Bad news for D.C. art lovers: the folks behind artDC — the large art fair that premiered last year in the hopes of really launching our town into the international art scene — announced the cancellation of their 2008 exhibition yesterday, which had been scheduled for May. Eric Smith, Vice President of Summit Business Media, the company that runs artDC, explained that the state of the economy is to blame, stating “current indicators show that the return on investment is not there for our exhibitors.” Makes sense — when folks can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks, expenditures on things like art are always the first thing to go — but we hope things look brighter for everyone a year from now so they can afford to make it back for 2009.
>> Civilian Art Projects, home of the next DCist Exposed (less than a month away!), opens a slew of interesting shows tomorrow. In the main space, students from the Corcoran College of Art + Design’s Printmaking Department present their annual portfolio show with the theme You Won’t Believe Your Eyes. See how the students interpret the “real world” through their wide-ranging work. In the gallery’s project space, photographer Evie Lovett tells the story of despair and hope in Eyes of Rwanda: Portraits from the Hospital in Rwinkwavu. At the reception tomorrow, get a sneak peek of “The Shop.” In line with Civilian’s dedication to emerging and local artists, The Shop will feature crafts and clothing from some of our most talented printmakers and designers, all for sale, of course. Friday, 7 to 9 p.m.
>> Flashpoint opens a show by three artists who work in photography, installation and video to create interactions with nature. Amanda Sauer, Nellie Appleby and Vita Litvak revolve their work around the age-old, open-ended questions of “nature and being” by studying “controlled” natural environments and humanity’s reactions to the vastness of it all. Reception is tonight, 6 to 8 p.m.
>> If you’re desperate for the spring to begin, or just enjoy lots of pretty things, head over to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which opens Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution tomorrow. Along with the historical and scientific part of the new permanent exhibit, over 300 live butterflies will be in the Pavilion area, with new species from all over the world being introduced each week, so you can watch them “co-evolve” with all kinds of interesting plants right in front of your eyes. The general exhibit is free; Butterfly Pavilion tickets are $6 for adults, free for everyone on Tuesdays.
