Home The Washington Diplomat September 2012 Events – September 2012

Events – September 2012

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ART

Sept. 1 to Feb. 24
Enlightened Beings: Buddhism in Chinese Painting
Buddhism arrived in China during the first century and quickly grew in popularity, exerting a profound impact on all aspects of Chinese art and culture.
Freer Gallery of Art

Sept. 1 to Oct. 21
Occupy This!
“Occupy This!” combines art, photojournalism, historic documents and films to consider — in a broad, historic context — the causes, activities and representation of the Occupy Movement, which celebrates its one-year anniversary on Sept. 17, 2012.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Sept. 2
A Small Hope
Lukman Ahmad, a self-taught Kurdish artist from Syria, expresses his personal connection to the Kurdish land and its people — a history layered with tragedy, perseverance and aspirations — in works that are steeped in vivid colors and moving shapes.
The Foundry Gallery

Sept. 7 to Jan. 6
Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power
Organized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the exhibition highlights the flashpoints, the firsts, the celebrated, and the lesser-known women who have influenced the genre from its inception through today.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through 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

Through Sept. 9
Jasper Johns: Variations on a Theme
One 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

Sept. 11 to Dec. 29
Dan Steinhilber: Marlin Underground
Dan Steinhilber, known for his ability to transform mundane materials into extraordinary experiences of art, presents a new body of work in response to architect Philip Johnson’s celebrated design for the Kreeger home as a space for art and musical performance.
The Kreeger Museum

Sept. 13 to Nov. 2
Parks and Passages: Art and Public Space in Berlin and Washington
This summer, Provisions Library sent a team of D.C.-based artists and researchers to Berlin to study urban transformation in repurposed places to spark ideas for the redevelopment of Dupont Underground, an abandoned streetcar tunnel beneath D.C.’s Dupont Circle.
Goethe-Institut

Through Sept. 14
Shifting Geometries
Ten contemporary artists from Australia offer their takes on the diverse traditions of abstraction.
Embassy of Australia

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

Sept. 15 to Dec. 16
Revelation: Major Paintings by Jules Olitski
“Revelation” draws together more than 30 monumental canvases by Russian-born artist Jules Olitski, renowned as one of America’s last classic modern painters.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Sept. 16
Worlds Within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran
India’s Mughal emperors, who reigned over a vast empire that extended from Kabul over most of the South Asian subcontinent between the 16th and the 19th centuries, were passionate about lavish manuscripts and paintings. The exhibit brings together 60 of the finest folios and paintings from the Freer|Sackler collection, one of the world’s most important repositories of Mughal and Persian painting.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Sept. 21 to March 10
The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art
More than 50 sumptuous textiles and other works of art illustrate the stylized floral designs that became synonymous with the wealth, abundance and influence of one of the world’s greatest empires.
The Textile Museum

Through 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 Sept. 23
Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series
A pivotal figure in the history of modern painting, Richard Diebenkorn (1922–93) was an innovator whose work inspired legions of artists and greatly advanced the lexicon of abstraction.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Sept. 23 to Jan. 27
Shock of the News
This exhibit traces how visual artists in Europe and America after the turn of the 20th century began to think about the newspaper more broadly — as a means of political critique, as a collection of ready-made news to appropriate or manipulate, a source of language and images, a typographical grab bag, and more.
National Gallery of Art

Through Sept. 27
Azerbaijani Artist in Every Sense: Kamil Najafzade (1929-2011)
Developed in conjunction with the artist’s family, this exhibition examines the life and paintings of renowned Azerbaijani painter and film production designer Kamil Najafzade, including film screenings throughout the month.
Pepco Edison Place Gallery

Through Sept. 28
Ocean Fishes and Taxonomy
Working in the tradition of naturalists such as John James Audubon and Louis Agassiz Fuertes, James Prosek reminds us of the role visual representation plays in shaping our perceptions of the natural world with paintings, sculptures and taxidermy specimens exploring the nature of two-dimensional representation and the limitations of classification systems.
The National Academy of Sciences

Through Sept. 28
Outward Reach
This exhibit celebrates Jamaica’s golden jubilee anniversary of independence with photography, new media and video by seven Jamaican artists living and working in the United States — a convergence of topical creativity and expression across national boundaries that fosters the OAS values of hemispheric cultural exchange, freedom of expression, and innovation.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas

Through Sept. 28
Painted_Interventions
The third in a series of exhibitions of Austrian contemporary art, which takes place in cooperation with “bäckerstrasse 4 – plattform für junge kunst,” features works by Austrians Elisabeth Wedenig, Matthias Lautner and Markus Hofer, as well as an artist from D.C., who reflect on the importance of the pluralistic world of the media.
Embassy of Austria

Through 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

Sept. 30 to Dec. 31
Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475–1540
Focusing on drawings, prints, illustrated books and innovative printing techniques, this exhibition — the first of its kind in America — serves as an introduction to Augsburg, which enjoyed a golden age in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
National Gallery of Art

Sept. 30 to Dec. 31
The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years
Some 150 works reveal how 20 photographers responded to older portrait conventions and imagined new ones by exploring the same subjects — primarily friends, family, and themselves — over the course of days, months, or decades.
National Gallery of Art

Through Oct. 6
New Works by Michael Platt and Stan Squirewell
Michael Platt presents his new body of work that combines elements of Australian and Aboriginal cultures with his signature techniques of using digital images, conventional photography, drawing and printmaking to explore the human condition, while Stan Squirewell works with photography, collage, sculpture and painting to create a visual vocabulary that blends ancient forms and spiritual symbols influenced by the African Diaspora with contemporary technology.
International Visions Gallery

Through 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 Oct. 14
Elegance and Refinement: The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aeist
Few artists were more skilled than Dutch still-life artist Willem van Aelst (1627–83) at depicting luscious fruits, luxurious fabrics, and spoils of the hunt — 28 examples of which are featured in this first exhibit devoted solely to the artist.
National Gallery of Art

Through 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

Through Oct. 28
Charlotte Dumas: Anima
Dutch-born artist Charlotte Dumas travels the world making evocative portraits of animals, characterized by their utility, social function or by the way they relate to people. “Anima,” her first one-person museum exhibition in the U.S., centers on the majestic burial horses of Arlington National Cemetery that carry soldiers to their final resting place in traditional military funerals.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

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 Nov. 12
Nomads and Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture of Kazakhstan
Recently conducted scientific excavations provide a fascinating look into the nomadic culture of the ancient peoples of Kazakhstan, with more than 150 spectacular finds from this vast Central Asian nation challenging traditional views of the nomadic societies that thrived thousands of years ago.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through Dec. 9
African Cosmos: Stellar Arts
In the first major exhibition to explore the historical legacy of African cultural astronomy and its intersection with traditional and contemporary African arts, some 100 objects consider how the sun, moon and stars and celestial phenomena such as lightning and rainbows serve as sources of inspiration in the creation of African art from ancient times to the present.
National Museum of African Art

Through Dec. 30
Growing up AFRO: Snapshots of Black Childhood from the Afro-American Newspapers
In honor of the 120th anniversary of the Afro-American Newspapers, this pictorial exhibition features 120 images from the AFRO’s archive collections that demonstrate the vital role young people played in African American history.
Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, Md.

Through 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 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 Jan. 13
Dark Matters
“Dark Matters” brings together works from the Hirshhorn’s collection that draw upon the associations and implications of darkness and its notions of mortality, silence, solitude and loss.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Through Feb. 3
Citizens of the Republic: Portraits from the Dutch Golden Age
Stalwart Dutch citizens, distinguished for their contributions to the arts and the state, are sensitively rendered in a selection of 17th- and 18th-century engravings.
National Gallery of Art

Through Feb. 10
Shadow Sites: Recent Work by Jananne Al-Ani
Inspired by archival archaeological and aerial photographs, as well as contemporary news, Jananne Al-Ani’s video works examine enduring representations of the Middle Eastern landscape.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

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

Sept. 21 to 23
DTSB&Co 20th Anniversary Fall Performance
The Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company celebrates its 20th anniversary with the world premiere of “Caverns,” along with “Charlie Chan & the Mystery of Love,” “Becoming American,” “Khaybet” and “Dariush.” Tickets are $15 to $25.
Dorothy Betts Marvin Center

Sun., Sept. 23, 2 p.m.
Saayujya: Bharatanatyam Dances & Carnatic Vocals
Sivam Inc. presents Saayujya, a performance of Bharatanatyam dances and Carnatic vocals that brings together Priyadarsini Govind, one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of this generation, and T.M. Krishna, one of the leading Carnatic vocalists. Tickets are $15 to $50.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Fri., Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.
A Splendid Night of Guizhou, China
The Chinese Alumni Associations of Greater Washington presents an extravaganza of more than 40 professional dancers and artists from Guizhou Province and the Shaolin Kungfu Team. Tickets are $30 to $50.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Sat., Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
7th Annual Korean Art and Soul
The Korean American Cultural Arts Foundation presents this unique celebration of artists from the Republic of Korea, with highlights such as a pageant of Chosun Dynasty costumes and classical Korean dances performed by Master Park Jai Hee. Tickets are $50.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Sun., Sept. 30, 7 p.m.
Ballet Folklórico de México
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2012, this brilliant company takes audiences on a journey that traces the evolution of Mexican dance from the pre-Colombian era, to Spanish colonization to the Mexican Revolution and into the present. Tickets are $28, $36 or $44.
George Mason University
Hylton Performing Arts Center

DISCUSSIONS

Sept. 6 to 7
The Stations That Spoke Your Language: Radio and the Yiddish-American Cultural Renaissance
The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress presents a symposium exploring Yiddish radio in America, its history and cultural impact, its continuing influence on American media, and its multifaceted legacy.
Library of Congress
 James Madison Building

Wed., Sept. 12, 12 p.m.
Opera Houses from Antiquity to Present
Author Victoria Newhouse discusses her new book, “Sight and Sound: The Architecture and Acoustics of New Opera Houses and Concert Halls” and why, “like medieval cathedrals, today’s opera houses symbolize wealth and power.”
Library of Congress
 Thomas Jefferson Building

Sept. 22 to 23
Sufism at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian presents a two-day symposium that attempts to reinterpret, redefine and broaden the concept of Sufism to understand its relevance in contemporary society, featuring renowned scholars, musicians, poets, dancers, filmmakers and artists (presented in collaboration with the embassies of India and Pakistan as well as the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office).
National Museum of the American Indian


FESTIVALS

Sept. 8 to Oct. 17
Mutual Inspirations Festival 2012 – Milos Forman
The Mutual Inspirations Festival 2012 celebrates Oscar-winning, Czech-American director Milos Forman’s 80th birthday and his work, which represented the best of Czech cinematography and the accomplishments of the transatlantic film industry. Featuring internationally renowned directors, artists and historians, the festival presents more than 30 events at venues throughout the Washington area, including screenings, concerts, lectures, exhibitions and theater performances. September highlights include a launch party on Sept. 8 with Czech artist Borek Sipek’s glass designs at Industry Gallery and historian Tomas Bouska discussing “K.Ch. – The Documentary Portrait of a Female Political Prisoner” at the Czech Embassy on Sept. 13. For more information, visit www.mutualinspirations.org.
Various locations

GALAS

Wed., Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.
34th Annual Ambassadors Ball
Funds raised at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual ball to honor Washington’s diplomatic community go toward cutting-edge research to help find a cure for MS, as well as vital programs and services for the many thousands of people affected by MS in the D.C. area. Tickets are $500; for information, visit www.msandyou.org/ball.
Ritz-Carlton Washington Hotel

Fri., Sept. 28, 6 p.m.
From Vision to Reality: A 20-Year Journey
It has been 20 years since Father D’Agostino founded the Nyumbani Children’s Home in Kenya. Today, Nyumbani, run by Sister Mary Owens, has provided care and shelter to thousands of HIV+ children in Kenya through its children’s home, a local outreach program and Nyumbani Village, a self-sustaining community to serve orphans and elders who’ve been left behind by the “lost generation” of the HIV pandemic. The 20th anniversary gala in D.C. features reception, silent and live auction and dinner with Kathleen Matthews serving as mistress of ceremonies. A mass commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nyumbani Children’s Home takes place Sun., Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m., at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in D.C., followed by a reception at the Cosmos Club. Tickets to the gala are $325; for information, contact Erin Kennedy at info@nyumbani.org or (202) 422-5024.
Ritz-Carlton Washington Hotel

Fri., Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Euro Night 2012 Fête
Now in its fifth year in a row, Euro Night features more than 20 European Union Embassies showcasing their respective culture, traditions and culinary specialties. Tickets are $35.
La Maison Française

MUSIC

Wed., Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Alexis Descharmes, Cello
As the first cellist of the Opéra National de Paris, Alexis Descharmes — taking part here in D.C.’s John Cage Centennial Festival — boasts an exceptionally busy international career that includes the release of more than 20 award-winning discs and appearances at festivals in no less than 30 countries. Tickets are $25.
La Maison Française

Sat., Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Opera Camerata of Washington: Don Giovanni
The Opera Camerata of Washington stages Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” conducted by maestro Gregory Buchalter, assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and directed by Roger Riggle. The performance will also feature young artists and Metropolitan Opera finalists, as well as a cocktail reception and silent auction under a grand tent in the garden of Portuguese Ambassador Nuno Brito’s residence, followed by the performance and post-production
Fri., Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m.,

Sat., Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Latin American Harp Festival
15th International Festival of Hispanic Theater
René Devia of Colombia, Julio González of Mexico and Lorenzo González and Julie Crystal Peña of Paraguay perform on the Latin American harp, to raise funds for Teatro de la Luna’s upcoming “15th International Festival of Hispanic Theater.” Tickets are $30.
Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre

Sat., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Avasarala Kanyakumari & Orchestra
Kalamandapam presents a recital by violinist Avasarala Kanyakumari, an acclaimed master of Carnatic music, the ancient system of Indian classical music known for the melodic vocal lines of its compositions. Tickets are $25.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Sun., Sept. 30, 3 p.m.
Autumn Piano Concert and Reception
The Piano Society of Greater Washington opens its season with a concert of solo works from Debussy, Bach and Schumann, as well as piano-violin works by Brahms. Donations appreciated.
Calvary Lutheran Church
Silver Spring, Md.

THEATER

Sept. 3 to 30
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
This “all-American satire” (New York Times) explores the larger-than-life world of professional wrestling. Tickets start at $35.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Through Sept. 5
All’s Well That Ends Well
The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s annual “Free For All” returns with the Bard’s story of adventure and romance, set in World War I, as Helena, the daughter of a physician, pursues the non-committal Count Bertram, who in turn tries to escape her advances through harsh words and disdainful actions.
Sidney Harman Hall

Sept. 5 to 30
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Rajiv Joseph’s acclaimed play follows the intertwined lives of a quick-witted tiger, two homesick American marines, and a troubled Iraqi gardener as they roam the streets of war-torn Baghdad in search of meaning, redemption, and a toilet seat made of gold. Tickets are $10 to $61.
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Sept. 8 to 22
Hamlet
Fresh from a run in London, Shakespeare’s Globe makes its D.C. debut with an eight-actor production of “Hamlet,” a raw, thrillingly elemental production of the fullest expression of the Bard’s genius. Tickets are $60 to $85.
Folger Theatre

Sept. 13 to Oct. 7
El desdén con el desdén/In Spite of Love
In one of the most popular comedies to come out of Spain’s Golden Age, Princess Diana disdains love and marriage, so to win the affection of the indifferent princess, Count Urgel feigns his own disdain for her and sets off a series of madcap comic situations. Tickets are $36 and $40.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Sept. 13 to Oct. 28
The Government Inspector
The first Russian play to be staged by the Shakespeare Theatre, Nikolai Gogol’s “The Government Inspector” is a lampoon of provincial bureaucracy, as a civil servant who is running out of money travels from Saint Petersburg to a small Russian town, where his imagination runs rampant. Tickets are $43 to $95.
The Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre

Sept. 15 to Oct. 6
Anna Bolena
Celebrated American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky returns to the Washington National Opera to make her role debut as Anne Boleyn in the storied Tudor court of King Henry VIII, as the unfaithful king plots to replace his queen Anne Boleyn with her lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour. Tickets start at $25.
Kennedy Center Opera House

Sept. 19 to Oct. 7
Black Watch
After a sold-out run last year, the National Theatre of Scotland’s “Black Watch” returns to the Shakespeare Theatre Company, offering a searing view of war from the perspectives of soldiers in Iraq, based on interviews with former soldiers who served in the Scottish regiment. Tickets are $70 to $85.
Sidney Harman Hall

Sept. 20 to Oct. 13
Don Giovanni
Powerhouse Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov stars in the Washington National Opera’s season-opener: Mozart’s musical masterpiece “Don Giovanni,” which follows legendary rake Don Juan as he descends into excess and immorality, while the women he has discarded seek revenge. Tickets start at $25.
Kennedy Center Opera House

Sept. 20 to Oct. 21
Jekyll and Hyde
Synetic Theater continues its proud tradition of reimagining literary classics with “Jekyll and Hyde,” a bold, wordless retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s timeless cautionary tale about conflicting impulses and desires. Tickets are $35 to $55.
Synetic Theater

Sept. 21 to Oct. 14
A Couple of Blaguards
“Blaguards” follows the trials of the brothers Frank McCourt and Malachy McCourt from their childhood in poverty-stricken Limerick to their journey to Brooklyn, where the young men learned to apply the day-to-day lessons from their hardscrabble Irish past to their new lives in America. Tickets are $35.
Church Street Theater

Sept. 21 to Oct. 21
Fly
Based on the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen, “Fly” is the powerful story of four African-American military pioneers who proved themselves as officers and pilots during World War II. Please call for ticket information.
Ford’s Theatre

Sept. 27 to 30
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare’s whimsical tale of love and mistaken identity comes to life in a completely new way in this bilingual Chinese and American co-production — the culmination of a multiyear collaboration between the University of Maryland and the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Tickets are $35.
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m.,
Sat., Sept. 29, 2 and 8 p.m.
Zero Cost House
Toshiki Okada’s sly, personal and idiosyncratic “Zero Cost House,” written in the wake of the Japanese tsunami disaster is a time- and space-bending autobiographical production about drastic relocations, remaking government, and the freedom and heaviness of that moment when what’s impossible becomes concrete. Tickets are $20.
Georgetown University Davis Performing Arts Center

Cari