From DCist contributor Kriston Capps:

If you’re looking to discover the next Dan Steinhilber before he or she hits the Hirshhorn, you have just a few days left to catch the Academy 2004 show at the Conner Contemporary Art gallery, which closes on Saturday. This is the fourth installment of this annual summer showcase, featuring 13 artists who have recently matriculated from DC and Baltimore degree-granting institutions.

Expect polished work in a variety of media: Oversize prints that keenly reference art history slides (Julee Holcombe), 80s-era graffiti scrawls, complete with the bathroom wall (Stephen Pauley), and — true to college form — a beer-fueled video installation of a woman belching “I love you.” DCist’s glib observations notwithstanding, the executions are generally strong (we’re thinking of Katie Donegan’s sculptural works in particular). The show’s curator, art historian Jamie L. Smith, does the area a service with these annual debutante exhibitions. Catch these artists now while they still don’t know what they’re worth.