The summer doldrums are over and we're starting to get back into the swing of things. So what can we look forward to in the arts this week? Let's check it out. more ›

Yesterday, workers put the finishing touches on Will Ryman's steel and fiberglass sculpture, 58th Street, part of The Phillips Collection's year-long anniversary celebration 90 Years of New. more ›

Lindsay Rowinski's installation Trying to be There subtly opens up the transformative power of our everyday surroundings. more ›

Oreen Cohen's Running Drill, part of Transformer's Exercises for Emerging Artists series, reflects on tensions half a world away -- and also on the upheaval and destruction that lead to rebirth right here at home. more ›

Mother Nature may have decided that in lieu of a nice, gradual transition from winter to summer by way of spring that she's going to just plunge us straight into the hot and humid fires of hell, but that shouldn't stop you from checking out these upcoming art events, sweat stains and frizzy hair be damned. more ›

DCist reader Jim Reisinger emailed this morning about an interesting sight he stumbled upon during their commute this morning. "I saw this giant triceratops on the back of a truck on my way to work at the intersection of Harvard and 16th Streets. Any thoughts on what they are using it for?" more ›

Pop quiz: what is January 12, 2011?

If you answered, "The deadline for submitting entries to the 2011 DCist Exposed Photography Show," you totally passed. The big news was announced yesterday. So mark your calendars, start sorting through photos and, if you don't think you have anything good, get out there and shoot a few more. There's plenty of time left! While you're at it, secure your early copy of our Exposed 5th Anniversary magazine by supporting our Kickstarter effort. There's so much going on this weekend, take your camera along so you don't miss anything good. You know, like a bad Santa or a fun art opening. more ›

The National Museum of Women in the Arts dedicated Phase 1 of their New York Avenue Sculpture Project on Wednesday. D.C. Del. Eleanor Norton Holmes, NMWA co-founder Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, and vice presidential spouse Jill Biden were on hand for the ribbon cutting of the four sculptures that have been placed in the median of New York Ave. between 12th and 13th Streets NW. more ›

If you happen to catch a glimpse of an aluminum-covered car driving around D.C. this weekend, don't worry, it's part promotion, part installation for Round the Corner, the inaugural exhibit at Industry Gallery, opening this Saturday. The vehicle, a 1993 Ford Explorer, is completely covered in aluminum, and one of the highlights of the exhibit. more ›

Opening today, the Renwick Gallery presents Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009 which brings together four artists who explore the narrative in their medium of choice. Ceramic artist Christyl Boger, fiber artist Mark Newport, glass artist Mary Van Cline and ceramic artist SunKoo Yuh walk the fine line between what is traditionally known as craft and art, showing decidedly non-functional pieces that are heavy on the narrative. They forgo the traditional definition of craft for the appeal of story telling through art. more ›

The DC Creates Public Arts Program and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities unveiled several new pieces of public art at Nationals Park on Wednesday. The pieces include sculptures of Washington Senators players Frank Howard and Walter Johnson, and Homestead Grays player Josh Gibson, all created by Omri Amrany, and The Ballgame, a suspended artwork created by D.C. artist Walter Kravitz. DCist photographer Meaghan Gay stopped by to get a closer look. more ›

Maya Lin readily admits that her career is made up of three different areas: architecture, memorial and art. The memorial line, which she calls it, started here in Washington, D.C. over 20 years ago, when she won a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. more ›

As an artist looked on as a leading figure in 20th century art, Louise Bourgeois has enjoyed an incredible 70 year career. From her early influences of Surrealism to her Feminist works, Bourgeois uses memory and emotion to create thought provoking motifs and dramatic sculpture. At the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Bourgeois' lengthy and successful career is highlighted in a major retrospective of her work. more ›

Toy model kits, usually relegated to the enthusiastic hobbyist, are turned on their head at Anti-Plastic, currently showing at Flashpoint. The show is filled with nostalgia, juxtapositions and exploration. Artist Anthony Cervino uses scraps of toys and the wiry, plastic structures typically used to contain the parts of pre-assembled model kits, such as planes or cars, and deconstructs them to create various low-relief sculptural settings and landscapes. more ›

Some of you may have stumbled upon a giant blue head on a crane at 9th and F Streets on your coffee run this morning. That 31 foot tall, 13,000 pound sculpture is the work of Roy Lichtenstein, the renowned American pop artist who died in 1997. Known for his bright, bold colors and old-school comic book stylings, Lichtenstein already has work all over D.C.; in fact, the National Gallery of Art has the largest repository of his work, after he gifted a slew of his prints in 1996. You can also see a couple of his works at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Sackler Gallery. more ›

As a recent MFA graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Sebastian Martorana has found a calling in stone. A sometimes over-looked medium, Martorana creates work that is often somber and other times light in emotion. This fresh face in the art world is still finding his way as a sculptor as his style progresses, but he's one to keep your eye on. You can see a sample of his work at Irvine Contemporary's Introductions4 and online. DCist was able to catch up with Martorana on the heels of a residency in Vermont to chat about his work. more ›

Over 250 artists from across the country were evaluated for Irvine Contemporary's "MFA annual" group show, Introductions4. Each of the artists were chosen by a selection panel of collectors of early-career artists through studio and exhibit visits along with open submissions. The chosen nine, Becky Alprin, Reid Bingham, Christina Empedocles, Adam Frezza, Andrea Land, David Linneweh, Sebastian Martorana, Jimmy Joe Roche and Matthew Woodward, represent an interesting cross section of the graduate art world, displaying work inspired by material, the intersection of people and nature, and memorial. more ›

Solistalgia: a combination of the root words solacium (comfort) and algia (pain), best defined by its author as "...a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at home." Citing the term and how his generation has nothing to hold onto, young artist Benjamin Jurgensen brings together everyday objects that are highly influenced by pop culture and mass media. In Don't Ready to Die Anymore at Meat Market Gallery, Jurgensen presents a collection of these influences in bright monotone sculptures. more ›

Anyone going to the Kennedy Center, the Watergate, George Washington University, or any other Foggy Bottom attraction should be sure to take a path down K Street, between 24th and 26th Streets NW. more ›

Pushing the envelope with mundane, everyday materials, Dan Steinhilber's show now at G Fine Art is a multidimensional and thought provoking exhibit. Steinhilber incorporates ordinary media to create a cohesive show where the images flow from one to the next and each element incorporates the last, sharing common themes. Packing peanuts, garbage bags and florescent light bulbs are cast in a new light with photography, sculpture, drawing and installation. more ›

This week the big news is the appointment (PDF) of Dorothy Kosinski as the new Director of The Phillips Collection. She's currently the Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Dallas Musuem of Art, and comes with an impressive résumé that include extensive curating, acquisitions, and teaching experience. Kosinski will officially take over next spring, to replace retiring Director Jay Gates, just in time to take the reins on a five-year strategy the... more ›

If the powers that be think we're going to go easily or quietly, they're wrong. The Post today exposed a devious little plan to chip away at the District's identity, starting with phasing out the city's postmark and replacing it instead with one bearing the name of our northern neighbor, Maryland. According to a Post study, of 235 letters mailed from every quadrant and zip code within city limits, only 24 -- 10 percent --... more ›

If you're not looking forward to setting your Thanksgiving or Christmas table with your best Ikea acrylic, you might want to take a short road trip this weekend to get some new wares. The Valley Craft Network, a 26-year old association of professional artisans and craftspeople, is holding its annual holiday studio tour this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nestled in the Middletown and Pleasant Valleys west of Frederick, Maryland, the... more ›

>> Art Whino, the new 22,000 square foot exhibition and studio space at 717 N. Asaph St. in Old Town Alexandria, holds its grand opening tonight. The gallery's debut event will be soundtracked by DJ Stylo, and marks the start of two new exhibits: a solo show by artist Derrick Wolbaum and a group show of Pop-Surrealism work in the Permanent Gallery. The opening reception is tonight from 6 to 11 p.m, admission is free.... more ›

>> The one and only Chaka Khan is at H2O tonight as a pre-party of sorts to the kick off of Howard Homecoming festivities, which officially start tomorrow. Doors at 5 p.m., show begins at 7. more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Amy Cavenaugh Baltimore-bred artist Morris Louis, who lived in Washington in the 1950s, is the subject of a 28-work retrospective on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden through January 6. Morris Louis Now: An American Master Revisited, curated by Jeffrey Grove of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, is the first such consideration of Louis’ work in two decades — the previous retrospective was also at the Hirshhorn,... more ›

Since 2001, the Smithsonian American Art Museum has honored one artist annually with the $25,000 Lucelia Artist Award. In order to be eligible, artists must be under the age of 50 and either American or living in the United States. Each of the five distinguished jurors, including artists, critics, curators and scholars, nominate three artists in recognition of their contribution to the art scene in the U.S. and abroad. Following initial selection, the jurors examine... more ›

Olga Viso, who has served as director of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for two years, announced today she'll be stepping down at the end of the year. Viso will be taking her experience and successes in running the Hirshhorn to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. more ›

>> 9:30 Club has Editors, Ra Ra Riot, and Biffy Clyro. $15 tickets still available, and don't miss our full preview of Ra Ra Riot by clicking here. more ›