Phil Nesmith, The Nord Sea (Triptych), 2010. Wet collodion photograph on black glass plates. Three 5 x 7 in. plates, courtesy Irvine Contemporary
The fall arts season kicked into high gear this week: so keep reading for tons of gallery openings, festivals and activities. And good news for those of you trying to pack in as many events in one night as you can — just hop on the Art Bus! The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities is providing transportation this Saturday between three arty neighborhoods: Logan Circle (1515 14th Street NW), U Street (1353 U Street NW), and the Atlas District (1358 Florida Avenue NE). The free shuttle will run for this Saturday’s openings, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
>> Arts on Foot, the annual fall festival that rings in the performing and visual arts season, opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday. The festival includes an art market featuring over 100 artists, entertainment stages and restaurant samplings from 25 area eateries. Be sure to stop in Pookie’s Gallery, an Arts of Foot Alternative Art Space, on Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. for a pottery demonstration, music and Pink Line Project’s Artcade.
>> Civilian Art Projects settles into their new upstairs space with two solo exhibits opening Friday. Nightscaping by Erick Jackson features paintings heavily influenced by Peanuts characters and Romanticism, while In Irons by Trish Tillman will include site-specific sculpture and new cutpaper works. Opening reception with the artists, Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.
>> After Civilian, head to area galleries in Penn Quarter and make an evening of it. Visit City of Trees at Carroll Square from 6 to 8 p.m. and Novel Abstractions at Reyes + Davis from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Then be sure to stop in Touchstone Gallery to celebrate the opening of their brand new space at 901 New York Avenue with champagne and a 50 artist member show from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
>> Also a part of the Friday openings in Penn Quarter, Flashpoint presents Patrick McDonough: reck room. McDonough will transform the gallery into an American recreation room, complete with functional foosball-and-ping-pong hybrid game table and etched mirrors to explore the role of play, domesticity and interaction in both contemporary art and life. Opening reception 7 to 9 p.m.
>> Back from the Gulf of Mexico and one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, Phil Nesmith presents Flow, a collection of images created as a record of his personal encounter with the region and people, on display at Irvine Contemporary. Also at Irvine, see the concurrent solo show Bruno Perillo: Uniform: New Paintings. Both exhibits open Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. with a reception with the artists.
