Talk to Me, Baby
The Freer's Meyer Auditorium hosts Korean architectural designer Doojin Hwang on Thursday evening. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian.
DCist's guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area
This week, artists have it made with a good variety of artsy speaking events, from Ghanan weaving and Korean architecture to arts law and artists residencies. Also this week are some discussions on taxes, religion (or lack thereof), privacy and astrophysics.
Tuesday:
» Head to the Hamiltonian Gallery tonight at 7 p.m. for a discussion with art and entertainment lawyer John D. Mason on the legal issues most pertinent to artists, including copyright, trademark and contract law. Free, but RSVP to jackie [at] hamiltoniangallery.com for more information.
» The National Museum of Women in the Arts holds part two of their Sort-of-Jane Austen Reading Series, with a staged eading of The Concealed Fancies from 7 to 9 p.m. Afterwards, a number of short dramatic works will also be read. $10.
» For less art and more spy, be at the Spy Museum at 6:30 p.m. for America on a Need-to-Know Basis: Secrecy in a Free Society. The panel of experts will include folks from the National Security Archive, the CIA and other related orgs. They will discuss their "views on the inherent tension between the public’s right to knowledge and the government’s duty to safeguard vital national security information." $15.
» The K Street Busboys presents a number of readings from the DC Creative Writers Workshop at 6 p.m.
Wednesday:
» Politics and Prose hosts author Adrian Wooldridge tonight at 7 p.m. for a discussion of his book God Is Back.
» The 14th Street Busboys hosts a conversation tonight and for the next few weeks titled Is the Catholic Church out of date in terms of science, birth control, and same-sex attraction? at 6:30 p.m. Tonight's discussion will focus on science and faith. Free.
Thursday:
» Tonight from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the S. Dillon Ripley Center is holding two events about organizational storytelling, in which "participants learn how to use narrative techniques as a business tool to inspire and motivate people to believe in a goal and collaborate with others for the benefit of the organization." Sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but if management theory is your thing, maybe you know what they are talking about. Thursday's event costs $30, and Friday's all-day seminar is $125.
» Those who prefer their mumbo jumbo to be artsy have a number of good options tonight. Head to the Hirshhorn at 7 p.m. for lecture #372 on Louise Bourgeois. This one's by the museum's Senior Curator of Modern Art Valerie Fletcher.
» Also, the Freer/Sackler's Meyer Auditorium will host a lecture titled TradInnovation: New Trends in Contemporary Korean Architecture tonight at 7:30 p.m. Doojin Hwang, principal of Doojin Hwang Architects in Seoul, will discuss contemporary Korean architecture to correspond with the museum's current Korean Ceramics exhibit. Join museum staff for a pre-lecture tour at 6:45 p.m.
» Or, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. is another Framework panel discussion at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring. Time and Space: Artists' Perspectives on Residency Programs will feature four artists as they give "insights on a diverse array of artist residencies, and how artists can take advantage of these unique opportunities for creative development." Free.
» Science geeks should head to the National Academy of the Sciences instead for A Cosmic Journey Through Space and Time with astrophysicists John Mather, Vera Rubin, Charles Bennett, and Adam Riess and moderator Marcia Bartusiak. They'll chat about "our knowledge of the universe, from the first moments of the Big Bang to the mysteries of dark energy." $25.
Friday:
» The New American Foundation brings us an appropriate panel discussion this morning, titled Tax Expenditures and Social Policy: Are We Getting Our Money's Worth?, running from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Saturday:
» New and non-religious parents: make your way to the Center for Inquiry today for their 12 p.m. discussion group titled The Perplexed Parents Circle: Families in a Multifaith World. RSVP required to aholster [at] centerforinquiry.net or 202-546-2331.
» The S. Dillon Ripley Center's two all-Saturday seminars are China and the Unites States: Frustrated Fascination and The Colors of Venice. Both start at 9:30 a.m. and cost $120.
» At 2 p.m., the American Indian Museum hosts author and cultural critic Paul Chaat Smith for a book reading and signing of Everything You Know about Indians Is Wrong.
» At 2:30 p.m., the Newseum holds its weekly Inside Media lecture. Journalist and documentarian Nick Clooney will be on-hand for a screening of his film A Journey to Darfur and a discussion on his experiences "documenting the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees who escaped militias ravaging the western region of the Sudan."
» Politics and Prose has a full lineup today, with Fighting The Unbeatable Foe author Tom Diemer at 1 p.m., Mahler: Symphony No. 8's Norman Scribner at 3 p.m. and Standing By author Alison Buckholtz at 6 p.m.
Sunday:
» Today's 2 p.m. weekend lecture at the National Gallery of Art continues the Picasso theme with Picasso and Truth IV: Monster. The discussion takes place in the East Building Auditorium, and will be simulcast in the East Building Small Auditorium for those that can't fit in the bigger room.
» Israeli novelist and playwright A.B. Yehoshua will appear at Sixth and I on Sunday at 7 p.m. For $12, you can hear him read from his newest novel Friendly Fire, and discuss his career and thoughts on Israel with Leon Wieseltier of The New Republic magazine.
» At 4 p.m. today, the K Street Busboys hosts master weaver Kwasi Asare of Ghana, who will be demonstrating his traditional techniques, sharing Ghanan folk tales, and selling his wares.
Next Monday:
» At 7 p.m., Politics and Prose hosts essayist Adina Hoffman as she discusses her tribute biography of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammed Ali, My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness: A Poet's Life in the Palestinian Century.