Wolf Kahn, Pale Yellow Stand of Trees, 2010, oil on canvas, 36 x 52 inches

>> The Embassy of Denmark is partnering with the Corcoran College of Art + Design on an exhibition that will explore the beauty and diversity of the largest portion of the Kingdom of Denmark: Greenland. Didn’t know Greenland was a part of Denmark? Neither did I. (Don’t tell my geography professors!) The Embassy will hold an open house on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. to unveil State of Matter: Culture, Climate, and Opportunity in Greenland, their third annual Creative Christmas exhibition.

>> Project 4 will be hosting an artist talk with Margaret Boozer on Thursday at 7 p.m. as a part of the exhibition In Season. She’ll discuss the process and work she created for the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, From This Distance: Djibouti. A video produced by Michael JN Bowles and Art in Embassies highlighting her artwork will also be premiered.

>> Father and son duo, Guy and Marco Rando, work together to create whimsical sculptures using found wood. Guy’s pieces feature intricate inlay designs while Marco produces free-standing kinetic sculptures. Their work is on display in Transitions at The Art League Gallery in Alexandria. An opening and meet the artists reception will be held on Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

>> What happens when the primary focus of an exhibit is to encourage artist experimentation? You get Petri Dish at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The all media small works exhibit challenged the artists to create work within the bound of a standard petri dish {100mm x 15mm (approx. 4 inches)} Juror Jesse Cohen had 142 submissions to choose from and ended up picking 52 for the exhibit. The opening reception will be held on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Tracy’s Kids Art Therapy Program uses art therapy to help young cancer patients and their families cope with the stress and emotional toll of cancer and the treatment of it. On Friday the gallery at Carroll Square will hold an opening reception for an exhibit featuring the artwork of Tracy’s Kids from 4 to 6 p.m.

>> For over 20 years the pastel landscapes of Wolf Kahn and the bronze sculptures of Carol Brown Goldberg have been seen widely across the United States. This Friday you’ll get a chance to see their work at the Addison/Ripley Fine Art gallery. An opening reception for the artists will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Photographs are a quick and easy way to capture a portrait of someone, but Lily deSaussure likes to take it one step further and uses the photo as inspiration for her embroidered work. deSaussure takes aspects of the images and creates mixed-media pieces that combine paper, photography, embroidery, and drawing. Her work can be seen at Transformer gallery in Double Dare Ya opening Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

>> Project Dispatch is an easy and unique way to get art from artists all over the country. You pay $25, $50, or $75 a month and they’ll send you an original artwork once a month. Because these pieces of artwork tend to be on the smaller side Project Dispatch and the Fridge DC teamed up to give the artists the opportunity to display some of their larger work. In Part and Parcel these large-scale works will be hung next to smaller works by the same artist that are wrapped in brown paper, the idea being that while you’re welcome to purchase the larger piece you can also take a chance on the smaller, unknown piece. What’s the catch? You can’t open the smaller piece until after the show ends. Opening reception on Friday from 8 to 11 p.m.

>> Hemphill Fine Arts Gallery will be hosting a discussion on Saturday at 10 a.m. concerning the relationship between art and music with Bob Boilen, past director of NPR’s All Things Considered, creator of the online music show “All Songs Considered,” and composer of electronic music; Robert Goldstein, composer of numerous movie and television scores and NPR’s music librarian responsible for selecting music used on broadcast programming, and Robin Rose, the artist whose work is currently on display at the gallery in his exhibition The Big Payback.

>> The Washington Glass School will hold its 10th annual Winter Sculpture Show and Holiday Open House on Saturday. Work from students and instructors will be on display. 1 to 5 p.m

>> The Marsha Mateyka Gallery will hold an opening reception for Kitty Klaidman’s Salt Spring Island: Beneath the Surface on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m.

>> An Adult Student Art Exhibition will be held on Saturday at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition features artwork by adult students in the visual arts classes.

>> Free films at the National Gallery of Art continue this weekend with Andy Warhol’s Since on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and John and Ivy at noon on Saturday. Stick around until 2 p.m. on Saturday as the gallery begins its series of films by Ukrainian filmmaker Yuri Ilyenko with A Spring for the Thirsty. At 4 p.m. The Eve of Ivan Kupala will be screened. Both films will be introduced in person by the director’s son, Philip Ilyenko. And not to be left out Sunday will feature Possessed and Other Shorts by Fred Worden at 4:30 p.m.

>> On Sunday at 2 p.m., the National Gallery of Art will hold a panel discussion entitled Image of the Black in Western Art, Part II with David Bindman, emeritus professor of the history of art, University College London; Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University; and Sharmila Sen, general editor for the humanities, Harvard University Press. Moderated by Faya Causey, head of academic programs, National Gallery of Art.

>> Morton Fine Art‘s founder and chief curator Amy Morton has put together an exhibition featuring the work of two emerging artists from the Corcoran College of Art + Design which will open this Sunday. Into the Light will display the ceramic work of Victoria Shaheen and the photographs of Esther Meena Yi. The exhibit is on display at The Anthenaeum and an opening reception will be held Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m.

Holiday Art Buying Opportunities:

• Beginning on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. the Corcoran College of Art + Design will hold its annual college art sale, Off the Walls, featuring jewelry and wearable art, ceramics, and fine art created by Corcoran students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Proceeds from all sales directly the artist and the college. The sale continues on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Torpedo Factory Art Center will have an evening of chocolate and shopping on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. as a part of 2nd Thursday Art Night: Decadent December. Shop for holiday gifts at the open studios and galleries, snack on chocolate, and sample wines from Glen Manor Vineyards.
• At La Casa on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Amani ya Juu, the holistic sewing and training program for marginalized women in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, & Liberia, will hold their Holiday Open House. Items for sale include handbags, home & kitchen décor, jewelry, and children’s items made from local African materials by a diverse community of women. Sales allow these women to earn a consistent income.
• The art exhibit, It’s All About The Little Things, at Del Ray Artisans will feature affordable artwork no larger than 8″ x 10″. Opening reception on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m.
• Domku Bar & Cafe will be hosting its sixth annual Upshur Street Handmade Art & Craft Fair on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artwork and handmade gifts from 25 local artists will be on display and available for purchase. Local musicians Wytold, Orchard Wall, Drawbridges, Ugly Purple Sweater and Jonny Grave will provide entertainment throughout the day.
• On Saturday the fourth annual Cheap Art Sale will be held at La Casa to benefit the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League. Artists from across the city will have work priced at under $50. Media include paintings, jewelry, screen printed goods, and photographs. 1 to 5 p.m.
• The Capitol Hill Arts League will be hosting Wrap It Up-The Art of Giving at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop beginning on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will feature gift-priced artwork that is ready for purchase and gift-wrapped. The exhibit runs until December 22.
• BloomBars will be holding its first annual Holiday Evening Market & Arts Bazaar this Saturday and again on December 17 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Work from local artists, artisans and craftspeople will be on display.
• Studio 4903 will host its annual Holiday Show on Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Paintings jewelry, ceramics, glass and brownie art will be on display.