Image by Walter Meayers Edwards. Courtesy Kodachrome Culture from the National Geographic Museum>> The Phillips Collection opens Paint Made Flesh June 20. This survey of figurative painting since the 1950s brings together 43 provocative works from private collections and museums around the world. The exhibit includes work by Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, Willem de Kooning, Alice Neal, Lucian Freud, Eric Fischl, and Julian Schnabel. $12.
>> During the post-World War II boom years, countless families had money for travel and a curiosity about the world, particularly Europe. In documenting these travels, many people used Kodachrome film, the first color film to find widespread use. Starting in June, the National Geographic Museum will take visitors on a vacation back to this era with a new photography exhibition, Kodachrome Culture, culled from images from the National Geographic archives. Opening June 25
>> The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden brings back its annual Summer Camp film series this year, featuring Godzilla. Experience this selective “career survey” of the large lizard with back story insights from film scholar David Wilt. Thursday June 11, 18 and 25 at 7 p.m. Free but seating is limited and available on a first-come basis.
>> What better way to celebrate Flag Day, than with the National Museum of American History and a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner by the winner of the museum’s Star-Spangled Banner Singing Contest at 10 a.m. The celebration continues with a children’s citizenship ceremony, performances from the Fifes and Drum of York Town and a flag folding activity. June 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
>> On June 12, the National Museum of the American Indian opens Ramp it Up. This exhibit celebrates the vibrancy, creativity, and controversy of American Indian skate culture. It features rare and archival photographs and film of Native skaters as well as skatedecks from Native companies and contemporary artists.
>> Nocturnes, the term James McNeill Whistler applied to his nearly abstract moonlit landscapes, represent his signature contribution to nineteenth-century art. In Texture of Night: James McNeill Whistler, view Whistler’s exploration of urban darkness at the Freer. Opens June 6.
>> On June 12, the National Zoo hosts its annual Guppy Gala. This family friendly event includes animal encounters, yummy food and a variety of fun family activities. 6 to 8:30 p.m. FONZ members, $15 nonmembers, $25.
>> During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used stamps to communicate with the American people. A stamp collector himself, he understood the power of visual imagery, and he changed the look of stamps to convey messages of hope and optimism. At the National Postal Museum see FDR’s stamp tools as well as his sketches for stamp designs in Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression opening June 9.
