While Smithsonian museums are currently closed due to the government shutdown, their calendars show they’ve got some exhibits worth exploring later this month.

THE PEACOCK ROOM REVEALED @ FREER

The Peacock Room originated as the elegant dining room of 19th century British shipping magnate Frederick Leyland. Redecorating it, James McNeill Whistler transformed it into a work of art. The Peacock Room has traditionally been a showcase for Leyland’s collection of Chinese ceramics. But with those pieces going into a new installation, visitors to the Freer will be able to see an unobstructed view of the peacock patterns in a room that Whistler called “a harmony in blue and gold.”

Freer Gallery of Art, January 19–mid-April. FREE

NIGHT OF IDEAS @ HIRSHHORN

In partnership with the French Embassy, the Hirshhorn presents the first D.C. edition of an event it calls “a global marathon of ideas.” More than 50 philosophers, sociologists, economists, musicians, artists, and authors will explore the theme “Facing Our Time” through a variety of fields. Visitors can explore the museum’s galleries and take in short talks as well as music, dance, and spoken word performances.

Hirshhorn Museum, January 31, 6:30 p.m.–midnight. FREE

IN THE LIBRARY: THE EVANS-TIBBS ARCHIVE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART @ NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Art dealer Thurlow Evans Tibbs Jr. was only 44 when he died in 1997. But the third-generation Washingtonian left behind a vital collection of African-American art, donated to the Corcoran. Tibbs opened up his family home on Vermont Ave. as an informal salon and gallery, and for two decades he developed exhibition and networking opportunities for local artists and collectors. This exhibition features letters, pamphlets, photos, and other ephemera that explore the Tibbs family’s history and relationship to African American art.

National Gallery of Art, January 21–April 12. FREE

YOU IN THE CREATIVE RESIDENCE PROGRAM @ NBM

While it may be unclear who first said that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” choreographer, performer, and educator Heather Sultz develops site-specific work that proves the second half of that metaphor isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Stultz is the current creative in residence at the National Building Museum, and this special program gives visitors a chance to work with her on a new piece inspired by the NBM building itself. The artist is looking for participants 18 and older who are “excited to collaborate, willing to experiment with movement, and open to new ideas. No dance skill level or experience is required, but participants should be able to move freely and easily.” Read more about the program and its requirements here.

Tryouts for the program will be held January 13, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. FREE

EVERYTHING IN EXISTENCE @ARTECHOUSE

Artechouse, L’Enfant Plaza’s showcase for interactive digital art, starts the new year exploring “concepts of eternity and infinity” with a survey of work from the Italian studio fuse*. This is the first North American solo exhibition for the studio, founded by artists Luca Camellini and Mattia Carretti in 2007. Explaining the studio’s methods on the museum’s site, Carretti says, “We try to realize projects with the idea of transmitting a sense of sharing and community. Everything in Existence is meant to bring people together in a new place with a new perception of reality, a different point of view, and the feeling of being all part of something bigger, being part of everything that exists.”

Artechouse, January 17-March 10. $8-$15. 

JIŘÍ KOLÁŘ: FORMS OF VISUAL POETRY @AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

Born in 1914, the Czech artist-poet Jiří Kolář lived through the first World War, Nazi occupation, and Stalinization, and imprisoned for nine months in 1953 when police found his poetry manuscript Prometheus’ Liver, which was critical of the Czech government. The new slate of exhibits at American University’s Katzen Arts Center include a selection of Kolář’s collage work, which frequently used the written word. Hyperallergic writes that Kolář’s response to world events, “first via poetry and then visual arts, was to highlight the brutal absurdity of the times through a breakdown in language.” (Disclosure: American University owns DCist’s parent company, WAMU).

American University Museum, January 26-March 17. Opening reception takes place January 26, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. FREE

DAVID IBATA: I SEE A DARKNESS @ TRANSFORMER

American-Jamaican-Congolese artist Ibata became part of the National Gallery of Art’s copyist program in 2012. The Washington-based painter launches his first solo exhibition at Transformer, with a series of canvases that explore “complexities of growing up in an American culture steeped in violence and focusing on the psyches of hardened men as an exploration of an ever escalating violence and despair in the American spirit,” according to the gallery.

Transformer, January 12–February 23 Opening reception takes place January 12, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. An artist talk takes place February 2 at 2 p.m. FREE

INVENTION/INTENTION: DELNA DASTUR AND MARYANNE POLLOCK @ MCLEAN PROJECT FOR THE ARTS

Abstract painters Delna Dastur and Maryanne Pollock both make works that feel carefully created and experimental. Pollock’s work is inspired by calligraphy and patterns picked up during her time in Egypt, while Dastur makes, “intricately layered lyrical paintings that display atmospheric experiments based on both honed skill and intuition,” according to the museum.

McLean Project for the Arts, January 10–March 2. Opening reception Saturday, January 12, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. FREE