Morning, Washington. We hope you were out enjoying the fantastic weather, especially since the environment has been front and center in the news this weekend. As you must have heard, our former Vice President turned Global Warming Guru had to shove over the Oscar on his mantle to make space for half of a Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe after the news you were inspired to go check out the 20 amazing houses built on the…

At the close of last night’s concert at the 2007 Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, Executive Producer Charlie Fishman said his friend and mentor, the great Dizzy Gillespie (pictured), who was the focus of this year’s proceedings, chose to name his last big band the United Nation (in the singular) Jazz Orchestra to show the oneness of humanity. Fishman went on to say that Dizzy often told his colleagues that human beings all share two characteristics:…

One of only three art schools in the nation that are affiliated with a world-class museum, the Corcoran College of Art + Design is a powerhouse in the “art schools of America” roster, ranking high in the Princeton Review (but receiving a ‘C’ average among current pupils and alumni). Founded in 1890, the school is the District’s only four-year, fully-accredited college of art and design. The Corcoran Gallery of Art has finally dedicated a gallery…

As we mentioned earlier this week, sometimes we don’t envy Washington’s urban planners. Their challenges often encompass issues as varied and complicated as economic development, land use planning, sustainability, design and social justice. Add to that the design politics associated with the symbolism invested in the nation’s capital, and planning for D.C. becomes a unique urban problem to tackle. Not that it stops us from trying. Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission…

Yesterday Mayor Fenty made his way to the far north end of the city with plans to demolish a brand new home. Why would the mayor and neighbors invite the media to see the shiny, $1.5 million building dismantled piece by piece? The answer lies in an almost farcical gaffe on the part of city officials and the federal government’s control over lands in the District. We’ve mentioned it briefly before, but the full story…

Whether we make the mental connections or not, everything about our city is interrelated: • The health of the Anacostia and Potomac watersheds is directly affected by runoff from roads; • Our roads are designed and routed to ease our daily commute to get to and from jobs created by regional economic growth policy; • Growth is dependent on a reliable and expanding base of skilled workers; • Workers attracted by lively mixes of shops,…

Written by DCist contributor Menachem Wecker. The city’s going to get a little bit wild this Sunday when the National Gallery of Art opens Jungles of Paris, Henri Rousseau’s first retrospective in twenty years. But even if you haven’t seen his work recently in exhibitions, Rousseau is everywhere. You can find references to his work in many children’s book illustrations, like Henry Hikes to Fitchburg or Madeline, in a Joni Mitchell song, and even in…

What is art? In D.C. there seems to be a fine line between destruction of property and what is considered an appropriate form of expression. Last month we talked about Stamp Act Congress’ campaign to stamp their logo onto money to show support for their cause, and questioned the legalities behind the defacement of such currency. In a similar fashion, two graduate students from an art school in San Francisco have recently started-up a website…

Good morning, Washington. Today’s lead story needs little introduction, but did deserve a good picture, aptly provided by ponto and posted to Flickr. Cat Owner Declared Unfit: A Northern Virginia woman who owned and hid some 488 cats was forbidden from owning animals ever again, reports the Post. Ruth Knueven, 82, still faces five misdemeanor charges related to 222 dead cats she kept in two townhouses in Fairfax County and for defying police orders that…

If you are staying in town over Memorial Day weekend, be sure to catch some of the new and closing exhibits at the end of this month. Keep reading for the highlights. >> “A Collection in Formation: 1975-2005” opens today at the Federal Reserve Board (you didn’t know that they have an art collection, did you?). The exhibit features the best work from the 30-year-old collection of American paintings, drawings and prints. One painting from…