Chuck Close, John, 1998. 126-color silk screen, 64 1/2 x 54 1/2 inches, edition of 80. Brand X Editions, New York, printer (Robert Blanton, Thomas Little). Pace Editions, Inc., New York, publisher. Courtesy of the artist and Pace Editions, Inc. If you are a firm believer in the ethos that life is about the journey and not the destination, then you’ll enjoy Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, currently on view at the Corcoran…

>> This week’s arts pick goes to the Curator’s Office, who will be hosting performance artist Kathryn Cornelius in her first private gallery solo show, Common Ground. Cornelius, who has taken her wry performances around the world, will display two videos and two photograph series that show her searching for a kind of inner spirituality in an overconnected, digital world. Jeffry Cudlin writes in the exhibit brochure, “In these pieces, Cornelius appears silent, collected…

Since 2001, the Smithsonian American Art Museum has honored one artist annually with the $25,000 Lucelia Artist Award. In order to be eligible, artists must be under the age of 50 and either American or living in the United States. Each of the five distinguished jurors, including artists, critics, curators and scholars, nominate three artists in recognition of their contribution to the art scene in the U.S. and abroad. Following initial selection, the jurors examine…

His works are frequently found in museums all over the world, but right now you can get the first glimpse of ten new works by famed artist Chuck Close right here in D.C., at Adamson Gallery. Although the prices of these new works put them out of touch for most of the population, they are easy to be engulfed by. As always, Close’s thought-provoking work compels his viewers to pay “close” notice not only to…

FRIDAY: >> The city’s free concert series follows MC Hammer with a rare appearance by salsa legend Willie Colon, 7-9 p.m. at Woodrow Wilson Center. >> President Nixon’s White House counsel John Dean will be at Politics and Prose to discuss his book, Broken Government, which examines “the institutional damage he believes the Republican Party has inflicted on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government during the Bush administration.” 7 p.m. He’ll also be…

It’s round two of the official opening of the fall art season. If you didn’t get to check out all the openings last week (and who humanly could have?), spend part of your Saturday afternoon perusing the rest — our reviewer particularly enjoyed the show at Flashpoint. But block off your evenings for the parties to celebrate the following openings: >> Up in Bethesda, it’s the big night for the Trawick Prize finalists, as they…

>>H Street is already doing well as our new go-to for beer and good music; now they’re adding some art to the neighborhood. Dissident Gallery officially opens its doors this weekend with a reception tonight at 7 p.m. Check out Kid Flash’s textile and paint explorations of gender and class, Valentina Loi’s photo transfers that use childhood games as metaphors for relationships, and works by Piero Passacantando. >>Irvine Contemporary opens a group exhibit that shows…

What’s so great about a beach photograph? There are few artistic outlets for the digital camera-clutching traveler more instantly rewarding than pointing at the red ball on the spiky, waved sea and clicking. Pure pastiche, quick beauty. No need to run a light meter or take a tripod. The stuff is art before it enters the shutter. So there’s this show by large-format sometimes fashion photographer/videographer Renate Aller. It’s at Adamson Gallery, a gallery…