It's just over 24 hours until the 2008 DCist Exposed Photography kicks off at Civilian Art Projects. Join us to celebrate and support our local talent before they all become wildly famous and we have to put their work in the "boy, I wish I could afford one of those" column (that would be the column you'll see below). The free reception is tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m., no RSVP required. All the works are for sale at reasonable prices, so bring along your checkbook or contact heather [at] dcist.com for purchasing info. If you're interested in attending the Emerge Exposed panel, RSVP to info [at] pinkline.org quickly, because seats are almost filled.

It's actually a pretty busy weekend in the arts around D.C. this weekend, but since we're running around finishing last minute tasks and polishing 47 photographs for tomorrow night, we hope you'll forgive the brief agenda:

Thursday:
>> Today the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum opens an interesting exhibit featuring all kinds of World War II memorabilia and correspondence. Victory Mail can be seen during regular hours, daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday:
>> It's First Friday for the Dupont galleries. Stop by the Marsha Mateyka Gallery to see the intricate drawings of Nancy Wolf in Dragons Adrift: The New Chinese Landscape. All First Friday receptions are 6 to 8 p.m. Mateyka will have another artist reception this Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

>> Also participating in First Friday, Hillyer Art Space opens two shows, After the Flood, the abstract "collage-like" paintings of Don Kimes, and Brazilian Contemporary Printmakers, featuring live Brazilian music. Foundry Gallery will show Abstraction::Distraction, paintings by Shaune Bazner. And Studio Gallery has New Works of more colorful abstracts by Carol Rubin, along with a show of The Paper Chase with paper works by two artists.

>> We loved the Glass3 exhibit organized by Artomatic. The show closes this Sunday, but they're holding another reception at the Shops at Georgetown venue on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.

>> American history buffs should check out Meet me at the Mason Dixon, opening at the Meat Market Gallery. The work by Lisa Blas "mines American archives and contemporary culture." Reception 6 to 8:30 p.m.

>> Get ready for baseball season at Carroll Square Gallery, which opens Great American Pastime, a group show in mixed media that celebrates the sport. Reception 6 to 8 p.m.

>> The National Museum of Women in the Arts features a performance of Latin music with Mujeres at 8 p.m., and another performance on Sunday at 3 p.m. as part of the OUT at In Series for the GBLT community.

Saturday:
>> Arlington Arts Center will hold a panel discussion with the collectors from their ongoing show Collectors Select from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Hear Henry Thaggert (and others) talk about how he's assembled his own collection as a sneak preview to Emerge Exposed next Wednesday, where he'll school us on how to begin our own.

>> Project 4 opens with the works of Patrick Holderfield. His colorful abstracts (pictured left) in Pilgrim aspire to take you on a journey of your own. Reception 6 to 8:30 p.m.

>> The Randall Scott Gallery shows off Cara Ober's popular paintings in the wink-and-a-nod titled show, i am who i pretend to be. Get inspired, then go home and make your own collection mimicking her style to hang in an obscure Maryland office lobby as if they were your own. Ha ha. We kid. Reception 7 to 9 p.m.

>> The Capital Hill Art League opens Untitled, a show juried by Kathryn Wat, a curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Reception 5 to 7 p.m.

Sunday:
>> The Art League Gallery opens two solo shows, Reality Remixed with photo mosaics by Darren Smith, and La Femme: Celebration of an Icon, just in time for Women's History Month. Reception for both 2 to 4 p.m.

Image of Patrick Holderfield's Casualties courtesy Project 4