Muscle by D.Billy on view at Carroll Square Gallery

We just announced our new contest in conjunction with the Phillips Collection, and it isn’t too early to get a jump start on your entry. Head out to the Phillips tonight for their monthly Phillips After 5 program and take in a lecture about sustainable design and mass production of household objects, and get guided tours of the Morandi exhibit for research and inspiration.

>> It’s First Friday tomorrow and galleries in Dupont Circle and Penn Quarter are participating. In Dupont, Studio Gallery opens three shows with a First Friday reception from 6 to 8 p.m., Hillyer highlights two of its ongoing shows; La Vida Intensa and Squaring the Circle; Stretching the Clay with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m, and Foundry Gallery rounds out the evening with two shows featuring glass and figurative works. Opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

In Penn Quarter, Reyes and Davis host an open house featuring Johanna Mueller’s prints from 5 to 8 p.m., Caos on F showcases three artists from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Carroll Square opens Synthesis : Contemporary Collage with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Conner Contemporary celebrates their 10 year anniversary with concurrent solo exhibitions of new work by three gallery artists: Erik Thor Sandberg, Dean Kessmann and Isaac Maiselman. Toast to the decade of success at the gallery Saturday, 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Head on over to Local 16 tonight for a Spring Fling fundraiser to help out the Civilian Production Fund. This is a new fund to support artist made projects in and outside of D.C. 6:30 to 11 p.m. $10.

>> In a move of either brilliant or evil PR, the Character Project opens at Pepco’s Edison Place Gallery tonight at a private reception hosted by Tom Brokaw. Sponsored by the USA Network, the traveling exhibit boasts photographs by 11 world renowned photographers who “captured the character of America during the Summer of 2008.” The show will welcome all “characters” starting Friday at 9 a.m. through close of the exhibit on Sunday.

>> Hemphill Fine Arts opens two new exhibits this Saturday with During The Wet: Aboriginal Bark Paintings from Western Arnhem Land, Maningrida and Robin Rose: Endeavor. Opening reception 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

>> Calm Complexities at Curator’s Office, another 14th Street gallery opens this Saturday. See Eduardo Santiere’s intriguing color pencil and graphite compositions at the opening reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

>> Join photographer Liz Gorman for her first exhibit of her work, tonight at Tryst. 7 p.m.

>> The Washington Sculptures Group opened one of a four exhibitions in a series of sculpture solos featured in the lobby of 1275 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. View Lucile Driskell’s wooden geometric sculptures during lobby hours through May 22.