Arts Agenda
>> Earl Cunningham's America, which opens this Friday at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, features 50 paintings by one of the foremost folk artists of the 20th century. Known for his use of space and brilliant colors, Cunningham juxtaposes the ordinary with the unexpected and puts familiar subjects in unfamiliar settings. The result is an insightful commentary on American life and culture.
>> Those looking for something new will have the chance to make their first acquaintance with the work of 12 recent art school graduates in Irvine Contemporary's new exhibit, Introductions3. Whether painting, sculpture or photography grabs you, the display has plenty for all. An opening reception with the artists will take place Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
>> H&F Fine Arts' latest exhibit, Space, Place and Time, showcases the work of three photographers interested in the "where" and "when" of things. If you find things like abandoned buildings depressing but picturesque, Joanna Knox's work might interest you. Shannon Chester, by contrast, captures how subjects interact with their environment, everything from nature to your bedroom. Phil Nesmith, a former Army paratrooper, has chronicled soldiers living in combat. Visit the opening reception this Friday, 6 to 8 p.m.
>> Sub-text, now at the Randall Scott Gallery, compiles the work of five emerging photographers good enough to make you doubt Scott's claim that he found them just by trolling the Web. Sarah Wilmer's shots look like stills from some kind of Victorian film noir. Caitlin Phillips describes her work as "mise-en-scene derived from personalized romance and girlhood nostalgia." Lindsey McCracken draws inspiration from sci-fi authors Ray Bradbury and John Wyndham for her apocalyptic landscapes. Alejandra Laviada's photographic record of an abandoned office building there constitutes, says the artist, "an attempt to record pieces of history that are simultaneously being erased and created." Meanwhile, the eerie monochromatic imaginings of Victor Cobo seem to conceal a threat within every shadow. Meet the artists at a reception this Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m.
>> If you have some money left over from all the exotic art you bought on your summer travels, you might want spend the rest of it on art from right here in D.C. Art Enables is having an inventory sale on all their fantastic works. Get 10-50% off today and tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., including a happy hour on Friday starting at 4:30 p.m., with the sale continuing Saturday, along with a sneak peak of their new exhibit, from 12 to 4 p.m. The Ballston Arts & Crafts third summer market arrives this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- check out their blog to see participating artists.
Missy Frederick, Sriram Gopal, and Chris Klimek contributed to the Arts Agenda.
Photo of Baby Bottle Tank, by Akemi Maegawa, courtesy Irvine Contemporary's website.