There are more ways to take in our local arts scene than strolling the quiet museums on a Saturday afternoon or gulping some free wine at a gallery reception. Checking out events and lectures around the city is a great way to get exposed to not only the current exhibitions, but new ideas and theories you might not come upon while browsing the canvases by yourself.

>> Patrick Swayze probably won't be there to perform, but you should still stop by The Phillips Collection for their weekly Artful Evening from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tonight you can catch gallery talks at 6 and 7 p.m. on Dirty Dancing — Capturing Choreography in the Streets and learn how filmmakers put together battles between the Sharks and the Jets. Free with admission ($12 for adults).

>> After you've basked in the success of Saul Steinburg's cartooning career at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, be there at 3 p.m. on Saturday for a little humor and insight into political cartoon selection by publications when New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee presents The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw and Never Will See in the New Yorker. McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level. Free.

>> And then there's the Corcoran, who won't just talk about and show you examples of Modernist art from their current exhibition, but will get a little DIY, as well. This installment of Modernist Family Weekends will give the parents a rest as kids (12 and under) are given stencils and guidance to make their very own Modernist poster, along with other hands-on activities (and really, some babysitting help while parents are free to roam the galleries in peace). There are four sessions this weekend, Saturday and Sunday at noon and 4 p.m. Free with admission ($14 for adults, $10 for students, children 6 and under are free).

>> The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is a great place for photographers looking for a place to work on their craft, without dropping a couple hundred on a four week long class commitment. This Saturday they're holding a drop-in demonstration on photograms - an image made by placing objects onto photo-sensitive materials and then exposing it to light. Broaden your photographer's eye outside the lens between 5 and 7 p.m. Free, all ages welcome.

Photo by mindgutter.

>> The open space on Church and 14th Streets NW is becoming the place to hold a happening art party. The artists from the aphrodizia collective present Seduce and Destroy this Saturday, a "hypnotic" performance of music and art. Unlike Press Play (where aphrodizia also performed), this is a seated show, so get there when the doors open at 8 p.m. $15 at the door, $12 in advance, open bar.

>> Speaking of great art spaces, we might get another one over in Northeast. Our friend Jaime at stop, blog, and roll tipped us off to the potential development of the current Dance Place into an all-purpose art space. Artists and other interested folks should swing by tonight for the community meeting at 6:30 p.m. to get your voice heard. Read Jaime's post for more information and to sign up to get notified when their online survey goes live.

>> Stilettos and dark shades are the dress of choice for Walk the Red Carpet on Saturday, sponsored by One in Ten, the folks who bring us GLBT arts and events like the annual Reel Affirmations film festival. This weekend's gala at Hotel Palomar still has a few tickets available, so put on your finest and go bid on some fantastic pieces of art by the likes of glass artists Tim Tate and abstract painter Judy Cox. Preview the auction items here.

>> Don't forget the ongoing events at Artomatic, which include a Digital Photography Workshop tonight at 6:30 p.m., an improv jazz and poetry performance on Friday at 9 p.m., the Spooky Movie Film Festival on Saturday at 8 p.m., and The Marketplace on Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m., where smaller (and cheaper) art is brought out for sale.

>> We would be remiss if we neglected to mention this weekend's gallery openings (all events on Saturday). Get lost (or found) at Project 4 during the opening for Navigable Zones, a site-specific, multimedia exhibition by Nayda Collazo-Llorens, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Former Biograph Theater owner, Alan Rubin, will present his cinematic paintings in Suspended Animation at the Long View Gallery; opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. Climb up to the third floor of the Warehouse Art Gallery to see three photographers show off their work for Take Us Anywhere, But Take Us Now at 7 p.m. For some contemporary Asian art, Mu Project in Georgetown opens Big in Japan: Meditation Rooms from 5 to 8 p.m.

>> And finally, we've caught wind of a new art news and event repository in town. And by town we mean the internets. ArtsDC.com (ArtDC was already taken, of course) recently launched with the vision of bringing you all the local cultural information you could ask for. We welcome them to the much too small family of D.C. arts event supporters.