Wrestling with an Angel, Collage, 8″x10″, 2009 by Rachel England, a part of Barter

Ever since the R.L. Christian Library closed a few years ago, the unique structure stood abandoned and vacant. But on Friday, a temporary store will set up shop in the building. Temporium brings together D.C. fashion designers to sell their wares in this innovative boutique.

A project of the Pinkline Project and D.C.’s Office of Planning, the store will become a wifi lounge and host weekend activities like Friday’s opening reception at 6 p.m. where you can meet designers. Unfortunately, the boutique will be fleeting — it’s only open through August 15, so check it out early and often. For an updated list of activities and hours, check out the Temporium website.

>> Reasons for getting a tattoo are often deeply personal and involve commemorating a time period or loved one. In that same vein, artist Steed Taylor will be creating a road tattoo to highlight Washington D.C.’s relationship with war and loss by honoring local soldiers recently killed while serving. The 60′ x 300′ tattoo titled Daughters and Sons Knot, will incorporate the names of those soldiers’ children in a complex Celtic Knot. Interested in learning what a road tattoo actually is? You can watch a video of a previous installation, or get a hands-on education by helping out. Installation will start on Saturday, with a dedication ceremony on Sunday at 1 p.m. Look for traffic and parking restrictions along the 800 block of Vermont Avenue, NW, from Friday after rush hour to Sunday evening.

>> Today is your last day to bid in an innovative online silent auction. Barter offers goods and services by several area artists in conjunction with the Washington Project for the Arts. The catch, as you might guess, is that you bid with your own goods and services. Items up for auction include a studio visit from a curator, a personalized poem or story, a year of pen-pal services, a transformational portrait, and more. Check out the various items up for bid and try and come up with something of equal or greater value. You have until midnight tonight.