Jin Young Kang – 2009, CRM Stripes , oil on panel, 20 x 17 inches. Courtesy Connor Contemporary Art>> Connor Contemporary Art opens Academy 2009 this Saturday. This 9th annual MFA/BFA survey showcases the talent and work of recent fine art graduates of regional college art programs. Start the evening off with the No Artist Left Behind series: The Top 10 Things Every Artist Should Know, a panel discussion co-hosted by Washington Project for the Arts at 4 p.m. Opening reception for Academy 2009 starts at 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m. PULSE Contemporary Art Fair will award one of this year’s Academy exhibiting artists an exhibition space at PULSE Miami 2009.
>> Take a walk this Saturday afternoon at the First on 1st event in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, hosted by The Pink Line Project and North Capitol Main Street. Stroll between between Florida Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue NW to take in some art and music all along 1st Street. Be sure to stop in Windows Cafe and view work from Ten Miles Square artists and see A New Currency: Shared Resources, a group exhibition organized by Civilian Art Projects at 87FLORIDA. Saturday 12 to 4 p.m.
>> East of the River an annual exhibit showcasing local artists from Wards 7 and 8, opens Saturday at Honfleur Gallery. This year’s collection includes installation, photography, painting and digital prints that are the artists interpretation of the theme, “Beauty and the Beast.”
>> At the Source this Sunday get a taste of the performing arts with insideSOURCE. This family-friendly open house offers light saber combat training, hip-hop t-shirt making and sing-alongs for all ages. In the afternoon, adults are invited to watch performances from resident theater companies Constellation Theatre Company, In Series and Washington Improv Theater. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.
>> This looks like fun: at the Art Museum of the Americas build your very own brick building at the Building with Bricks Family Workshop in conjunction with the exhibit Rogelio Salmona: open spaces / collective spaces. Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. $5. Reservations required: aospinaj [at] oas.org
