EVENT CATEGORIES

ART

Opens March 22
Codex Mexico: The Book as Art
This exposition of artisanal books and printed art showcases both Mexico’s enormous heritage in the arts of printing, and the Mexicans currently working to renew and enrich such an important legacy.
Mexican Cultural Institute

April 4 to May 12
LATINO/US Cotidiano
Literally meaning “everyday life,” “Cotidiano” is a dynamic look at the rapidly changing nature of the Latino experience in America, where out of every six Americans is now of Hispanic origin, an impressive social transformation with enormous political, economic and cultural consequences.
Spanish Cultural Center

April 6 to May 26
Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature
Sixteen visual artists interpret 12 stories by Argentinean Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most prominent and profoundly philosophical literary figures of the 20th century, organized according to three topics: identity and memory, freedom and destiny, and faith and divinity.
American University Katzen Arts Museum

April 6 to Aug. 11
Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer’s Japanese Illustrated Books
More than 100 volumes reflect on the Edo period Japan (1615-1868) as an age of great social and political change that gave rise to an unprecedented “reading culture” of artists, writers and publishers. Similar to blogging and e-publication in the 21st century, illustrated books (ehon) in Edo Japan opened up a new avenue with which to share ideas, marked by epic levels of publishing and book consumption.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through 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 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

April 10 to Aug. 4
Views of Panama
Photographers Gabriel Benaim, José Manuel Castrellón and Lorena Endara examine the stunning transformation Panama has undertaken in the last few years, manifested into a real estate and building boom that has changed Panama City’s skyline.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas
F Street Gallery

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

April 12 to Oct. 13
Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains
The last exhibition presented in the Textile Museum’s historic location before the museum’s 2014 reopening promises to be a beautiful pairing of tradition and innovation, demonstrating how four artists are reinventing traditional Southeast Asian textile techniques, designs and ideology in new and meaningful ways.
The Textile Museum

April 18 to May 18
The Fallen Gods
Béatrice Lampla Mellinger integrates her diverse heritage and extensive travels into her vibrant and richly textured paintings. In her newest series, she explores the historical roots of Caribbean society, structuring a lineage that affirms the Amerindian origins of the culture and repudiates the arrival of the Conquistadors as its starting point.
International Visions Gallery

April 18 to Sept. 8
Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present
Butterfly wings, glass shards, doll parts, crumpled automotive metal, jigsaw puzzle pieces, clothing, straight pins, furniture, and colored sand — these are just some of the materials in “Over, Under, Next,” an exhibition of approximately 100 examples of collage and assemblage, primarily drawn from the Hirshhorn’s collection.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

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

April 22 to Jan. 5
Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa
Some 100 exceptional works of art from the late 18th to 21st centuries come together for the first major exhibition and scholarly endeavor to comprehensively examine the rich relationship between African artists and the land upon which they live, work and frame their days.
National Museum of African Art

April 27 to Sept. 2
Nine Deaths, Two Births: Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project
Chinese artist Xu Bing spent more than two years creating his newest work, “Phoenix Project,” a massive installation that comprises two birds fabricated entirely from materials found at construction sites in Beijing.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through April 28
Next Stop: Italy
Following a promotional campaign on city buses as part of “The Year of Italian Culture,” photographic works by both established and up-and-coming Italian artists have been paired with a quintessential selection of lines from highly regarded Italian poets.
The Phillips Collection

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
Memories of Stones
Photographer Åsa Nyhlén’s moss-covered stone walls are a testament to an era of profound change in Swedish history. Today, the forest has reclaimed the walls, which echo the exodus of one third of the population to try their luck in the New World, creating a Swedish Diaspora in the Americas.
House of Sweden

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 May 26
Un Lugar Sin Reposo | A Place with No Rest
In conjunction with the 43rd regular session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Guatemala in June, this exhibition of artwork by one of the host country’s finest artists, Luis González Palma, examines the power of communication through the gaze and body language.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas

Through 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

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 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 June 30
The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank
Designer and architect Josef Frank, born 1885, was a leading pioneer in modern Swedish design, leaving behind about 200 textile and 2,000 furniture designs, a portion of which are on display in this exhibit.
House of Sweden

Through June 30
The Third Room
Maja Salomonsson, in collaboration with Swedish Radio’s Youth Radio Drama Department, has created the sound walk “The Third Room,” a play area that welcomes children into a dream world where time is fluid and the laws of gravity are suspended.
House of Sweden

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., April 6, 8 p.m.
Russian National Ballet Theatre: Giselle
Experience one of the most venerated works in the classical ballet canon as performed by this celebrated Russian ensemble. Tickets are $27, $46 or $54.
George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts

Sun., April 7, 8 p.m.
Russian National Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake
The esteemed Russian National Ballet performs one of the most magical and well-known works from the classical ballet repertoire, a stunning fantasy inspired by the German legend of Odette, a beautiful princess turned into a swan at the hand of an evil sorcerer. Tickets are $27, $46 or $54.
George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts

Fri., April 12, 8 p.m.
Russian National Ballet Theatre: Romeo and Juliet & Chopiniana
In the grand tradition of Russian ballet, this delightful ensemble performs two of the most romantic classical ballets in one spectacular evening. Tickets are $38, $46 or $54.
George Mason University Hylton Performing Arts Center

DISCUSSIONS

Tue., April 16, 6:30 p.m.
Found in Translation
A renowned author, Huffington Post contributor and Fulbright scholar in sociolinguistics, Nataly Kelly discusses her new book “Found in Translation,” which examines how translation affects every aspects of our lives. Tickets are $20 (includes a copy of the book).
La Maison Française

Wed., April 17, 6:45 p.m.
Hot Flare-Ups in the Cold War
The Cold War was anything but cold when it came to Cuba. The action was hot and heavy over two administrations, with the ill-fated 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, followed the next year by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Chief CIA Historian David Robarge explores the parts played by Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy and their advisors during these critical moments in U.S. history. Tickets are $35; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

Thu., April 25, 6:45 p.m.
The Peruvian Amazon Forest: A Tropical Hotspot
Conservation biologist Alfonso Alonso investigates the effects of development on the tropical forests in eastern Peru’s Lower Urubamba Region, home to some of the most species-rich and biologically diverse forests in the world. Tickets are $42; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center

FESTIVALS

Through 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

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

Wed., April 3, 6 p.m.
South African Art Fundraising Reception
Proceeds of this silent auction on South African art go toward the costs of erecting a statue honoring anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in front of the South African Embassy in Washington. To RSVP, email artsfestival2013@dirco.gov.za.
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Sat., April 6
Opera Ball
This annual prestigious black-tie celebration, chaired by Washington National Opera board member Constance Milstein de La Haye St. Hilaire, begins with intimate, pre-ball dinners hosted by ambassadors at their elegant residences and embassies around town and continues at Villa Firenze, Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero’s residence, where guests will be treated to an evening of dessert, dancing and opera performances. For ticket information, call (202) 416-8496.
Villa Firenze

Fri., April 12, 8 p.m.
88th Annual Diplomatic Ball
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service’s Diplomatic Ball is an annual black tie affair uniting students of international affairs, distinguished faculty and diplomats from around the world for an elegant evening of conversation and community-building. Tickets are $75; for information, visit http://dipball.wordpress.com.
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium

Fri., April 12, 7 p.m.
A Moveable Feast: The Hemingway in Paris Ball
The Washington Ballet marks the world premiere of Septime Webre’s “Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises” with “The Hemingway in Paris Ball,” its annual fundraising gala that celebrates the Washington Ballet’s deep ties with the community and raises critical funds for the ballet’s training and outreach programs. Tickets start at $1,000; for information, contact Elizabeth Sizer at (202) 362-3606 ext. 123 or esizer@washingtonballet.org.
Library of Congress Jefferson Building

Sat., April 13, 6 p.m.
WPAS Annual Gala & Auction
A highlight of the spring gala season, the WPAS Gala raises funds to support the Washington Performing Arts Society’s main stage and education programs, with an auction, dinner, dancing and headline performance. The diplomatic chair of this year’s gala is Irish Ambassador Michael Collins and the headline performer is Broadway star Matthew Morrison of the show “Glee.” For ticket information, call (202) 533-1891.
Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C.

Tue., April 16, 6 p.m.
For the Love of Sight Visionary Awards Dinner
The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a nonprofit dedicated to sight-saving retinal research, will honor former Ambassador Tom Korologos and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ann McLaughlin Korologos with its Visionary Award, in recognition of the couple’s leadership in government and the business and nonprofit sectors, as well as their ongoing support for blindness research, at the 11th annual “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner. Tickets are $1,000; for information, contact Dina Beaumont at (202) 530-4672 or dinabeau@aol.com.
Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

Sat., April 27, 6:30 p.m.
The Magic Flute
The Opera Camerata of Washington, D.C., presents a gala reception, dinner and performance of “The Magic Flute” featuring, among others, Jose Sacin and Elizabeth Treat under the patronage of Colombian Ambassador and Mrs. Carlos Urrutia. Tickets are $150 or $175 after April 15; for information, visit www.operacamerata.org.
Colombian Residence

MUSIC

Mon., April 8, 8 p.m.
Diana Damrau
Possessing a “lustrous, agile coloratura soprano voice, and charisma galore” (The New York Times), Diana Damrau makes her Washington National Opera debut with an evening of intimate music accompanied by harpist Xavier de Maistre. Tickets are $40 to $180.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Tue., April 9, 7:30 p.m.
Gülsin Onay, Piano
Gülsin Onay, who holds the title of “state artist” in her native Turkey and is a soloist for the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, performs a program of Beethoven and Chopin. Tickets are $125, including buffet dinner and valet parking; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Turkish Residence

Fri., April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Christophe Rousset, Harpsichord
A renowned harpsichordist, conductor, and expert of all things Baroque, Christophe Rousset has gained the intriguing reputation of a musical archaeologist who proclaims that, “There is no greater feeling than to revive works that have never been heard for centuries.” Tickets are $25.
La Maison Française

Wed., April 17, 7:30 p.m.,
Thu., April 18, 7:30 p.m.
Rafal Bartminski, Tenor
George Peachey, Piano
Rising Polish tenor Rafal Bartminski,, accompanied by pianist George Peachey, performs a concert of songs and arias by Schubert, Strauss, Mozart, Verdi and others. Tickets are $85 or $60; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Poland (April 17)
Embassy of Austria (April 18)

Sat., April 27, 7:30 p.m.
Rafal Blechacz, Piano
The Washington Performing Arts Society presents pianist Rafal Blechacz, first Polish pianist in 30 years to win the International Chopin Competition. Tickets are $55.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

THEATER

April 4 to 28
Neville’s Island
Four out-of-condition, middle-age businessmen are sent off on a team-building exercise in England’s Lake District and succeed in being the first people ever to get shipwrecked inland in a tiny island — discovering that their corporate know-how leaves them ill-equipped for survival, from both the elements and each other. Tickets are $35.50 to $65.
Olney Theatre Center

April 8 to 20
Histoires Exquises
For the first time, the Alliance Française de Washington (AFDC) is bringing “Histoires Exquises” — an ever-changing performance project that invites French choreographers, visual artists and/or directors to create performances inspired by unusual stories shared by residents of the cities the show visits — to the nation’s capital. The D.C. edition will translate local stories into two dance and two theater pieces under the direction of choreographer Emmanuelle Vo-Dinh and director Charlie Windelschmidt. For ticket information, visit www.francedc.org.
Atlas Performing Arts Center

April 10 to May 5
How to Write a New Book for the Bible
A man moves in with his ailing but always funny mother when she becomes too frail to care for herself, resulting in a reunion that heals old wounds and opens a heartfelt new chapter in their relationship. Tickets are $10 to $61.
Round House Theatre Bethesda

April 18 to May 26
DC-7: The Roberto Clemente Story
From the barrios of Puerto Rico to his successful seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, to the fateful flight to Nicaragua to deliver humanitarian aid, this insightful musical reveals the man who battled triumphantly on the baseball field and against discrimination. Tickets are $20 to $42.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Through 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

Through 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

April 30 to June 9
Twelfth Night
Director Robert Richmond returns to Folger Theatre to direct this romantic and whimsical of tales filled with lovers, lunatics, poets, drunkards, and clowns in the quixotic land of Illyria. Tickets are $30 to $68.
Folger Shakespeare Library

Through May 18
Hello, Dolly!
In a bold new production, Signature Theatre joins forces with Ford’s Theatre to reinterpret one of the greatest musicals ever written, which brings to life the tale of Dolly Levi and celebrates the search for love. Please call for ticket information.
Signature Theatre

Through 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