Related Programs

Lectures, workshops, and classes designed to enhance and expand upon the themes of the exhibition.

Past Programs

Chris Martin: Painting Big Tours
Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m.
In addition to FREE Highlights Tours available to visitors, Corcoran College of Art + Design undergraduate and graduate docents will lead tours of Chris Martin: Painting Big on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m.

Take Your Painting on a Walk Day
Saturday, July 9, 1–4 p.m.
This program has been canceled. We regret any inconvenience.

Paintings: It’s Personal
Saturday, July 16, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Family Workshop; Pre-registration is required; Ages 8-12 with adult companion
$8 per child, Corcoran Members at the Family level and above; $10 per child, Public. 
How personal can a painting get? Explore mixed-media paintings embedded with personal meaning and objects in our special exhibition Chris Martin: Painting Big. After the tour, create your own painting that incorporates found objects and personal mementos. Participants should bring personal items such as favorite photos, CDs, and toys to incorporate into a two-dimensional artwork.

Say It Big!
Saturday, July 23, 1–3 p.m.
Ages 12+
FREE
The Corcoran’s Atrium is filled with Chris Martin’s big paintings that evoke a lot of big thoughts. Why not put them down on paper? Join us for a lecture, workshop, and presentation on contemporary poetry with the Corcoran’s Casey Smith, interim chair of Arts and Humanities, in conjunction with the Latin American Youth Media House’s Howard Soloman.

Break It Down Like James Brown
Saturday, July 30, 1–3 p.m.
FREE
Groove to the same soul tunes that served as inspiration for many of Chris Martin’s larger-than-life canvases, and watch the performers pop and twist against the backdrop of three monumental paintings commissioned just for the Corcoran’s summer exhibition, Chris Martin: Painting Big. 

An Evening with Chris Martin
Thursday, September 8, 7 p.m.
$12 Members; $10 for Corcoran Contemporaries Members; $15 Public
In the Corcoran's Frances and Armand Hammer Auditorium, Chris Martin will speak about his artistic process, myriad inspirations, and preparations leading up to the exhibition, Chris Martin: Painting Big. Following his talk, Martin will be available to answer questions and discuss his works in the galleries.

Lectures

Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro in conversation with Beatrice Gralton
Thursday, December 1, 2011; 7 p.m.
FREE Members; $10 Public

The Australian artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro discuss their work, their approach to art making, and the creation of their Corcoran exhibition with Beatrice Gralton, Evelyn S. Nef Associate Curator of Contemporary Art.

More information and registration

Artists and NASA
Tuesday, December 6, 2011; 7 p.m.
$15 Members; $20 Public

Since the dawn of space exploration, many artists—Healy and Cordeiro among them—have been inspired by the quest for the unknown. Many people are unaware that NASA maintains an active and growing collection of space-inspired work, including pieces by Annie Leibovitz, Norman Rockwell, and William Wegman. In this program, Bertram Ulrich, NASA Art Program Curator, and James Dean, NASA Art Program Founding Director, speak about the collection and the connections between art and space.

More information and registration

Patterns in Creativity: Leonardo and Newton
Wednesday, December 7, 2011; 7 p.m.
$15 Members; $20 Public

Are We There Yet? exemplifies the ways that science and art can complement each other. In this lecture, physicist/artist Bulent Atalay compares and contrasts Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton, underscoring the ways these two geniuses forever altered how we view the world. Atalay is the author of Math and the Mona Lisa (Smithsonian Books, 2004), which Jamie Wyeth hailed as "a masterful examination of the differences and similarities in the sciences and the arts," and Leonardo's Universe (National Geographic Books, 2009).

More information and registration

Workshops

All workshops are $8 per child, Corcoran members at the family level and above and $10 per child, public. Adult companions do not need to purchase a ticket for the workshop and re-entry to the collection after the workshop is permitted.

Up, Up and Away! Family Workshop
Saturday, December 17, 2011; 10:30 a.m. –12 p.m.
Ages 8–12
Discover what the average person would need on a journey to Mars in the NOW exhibition Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro: Are We There Yet? Then use recycled materials to create a personalized jet pack for your own adventure into outer space!

More information and registration

Liftoff! Family Workshop
Saturday, January 21, 2012; 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Ages 5–7

Packing for your trip to Mars is difficult! Take a look at what artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro might bring, then design your family’s very own space shuttle and equip it with provisions.

Family Day: Up, Up, and Away!
Saturday, March 3, 2012; 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free, no registration required.

Get ready for an art adventure that covers a lot of territory—from under the sea to way out in deep space. This FREE epic journey includes gravity-defying performances, organic art workshops, out-of-this-world face painting, and eco trivia and prizes. Don’t miss the gallery-turned-space-capsule featured in the special exhibition Healy and Cordeiro: Are We There Yet? The Corcoran’s free Family Day: Up, Up, and Away! is for all ages to enjoy from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012.