Willis Thomas’ “Raise Up” is part of an exhibition on art for social justice currently showing at American University’s Katzen Center. (Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, and Goodman Gallery, South Africa)

With the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (tickets are sold out for months, but there are other ways to celebrate) and the re-opening of the National Gallery’s East Building, it has been years since it has been this exciting to be on the Mall—which is also playing host to a traveling exhibition that offers an interactive experience of the world’s refugee crisis. But there are opportunities elsewhere in the city to think about race, migration, and social justice through art—notably Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series, which has been reunited at the Phillips Collection.

Forced from Home @ the Washington Monument, presented by Doctors Without Borders. Runs October 1 through 9. Reservations Required. (Free)

This is the first stop for Forced From Home, an interactive educational exhibit detailing the experience of the world’s more than 65 million (!!!) refugees. On a one hour tour, aid workers from Doctors Without Borders will guide visitors through the exhibit and share firsthand accounts from the field. The materials and stories were gathered from refugee camps, rescue missions, and emergency medical projects around the world, all designed to give some semblance of an idea of what it is like to be forced from home (if you can’t make it to the Mall, there are 360° videos and stories online.

On the National Mall between 14th and 15th streets NW.

Jacob Lawrence’s People on the Move and Whitfield Lovell’s The Kin Series @ The Phillips Collection. Exhibits run October 8 through January 8. (Museum entrance costs $12 for adults; $10 for students and visitors 62 and over.)

In People on the Move, the Phillips Collection reunites all 60 panels of Jacob Lawrence’s seminal The Migration Series, which depicts the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between the World Wars. On October 20 at 6:30 p.m., five local playwrights will respond to the series with 10-minute, one-act plays performed as staged readings in On Stage with the Migration Series (Step Afrika is also recreating the iconic series this weekend through a stepping performance). Tickets to People on the Move includes access to an exhibit featuring from 40 pieces by Whitfield Lovell that pair Conté crayon figures of anonymous African Americans with time worn objects from everyday life.

The Phillips Collection is located at 1600 21st NW.

Drawings for Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt @The National Gallery of Art’s West Building. October 4, 2016-January 2, 2017.(Free)

The National Gallery of Art’s impressive East Building expansion, which we recently reviewed, is practically a new museum; it also includes three temporary exhibits that are well worth battling the crowds for. But the West Building, not one to be left out, launches its own must-see exhibit on October 4. Drawings for Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt includes about 100 drawings and paintings by Dutch artists like Jan van Goyen and Rembrandt van Rijn that demonstrate the way these masters used preliminary drawings in their painting process.

The National Gallery of Art’s West Building is located at 6th St. and Constitution Ave., NW.

The Hirshhorn is giving away free donuts and hosting tours in celebration of World Architecture Day. (Photo by LeRoy Armstead)

World Architecture Day @ the Hirshhorn. October 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Free).

Celebrate World Architecture Day with free donuts and insider tours of the Hirshhorn, which was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and often called the “Brutalist donut” as a nod to the architectural style that reached its height in the ’70. Bring your kids (birth to preschool age) to ARTLAB+ Storytime at 10 a.m., or enjoy an architecture tour in the afternoon. Arts and architecture writer for The Atlantic (and former DCist staffer) Kriston Capps leads the 12 p.m. tour; the 3:30 p.m. tour will feature architecture-inspired artwork in the gallery; and Deane Madsen (associated editor of ARCHITECT magazine) heads up the 6 p.m. tour.

The Hirshhorn is located on the National Mall at the corner of 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW.

Outsider Art Inside the Beltway @ Art Enables. Opens on Saturday, October 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. Exhibit runs October 8 to November 23. After Hours fundraiser on October 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. (Free)

Art Enables, a D.C.-based nonprofit that provides employment and creative opportunities for artists with disabilities, is hosting the 11th annual Outsider Art Inside the Beltway exhibit, which features the work of self-taught, folk, and outsider artists from across the U.S. This year, artists hail from Chicago, California, New York, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and the D.C. area. During the opening, join painters Matthew Malone and Kurtis Ceppetelli for a still life painting workshop, which is free and open to all ages. Learn more about Art Enables and outsider art in our their 12th anniversary in 2014 and 2008 studio visit..

Art Enables is located at 2204 Rhode Island Avenue NE. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the first two Saturdays of each month from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It Takes a Nation: Art for Social Justice @ American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. Runs through October 23. Panel discussions on October 8 and 15 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. RSVP is required for panel discussions. (Free)

In another compelling exhibit at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington artists respond to the graphics of Black Panther artist Emory Douglas with sculpture, paintings, photography, and multi-media installations. Collectively, they create a powerful lens to the socio-political landscape of the late 1960s and 70s that helps to visualize the 1967 Black Panther Party. The exhibit also features artists like Holly Bass examining these same issues 50 years later within a contemporary context. Panel discussions include “The Creative Process of Bringing Truth to Power: The Art of the Black Panthers and AFRICOBRA” on October 8 (RSVP) and “Riffing on the Legacy of the Black Arts Movement” on October 15. (RSVP).

The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center is located at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW.

Artists Talks @ Hamiltonian Gallery. October 11 and 26 at 7 p.m. (Free)

Meet the 2016 Hamiltonian Fellows in these two artists talks. October 11th’s discussion features Baltimore via Quebec City artist Magali Hébert-Huot and sculptor Kyle Bauer. Hébert-Huot’s work analyzes architecture, history and language, and Bauer comes from a background of house and furniture restoration and preservation. Aschely Cone joins Rachel Guardiola for a talk on October 26. Cone is an abstract painter, while Guardiola comes from a background in natural history preservation.

Hamiltonian Gallery is located at 1353 U Street NW.

For more things to do, check out our theater, weekend and movie guides.