EVENT CATEGORIES
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Event Highlight
Also See: UAE Welcomes WNO
ART
Through June 1
Contemporary Uruguayan Artists
To honor Uruguay and the city of Montevideo, site of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank, 13 artists specializing in painting, print, sculpture, mixed media and photography offer a panorama of contemporary Uruguayan creativity, revisiting history and changes that have transformed the nation’s culture, environment and traditions.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center
Through June 2
The Style that Ruled the Empires: Russia, Napoleon, and 1812
Paintings, porcelain, glassware, metal ware, attire, Napoleonic armor and other items commemorate the bicentennial of Russia’s triumph over the French army in 1812, which dealt an arresting blow to Napoleon and his pursuit of European conquest while also igniting a collective Russian pride and production of decorative arts that persists today.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
June 2 to Sept. 9
Antony Gormley: Drawing Space
The Phillips presents the first major U.S. exhibition of works on paper by British artist Antony Gormley, internationally acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public projects that investigate the human body’s relationship to space.
The Phillips Collection
June 2 to Sept. 9
Jasper Johns: Variations on a ThemeOne of the most celebrated artists of the modern era, Jasper Johns revolutionized the field of printmaking. This exhibition features some 90 iconic examples of targets, flags, numbers and other subjects the artist explored from 1960 to today and celebrates his visionary response to lithography, intaglio, silkscreen and lead relief sculpture.
The Phillips Collection
June 5 to Sept. 30
Open City: London 1500-1700
Over the course of two centuries, London changed from the capital of England, secure within its medieval walls, to a metropolitan seat of empire. “Open City” explores activities and pressures that altered Londoners’ sense of community, focusing especially on three types of institutions: church, theater and market.
Folger Shakespeare Library
June 9 to Oct. 14
The Deep Element: Photography at the Beach
This exhibition brings together photographs of the beach from the late 19th century through the present day, revealing the many ways that artists have explored and been inspired by this rich subject.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
June 10 to Oct. 8
George Bellows
This comprehensive exhibition, the first in more than three decades, looks back at the career of George Bellows, arguably the most important figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the modern era in American culture.
National Gallery of Art
Through June 13
2 Museums, 2 Nations, 1 Identity
Photography, video and paintings are the result of a yearlong art initiative that linked young participants from rural Salvadoran towns and those of Salvadoran origin and their classmates living in Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C., as part of the State Department’s strategic efforts to strengthen people-to-people connections through museums worldwide.
Art Museum of the Americas
Through June 15
Ulrike Kaister
Austrian-born Ulrike Kaiser lives and works in D.C. and Vienna producing snapshots of human life, using her direct surroundings, including family members, friends and sometimes herself, as the subject matter.
Embassy of Austria
June 16 to Dec. 30
Prêt-à-Papier: The Exquisite Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave
A selection of iconic costumes and haute couture dresses — reflecting the rich history of fashion in European paintings and designs of the grand couturiers — are reinterpreted in trompe l’oeil paper masterpieces by Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Through June 17
Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji
The most acclaimed print series by Japan’s most famous artist, “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) contains images of worldwide renown, including “The Great Wave.”
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
June 21 to Sept. 23
Constellations: Constructivism, Internationalism and the Inter-American Avant-Garde
Drawn from the permanent collection and rich archival holdings of the Art Museum of the Americas, “Constellations” surveys the dynamic, inter-American history of geometric abstraction across the 20th century — a tribute to the curatorial vision of José Gómez Sicre, the founder and first director of the AMA.
Art Museum of the Americas
Through June 29
Le Temps Devant (Our Time Ahead)
The Alliance Française de Washington presents works by Frédéric Nauczyciel, who recognizes and reveals the anachronism of the survival of a utopic life that exists in the countryside among people who have explicitly chosen a rural life in the 21st century.
Honfleur Gallery
Through June 30
LEST WE FORGET: Masters of Soviet Dissent
On the occasion of Vladimir Putin’s third inauguration as Russia’s president last month, this exhibit of paintings and works on paper by Leonhard Lapin and Alexander Zhdanov, two of the Soviet Union’s leading dissident artists, is dedicated “to those in Russia who continue the fight for rule of law, free and fair elections and fundamental human rights,” including the artists who defy repressive societies and authoritarian regimes.
Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art Gallery
Through July 6
Alberto Schommer: Portraits and Scenarios
Alberto Schommer, one of Spain’s most prominent photographers, has pioneered a path challenging conventional forms, including a series of psychological portraits, always guided under the influence of the oeuvre of Irving Penn and William Klein. Part of the “Spain arts & culture” series (www.spainculture.us).
Embassy of Spain
Through July 8
Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples
Kano Kazunobu’s (1816–1863) phantasmagoric paintings reflect a popular theme in Edo art: the lives and deeds of the Buddha’s legendary 500 disciples.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Through July 29
From the Library: The Fleeting Structures of Early Modern Europe
In early modern Europe, state visits, coronations and weddings were among the occasions that gave cities a chance to stage lavish productions in which artists and architects designed elaborate structures and decorations, allowing them to experiment with new ideas or encourage city officials to consider new uses of public space.
National Gallery of Art
Through July 29
Royalists to Romantics: Women Artists from the Louvre, Versailles, and Other French National Collections
The National Museum of Women in the Arts celebrates its 25th anniversary with the first exhibition to explore the life and work of women artists in the time of the French Revolution with more than 75 rarely seen works by 35 artists.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through July 31
Joan Miró from the Collection of the Kreeger Museum
Joan Miró was a perfectionist who insisted he was a “self-taught amateur” to transgress traditional techniques, especially in pursuit of printmaking as a medium for his breathtaking expressions of Catalan culture. This exhibition marks the first time the Kreeger’s complete collection of works by Miró will be on view, including T”he Mallorca Suite,” “Makimono,” and “El Vol de l’Alosa (The Flight of the Lark).”
The Kreeger Museum
Through Aug. 12
Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape
Through some 120 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints from a career spanning almost a century, the exhibition reveals a politically engaged side to Joan Miró’s work, including his passionate response to one of the most turbulent periods in European history as well as his sense of Spanish — specifically Catalonian — identity.
National Gallery of Art
Through Aug. 31
Daniel Libeskind: Architecture for the Angel of History
Photographs depict the striking work of Daniel Libeskind, who designed several museums of national significance as well as living expressions of memory, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Military History Museum in Dresden. On May 18 at 2 p.m., Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum, discusses what role architecture plays in the culture of memory?
Goethe-Institut
Through Sept. 15
Hina/Jaina: On the Threshold of the Mayan Underworld (600-900 AD)
More than 50 “Jaina style” figurines discovered on the man-made island of Jaina off the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula — an extremely important Mayan ritual and religious site in the classic period — depict various aspects of Mayan cosmology, religious beliefs and society, providing fascinating insight into one of Mexico’s most intriguing ancient civilizations.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Through Sept. 26
To Know Wisdom and Instruction: The Armenian Literary Tradition at the Library of Congress
The era of Armenian printing began in 1512, when Hakob Meghapart (Jacob the Sinner) opened an Armenian press in Venice. To mark the quincentenary of that event and UNESCO’s designation of the Armenian capital of Yerevan as its Book Capital of the World 2012, the Library of Congress highlights the Armenian literary tradition from the era of manuscripts to contemporary publishing.
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building
Through Oct. 31
The Big Picture: A Photography Exhibition in Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the IDB Cultural Center
Comprising 44 striking images from the Inter-American Development Bank’s permanent collection, as well as pieces previously shown at other art events held by the D.C.-based international finance institution, “The Big Picture” highlights the cultural wealth and diversity of the Latin America and the Caribbean, as seen through the lens of 22 leading contemporary photographers from 13 countries.
Dulles International Airport Gateway Gallery
Through Jan. 6
Dragons, Nagas, and Creatures of the Deep
In the Spirit of the East Asian calendar’s Year of the Dragon, this exhibition highlights objects drawn from cultures as diverse as the ancient Mediterranean world, imperial China and contemporary South America, portraying dragons as everything from fire-breathing beasts to beneficent water gods.
The Textile Museum
Through Feb. 24
Lalla Essaydi: Revisions
Lalla Essaydi, a Moroccan-born, New York-based artist, pushes the boundaries of Arab, Muslim and African perceptions of women’s identities with her art, which includes themes of feminism, gender, identity and the private inner lives of women while drawing on Arabic calligraphy for its decorative and communicative potential.
National Museum of African Art
DANCE
Through June 3
Bolshoi Ballet: Coppélia
Led by Artistic Director Sergei Filin, Moscow’s renowned Bolshoi Ballet performs the evening-length production of Petipa and Cecchetti’s “Coppélia,” one of classical ballet’s greatest comedies. Tickets start at $29.
Kennedy Center Opera House
June 25 to Aug. 10
CityDance Dancing Around the World Summer Camps
CityDance Ensemble hosts various specialized camps with a global accent that offer daily classes in ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop, as well as Bollywood from India, folk dance from Sri Lanka, samba from Brazil and salsa from Cuba. For information, visit www.citydance.net.
CityDance Center at Strathmore
DISCUSSIONS
Tue., June 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jurji Zaydan: His Contribution to Modern Arab Thought and Literature
In this symposium, scholars from the Arab world, Europe and North America discuss the life and work of noted Arab novelist, journalist and publisher Jurji Zaydan, the Beirut-born author of 22 historical novels covering the entirety of Arab-Islamic history.
Library of Congress
John W. Kluge Center
Mon., June 18, 12 p.m.
Making the Chinese Mexican by Grace Delgado
Professor and author Grace Delgado examines the Chinese Diaspora in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and looks at immigration, nationalism and racism through the experiences of Chinese migrants in the region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
National Archives McGowan Theater
Tue., June 26, 7 p.m.
Le Studio: Wine Tasting 101
The monthly “Wine Tasting 101” soirées — with veteran wine journalist Claire Morin-Gibourg — explores the regions and vineyards in France, as well as tasting techniques, with June’s tasting featuring Champagne Deutz & Maison Delas (Rhône), with speaker Fabrice Rosset, CEO of Deutz & Delas. Tickets are $70.
La Maison Française
FESTIVALS
June 1 to 10
DC Jazz Festival
With more than 100 performances in dozens of venues across the city, the DC Jazz Festival is the largest music festival in Washington, D.C., and one of the most highly anticipated cultural events in the nation. Highlights include “Jazz Meets the Classics” at the Kennedy Center and performances at the newly restored Howard Theatre, such as Italian music legend Pino Daniele on June 10. For information, visit www.dcjazzfest.org.
Various locations
June 8 to July 1
Europe Cup 2012
Bring your refreshments and watch broadcasts of the UEFA European Football Championship, one of the world’s biggest sporting events, with the final tournament of the Europe Cup 2012 held in Poland and Ukraine and featuring 16 nations.
Goethe-Institut
June 11 to 25
Zeitgeist: New Playwrights from Austria, Germany and Switzerland
Zeitgeist DC — a project of the Goethe-Institut, the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington, and the Embassies of Liechtenstein and Switzerland — makes the richness of German-language literature accessible to English speakers with a series of staged readings by leading contemporary authors and playwrights that reflect the literary scenes in German-speaking parts of Europe. Examples include “Crazy Blood,” a comic take on immigrant stereotypes, by Nurkan Erpulat on June 11.
For information, visit www.zeitgeistdc.org.
Various locations
Sat., June 23, 12 to 6 p.m.
Second Annual Thai Village in Georgetown
Thai Ambassador Chaiyong Satjipanon hosts the second annual Thai Village in Georgetown, which features authentic Thai cuisine from more than 10 local restaurants, as well as cultural shows by local Thai artists. A broad range of popular dishes from all four regions of Thailand will be showcased, along with Thai drinks. Cultural performances include a demonstration of Muay Thai (Thai boxing), music and dances. The event also marks the 50th anniversary of the joining of Washington, D.C., and Bangkok as sister cities. For more information, please call Nipatsorn Kampa at (202) 298-4790 or email nipatsornk@thaiembdc.org.
Grace Church in Georgetown
MUSIC
Fri., June 8, 7:30 p.m.
Yevgeny Kutik, Violin
Timothy Bozarth, Piano
The Embassy of Luxembourg, with cooperation from the Embassy of Poland, welcomes Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik, a gifted young artist whose music possesses “an old-fashioned rhapsodic style,” according to the New York Times. Tickets are $100, including buffet dinner and wine. For information, contact the Embassy Series at www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Luxembourg
Sat., June 23, 4 p.m.
Fête de la Musique
Each year on the summer solstice, the French gather in the streets to celebrate the change of seasons with la fête de la musique — a tapestry of music and dancing by both amateur and professional musicians. For the 10th year in a row, the French Embassy (La Maison Française) recaptures this lively atmosphere in its gardens with more than 50 bands and street performers, along with French food, drinks and activities from temporary tattoos and character drawings to pictures in front of the Moulin Rouge. Admission is $8.
La Maison Française
June 28 to July 2
Serenade! Washington DC Choral Festival
Classical Movements, a leading concert touring company based in Washington, presents “Serenade!” — a festival featuring nine visiting choirs from seven countries, including Young Adelaide Voices from Australia, Countermeasure from Canada and Imilonji KaNtu Choral Society from South Africa, in 18 concerts and festival events around the area, as well as workshops and outreach exchanges with local organizations. For information, visit http://classicalmovements.org.
Various locations
THEATER
Through June 2
Las Quiero a las Dos (I Want Them Both)
A husband packs to run off with his lover, but his wife locks him in as she waits for “the other one” to unleash a scandal in Teatro de la Luna’s comedy that uses the classic love triangle as the base for an intelligent theatrical game that examines what happens when people want no ties, social or legal. Tickets are $30 to $35.
Gunston Arts Center
June 2 to July 8
Spring Awakening
In this Keegan Theatre production, a group of students in late 19th-century Germany move from adolescence into adulthood, navigating the devastation and wonder of sexuality and self-discovery — despite parents and authority figures who are intent on suppressing thought and expression. Tickets are $40.
Church Street Theater
June 7 to July 1
Puerto Rico…¡fuá!
GALA concludes its 36th season with the D.C. premiere of Puerto Rica’s most popular musical, a hilarious satire that spins tales from the Taíno natives, to invasions by the conquistadores and Americans, to the ups and downs of contemporary life on the Enchanted Island. Tickets are $38 or $40.
GALA Hispanic Theatre
June 8 to July 29
The Normal Heart
Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggle to contain the mysterious disease ravaging New York’s gay community. Please call for ticket information.
Arena Stage
June 12 to July 15
The Merry Wives of Windsor
In Shakespeare’s riotous romp, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” directed by celebrated British director Stephen Rayne, the conniving, impoverished knight Falstaff plots to woo two wealthy wives at the same time, but his plan backfires and the cunning wives seek revenge. Tickets are $20 to $100.
Shakespeare Theatre Harman Hall
June 13 to July 1
The Animals and Children Took to the Streets
This genre-smashing piece from British company 1927 is a mix of performance, live music, animation and silent film that the Guardian describes as “Alexander Rodchenko meets Tim Burton, Charles Dickens meets Fritz Lang, and the early 20th-century silent movie meets the 21st-century graphic novel.”
The Studio Theatre
June 13 to July 8
Sleuth
When an older, wealthy mystery writer invites his wife’s lover to his elegant and isolated estate, a complex game of wits and gamesmanship begins, which could potentially end with deadly results, in this thriller by Anthony Shaffer that has inspired two film versions. Tickets start at $26.
Olney Theatre Center
Through June 24
The Servant of Two Masters
The wily servant Truffaldino devises a zany scheme to double his wages by serving two masters at once, but mayhem erupts when identities are mistaken, engagements are broken, and lovers are reunited in this commedia dell’arte masterpiece. Tickets are $39 to $95.
The Shakespeare Theatre
Through July 1
Home of the Soldier
Filled with physical staging, projections and multimedia, this world premiere commemorates the heroism of the armed forces with a dynamic story that follows the sudden evolution of one man from a videogame-playing youth to a real-life soldier, and the physical and psychological struggles he faces along the way. Tickets are $45 to $55.
Synetic Theater at Crystal City
Through July 1
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play
Armageddon has struck and the grid is down: no TV, no radio, no Internet — how will life go on? For one group of tenacious survivors sitting around a fire and reminiscing about “The Simpsons,” a new industry is born from their collective memories: a crude theatrical recreation of the digital culture we can’t possibly live without. Tickets start at $35.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Through July 1
Xanadu
Funky legwarmers and neon glow sticks are back with the Washington premiere of the musical comedy hit “Xanadu,” as Kira, one of seven quirky Greek muses, emboldens struggling artist Sonny to create the first roller disco. Tickets start at $63.
Signature Theatre