The Hirshhorn Museum will showcase how it cleans and conserves paintings. (Photo by CT120)
Revisit the Iran nuclear agreement, examine a painting as it’s being conserved, view a sportscasting legend in his element, and more in this roundup of the week’s most intriguing events.
MONDAY, AUGUST 7
HOW IT HAPPENED: There have been signals from the Trump administration that the Iran deal might at some point go up in smoke. Before that happens, now’s a good time to brush up on how it came to be in the first place, courtesy of a book talk from Trita Parsi, whose Losing an Enemy includes interviews with former Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. (Politics and Prose; 7 p.m.; FREE)
PREP: August is a month of travel for paintings as well as humans, it seems. Jean-Paul Riopelle’s Large Triptych is going on a trip later this year, and its conservators want to show off their cleaning and conversation process, which includes “securing thick, heavy swaths of paint to the canvas.” (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; FREE)
REVEALED: After spending years at “an undisclosed location” in Maryland, local sports talk legend Tony Kornheiser now records his podcast in the Friendship Heights restaurant Chatter, formerly known as Chads. Now his fans can watch him live in person. Who said podcasts were exclusively an audio medium? (Chatter; 2 p.m.; FREE)
More: Glen’s Garden Market Run Club; La-Ti-Do Presents Tara Trinity and Country Western Night; Good Impressions: Art History for Beginners
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8
A journalist will discuss John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign at a talk on Tuesday. (photo by oscarpetefan)
BACK THEN: The topic of presidential campaigns sets me on edge these days. But if it doesn’t, a talk from journalist Thomas Oliphant about John F. Kennedy’s five-year quest for the presidency could prove enlightening. And perhaps instructive. Nostalgic, even. (National Archives; 12 to 1 p.m.; FREE)
CONCERTED EFFORT: Catch a screening of the short film Black Lives/Black Lungs, directed by recent GW graduate Lincoln Mondy, which exposes the tobacco industry’s exploitative efforts to endear the black community to harmful products, using political activity and philanthropic donations to fuel marketing campaigns. The subject isn’t pleasant, but it is important to understand as part of a larger conversation still happening in America today. (WeWork Manhattan Laundry; 7 to 8 p.m.; FREE)
FAMOUS, INFAMOUS AND NOT FAMOUS ALIKE: Learn about the history of Jewish music, from influential figures like Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen to unexpected influences like French jazz and secret Yiddish folk songs banned by the Nazis. I wish I could come up with a better two-word description of this event than Challah Back, but that’s what organizers are calling it, so they have me beat. (Bourbon; 7 to 9 p.m.; $20)
A PIECE OF HISTORY: Taverns, believe it or not, are more than just places to get drunk after work and on weekends. They’re a symbol of the developing social scene in early America. The curator of education at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in Alexandria will explain further in a lecture. (Daughters of the American Revolution Museum; 12 to 1 p.m.; FREE)
More: Georgetown Sunset Cinema: The Devil Wears Prada; The Boss Chiefs at The Bullpen; Cockblocked: Stories About Getting the Way; Famous Artist Series: Paint Like Warhol; Being the Butcher: Building a Brunch Board; Elsewhere: A Night of Anthropological Short Films; Zen Arcade at The Unified Scene Theatre; Game of Rooms Comedy Showcase; Sailor in a Box
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9
This could be you. (Photo courtesy of Museum of Science Fiction)
PHILOSOPHICAL QUERY: Beer in space: Yay or nay? That’s the central question under discussion at a Museum of Science Fiction talk featuring experts, scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts. It’s a simple question with, presumably, a complex answer. Who better to deliver it than smart people? (Atlas Brew Works; 7 to 9 p.m.; FREE)
RUNNERS-UP: Each year, countries from around the world submit one film to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, which nominates five for the Outstanding Foreign Language Film Oscar. But what about the rest? Wednesday through Sunday, the Jewish Film Festival will show off selections from a few nations, including Italy and Nepal. The series kicks off Wednesday with Poland’s Afterimage; more details are available on the full schedule. (Edlavitch Jewish Community Center; 8:30 p.m.; $13.50)
WHEN WATCHING GOD: A new solo exhibition from painter Asha Elana Casey envisions people of African descent as spiritual vessels, focusing “primarily on the woman’s role in these rituals and the different physical and spiritual spaces they occupy.” Casey herself will guide visitors’ experience during an artist talk.
More: Open Karaoke at Policy; Sound & Vision at Suns Cinema; Henry Fountain at Politics and Prose; NoMa BID Presents Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10
Check out the tropics right here in D.C. on Thursday. (Photo by Craig)
STAYCATION: The tropics are pretty far away…or are they? The U.S. Botanic Garden will beg to differ with a 45-minute tour on the “wild side.” (U.S. Botanic Garden; 11 to 11:45 a.m.; FREE)
REMIXED AND REIMAGINED: Fleetmac Wood is playing a show right here in D.C. on Thursday night. Yes, you read that right: FleetMAC Wood. It’s a cover band that blends remixes, edits and originals from the legendary band; its current tour celebrates the 40th anniversary of the classic album Rumours. (U Street Music Hall; 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; $10)
ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER CON: Otakon, the nation’s largest anime conference, is back. The costumes will be vibrant, the enthusiasm will be high, and — for the uninitiated, like myself — the schedule will be daunting. (Washington Convention Center; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; $80-$100)
STEPPING OUT: Zelda Fitzgerald is far more than the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. She’s a gifted artist in her own right — “figures and dancers, paper dolls, children’s illustrations, flowers, cityscapes, biblical paintings, and landscapes in watercolor, gouache, pencil and oil.” A program will attempt to cover that vast portfolio and offer a fuller picture of a woman often reduced to caricature. (Glenview Mansion; 7 to 8:30 p.m.; FREE)
More: Erik Love at Kramerbooks; Tom Perotta at Politics and Prose; Sip Series: That Time in Brazil;
Dinner at the Chef’s Table: Farmhouse Favorites; Speechless: The Ultimate Improvisational Gauntlet; Library of Congress: Summer Movies on the Lawn
