Face-to-Face, from the National Portrait Gallery

Bill and Melinda Gates portrait -- discussion by artist Jon Friedman. Jon Friedman discusses his portrait of Bill and Melinda Gates in the exhibition "Recent Aquisitions" and the process he used to create the work. Friedman grew up in Northern Virginia and is currently based in New York City and Truro, Massachusetts. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions around the country. Many of his portrait subjects are leaders in the worlds of science, medicine, and technology, including David Baltimore, Maxine Singer, Harold Varmus, and Charles Vest. His work is in many private and institutional collections, including the American Philosophical Society, the Carnegie Institute of Washington, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the Royal Society. This portrait of Bill and Melinda Gates was commissioned for the museum through the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund, which was established in honor of a former director of the museum. Recorded at NPG, May 17, 2011. Image: Bill and Melinda Gates / Jon R. Friedman (born 1947) / Oil and collage on canvas attached to wood panel / 127.3 x 117.2cm (50 1/8 x 46 1/8") / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the Marc Pachter Commissioning Fund

"Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands: A Young Politician's Quest for Recovery in the American West" -- author Roger DiSilvestro discusses his book. Recorded at NPG, June 8, 2011.

Margaret Vining, National Museum of American History curator in Military History, talks about Varina H. Davis (1826-1906), first lady of the Confederacy. Recorded March 24, 2011. Image: Varina Howell Davis / John Wood Dodge / Watercolor on ivory, 1849 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Varina Webb Stewart

A Conversation with Andrew Young: Ambassador Andrew Young, joined by his longtime friend Jack H. Watson Jr., discusses his role in the American Civil Rights movement. Watson is chair of the National Portrait Gallery's Commission; he served as chief of staff for former President Jimmy Carter and is a fellow Atlantan. His portrait is now on view in our exhibition "The Struggle for Justice." Recorded at NPG, April 30, 2011. Image: Andrew Young by Ross R, Rossin, oil on canvas, 2009, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Jack Watson, Copyright 2009 Ross R. Rossin

Alex Cooper, NPG lighting designer, on lighting the exhibition "Calder's Portraits: A New Language." Alex Cooper uses Calder's portrait of composer Edgar Varese (1883-1965) as an example of lighting three-dimensional objects in exhibits. Recorded at NPG, May 5, 2011. Image: Edgar Varese / Alexander Calder / Wire, c. 1930 / Whitney Museum of American Art, New York / Copyright 2010 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York . See more portraits on the exhibit website: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/calder/

"Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story" discussion by author Howard Means. Howard Means discusses and signs copies of his book "Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story." Recorded at NPG, May 11, 2011.

Trevor Plante, chief of Reference at the National Archives, talks about Union General William T. Sherman (1820-1891) Recorded at NPG, April 28, 2011. Image: William Tecumseh Sherman, / George Peter Alexander Healy / Oil on canvas, 1866 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; gift of P. Tecumseh Sherman, 1935

"1861: The Civil War Awakening" discussion by author Adam Goodheart. Historian, journalist, and travel writer Adam Goodheart discusses his new book "1861: The Civil War Awakening," a gripping account of the early days of the Civil War. Goodheart is director of Washington College's C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. This is a joint program with the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Recorded at NPG, April 23, 2011.

Carolyn Carr, chief curator and deputy director of NPG, discusses a portrait of Kate Millett by Alice Neel. Kate Millett born 1934 Born St. Paul, Minnesota The emergence of the modern feminist movement in the 1960s had initially seemed but a sidelight to the massive demonstrations for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. Yet it was clear that the growing cry for equal opportunity for women could not be ignored. In no small measure, the movement owed its quickening pulse to Kate Millett, whose 1970 book Sexual Politics had become something of a bible for feminism. When Time magazine sought a personification of feminist protest for its cover in August 1970, it, not surprisingly, settled on Millett. Unfortunately, Millett herself was not pleased with the choice, feeling that no one person could presume to embody the aspirations of her cause. As a result, when Alice Neel asked her to pose, she refused. Instead, Neel used photographs to make this likeness. Image: Kate Millett / Alice Neel (1900-1984) / Acrylic on canvas, 1970 / Gift of Time magazine. Recorded at NPG, October 28, 2010.

Discussion of Miles Davis. Author Keith Waters on "The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68." Part of Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian. Recorded at NPG, April 20, 2010.

Geri Provost-Lyons, Education specialist, discusses Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts. Recorded at NPG, March 10, 2011. Image: Juliette Gordon Low / Edward Hughes / Oil on canvas, 1887 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America; Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

Frank Goodyear, associate curator of photography at the National Portrait Gallery discusses an 1861 photograph of Ambrose Burnside and the Rhode Island 1st Volunteer Infantry, taken at Camp Sprague (near Washington, D.C.) by an unidentified photographer. Goodyear was interviewed by the NPG's Warren Perry on February 22, 2011.

Abraham Lincoln grew beard after he became president in 1861. David C. Ward, historian at the National Portrait Gallery, discusses the reasons that Lincoln changed his appearance. Interview by Warren Perry, recorded March 3, 2011.

David C. Ward, historian at the National Portrait Gallery, discusses Abraham Lincoln's life masks. These works, by Leonard Volk and Clark Mills, are on view in the "Americas Presidents" exhibition. Interview by Warren Perry, National Portrait Gallery. Recorded March 3, 2011 at NPG.

Patti Smith on "Just Kids," her National Book Award-Winning memoir. Patti Smith discussed "Just Kids" at the National Portrait Gallery on December 11, 2010. She was interviewed by the NPG's David C. Ward, Historian. "Just Kids" is a memoir of early 1970s Manhattan and of Patti Smith's friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.