If you're a regular reader of DCist, you know that we're big Kojo Nnamdi fans. So you can imagine our excitement when we saw that Kojo would be making a special guest appearance during tonight's Washington Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. more ›

A year has passed since Sulu DC launched its performance series in the basement of St. Stephen's Church in Columbia Heights. Inspired by the New York Sulu series -- named for the well-known character from Star Trek -- and recognizing the need for a similar community for Asian America/Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists in the greater Washington, D.C. area, a group of local organizers launched a similar group here in the District. And after mounting a year's worth of successful events at venues ranging from the Ethiopian restaurant Almaz to U Street Music Hall, Sulu DC will celebrate its first anniversary with a special show on Saturday at its new digs, Arlington's Artisphere. more ›

Some sad news to pass along this afternoon -- John Olsson, the founder of now-defunct beloved local chain Olsson's Books & Records, reportedly died last Thursday. more ›

>> If you're not lucky enough to have synethesia but have always wondered what it might be like to see colors while listening to music, then Adam de Boer's Finca at Flashpoint Gallery might be as close as you'll ever get. After visiting a friend's family finca (farm) in Villeta, Colombia, de Boer began a series of paintings depicting life there. What makes de Boer's work unique is the way he used Colombian Vallenato music to create his color palette. Using Hardesty Maratta's early 20th century theory on "chords of color," where musical notes correspond to a particular hue, de Boer constructed three distinct color compositions from the chord progressions of his favorite Vallenato song. An essay by Adriana Ospina, whose family finca was the inspiration for the series, will accompany the exhibition. 6 to 8 p.m. more ›

I hope you've been practicing your stitches, readers, since September is National Sewing Month! Observance of the month began in 1982 with a proclamation from President Ronald Reagan declaring it "in recognition of the importance of home sewing to our Nation." To help along all our industrious, craftiness urges is today's artist Diego Velázquez (1599 - 1660) who's right up there as the greatest figure of Spain's golden age of the arts (which reached its peak during the reign -- from 1621 to 1665 -- of his major patron, Kind Philip IV). more ›

For anyone who's ever been to a Cirque du Soleil show, it's tough to encapsulate the experience in words. The performance is an explosion of color and movement, often times overcoming the human eye. So in lieu of sending a reviewer to pen a conventional review of CDS' OVO show at the Plateau at National Harbor, we thought we'd enlist Kevin Carroll -- who last week checked out the raising of the Grand Chapiteau where the performance is held -- to deliver a photographic review of the show that, at times, defies verbalization. While he was there, Kevin even managed to fenangle a rare glimpse into the preparation for the show. The OVO show runs through October 24; tickets are available here. more ›

This Saturday marks the 26th iteration of the Kennedy Center's Annual Open House, a community and family-oriented event in which the Center opens the doors to all of its venues and spaces for an afternoon of free performances. As usual, the top level of the building will be home to a book fair tied into the theme of the overall event. This year, the Open House will also serve as the launch to Celebrate Mexico 2010, a festival running through October 1 that celebrates traditional and contemporary Mexican arts. more ›

Festivals are the norm during the July theater scene, but this month, not everyone is sticking to mere festivals, which is kind of refreshing. Here are the highlights: more ›

Some potentially bad news for local arts crept under our radar at the end of February. The Virginia House of Delegates passed a budget proposal that includes a 50 percent cut to funding for the Commission for the Arts next year, and the total elimination of the agency by July 1, 2011. more ›

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart wrote in his excellent book, Drumming at the Edge of Magic, that "[w]ords are so inadequate at capturing the spirit of percussion." One need only go to Malcolm X Park on any given Sunday to see the indescribable and spiritual effect drumming and rhythm can have on the receptive listener. Unfortunately, access to this experience is not universal. Any glance at a your average drum circle, high school marching band, or list of drummers at a music festival reveals a glaring absence: women. more ›

Last week, the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities opened its call for applications for its 2010 grant season. Each year the well-funded DCCAH has hundreds of thousands of dollars to give away to the artistically-minded, and the crazy part is that they can't seem to find enough people to give it all away to every year. Free money, guys! You just have to ask! more ›

Over the past few years, and more recently due to the juggernaut that is Slumdog Millionaire, there has been an explosion of South Asian American artists and collectives devoted to incorporating South Asian culture into the broader arts scene. Musicians such as Karsh Kale and Janaka Selekta, who merge electronic and traditional sounds, have started making more regular visits to the District. Local dance companies like the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, Dhoonya Dance, and a host of others have each put their own twist on attempting to cast traditional South Asian forms into a modern light. more ›

"There are two things that I hear from everyone who visits," said Ed Spitzberg, the Sitar Arts Center's Executive Director. "They say, 1. 'Wow, what a wonderful place,' and 2. 'I never knew this was here.'" more ›

For the past seven years, the Kennedy Center has launched its season with Prelude, a month-long series of events that are available to the public for free or at a low cost. Prelude gives a chance for new patrons to see the range of performances the Kennedy Center offers, while regular patrons have a chance to experience more contemporary and innovative works. more ›

Artomatic is over, and the summer art season is settling in. While now is usually the time when most galleries close their doors or throw together a two-month group exhibition, there are surprisingly still a number of openings and events on the horizon in the coming weeks. more ›

>> So Mayor Fenty and Schools Chancellor Rhee have scheduled 23 simultaneous school closure hearings at each of the proposed 23 schools to be closed. Logistics nightmare questions aside, what is a parent who has a child at more than one of the schools supposed to do? Pick which child they think is more important? [WaPo] more ›

As you might imagine, there's not a whole lot going on in the art world this week, and unlike the last holiday, even the Smithsonians close on Christmas Day. Nevertheless, we found a few exhibits for you to poke around this weekend. And if you're one of those last minute gift buyers and can't bear to wage war at the mall, don't forget our guide to art museum memberships for something a little more unique than the new Harry Potter DVD on rush delivery from Amazon.com. more ›

Washington Performing Arts Society inaugurated its relationship with the brand-new downtown venue, Sidney Harman Hall, with a recital by Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Montero on Saturday afternoon. Although you may have heard about her abilities as an improviser on NPR last year, this was her first appearance in the area since she had to cancel her 2005 recital at the Corcoran. As you would expect of someone who took a Bronze Medal at the 1995 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, she was certainly technically impressive, if not rock solid, in a challenging program of three daunting works in the standard repertoire. more ›

At this point in December, holiday concerts and Handel's Messiah have completely hijacked the classical music schedule. Here are a few other events, not all of which avoid the spirit of the season. After this post, the Classical Music Agenda will take its end-of-the-year hiatus, to return in the New Year. more ›

If you're a regular reader of the Arts Agenda, be sure to check out yesterday's summary of the benefits of becoming a member of one of the local arts venues in D.C. Right after we put that online, we heard that WPA is relaunching their online database ArtFile (one of the benefits of becoming a WPA member is a free artist profile on the site, where you can store images of your work). Visitors can browse the site for free and save "lightboxes" with work of their favorite local artists. more ›

Living in the Nation's Capital, with so many free events going on year-round, it might seem silly to spend a princely sum of money for the privilege of becoming a Member of a local arts organization. But there are a number of good reasons to think about becoming a member -- maybe you're interested in a particular subject that's only shown at a pay-for museum, maybe you're an artist looking to grab a foothold in... more ›

The swell of holiday concerts and Messiah and Nutcracker performances has reached a deafening level this week. Still, there are some excellent concerts to hear, if you just need to get away from the tinselly, Santa-hatted madness. HEADLINES: >> Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero will give a nearly sold-out Washington Performing Arts Society recital on Saturday (December 15, 2 p.m.), Sidney Harman Hall. This new downtown venue, if an article in The Economist is to be... more ›

>> A fire forced students to evacuate a dorm at Catholic University. [NBC4] >> "NEWSFLASH: The Nazis killed millions of people. This gay rights organization raises money for AIDS research, breast cancer and the arts, among countless other charities." [Blade Blog] >> "Wizards players are donating $20,000 to a woman whose former boyfriend doused her with gasoline and set her on fire." [AP via WTOP] >> A D.C. man in his 50s was hit... more ›

To say D.C. is not known for its fashion sense is an understatement. The people in our fine city get slammed again and again for their inability to dress themselves in anything other than career wear. Luckily this holiday shopping season offers a little incentive in the form of trunk shows for those of us who'd like to look better and help us score some spiffy new duds. As gifts, of course. more ›

While the name might promise simple sweetness and pleasantries, the exhibit You Catch More Flies with Honey…, now on display at Carroll Square Gallery, is not simple or superficial. Curated by Hemphill Fine Arts, the exhibit features five artists in the first annual OPTIMA exhibition, which showcases artists whose works have natural connections and form dynamic relationships when viewed together. Bright color infuses the gallery as each artist uses a cheerful color palette to hide... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Not that you could have missed the fact that it's awfully windy this morning after yesterday's late fall rainstorm, but the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the metro area, effective through 1 a.m. Tuesday morning — this wind will consistently be 25-30 mph until late tonight, with gusts over 46 mph expected. If you drive an SUV or another type of high profile vehicle, you're asked to use... more ›

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits... more ›

It's December, which means that much of the classical music concert schedule is devoted to some holiday that apparently occurs near the end of the month. Consult our Holiday Concert Agenda and our Handel's Messiah Agenda, if that is the sort of thing that interests you. Let's try to keep the regular agenda free of that stuff. There is plenty to talk about without it. VOICES: >> The annual residency of the Kirov Opera, the... more ›

After yesterday's preview of the endless list of holiday concerts in the area in December, it is time to discuss the piece that must not be named, Georg Friedrich Händel's Messiah (1742). Yes, it is a masterpiece of music history, but the lamentable annual round of weary performances at Christmas time (in spite of the fact that Messiah is an Easter work), makes me want to run screaming for anything else this time of... more ›

FRIDAY: >>Great quadruple bill comes to the Rock and Roll Hotel: Three Stars alums Jukebox the Ghost (pictured right) and tour diarists These United States join DCist fave Ra Ra Riot and Sam Champion. All that for the low, low price of $10 before, $12 at the door. Show 9 p.m. >> The Black Cat once again hosts Cryfest, everyone's favorite dance party that pits The Smiths vs. The Cure, brought to you by DJs... more ›