>> Enjoy free admission to nine, off-the-Mall museums, at this weekend’s Dupont-Kalorama Museum Walk. Visit the Anderson House, Dumbarton House, Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, the Woodrow Wilson House and the National Geographic Museum. Take the free shuttle bus, or walk between any of the participating museums. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
>> The Phillips Collection opens Jasper Johns: Variations on a Theme this Saturday. View iconic prints by the celebrated American master in an exhibition featuring 101 groundbreaking examples created over more than five decades in lithography, intaglio, lead relief and silkscreen. Free admission this weekend, during Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days with D.C. Jazz Festival and the Dupont-Kalorama Museum Walk.
>> Call + Response is an annual art show, put on by the Hamiltonian, that pairs writers and artists and asks them to create new works with a twist. Five writers each contribute a call-a short piece of fiction or poetry-and five artists each create a new installation piece in response to one call. For the first time, this year’s writers will view the artworks prior to the show’s opening and respond in some way. Opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m.
>> At Arlington Arts Center, meet Visiting Artist, Si Jae Byun, and visit her studio where you can see her latest paintings on silk. Si Jae will demonstrate her process and explain how the silk pieces relate to her installation and video work, and to her story. Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., in conjunction with the exhibit Si Jae Byun: On Silk.
>> Attend Asia After Dark at the Freer, this Saturday when the Enid A. Haupt’s meditative Moongate Garden (adjacent to the Sackler Gallery) transforms into a Japanese playhouse for the first Asia After Dark event of 2012. The evening features a mash-up performance of Japanese vogue dance, theater, storytelling, and hip-hop music choreographed by visual artist iona rozeal brown and performed by soloist dancer Monstah Black. Guests can create an expressive mask using botanical symbolism from all over Asia, make fun photo booth memories, and enjoy Japanese fusion bites, specialty cocktails, dancing, and more. Tickets: $25. Suggested attire: Japanese fashion meets hip-hop vogue.
>> Artomatic heads into its third weekend. Check out the full list of events happening, along with 11 stories of gallery space.
>> Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the National Gallery of Art‘s series on Czech animator Jan Švankmajer continues with Alice, an ingenious adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in which Alice is portrayed by an actress and an antique doll, set entirely inside Alice’s home. On Sunday at 4:00 p.m., see Faust, Švankmajer’s fanciful retelling of the fable, in which a contemporary “everyman” exits the Prague subway and is lured to a mysterious marionette theater.
>> The Washington Printmaker Gallery hosts a special exchange exhibition between American and Chinese printmakers. The first half of the exchange featured 73 prints by 36 American artists, and opened at the Shanghai International Convention Center on April 15. The second half of the exchange will include six visiting artists and 180 prints by 30 artists from Shanghai and throughout China. Contemporary Impressions: Chinese Ex Libris Prints opens Saturday with a special reception with visiting artists and dignitaries. 1 to 4 p.m.
>> Touchstone Gallery opens two exhibits this Friday. See Susan Feller’s multimedia works in Holding Patterns by Shelley Lowenstein’s narrative paintings in Rail Ways Opening reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
>> On Saturday, at the Greater Reston Arts Center, current exhibiting artist Ming-Yi Sung Zaleski, will host a Weekend Workshop exploring the world of puppetry. Puppets are used for entertainment and storytelling in many countries throughout the world. This puppet making session is a complete hands-on experience and runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register through the Reston Community Center using class code “402571-2A.”
>> Auntie Mame will play on the Lunar Lawn at Hillwood Estates for this year’s Divas Outdoors at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
>> Art on the Edge opens Friday at Del Ray Artisans. This all-DC area “edgy” art show breaks boundaries, daring artists to “go beyond the fringe” to explore edges of the unfamiliar, and celebrate the journey. Opening reception at 7 p.m.
>> Adah Rose Gallery opens, Haunted by Ill Angels this Saturday. See work by Trix Kuijper and Zade Ramse. Opening reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
