's daughter Ruth Ungar. Jay's composition 'Ashokan Farewell' became famous on a Ken Burns PBS series. The couple have recorded both original fiddle music and jazz. Everyone at home can enjoy this free, online event. |  |  |  |  | Sunday Serenity Yoga There are five sessions remaining in Dumbarton House's 6th annual summer yoga series. Join local yoga instructors Alia Peera and Audrey Roxas online for serene 60-minute all-levels vinyasa flow classes that are fun and challenging. This class is for experienced yogis and yoga skeptics alike! Instructor Alia is certified in Vinyasa Flow/Power Yoga. Audrey Roxas is certified in Thai Yoga. Donations of $5 per person are suggested. Reservations required, register here to attend. |  |  | Doorways: Artistic Reflections of Place Don Myer painted images of doorways he encountered along an epic journey around the world. Doorways caught his attention with their design and history. This exhibition features 35 mixed media artworks, mostly watercolor and color pencil, representing doors in such locations as Cuba, Colombia, Croatia, France, and Morocco. View this online exhibit hosted by the AIA|DC. |  |  |  |  | August 8 Park Pop-Ups Uncle Devin Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts |  | August 12 Walter Parks: Haunting Swamp Hollers Library of Congress |  | August 12 Reception: Artists Doing the Right Thing Zenith Gallery |  | August 14 Pick Your Poison Curator Talk and Cocktails Dumbarton House |  | We respect the ownership rights of creative work. If you believe this newsletter contains content that infringes your copyright, please click here. | | |