Ava DuVernay, Venus and Serena Williams, and Marian Wright Edelman were all honored with the Portrait of a Nation Award at the National Portrait Gallery, reports Deadline. Other honorees include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Clive Davi, and José Andrés.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered at the Smithsonian Institute to celebrate the honorees at their induction ceremony.
“These honorees are innovators in their respective disciplines and advocates for social causes who use their voices to care for and lift up others,” said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery, in a statement. “The Portrait of a Nation Award reminds us that history is living and the choices people make have an impact on the nation’s legacy.
DuVernay said that artist Kenturah Davis, who painted her portrait, took a time-lapse picture “so the image is me moving from one plane to another, and she drew the moves. It’s like a motion picture in a portrait.”
“She draws with works, so the pinstrokes are actually letters, and it’s such an intricate [work]. And the words she is using is something that my father told me before he passed away. So the whole thing is deeply meaningful, and this is a dream I never knew to dream,” added DuVernay.
Serena Williams spoke about the power of representation and how her portrait captures Black joy.
“I think it’s so important for the National Portrait Gallery to see a Black woman smiling,” she shared in a statement. “Black women are often seen as serious, and we are, but we are happy as well. We are the mothers. We are wives. And we are the backbone of this country.”
Venus was so impressed with the finished product that she plans to do some home decorating when she brings the portrait home.
“This is replacing the Wimbledon trophy,” Venus Williams said at the ceremony about her portrait.
Founded in 1962 and opened to the public in 1968 as a part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Portrait Gallery houses collections of famous Americans. To date, over 1,000 images of Black Americans are featured in the gallery.
The Portrait of a Nation Award honorees will be on display as part of the Recent Acquisitions exhibition running from November 10, 2022 through October 22, 2023.
