Arts Agenda: A Regular Safari Up In Here
Holiday? What Holiday? While some of us were home devouring pumpkin pies instead of writing the Arts Agenda last week, a few galleries opened their doors to new exhibits. The National Portrait Gallery is giving thanks to Josephine Baker by displaying images, posters, music sheets and other artifacts that tell the story of this amazing performer and civil rights activist. Meanwhile, the National Geographic Museum has opened their Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, showcasing the best professional and amateur photography from around the world.
Break-In the Weekend: As usual, tomorrow is First Friday in Dupont Circle from 6 to 8 p.m. Stop by Gallery 10 to see Damian Maurice's oil paintings that reveal his music and nature muses, while the Washington Printmakers Gallery is featuring Betty MacDonald's unusual storybook-like etchings. If you find old, musty books to be the ultimate pheromone (is that weird?), stop by Distinctive Lifestyle BookBinders to see Michele de la Menardiere's colorful, emotional landscapes hanging between the shelves.
Is This a Job for Webster? The Corcoran's redefined: Modern and Contemporary Art has been on exhibit since last summer, but if you've been waiting to experience it with maximum fulfillment, tonight is a good time to head down there. Artists Linn Meyers, Brandon Morse, and Maggie Michael will be on-hand to discuss their work in the show at 7 p.m. Free.
Photo by Flickr user hey-helen.
Eat, Drink and Be Wasteful: Flashpoint celebrates the true American holiday culture with consume, a group show featuring video and site-specific installations, paintings, prints and photography that explore the necessity of consumption and our tendencies toward over-indulgence. The opening reception on Saturday, 5 to 7 p.m. will feature a performance piece, and events surrounding the show's themes will be held on Dec. 16, 4 to 6 p.m. (Eat & Buy), and Jan. 6, 6 to 8 p.m. (Look & Listen).
Always With the Creepy: If you find the National Geography exhibit a little too straightlaced, Irvine Contemporary has some wildlife for you, except more beheaded and less, um, natural. Joshua Levine's The Trophy Room is a futuristic lodge filled with the heads of genetically-altered, hybrid fantasy animals. Cheney would kill for one of these babies. Irvine's back room features the self-explanatory Three New Chinese Artists: A Preview. But what to enjoy first — Li Jian Ping's up-close, melting faces or Liu Jian's naked women in bags? Decisions! Make yours at the opening reception this Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Virginia is for Art Lovers: Way out in dogwood country, WPA\C is continuing its Exchange series with D.C. @ Richmond. Local artists, including Jason Zimmerman and the recently featured Molly Springfield, will be part of this group show curated by another local fave, Gabriel Martinez. Gallery 5 will hold a reception this Friday from 7 to 10 p.m.
Those Puppy-Dog Eyes Will Get You Every Time: Get a little art and charity in this Friday at CityPaws Animal Hospital, which opened on 14th Street this summer. Graeme King is offering twenty photographs of local dogs for this show, and all profits will be donated to the Washington Humane Society. Bring your pooch for the reception Friday between 6 and 8 p.m.