National Portrait Gallery Presents Latest Iteration of “IDENTIFY”

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The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery presents Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz in its latest iteration of “IDENTIFY,” the performance-art program created to acknowledge those individuals who are missing from its historical collection. Raimundi-Ortiz will perform “Pietà,” the most recent piece from her “REINAS (Queens)” series, Saturday, May 6, at 4 p.m.

The “REINAS (Queens)” series considers female archetypes who have shaped Raimundi-Ortiz’s identity and worldview. Expanding on her previous work and reflecting on her perspective as a mother, Raimundi-Ortiz presents a performance inspired by Michelangelo’s “Pietà” in response to the human costs of gun violence. The performance, accompanied by live music, provides a meditation on the universal theme of loss and mourning and offers a symbol of resilience.

The performance includes the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University, DJ Stereo 77 (Alejandro Ramirez) and volunteer performers. It will be held in the museum’s Great Hall.

“IDENTIFY” focuses attention on activism, visibility and experimentation through portrayal. It is curated by Dorothy Moss, the museum’s curator of painting and sculpture.

National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story.

The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Website: npg.si.edu. Connect with the museum at Facebook; Instagram; blog; Twitter and YouTube.

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