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.
But first, we have some news from the Textile Museum. Announced on Tuesday through a press release, the museum’s board has decided to abandon their previous Penn Quarter expansion plan, citing “unforeseen” and “unsustainable” costs. The Textile Museum will continue to offer exhibitions and arts programming at its current 2320 S Street NW location, and also plans to broaden the scope of its outreach to both national and international audiences.
Now, on to this week’s arts agenda.
>> The “Omigod, you haven’t been to one yet?” event of the week is the Hirshhorn After Hours tomorrow night, starting at 8 p.m. The festivities mark the opening of The Cinema Effect, Part II: Realisms, which features 19 film, video and digital artists that examine two main topics: the global effect of Hollywood, and the documentation of history. Catch a film screening of Jeremy Deller’s The Battle of Orgreave at 9:30 p.m., and Artur Zmijewski’s Repetition at 10:30 p.m. in the Ring Auditorium. For those more interested in the drinks, tunes and socializing, Maxi Geil! & Playcolt will be performing at 9 p.m., and DJ People’s Champion (who soon returns to Berlin) will be on at 10 p.m.
If you haven’t gotten tickets yet, you have a few options: 1) Order online, 2) Order by phone by calling (202) 633-4629 or (877) 932-4629 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 3) Buy tickets at the Smithsonian IMAX® theater box offices located at the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History, or 4) Get there early tomorrow night and cross your fingers that it doesn’t sell out. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $12 at the door, but online purchasers will be charged an additional $1.50 per ticket and $2 per order for the convenience.
>> Tomorrow night, the Mclean Project for the Arts opens Once Again, Again, a group exhibition curated by Annie Gawlak of G Fine Arts, which highlights the work of 15 artists employing repetition, including that of Suzi Fox (pictured above), J.T. Kirkland, Cory Oberndorfer and Mary Early. The reception runs from 7 to 9 p.m., and also celebrates an opening of student work in MPA’s Ramp Gallery.
>> Now that Art Whino has relocated to Maryland’s National Harbor, we haven’t yet checked out the new space. If you’re in the same boat, Saturday is the perfect day to go. They’ll be celebrating International Surfing Day from noon to midnight with live music, live painting, and all ages arts and environmental awareness activities. At 6 p.m., the gallery hosts an opening reception for RIPPLE: Art Effecting Oceans, a solo show for California’s Erik Abel, which will also feature the work of five artists new to Art Whino. The new space is located at 123 Waterfront Street; click here for directions and here for water taxi info.
