EVENT CATEGORIES

FEATURE EVENT

Mexico Rides in to Host Preakness

May 21, 2011

The Embassy of Mexico will serve as the honorary host of the 2011 International Pavilion at the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel in horse racing’s famed Triple Crown that will be held at the historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on May 21.

Following the success of the inaugural International Pavilion, hosted by the Spanish Embassy and Ambassador Jorge Dezcallar, the 2011 International Pavilion will invite dignitaries from the diplomatic and international business communities to explore the cultural variety and culinary specialities of Mexico, this year’s featured nation.

“Mexico is honored to host the 2011 International Pavilion at the Preakness Stakes Race. The Preakness represents a great opportunity to showcase Mexico’s traditions, rich past and contemporary cutting-edge culture, as well as to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of thousands of Mexicans involved in horse racing and the backstretch throughout the United States,” said Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, who noted: “I find it only fitting given that it was just in last year’s Preakness that Mexican-born Martín García rode ‘Lookin’ at Lucky’ to take the second jewel of the Triple Crown.”

The International Pavilion is an invitation-only hospitality destination catering to ambassadors, heads of international organizations and prominent business leaders. Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, pointed out that in just one year, “The International Pavilion has become the premier destination at Pimlico on Preakness Day, and we are delighted to partner with the Embassy of Mexico and Ambassador Sarukhan in bringing the international community to the annual running of the Preakness.”

For more information, visit www.preakness.com.
 

— Anna Gawel

ART

 April 2 to May 15
BRAVOS: Groundbreaking Spanish Design
With artists such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, Spain was already renowned for its art in the 20th century. But after the conversion to democracy, Spain also moved to the forefront of contemporary product and furniture design, as seen in the 21 young avant-garde designers featured in this show.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through April 4
Latvian Art in Exile: 1944-1950
Paintings and drawings by refugee artists from Latvia, done in post-World War II Germany, reflect the creativity that sprung during a time when Latvian refugees came to terms with their decision to flee their homeland, turning to artwork in difficult camp conditions. For information, visit www.latvia-usa.org.
Embassy of Latvia

Through April 8
Trent Parke: Borderlands
Unsettling, sensual and brooding, more than 50 photographs created during a two-year, 55,000-mile journey through Australia demonstrate why Trent Parke — the first Australian to become a full member of the renowned Magnum Photo Agency — is one of the most innovative young photographers of his generation. (Photo ID required for entrance.)
Embassy of Australia Gallery

April 8 to July 30
Tom Wesselmann Draws
This marks the most comprehensive exhibition of drawings by Tom Wesselmann, a brilliant colorist and innovator who in the 1960s was one of the key leaders in the pop art movement alongside Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
The Kreeger Museum

April 13 to June 18
Beyond the Labyrinth: Latin American Art and the FEMSA Collection
This wide-ranging display features 50 works by some of the most renowned Latin American artists of the past century, including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo, Roberto Matta and Fernando Botero, from an internationally renowned collection that spans cubism, surrealism, landscape, abstractionism and contemporary art.
Mexican Cultural Institute

April 17 to July 24
Gabriel Metsu 1629–1667
One of the most important Dutch genre painters of the mid-17th century, Gabriel Metsu captured ordinary moments of life with a freshness and spontaneity that was matched by his ability to depict materials with an unerring truth to nature.
National Gallery of Art

April 23 to May 22
NEXT at the Corcoran: BFA Class of 2011
The Corcoran presents this dynamic, interactive and innovative exhibition featuring the thesis work of the senior students in the bachelor of fine arts program at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through April 29
Approximate Landscape
(Ungefähre Landschaft – Superficies)
In Christoph Engel’s photographs, golf courses in a barren, rocky landscape start to look like the palm of an outstretched hand — abstractions that visualize the grave consequences of human interventions into nature and the transformation of entire swaths of land pushed to the brink of ecological catastrophe.
Goethe-Institut

Through April 29
Canadian Impressions
To mark the 52nd Annual Meeting of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank in Calgary, Alberta, in March, the IDB Cultural Center pays tribute to Canada by showcasing 12 printmakers from different regions in Canada whose multicultural backgrounds exemplify the fascinating cultural spectrum of Canada today.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center

Through May 1
Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations
Cyprus, the eastern-most island in the Mediterranean Sea, situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, has been a meeting point for many of the world’s great civilizations. Presented on the country’s 50th anniversary of independence, “Crossroads” features more than 200 artifacts — covering nearly 11,000 years of history — from the earliest villages to masterpieces of medieval religious art.
National Museum of Natural History

Through May 1
Hang by Charlotte Gyllenhammar
Charlotte Gyllenhammar’s thought-provoking photographic series is a gravity-defying journey that depicts women hanging upside down within the confines of their clothing in surrealistic states of vulnerability and weightlessness.
House of Sweden

Through May 8
In Small Things Remembered: The Early Years of U.S.-Afghan Relations
More than 100 reproductions of photographs and documents culled from private and public archives around the United States and Afghanistan — created for the State Department and U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the exhibit — offer an in-depth chronicle of the relationship between the two countries beginning with initial contacts in the early 20th century and continuing through the late 1970s.
Meridian International Center

Through May 14
Beyond Home Remedy: Women, Medicine, and Science
In this fascinating look at historic medicine concocted by women in Shakespeare’s England, this exhibition highlights women at all levels of society — from the Countess of Kent to Mrs. Anne Coates — who were known to practice medicine.
Folger Shakespeare Library

Through May 15
Blinky Palermo: Retrospective 1964-1977
Though long celebrated throughout Europe, the influential postwar German-born painter Blinky Palermo has mostly escaped America’s notice even though he continually expanded the definition of painting throughout his career. This exhibition marks the first comprehensive survey of his work in the United States.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Through May 15
David Smith Invents
David Smith (1906-65), one of the country’s most celebrated sculptors, was the first American sculptor to make welded steel sculpture, infusing this industrial material with a fluidity and imaginative creativity that is at once beautiful and muscular. The Phillips showcases pivotal moments in Smith’s illustrious career, revealing the evolution of his personal aesthetic.
The Phillips Collection

Through May 15
Philip Guston, Roma
From the films of Federico Fellini to the vestiges of ancient Rome and the works of Italian masters, Philip Guston (1913-80) drew inspiration throughout his career from Italian art and culture. This exhibition of 39 paintings is the first to examine work Guston completed as an artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome in the early 1970s. (Part of “La Dolce DC,” a citywide series of events celebrating Italy)
The Phillips Collection

Through May 22
Eye Wonder: Photography from the Bank of America Collection
By selecting offbeat subjects, shooting intense close-ups, or manipulating focus and color, the artists featured in “Eye Wonder” have created dreamy and often haunting photographic images from 1865 to today, sharing a universal understanding that photographs offer an illusion of reality that is as subjective a means of expression as other visual art forms.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through May 29
A Photographic Journey of the Ambassador’s Daughter: Moscow, 2937-38
While life in 1930s Moscow was a mystery to the outside world, special diplomatic access was granted to Emlen Knight Davies, daughter of U.S. Ambassador Joseph E. Davies, whose large photographic prints — 30 of which are seen here — offer a rare insider’s view of day-to-day life in the Soviet Union before the Cold War.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Through May 30
Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals
Venice inspired a school of competitive painters whose achievements are among the most brilliant in 18th-century art. This exhibition celebrates the rich variety of these Venetian views, known as vedute, through some 20 masterworks by Canaletto and more than 30 by his rivals. (Part of “La Dolce DC,” a citywide series of events celebrating Italy)
National Gallery of Art

Through June 5
Gauguin: Maker of Myth
Paul Gauguin’s sumptuous, colorful images of Brittany and the islands of the South Seas are among nearly 120 works in the first major look at the artist’s oeuvre in the United States since the blockbuster 1988 National Gallery of Art retrospective “The Art of Paul Gauguin.”
National Gallery of Art

Through July 17
The Orchid in Chinese Painting
Coinciding with the National Museum of Natural History’s annual orchid show, the Sackler presents 20 works related to orchids in Chinese painting, ranging in date from the 15th to the 19th century.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through July 24
Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Community through Language
Lorenzo Dow Turner’s foundational work in the 1930s established that people of African heritage, despite slavery, had retained and passed on their cultural identity through words, music and story wherever they landed. Features of the exhibition include rare audio recordings, photographs and artifacts from Turner’s linguistic explorations into the African Diaspora.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

Through July 31
Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan
Majestic sixth-century Chinese Buddhist sculpture is combined with 3D imaging technology in this exploration of one of the most important groups of Buddhist devotional sites in early medieval China: the Buddhist cave temples of Xiangtangshan carved into the mountains of northern China — home to a magnificent array of sculptures, from monumental Buddhas and divine attendant figures to crouching monsters framed by floral motifs.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through Oct. 2
In the Tower: Nam June Paik
A new exhibition featuring 20 works by groundbreaking contemporary artist Nam June Paik (1923–2006) is the third in a series of shows installed in the Tower Gallery that centers on developments in art since the midcentury.
National Gallery of Art

Through Dec. 4
Artists in Dialogue 2: Sandile Zulu and Henrique Oliveira
The second in a series of exhibitions in which two artists are invited to create new works — each inspired by, and in response to the other — this installment features Sandile Zulu, who lives in Johannesburg, and Henrique Oliveira, who lives in Sao Paolo, and their site-specific works composed of unlikely materials such as weathered wood and fire.
National Museum of African Art

Through December 2011
African Mosaic
A towering, striking sculpture of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture by contemporary Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow is the centerpiece of this exhibition of important acquisitions over the last decade, including more than 100 traditional and contemporary works, some never before on display.
National Museum of African Art

DANCE

April 6 to 10
Le Corsaire
The Washington Ballet performs this swashbuckling adventure of pirates, panshas and the slave girls who love them in this new production of the 19th-century classic by Marius Petipa. Tickets are $20 to $125.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

FESTIVALS

Through April 15
Francophonie 2011 Cultural Festival
This annual extravaganza celebrating the cultural diversity of the Francophone (French-speaking) world features concerts, film, literary salons, seminars and other events. Highlights include a cutting-edge “Discothèque” at the National Postal Museum after hours on April 15. For information, visit http://francophoniedc.org or www.HouseofFranceDC.org.
Various locations

April 15 to 17
DC Tap Festival
The DC Tap Festival offers more than 30 classes for tappers at all levels and ages, as well as jam sessions, student showcases, tap history lectures and performances by an array of Grammy- and Emmy-winning artists as well groups from all over the world, including Dance Works of Taipei, Taiwan’s premier tap dance ensemble. For information, visit www.dctapfestival.com.
Various locations

Through April 10
National Cherry Blossom Festival
To commemorate the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C., this widely anticipated festival offers a series of citywide events, from the popular family day at the National Building Museum to photo safaris around the Tidal Basin. For information, visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
Various locations

GALAS

Sat., April 2, 6 p.m.
WPAS Annual Auction and Gala
This year’s Washington Performing Arts Society’s (WPAS) Annual Auction and Gala — to benefit the group’s artistic initiatives and educational programs, including the Embassy Adoption Program — features Grammy winner Roberta Flack, whose legendary career has included hits such as “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” as well as dinner and more than 100 live and silent auction items, all under the diplomatic patronage of Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar. Tickets are $600; for information, call (202) 293-9325 or visit www.wpas.org.
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Wed., April 6, 6:30 p.m.
National Alzheimer’s Gala
The eighth annual Alzheimer’s Association’s National Alzheimer’s Gala brings together political, business, philanthropic and social leaders to fight against the disease, including this year’s host, Emmy-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, who will honor the editorial team of “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s.” Tickets are $500; for information, visit www.alz.org/galas/dc.
National Building Museum

Tue., April 12, 6:30 p.m.
Embassy Chef Challenge
Cultural Tourism DC’s annual fundraising benefit, the Embassy Chef Challenge shines a spotlight on one of Washington’s best-kept secrets: the world-class talents of embassy chefs, attracting more than 400 guests, a panel of celebrity judges and renowned chefs from the city’s embassies for this third annual friendly cooking competition. Tickets are $250; sponsorships are also available. For information, visit www.culturaltourismdc.org.
The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Tue., April 12, 7 p.m.
Brasserie Chic: La Coupole
The Alliance Française de Washington hosts this evening of Parisian charm featuring hors d’oeuvres by acclaimed chef Jean-Philippe Bourgueil of the legendary La Coupole brasserie in Paris; music by pianist Marcus Johnson with DJ Young Pulse; and a silent auction of photographs spotlighting water preservation and the historic La Coupole restaurant itself — with proceeds benefiting Rotary Club International. Tickets are $70; for information, visit www.francedc.org.
The Washington Club

Wed., April 13, 6:30 p.m.
2011 Folger Gala
The Folger Shakespeare Library’s annual gala — which this year pays tribute to Gail Kern Paster, the library’s director, who will be retiring at the end of June — is its most important fundraiser of the year, providing vital support to the cultural and educational programming the Folger offers to the greater Washington area. Tickets are $600; for information, call (202) 675-0359 visit www.folger.edu.
Folger Shakespeare Library

MUSIC

Fri., April 1, 7:30 p.m.
Mendelssohn Piano Trio: Spring in Vienna
The Mendelssohn Piano Trio, which recently presented a cycle of complete Beethoven piano trios in Portugal and D.C. to critical acclaim, performs a spring-inspired repertoire of Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert. Tickets are $50, including reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Austria

Sat., April 9, 7:30 p.m.
Randy Weston’s African Rhythms Trio
The week of his 85th birthday, jazz master Randy Weston’s African Rhythms Trio — with Alex Blake on bass and Neil Clarke on African percussion — joins drummer Lewis Nash for this inventive concert combo. Tickets are $30.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Fri., April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Christian Tetzlaff and Antje Weithaas
Two of Europe’s most innovative and exciting violinists, Christian Tetzlaff and Antje Weithaas, perform an imaginative program of Leclair, Bartók, de Bériot and Ysaÿe. Tickets are $125, including reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
German Residence

THEATER

April 6 to May 1
The Walworth Farce
A family’s Sisyphean games are exposed when a father forces his two sons to reenact their troubled past through cross-dressing, slapstick and denial, as a young woman intrudes on their farce, irrevocably changing the family’s life (part of “New Ireland: The Enda Walsh Festival”). Tickets are $44 to $65.
The Studio Theatre

Through April 10
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
Mike Daisey pulls back the curtain veiling America’s most mysterious technology icon with a wickedly funny tale of pride, beauty, lust and industrial design, illuminating the high-tech war — from China to Silicon Valley — and the human price we pay for our toys. Tickets start at $40.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Through April 10
Edward Albee Festival: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
As wickedly hilarious today as when it first shocked audiences, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is an ingeniously funny play that starts as a verbal sparring match between an older married couple at an impromptu cocktail party and devolves into a no-holds-barred battle of wits and wills. Tickets start at $40.
Arena Stage

Through April 24
Edward Albee Festival: At Home at the Zoo
In this meticulous and nuanced look at the lives of three New Yorkers, an everyday conversation between a husband and wife takes an unexpected turn into dangerously personal territory as American master Edward Albee offers a riveting new drama that expands on The Zoo Story, the one-act that launched his career 50 years ago. Tickets start at $40.
Arena Stage

Through April 10
An Ideal Husband
In Oscar Wilde’s witty social commentary, Sir Robert Chiltern, a well-regarded politician living in wedded bliss (or so he supposes) with his morally upstanding wife, finds his comfortable life challenged when a past crime comes to light and threatens his status as the “ideal husband.” Tickets start at $37.
The Shakespeare Theatre

April 13 to May 1
The New Electric Ballroom
Two middle-age sisters living together in a small Irish village are cajoled by their younger sister to tell and retell about their youth and the night that changed their lives (part of “New Ireland: The Enda Walsh Festival”). Tickets are $44 to $65.
The Studio Theatre

April 22 to June 5
Ruined
In war-torn Congo, Mama Nadi keeps the peace between customers on both sides of the civil war as she protects and profits from the women under her charge in this widely acclaimed play that tells an uncommonly human story with humor and song. Please call for ticket information.
Arena Stage

Through April 24
King Lear
The seventh installment of Synetic Theater’s “Silent Shakespeare” series is a provocative modern take on one of the Bard’s greatest tragedies, bringing lightness to this dark tale of a king’s descent into madness. Tickets are $40 to $55.
Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre

Tue., April 26, 6:30 p.m.
Poetry Slam in French
Mathieu Barcella, a French poet, songwriter and author, dazzles with his signature mix of song, prose and passion for performance — a spectacle that encourages audience to explore literary license. Tickets are $12.
Alliance Française de Washington

Through May 22
Art
Three friends debate the merits of a costly avant-garde painting, slowly shifting from the theoretical and artistic to the very private and personal, as their close friendship is put to the ultimate test in Yasmine Reza’s scathing dark comedy. Tickets are $50 to $76.
Signature Theatre

TOURNAMENTS

Fri., May 6, 12 p.m.
Embassy Golf Tournament
The Washington Diplomat presents the 7th Annual Embassy Golf Tournament — this year under the diplomatic patronage of Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer — a popular day of golf and networking that includes a lunchtime cookout and post-tournament dinner reception with awards and prizes. For ticket information, visit www.washdiplomat.com.
Cross Creek Golf Club, Md.