One Woman One Vote 2020 Presents Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen
(New Zealand, 2018, 89 min. Director: Hepi Mita)
Saturday, March 7, 2 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
A documentary portrait of the pioneering Indigenous filmmaker and activist Merata Mita, Merata is an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world.
Merata Mita was a woman of firsts: the first Māori documentarian, the first Māori woman to write and direct a feature film on her own, a trailblazing activist who broke taboos in New Zealand by speaking openly of racism and domestic violence. Her most important role was being a mother. Merata Mita’s youngest child, filmmaker Heperi (Hepi) Mita, tells Merata’s story through a unique lens that shares her inspirational life and legacy.
The museum is hosting Merata in collaboration with the One Woman One Vote 2020 Festival—films, concerts, exhibitions and public events celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment presented by an association of national organizations and cultural institutions. Bringing together a coalition of women in the film and media industry, the festival embraces both history and contemporary issues that make a difference for all women today.
Multimedia play: Hear Me Say My Name
Sunday: March 8, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
“I am not your mascot, and I don’t live in a tipi. See me for who I am, hear me say my name.” How do American Indian stereotypes, prejudice, and identity shape the discussion of what it means to be a young person in our country today? This original multimedia play, created in collaboration with Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater, tackles America’s assumptions about American Indians and starts a conversation with audiences reclaiming rich history, challenges, hopes, and dreams. After the play, the audience is invited to explore the Americans exhibition to learn more.
This program is generously supported by the Rasmuson Foundation. Free; First-come, first-served seating. No registration is required. Please note that event dates and times are subject to change, check the museum’s website for the latest schedule.
International Women’s Day
Sunday, March 8, 12–5 p.m.
Celebrate International Women’s Day at NMWA with free admission! The museum hosts signature Fierce Women and #5WomenArtists tours, hands-on activities for young learners, special offers in the museum shop and more. The Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center, usually only open on weekdays, will also welcome visitors. Visit the calendar for more details about tour times and programs. Free. No reservations required.
Wikipedia Edit-a-thon: Women Artists of Latin America
Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
NMWA hosts its 7th annual Art+Feminism edit-a-
Dance Performance: The Mush Hole: Truth, Acknowledgement, Resilience
Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
Santee Smith, Artistic Director
Saturday, March 14, 2 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
The Mush Hole is a heartbreaking dance theater piece that moves through Canada’s residential school history with hope and empathy. The performance by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, created, directed, produced by Santee Smith, reflects the realities of the Mohawk Institute Residential School experience and offers a compelling way to open dialogue and to heal. Created in collaboration with Mohawk Institute Residential School survivors and including school documentation in recounting its history, The Mush Hole is about survival and intergenerational resilience.
The Mohawk Institute, also known as the Mush Hole, is Canada’s oldest residential school, after which all other residential schools were modeled. Operating in Brantford, Ontario, from 1828 to 1970, the Mohawk Institute served as a boarding school for First Nations children from Six Nations and other communities in Ontario and Quebec. It was a key tool in the effort to assimilate First Nations children into European Christian society and sever the continuity of First Nations culture from parent to child, leaving a legacy of trauma.
TONY BENNETT
THE I LEFT MY HEART TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTONIA BENNETT
Sunday, March 15, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $76-$156
A cornerstone of the Great American Songbook, beloved crooner Tony Bennett is a living legend. As a Kennedy Center Honoree, NEA Jazz Master, and the winner of 19 Grammy Awards and 2 Emmy Awards, Bennett’s career as the pre-eminent singer of the 20th and 21st centuries is unprecedented. During this special evening, Bennett will sing his timeless hits like “Rags to Riches,” “I Got Rhythm,” and of course “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Fans marvel at the resilience of his trademark vocals which New York Magazine raves, “is still a technical marvel. . . and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.” His daughter and jazz singer Antonia Bennett will open the night with her angelic and powerful voice.
Through Her Eyes: Celebrating Indigenous Women of the Andes
Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Potomac Atrium
A special Women’s History Month program, Through Her Eyes celebrates the stories, experiences and perspectives of Andean Indigenous women. Cultural and content experts will lead a series of performances, demonstrations and activities offering visitors a window into the rich traditions and contemporary life of women in these Indigenous communities.
Julia Garcia (Quechua) will demonstrate how to dress a fashionable llama. Did you know that colorful ear tassels are a clue to a llama’s ownership and that bells can help you find your llama in the dark? Visitors can learn how to make ear tassels and neck adornments fit for a llama. Isabel Hawkins will share stories woven into Andean textiles, including the cardinal direction markers, constellations and equinox symbols that make up the patterns of some Andean textiles. Zuly Jimenez (Quechua) will use potatoes to create figures for a retablo (a small scene represented in a box frame).
The museum’s Collections Conservation staff will share their expertise on the care of weavings. Kathleen Martin, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Textile Conservation, will discuss her research, show samples and demonstrate the indigo dye process. Conservator Susan Heald will lead a hands-on demonstration with cochineal and show how the color can be shifted from orange to red to purple, and conservator Emily Kaplan will share the history of ceremonial drinking cups called qeros.
Maryta de Humahuaca in Concert
Saturday, March 21, 3 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
Maryta de Humahuaca (Kolla) is an Indigenous performing artist from the small city of Humahuaca in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. Her music is a fusion of contemporary and traditional Andean music. This program is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Argentine Republic.
GEORGE WINSTON
Monday, March 23, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $35-$65
Iconic pianist George Winston has inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, live performance for Winston is akin to breathing. Winston’s music is evocative, offering us all a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives and let our minds adventurously wander. In 2019 he released his 15th solo album, Restless Wind, a portrayal of Winston’s place in a chaotic world. His compositions extend solace with an idiosyncratic grace.
