Arts Agenda
Faith Ringgold's Who's Bad? , courtesy the Arlington Arts Center |
This week, some of the D.C. area’s best nonprofit and alternative art spaces push their boundaries in ways that commercial spaces often don’t. Get out your thinking caps and your love for interesting discussion, and mark these dates, times and locations in that day planner of yours.
>> Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., the DC Arts Center holds a reception for its newest creatively curated exhibit, Kid Mutiny, featuring the artistic creations of five artists examining mutants, playthings and the commoditization of childhood. Curator Ellen Tani will explain it all during the artist and curator’s talk at 7 p.m., so get there on time to take it all in.
>> Also on Friday, but from 6 to 9 p.m., the Arlington Art Center opens She’s So Articulate: Black Women Artists Reclaim the Narrative. Local collector Henry L. Thaggert co-curates this exhibit as a direct response to Kara Walker’s recent mid-career retrospective at the Whitney, with a desire to expand the discussion of contemporary African American women artists and “the so-called ‘black female narrative.’” Selected artists represent varying styles of story-telling, span media such as time-based installation, photography, painting, video and sound, and aim to represent the present day. The work of Faith Ringgold (pictured left), Renee Stout, Renee Cox, Djakarta, and many others are featured, and many of these artists will be at the opening. Visitors will also enjoy the sounds of violins, viola and cello, performed by the Kinara String Quartet.
>> Speaking of the Arlington Arts Center, now is the time to register for summer art classes, which begin the week of June 23. Adult classes include drawing, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture; a variety of kids classes are also available. See the web site for registration information.
>> And, if you haven't checked out Artomatic yet or have been wanting to get another look, Sunday is your last chance! Artomatic celebrates with several events this weekend, including another PostSecret book signing on Friday, and the full-of-fire Art in Fashion on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Check the web site for the weekend's full schedule.
Also, tonight from 7 to 9 p.m., head to their 6th floor Scion Lounge for the Pink Line Project’s Art of Sound. The event features the performance art of Ding Ren (Bible Kiss Bible), Lauren Bender (Translation Day), Matt Sargent (Living in the Pulsing Light), Bonner Sale (Lonely Heavy Gunner) and David London (Imagine), as well as music by Invisible Flow.
>> Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory has a bunch of events this weekend as well. In the Art League’s gallery, Deborah Addison Coburn’s abstract figurative work, Body Piecing, opens with a reception tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Torpedo Factory Artist of the Year Joyce McCarten opens her exhibit, Don’t Postpone Joy, tonight as well from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Target Gallery. The Torpedo Factory also celebrates its second Thursday Art Night’s Dancing in the Streets until 9 p.m. by holding open studios in all first floor studios, presenting McCarten’s Artist of the Year Award, and presenting a special dance demonstration by Generations Dance Studios.
>> Join Civilian Art Projects on Friday at 7 p.m. for an artist talk with Jason Zimmerman and a closing reception for his exhibition, Feel better, longer, which uses several methods and projects to explore the median of the natural and the man-made environment. The artist talk promises to be interesting, as he explains his often surreal, Twin Peaks-esque work. RSVP to info [at] civilianartprojects.com.
>> Check out this year’s Bethesda Painting Award finalists and winners at the Fraser Gallery reception on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., and decide for yourself if the winners are the best of the bunch. While you’re there, enjoy the monthly Bethesda Art Walk’s free guided walking tours, which begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Bethesda Metro. Or, head straight to Gallery Neptune, which presents MOVE IT! 4901 Cordell > 5001 Wilson, the gallery’s last exhibit in their current space, which will feature over fifty pieces from varying artists, including Warren Craghead III, Mars Tokyo, and Michael Janis. The official reception is actually on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m., but Neptune will be open on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. for the art walk as well.
Art Notes:
- The Washington Post gives us 10 Tips for Introducing Your Kids to Art.
- This is your last week to check out Mariah Johnson and Valerie Molnar's site-specific installations at Transformer (the last group of projects from the once-trapped Here and Now exhibit, and those that were recently reviewed by the elusive Blake Gopnik). The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m.
- In an exhibit opening today, the Corcoran teams up with the Magnum photo agency and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria on Access to Life: a photography exhibit documenting the progress of six months of treatment for AIDS patients worldwide.
- Touchstone Gallery opens three exhibits on Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m.: Jeanne Garant’s Black and White, Nancy Novick’s Wish You Were Here, and Phillip J. Gross’ Suspended Reflections.
- The Ballston Arts and Crafts Market will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop opens its annual Student/Faculty Art Exhibit on Saturday from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
- You might want to get your tickets now for next weekend's Hirshhorn After Hours. It's more than a week away, but the event often sells out, and they are two dollars cheaper if bought in advance.