Forget the heat – DCist is ready for fall so we’ll be able to see lots of new exhibits at area galleries. In the meantime, we’ve pulled together some highlights from the dreadfully slow month of August.
>> Fine art photographer Tom Wolff and four of his former students are the focus of a new show at Spectrum Gallery in Georgetown. Wolff has taught at Glen Echo for 30 years and has picked some of his star students to exhibit beside him in this show. In looking at the gallery’s website, the influence of the photographer on his students is evident – though the work by Prescott Lassman at right hints at a more sinister perspective. The reception for the show is tomorrow night from 5-8 p.m.; it remains on view through August.
>> Skip happy hour on Thursday and instead visit Raven Arts to see the summer group show of the Mid City Artists. You’ll have the chance to chat with the artists from 6-8 p.m. that night. If you can’t make it Thursday, be sure to see it before it closes on August 20. You can read more about the individual artists and see examples of their work here.
>> Check out the listing for the Freer Gallery of Art’s new exhibit, “Pretty Women: Freer and the Ideal of Feminine Beauty,” opening Saturday. Is it just us, or does it seem like it was written by someone who actually still lives in the 19th century? First they refer to museum founder Charles Lang Freer as a “life-long bachelor” (nowadays called “gay”), and then suggest that “it might seem surprising that a bachelor would collect so many representations of beautiful women.” Huh? Since when is it kosher to suggest that an art patron, especially one of Freer’s stature, might somehow be limited by his or her sexual orientation in their appreciation of great art based on subject matter? We’re still planning on checking out the exhibit, but come on, people.
>> If you’re craving a road trip this weekend, DCist suggests you head to Richmond this Saturday for the IRIS Festival of Short Films at Byrd Theatre. We know you’re innundated with the plentitude of film festivals right here in D.C., but Carytown is cute and worthy of a visit. The fun begins at 1 p.m. and ends in time for a bite afterwards. Tickets are $5 and benefit the Richmond Moving Image Co-Op, a nonprofit that supports independent media in Virginia.
>> If you haven’t yet been to the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, head down now to see “Sew What??” at Studio 18. The show includes quilts, clothing, wall hangings and more. (One DCist writer likes the Torpedo Factory so much that it’s the future site of her wedding reception!)
>> Sunday is the last chance to see Dutch paintings by Jan de Bray at the National Gallery of Art. “Treasures” at the National Museum of African Art closes Monday.
