The weather had better start behaving normally: we want a snow day! Now that there is a reason to be inside again, here are some places with interesting things lying around or hanging from the walls. The new season has officially begun. Make sure to check the gallery’s Web site for specific hours before visiting.

THURSDAY:
>> Baltimore artist Cara Ober will open a show of new work, Prayers and Joking, at Flashpoint (916 G St. NW), from January 11 to February 10. On display will be two handfuls of Ober’s mixed media drawings and paintings that combine disparate themes in odd ways. The opening reception is on Thursday (January 11, 6 to 8 p.m.).

>> New York artists Nuno de Campos, Brenda Zlamany, and Jennifer Dubnau are showing work in the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2006 exhibition. On Thursday (January 11, 6 to 8 p.m.), the artists will speak with Portrait Gallery Director Marc Pachter and answer audience questions. This free event (.PDF file) in the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium at the Reynolds Center (Eighth and F Sts. NW) is followed by a reception.

>> Also on Thursday (January 11, 7 to 9 p.m.) three sculptors — Roberto Bocci, Evan Reed, and Millicent Young — will speak about their work, now being shown at Arlington Arts Center through January 27. This event is free, but you are advised to pre-register at (703) 248-6800 to get a good seat.

Image of The Optimists, 2006, by Melissa Ichiuji