This week you could conceivably learn about art collecting, chainmaille, Sandra Day O’Connor, and amateur porn. What a time to be alive. Go forth.
MONDAY, APRIL 22
MERLOT PEEP: Want to play Russian roulette with your blood sugar? See smells and taste color at this class pairing classic Easter candy and wine. The good news is that the class starts early enough that you’re guaranteed to crash by 10 p.m., which is a very reasonable bedtime for a buzzed adult coming off a sugar high. (City Winery, 6:30 p.m., $35)
GYROS AND VILLANS: Simon Critchley, author of The New York Times philosophy blog, thinks that ancient Greek tragedy is “the emergency break our relentlessly hurdling culture needs.” And here I thought the answer was self-imposed isolation in a remote forest. Instead of becoming a mountain hermit, Critchley suggests readers look at today’s world through the lens of ancient Greek tragedies–and vice versa—in his new book, Tragedy, The Greeks, and Us. What better time than a Monday night to hear from the author and take a “harsh, complex look at ourselves.” (Politics and Prose, 7 p.m.-8 p.m., FREE)
TASTY TRASH: Did you know that Americans throw away upwards of 400 pounds of food per person annually? This Earth Day, channel your inner raccoon and go to town on trash themed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails from local chefs leading the zero food waste movement. The evening will include food, drinks, “One Man’s Trash” art auction, and a panel of chefs discussing the complex food waste conundrum. Feel-good bonus, 100 percent of proceeds benefit The Capital Area Food Bank. (CULTUREHOUSE DC, 6 p.m., $55-$65)
COLLECT CALL: If you have a barely-obscured distaste for proletariat posters and prints but are also afraid of looking like a silly goose when trying to buy art, take this workshop for people who want to learn to collect art on a budget. The talk will cover talking about art, talking to artists, finding art that you like, defining your style, curating your collection, buying etiquette, and making an art budget. (Latela Curatorial, 7 p.m., $45)
MORE: Profs & Pints: Philosophy and Star Trek, Exploring the Mind (The Bier Baron Tavern, 6 p.m., $12-$15), Parks and Rec Trivia (Nick’s Riverside Grille, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE with registration), Art Opening: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats” – Earth Day 2019 Arts and Climate Talk (1200 First Street NE, 6 p.m., FREE with registration)
TUESDAY, APRIL 23
NOTHING’S FREE: The DC Sustainable Fashion Collective is hosting a screening of The Price of Free as a part of Fashion Revolution Week, an international effort to bring awareness to the lives of the people who make our clothes. The Price Of Free tells the story of the children forced into slave labor to meet the demands of cheap goods and the network of informants and activists that rescue and rehabilitate these child workers. (Easton Workshop, 6 p.m., FREE with registration)
LITTLE SWAP: Black Cat is hosting a plant swap, sale, and garden party complete with a DJ and drink specials. Bring plants, garden items, or other cute things you’d like to swap or sell, and go home with new-to-you greenery. Don’t make it weird and try to swap exotic animals or anything illegal. Be cool. (Black Cat, 8 p.m.-11 p.m., FREE)
TASTE THE RAINBOW: Dye silk bandanas and eat chamomile sablé cookies decorated with crystallized ginger and wildflowers, because life is hard and all of those words sound so nice. This class will highlight the connections between food and cloth from ritual practice to sustainability with a hands-on maker experience. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy cookies—they can smell fear. (Femme Fatale DC, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., $35)
YOU’VE GOT MAILLE: I wish I could take credit for this top-notch pun, but that honor goes to Halcyon Arts Lab, who is hosting a Byzantine chainmaille bracelet class. Learn how to cold-join chainmaille, then create an entire section on your resume that just says “chainmaille,” no further context. Chainmaille speaks for itself. (Halcyon Arts Lab, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., $70-$110)
MORE: The Good Place Trivia (Pinstripes Georgetown, 7 p.m., FREE with registration), Screening: A Man and a Woman by Claude Lelouch (La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France, 7 p.m., FREE with registration), Drag Trivia (Taqueria Del Barrio, 7:30 p.m., FREE)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
PRE-RBG: SDO doesn’t have quite the same ring, but Sandra Day O’Connor deserves attention for being the first woman on the Supreme Court. Author and journalist Evan Thomas will talk about his new book, First: Sandra Day O’Connor, An American Life, which is the first O’Connor biography based on access to Justice O’Connor’s personal archives. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss will moderate a discussion with Thomas, and a book signing will follow. (William G. McGowan Theatre, National Archives, 7 p.m., FREE)
SH’ALL YOU CAN EAT: Shaw’s yearly celebration of the neighborhood’s best food and drink offerings is back. This year’s EAT.DRINK.SHAW host committee includes The Dabney, Cher Cher, Drink Company, Convival, Chaplin’s, and Service Bar, just to name a few. Your ticket includes unlimited beer, wine, food, soft drinks, and valet parking, and all proceeds benefit the Shaw Main Streets’ economic revitalization and historical preservation activities. (Howard Theatre, 7 p.m., $80)
MORE LIKES: Were your cherry blossom pictures lacking in likes? Take this mobile photography class to learn tricks to taking better phone pictures and how to use editing apps, and get some in-class experience under the watchful eye of instructor Tamera Darden, founder of Darden Creative. (Fostr Collaborative, 6 p.m., $45)
COLORFUL FEELINGS: If you’re feeling some type of way, pick up a palette knife instead of a kitchen knife; art is notably more cathartic than prison. Local abstract expressionist painter Serafina Sinicropi guides this class in creating an emotionally expressive abstract painting with acrylic paint and palette knives. Musing about life is encouraged, and the wine is included in your ticket price. (Shop Made In DC at The Wharf, 6 p.m., $60)
MORE: Untethered: an Undergraduate Studio Art Exhibition (Katzen Arts Center at American University, 5 p.m.-7 p.m., FREE), Bitter Dose Combo: Live Gypsy Jazz (Lepic, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., FREE), Open Piano Wednesday (Purple Patch D.C., 7 p.m.-10 p.m., FREE), Leaving Port: The Dry Wines of Portugal (Dcanter Wines, 7 p.m.-8 p.m., $39), The Who’s Tommy (The Kennedy Center, 8 p.m., $69-$129)
THURSDAY, APRIL 25
LA VIE EN ROSÉ: Do you know your Royal Sunset from your Whispering Angel? Get to know 30 rosés from around the world at Calvert Woodley’s Annual Rosé Tasting. Not only will all featured bottles will be available for purchase at a discounted price, but your ticket includes a special wine glass and a buffet of gourmet cheese, breads, and charcuterie from the one and only La Cheeserie. (Calvert Woodley, 6 p.m., $25)
THANK U, NEXT: It’s time for George Washington University’s annual exhibition featuring work by graduating undergrad and graduate students of the Corcoran School for the Arts and Design. NEXT is a “dynamic, interactive, and innovative” show that spans studio art, art history, interior architecture, design, dance, theatre, and music, and museum studies. Opening night guests will also be able to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and two complimentary drink tickets, a fact that is both innovative and inspiring. (Corcoran School for the Arts and Design, 6 p.m., FREE with registration)
MAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT: Mappy Hour, the networking group for city dwellers who desire nature beyond patios and rooftops, hosts a Women in the Outdoors Panel. I’m more of an indoor woman, but if you’re looking to meet outdoorsy folks and learn about wildlife ecology, sustainability, and being an “agent of positive change in the outdoor space,” this one’s for you. Sierra Nevada beer will be flowing, as will the Q&A following the panel. (Arc’teryx, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., FREE)
HUMP DAY: Now in its fourteenth year, HUMP! Film Festival will once again bring audiences a lineup of short dirty movies. Curated by Dan Savage, this “cornucopia of body types, shapes, ages, colors, sexualities, genders, kinks, and fetishes” is guaranteed to make an impression, if nothing else. HUMP! wants to change the way America sees, makes, and shares porn, and sitting in the audience of Black Cat watching regular folks get it on certainly achieves that mission. (Black Cat, 8 p.m., $25)
MORE: Renwick Gallery Artist Talk with Dustin Farmsworth (Renwick Gallery, 6 p.m.-7 p.m., FREE), 2019 Smithsonian Craft Show Friends Night Out (National Building Museum, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., $17), Oh He Dead (Sotto, 8 p.m., FREE), Vocal Arts DC: Alexandra Nowakowski (The Phillips Collection, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., $20)
