Home The Washington Diplomat March 2013 Events – March 2013

Events – March 2013

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EVENT CATEGORIES

Art

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Festivals

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ART

March 1 to April 7
Architecture / Landscape
Eight Austrian artists examine the perception and manipulation of our daily surroundings — worlds at once graspable and utterly alien, in part constructed (or perhaps in turn destroyed) by man, or ones artificially generated, seemingly infinite in their reproducibility.
The Mansion at Strathmore

Through March 2
Luces y Sombras: Fourteen Travelers in Mexico
The 20th century saw many internationally acclaimed photographers travel through Mexico to document the country from their unique perspectives. This exhibition focuses on 20 hand-pulled photogravures comprising Paul Strand’s seminal 1933 “Mexican Portfolio,” along with renowned photographers Edward Weston, Wayne Miller, Aaron Siskind and others who captured the sociopolitical realities, local architecture, and startling landscapes of 20th-century Mexico through a patently American lens. And accompanying exhibit, “Visions of Mexico: The Photography of Hugo Brehme,” presents 40 works from Hugo Brehme on loan from the Throckmorton Gallery in New York City.
Mexican Cultural Institute

Through March 3
Michelangelo’s David-Apollo
The presentation of the “David-Apollo,” a marble statue by Michelangelo lent to the National Gallery of Art by the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, opens the nationwide celebration “2013-The Year of Italian Culture.”
National Gallery of Art

March 7 to May 31
Perceptive Strokes
In honor of the Inter-American Development Bank’s annual meeting in Panama in March, the IDB Cultural Center presents artwork by women Panamanian artists.
IDB Cultural Center

March 9 to April 28
The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia
Modest in scale and appearance, the Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most important and iconic objects in world history whose origins can be traced to the Persian king Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon in the sixth century BC.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through 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 March 16
Words Like Sapphires: 100 Years of Hebraica at the Library of Congress
A century ago, New York philanthropist Jacob H. Schiff purchased an initial collection of nearly 10,000 Hebrew books and pamphlets for the Library of Congress. This gift formed the nucleus of what is today one of the world’s greatest collections of Hebraic materials, comprising some 200,000 items.
Library of Congress

Through March 17
Andrei Molodkin: Crude
Andrei Molodkin is a globally recognized contemporary Russian artist who deconstructs the economic realities of geopolitical praxis with monumental ballpoint-pen drawings and three-dimensional constructs filled with crude oil.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through March 17
Grisha Bruskin: H-Hour
Internationally acclaimed contemporary Russian artist Grisha Bruskin’s new Kafkaesque sculpture project “H-Hour” is a disturbing, toy-like anatomy of hate in the form of: the hostile state, class enemy, enemy of the subconscious, time and so on.
American University Katzen Arts Center

March 24 to June 9
Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) has long been considered the greatest German artist, uniquely combining the status held in Italian art by Michelangelo in the 16th century, by Raphael in the 18th and 19th centuries, and by Leonardo da Vinci in our own day. But while Dürer’s paintings were prized, his most influential works were actually his drawings, watercolors, engravings and woodcuts.
National Gallery of Art

Through March 29
Peruvian Amazon Painting
Renowned Peruvian artists showcase the values and traditions of the diverse, enigmatic indigenous cultures of the Peruvian Amazon.
Embassy of Peru
Fernando de Szyszlo Gallery

Through March 29
Rabín Ajaw: Indigenous Ceremonial Dress of Guatemala
Photographs by Juan Carlos Lemus Dahinten of Guatemala examine the aesthetics of indigenous, Guatemalan dress as a manifestation of cultural identity, and how modern styles influenced by global fashion and culture coexist with indigenous traditions.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas
F Street Gallery

Through March 31
Pissarro on Paper
French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro first tried printmaking in his early thirties, and though he never stopped painting, printing became vital to his artistic enterprise.
National Gallery of Art

Through April 7
Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s
“Pump Me Up” is the first exhibition to explore the thriving underground of Washington, D.C., during the 1980s, giving visual form to the raucous energy of graffiti, Go-Go music, and a world-renowned punk and hardcore scene — demonstrating D.C.’s place in the history of street art as well as that of America’s capital city.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through April 12
gute aussichten: new german photography 2012/2013
Works by seven winners of “gute aussichten 2012/2013,” the ninth annual German competition for graduate photography students, are distinguished by their highly diverse aesthetics and conceptual approaches, providing an insight into the multifaceted themes that form the focus of young artists’ interests today.
Goethe-Institut

Through April 12
Seven Points (part one)
The timely and vibrant exhibition “Seven Points (part one): Marley Dawson, Anna Kristensen, Angelica Mesiti” launches the Australian Embassy’s 2013 cultural programming and is the first in a series of exhibitions showcasing the work of dynamic and accomplished Australian contemporary artists: Daniel Boyd, Marley Dawson, Newell Harry, Anna Kristensen, Angelica Mesiti, Kate Mitchell, and Tim Silver. Gallery hours are from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., by appointment (202-797-3383).
Embassy of Australia

Through April 21
Orchids of Latin America
“Orchids of Latin America” highlights the importance of Latin American orchids in local culture and folklore through live flower displays and examines ways in which biological reserves are working to preserve orchid species and habitats today.
National Museum of Natural History

Through May 5
Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop
In the first major exhibition devoted to the history of manipulated photographs before the digital age, some 200 works will demonstrate that today’s digitally altered photographs are part of a tradition that extends back to the beginning of photography.
National Gallery of Art

Through May 12
Angels, Demons, and Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet
This exhibition reveals a rare cross-cultural artistic dialogue between American painter Jackson Pollock (1912-56), American artist and patron of European and American postwar art Alfonso Ossorio (1916-90), and French painter Jean Dubuffet (1901-85). Approximately 53 paintings and works on paper from 1945 to 1958 highlight visual affinities and inspired friendships among the artists at pivotal moments in their careers.
The Phillips Collection

Through May 12
A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony
The first exhibition in the United States to focus on Danish modern painter Anna Ancher (1859-1935) and the artist colony at Skagen, Denmark, features 41 paintings and oil sketches by Ancher and more than 20 by her fellow Skagen artists.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through May 19
Nobility and Newcomers in Renaissance Ireland
Focusing mainly on the Irish upper-class, their cultural exchange with England, and their struggle for power during a time of great change, “Nobility and Newcomers” underscores why Irish cultural identity is challenging to define.
Folger Shakespeare Library

Through May 26
Color, Line, Light: French Drawings, Watercolors, and Pastels from Delacroix to Signac
Some 100 drawings and watercolors from the collection of James T. Dyke showcase the broad development of modern draftsmanship in France, from romanticism and realism through the impressionists, Nabis and neo-impressionists.
National Gallery of Art

Through May 26
On Common Ground: Dominican Republic + Haiti
In conjunction with the Embassies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, this exhibition of works by emerging artists of Hispaniola, the island that these two countries share, offers fresh perspectives on Hispaniola’s cultural scene and addresses misconceptions surrounding the two nations’ complex relationship with one another, imagining a brighter future.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas

Through June 8
Pageant of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums
Marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty in 1613, the history and spectacle of Russian tsars’ coronations are revealed through lavish, rarely seen albums and objects from Hillwood’s Russian collection.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Through July 7
One Man’s Search for Ancient China: The Paul Singer Collection
New Jersey psychiatrist-turned-collector Paul Singer’s bequest to the Sackler Gallery created one of the largest Chinese archaeological collections in the United States. This exhibition looks at the collector’s contributions to Chinese art history — made largely at a time when contact between China and the West was heavily restricted — and examines how landmark archaeological discoveries have shed new light on his acquisitions and on ancient China.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through Aug. 4
Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License
Complementary but distinct installations examine two themes of Edo period art: “Edo Aviary,” which traces how depictions of birds were influenced by natural history painting, and “Poetic License: Making Old Words New,” which shows how classical Japanese and Chinese literary traditions were absorbed into the merchant and artisan classes.
Freer Gallery of Art

DANCE

Sat., March 2, 5 p.m.
Social Dance with Washington Spelmanslag and Skaran
Washington’s Spelmanslag band will join the group Skaran for an hour-long traditional dance workshop followed by social dance and performances of traditional Swedish music, with baked goods and sweets for sale during the breaks. Tickets are $10; to register, visit http://embassyofsweden.eventbrite.com.
House of Sweden

Sun., March 10, 8 p.m.
Metáfora
“Metáfora,” produced by the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, is a study in contrasts between the classical and folk elements of flamenco and the highly disciplined technique of the cast. Tickets are $35 to $65.
GW Lisner Auditorium

March 20 to 24
Cinderella
A spectacle for all ages, the Washington Ballet’s “Cinderella” combines magnificent beauty, ravishing costumes, and Prokofiev’s ultra-lush score in the retelling of this popular romance of a poor girl whose fairy godmother helps her win the love of a prince. Tickets are $25 to $125.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

DISCUSSIONS

Wed., March 6, 7 p.m.
La Cuisine du Québec
Foodie Nathalie Béland demonstrates how to cook a modern dish from Québec and discusses the region’s culinary trends, with a growing importance given to slowly cooked, gourmet products and an unshakeable faith in the richness of the soil in Québec. Tickets are $30; for information, visit http://smithsonianassociates.org (part of the 2013 Francophonie Cultural Festival).
National Museum of Natural History

Thu., March 7, 9:30 a.m.
Seminar: Youth, Gender and Online Exposure
Leading scientists and politicians discuss how youth and teens engage in social platforms online, and whether there is a difference in the way young people are exposed online from a gender equality perspective. To register, visit http://embassyofsweden.eventbrite.com.
House of Sweden

Thu., March 7, 6:30 p.m.
Gender and Geography: Women Artists from Panama
Art historian Monica Kupfer discusses modern Panamanian women artists, who constitute an unusual and diverse group of creators, from a former first lady to a triathlon athlete to a college professor (presented in conjunction with the exhibit “Perceptive Strokes”).
Inter-American Development Bank
Enrique V. Iglesias Conference Center

Thu., March 7, 7 p.m.
Literary Café: In the Realm of Women
The Ambassador Theater presents the works of famous Austrian poets such as Ingeborg Bachmann, Rainer Maria Rilke and Nobel winner Elfriede Jelinek, alongside soprano Elisabeth Myers, baritone Scott Sedar, pianist Maestro Carlos Cesar Rodriguez and other special guests. Tickets are $40.
Embassy of Austria

Sat., March 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Edwardian England: Grandeur, Scandals, and Servants
It was a new century, and a new reign had begun with the accession of Edward VII in 1901. Upper-class scandals still were gossiped about, and the rigidly stratified upstairs-downstairs worlds so vividly portrayed in “Downton Abbey” endured. Yet the new era also produced dramatic social and cultural changes. Tickets are $130; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Thu., March 14, 6:45 p.m.
A New View of the Battle of Stalingrad
Historian Jochen Hellbeck draws on many Soviet perspectives to present a wider and more dramatic account of the Battle of Stalingrad, using hundreds of interviews with Red Army soldiers conducted in Stalingrad during the final stages of the battle to put a face on Soviet soldiers and provide singular insights into why they prevailed over the Germans. Tickets are $42; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Sat., March 16, 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
The Last Days of Pompeii
Take a look at the artistic legacy of Pompeii, the vibrant Roman resort on the Amalfi coast that was suddenly and dramatically destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 A.D. Tickets are $130; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Tue., March 19, 6 p.m.
Conducting Business in Asia
James Clad, senior adviser at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Va., shares his knowledge of successful strategies for conducting business with individuals and organizations in Asia in a discussion hosted by Protocol Partners that also features pre- and post-discussion receptions. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door; for information, visit www.theprotocolpartners.com.
International Student House

Sat., March 23, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Four Masters and Their Masterpieces
Treat yourself to an in-depth look at the works and life of four legendary artists: Michelangelo, Rubens, Monet, and Van Gogh. Tickets are $130; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center


FESTIVALS

March 1 to April 13
2013 Francophonie Cultural Festival
The annual Francophonie Cultural Festival celebrates the creativity, passions and intellectual variety of the nations of the French-speaking world. It’s a global fusion of modern literature, contemporary and traditional music, cuisine, visual arts, films and family events — presented by the embassies of more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.francophoniedc.org.
Various locations

Thu., March 14, 7 p.m.
Embassy Chef Challenge 2013
An annual diplomatic tradition that’s now in its fifth year, the Embassy Chef Challenge brings in top culinary talent from local embassies for a unique competition to benefit Cultural Tourism DC, a nonprofit promoting the city’s arts, culture and heritage. The lavish gala finale features international tastings, top-shelf open bar, silent and live auctions, and prizes for the embassy chefs, who will be judged by celebrity chefs, food critics and gala guests. Tickets are $250; for information, visit www.embassychefchallenge.com.
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Through March 17
Nordic Cool 2013
A month-long international festival of theater, dance, music, visual arts, literature, design, cuisine, and film to highlight the diverse cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Áland Islands (see February 2013 issue of The Washington Diplomat.).

Kennedy Center

Through April 19
Dvorak and America
Through a series of five concerts, PostClassical Ensemble’s “Dvorak and America” festival argues that Czech composer Antonín Dvorak acquired a distinctive and influential “American style” during his time in the United States that was fundamentally different in style from that of the music he had previously composed. The centerpiece is a March 1 concert at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center featuring the “Hiawatha Melodrama” alongside Dvorak’s “String Serenade” and his little-known “American Suite.” For information, visit http://postclassical.com.
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Through May 19
The Washington DC International Design Festival
Artisphere and Apartment Zero present this free three-month-long multidisciplinary celebration of design, anchored by “The Next Wave: Industrial Design in the 21st Century,” a 4,000-square-foot exhibition exploring innovation in product design over the last 13 years. The exhibit of more than 100 objects from around the world will be complemented by a series of public programs. For information, visit www.artisphere.com or www.apartmentzero.com.
Artisphere

GALAS

Fri., March 15, 6:30 p.m.
THIS for Diplomats 2013 Spring Soiree
THIS for Diplomats presents its annual Spring Soiree and Silent Auction at the historic Meridian House featuring a performance by jazz vocalist Amy K. Bormet and her band, international buffet, libations, raffle and silent auction. Tickets are $95 in advance or $115 at the door; all proceeds go to support THIS’s 51-year mission to promote international understand and friendship with the diplomatic community. For information, visit http://thisfordiplomats.org/news/special-events/
Meridian International Center

Fri., March 22, 7 p.m.
Grande Fête de la Francophonie
Each year, to kick off the annual Francophonie Cultural Festival, more than 35 embassies unite to present their culture and cuisine, accompanied by a special concert by an artist from the French-speaking world. This year’s featured artist is Swiss singer, songwriter and rising star Bastian Baker. Tickets are $38; benefactor tickets are $60.
La Maison Française

Fri., March 22, 8:30 p.m.
Sixth Annual Artini
Throughout March, eight of the city’s best mixologists compete to make an artistic martini — an “artini” — inspired by works in the Corcoran’s collection, culminating on the Artini celebration presented by Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design’s 1869 Society, featuring tastings all eight artinis, a beer and wine bar, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, music by http://chukwumaa.com/ alive and able (chukwumaa), and dancing. Tickets are $125; VIP tickets are $200.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

MUSIC

Fri., March 1, 8 p.m.
Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Ballake Sissoko, who plays the traditional kora, a lute-harp from Mali, and Vincent Segal, a French cellist who performs for the trip-hop band Bumcello, present a concert of refined world music. Tickets are $28 (part of the 2013 Francophonie Cultural Festival).
Atlas Performing Arts Center

Sat., March 2, 7 p.m.
The Pacifica Quartet
The renowned Pacifica Quartet, recognized for its exuberant performance style and daring repertory choices over the last two decades, returns to the Kreeger. Tickets are $35 (concert begins at 8 p.m.).
Kreeger Museum

Fri., March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Sri Lankan Vocalist Jananath Warakagoda
Jananath Warakagoda, a singer, composer and percussionist, is joined by a Sri Lankan drummer for an evening of traditional Sri Lankan music followed by native cuisine. Tickets are $110, including buffet reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Sri Lankan Residence

Tue., March 12, 6:30 p.m.
Musical Road Trip: Maher and Sousou Cissoko
Sousou Cissoko grew up in Sweden and fell in love with the kora, a West African stringed instrument, when her father started playing with the Gambian griot Alagie Mbye at an early stage, while Maher Cissoko was born into a well-known griot family from Senegal and learned to play the kora at an early age. Tickets are $10; to register, visit http://embassyofsweden.eventbrite.com.
House of Sweden

Wed., March 13, 7:30 p.m.
Terakaft
Terakaft (meaning “caravan” in Tamasheq) is a genuine desert rock band, with two rhythm guitars and the deep tones of the bass resembling the delicate but strong steps of a camel making its way through the desert. Tickets are $25 (part of the 2013 Francophonie Cultural Festival).
La Maison Française

Fri., March 15, 7:30 p.m.
Alif Laila, Sitar
Monir Hossain, Tabla
Alif Laila, born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a master of Indian classical music and sitar, intricately weaving emotions in her music that reflect the delicate expressions of her watercolor art designs. Tickets are $80, including buffet reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Bangladesh

Sun., March17, 4 p.m.
Danú
Danú, an award-winning Celtic band, performs a combination of traditional Irish jigs and reels, contemporary Celtic tunes and signature hits. Tickets are $28 to $44.
George Mason University 
Hylton Center for the Arts

Sun., March 17, 7 p.m.
Natalie MacMaster
Don’t miss this Celtic powerhouse in a musical celebration of St. Patrick’s Day as Natalie MacMaster enchants audiences with her step-dancing, fiddling ferocity, and a signature sound combining Celtic, bluegrass, and folk with jazz, rock and even classical music. Tickets are $24 to $48.
George Mason University
Center for the Arts

March 18 to 28
Las aventuras de Don Quijote de La Mancha
GALita, a program for the entire family, presents a bilingual adaptation of the famous novel that follows the misadventures of the gentleman from La Mancha and his loyal squire Sancho Panza. Tickets are $12.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Thu., March 21, 7:30 p.m.
Court-Circuit Ensemble
In French, “court-circuit” refers to a “short circuit” — and while this electrical mishap usually indicates that something has gone awry, for the Court-Circuit Ensemble, it encompasses a charged flow of artistic adventurousness that surveys the boundaries of contemporary music. Tickets are $25.
La Maison Française

Sat., March 23, 7:30 p.m.
Jeanine De Bique, Soprano
Christopher Cano, Piano
An artist of “dramatic presence and versatility” (The Washington Post), soprano Jeanine De Bique is a member of the Staatsoper Wien ensemble and an Arleen Auger Prize winner at the 2010 International Vocal Competition’s Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. Tickets are $110, including reception and valet parking; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago

Wed., March 27, 12:10 p.m.
Edvinas Minkstimas, Pianist
Pianist Edvinas Minkstimas, along with Phillips Camerata resident musicians, perform a program of Beethoven’s “Concerto no. 2.”
National Gallery of Art East Bldg.

Thu., March 28, 7:30 p.m.
Marialena Fernandes and Ranko Marković
Pianists Marialena Fernandes and Ranko Marković have held duo concerts since 2000, garnering special acclaim for their performances of piano transcriptions of symphonies by Mahler and Bruckner. Admission is free but RSVP required; to register call (202) 895-6776 or visit http://fernandesmarkovic-eorg.eventbrite.com.
Embassy of Austria

THEATER

Through March 3
Shakespeare’s R&J
A repressive all-male Catholic boarding school bans “Romeo and Juliet,” but four students unearth a secret copy and steal into the night to recite the prohibited tale of adolescent passion. While it begins as a lark, the story gradually draws the boys into a discovery of universal truth that parallels their own coming-of-age. Please call for ticket information.
Signature Theatre

Through March 10
La Casa de los Espíritus / The House of the Spirits
This haunting and poetic adaptation of Chilean-American author Isabel Allende’s acclaimed novel “The House of the Spirits” spans four generations of political, social and familial upheaval through the power of remembrance, love, magic and fate. Tickets are $36 or $40.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Through March 10
The Convert
Set in 1895 amid the colonial scramble for Southern Africa, the play follows Jekesai, a young girl who escapes village life and a forced marriage arrangement, ultimately discovering Christianity under the guidance of an African teacher. However, as anti-colonial sentiments rise, Jekesai must choose between her new European God and the spirits of her ancestors. Tickets start at $35.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

March 15 to April 28
Mary T. and Lizzy K.
Writer-director Tazewell Thompson stitches together an insider’s look at the unlikely friendship between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her talented seamstress, the successful freed slave Elizabeth Keckly. Please call for ticket information.
Arena Stage

Through March 17
Hughie
Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”) plays the title role in Eugene O’Neill’s powerfully focused play about a man whose illusions of a grand lifestyle waver after the death of the stranger who quietly validated his larger-than-life confidence. Tickets are $43 to $100.
Shakespeare Theatre Company

Through March 17
Metamorphoses
Lost love, dangerous passion and reunited soul mates wrestle with fate in Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman’s Broadway smash, “Metamorphoses.” Please call for ticket information.
Arena Stage

March 20 to April 28
4000 Miles
This gentle, well-observed drama explores the relationship between a grandson who can’t face his life and a grandmother who is starting to forget hers. Tickets are $39 to $82.
Studio Theatre

March 28 to June 2
Hero/Traitor Repertory of Coriolanus and Wallenstein
In the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s repertory of “Coriolanus” and “Wallenstein,” both plays revolve around military leaders who’ve gained fame through deadly prowess — in Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” the title character must re-examine his loyalties when the country he championed turns against him; in Friedrich Schiller’s “Wallenstein,” the main character must choose between the ideal for which he fights and his government’s agenda. Tickets are $43 to $105.
Sidney Harman Hall