EVENT CATEGORIES
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ART
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
Through 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 Aug. 4
A World of Bonds: Frederick Sommer’s Photography and Friendships
Frederick Sommer (1905–99) explored an unusually broad array of subjects ranging from disorienting landscapes and macabre aspects of the natural world to surreal arrangements of found objects and virtual abstractions.
National Gallery of Art
Through Aug. 9
The Burning of Visibility: From Reality to Dream
Renowned French photographer Anne-Lise Large has resided in the United States for the past four years, lending a unique perspective to her latest photographic series, which offers an outsider’s view of what constitutes “American culture.”
Art Museum of the Americas
F Street Gallery
Through 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
Aug. 15 to Jan. 25
A Night at the Opera
The grandeur of opera — its unforgettable music, stellar performers, and lavish scenery and costumes — has transfixed audiences for more than 400 years. This 50-item display will feature manuscripts, printed scores, librettos, photographs, correspondence and set designs dating from the late 18th century through the beginning of the 20th century.
Library of Congress
James Madison Building
Aug. 27 to Sept. 30
Cardboard City
Three artists from three countries — Germany, the United States and Russia — present their aesthetic representations of the city as memorial and as a form of life. Their art — made using cardboard, a raw, industrial material that is available everywhere in the world — raises questions about that which surrounds and influences us.
Goethe-Institut
Through Sept. 1
David Levinthal: War Games
David Levinthal, a central figure in the history of American postmodern photography, has staged uncanny tableaux using toys and miniature dioramas for nearly 40 years. Mounted to celebrate the museum’s acquisition of a major, career-spanning body of work, this exhibition is the first to feature all of the artist’s work on the subject of war.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Through Sept. 1
Georges Braque and the Cubist Still Life, 1928–1945
Featuring 44 sumptuous canvases, the exhibition charts French cubist master Georges Braque’s (1882-1963) work in the still-life genre — from depictions of intimate interiors in the late 1920s, to vibrant, large-scale canvases in the 1930s, to darker and more personal spaces in the 1940s.
The Phillips Collection
Through Sept. 2
Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929: When Art Danced with Music
More than 130 original costumes, set designs, paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, photographs and posters reveal how the Ballets Russes — the most innovative dance company of the 20th century — propelled the performing arts to new heights through groundbreaking collaborations between artists, composers, choreographers, dancers and fashion designers.
National Gallery of Art
Through 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 Sept. 6
Living Water Paintings
Buenos Aires-born painter Dolores Gomez-Bustillo learned from leading artists across the Americas, including Argentina, Peru and the United States, taking as her inspiration the beauty of simple landscapes and the human form.
Embassy of Argentina
Through 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 Sept. 13
Seven Points (Part Two)
“Seven Points” is a series of exhibitions that showcase the work of seven Australian contemporary artists: Daniel Boyd, Marley Dawson, Newell Harry, Anna Kristensen, Angelica Mesiti, Kate Mitchell and Tim Silver. Informed by periods of residency internationally, these artists’ works offer alternative points of entry into the diverse conditions of Australian culture.
Embassy of Australia
Through Sept. 15
Fusion: Tracing Asian Migration to the Americas
Through the permanent collection of the Art Museum of the Americas, one of the most vital sources of contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art in the United States, this exhibition explores the migration of artists or their families to the Americas from Asia during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Art Museum of the Americas
Through Sept. 22
Bice Lazzari: Signature Line
In collaboration with the Italian Embassy, this exhibit features 25 paintings and drawings by Lazzari (1900-81), one of Italy’s most revered modern artists. Discouraged from studying the figure in art school in the 1910s because of her gender, she became a prominent decorative arts designer who became for her later poetic abstract paintings.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through Sept. 27
The Marvelous Real: Colombia Through the Vision of its Artists
This visual tour of 36 pieces by 24 artists highlights the complexities, challenges and singularities of Colombia through the eyes of several of its most important artists, including Edgar Negret, Fanny Sanín and David Manzur.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center
Through Sept. 29
A Book Behind Bars: The Robben Island Shakespeare
Nelson Mandela signed his name next to a passage from “Julius Caesar” in Shakespeare’s “Complete Works” on Dec. 16, 1977, while serving 18 years as a political prisoner at Robben Island. More than 30 of Mandela’s fellow prisoners also signed their names next to passages, documenting a part of their experience through their shared knowledge of Shakespeare. Accompanying the Robben Island Shakespeare book — on display for the first time in the United States — is a series of sketches Mandela made in the early 2000s, reflecting on his prison life.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Through Sept. 29
The Folgers Our Founders
During renovation of the Folger Great Hall, the Folger Shakespeare Library offers a special exhibition in the Founders’ Room celebrating the collecting history of its founders, Henry and Emily Folger.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Through Sept. 29
WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath
This landmark exhibition revolutionizes our understanding of war, immersing viewers in the experience of soldiers and civilians through images by more than 200 photographers from 28 nations that span conflicts from the past 165 years — from the Mexican-American War through present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Through Oct. 6
NOW at the Corcoran – Ellen Harvey: The Alien’s Guide to the Ruins of Washington, D.C.
Ellen Harvey’s new project is a glimpse into the world of the distant future. Human civilization having long since come to an end, the earth is populated now only by ruins, ripe for archeological interpretation by visitors from another planet. Attempting to make sense of what they find, Harvey’s aliens immediately mine the potential of one of the greatest neo-classical cities — Washington, D.C. — as a tourist destination.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Through Oct. 6
Peter Coffin: Here & There
Nature, science, pseudoscience, psychological displacement, urban happenstance and what-if brainstorms are among the myriad departure points for the works of New York-based artist Peter Coffin.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Through 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
Through Oct. 15:
Guerrero: 7 Regions of Art and Tradition
The southwest Mexican state of Guerrero is a richly diverse blend of geography and ethnicity that’s home to four major ethnic groups and seven regions, each with their own distinctive artistic culture. These regions celebrate material and immaterial heritage at once both communal and unique, inherent in their archeological sites, churches, parks and plazas. From these shared spaces come the crafts, clothing and artwork that help to underwrite Guerrero’s larger identity.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Through Nov. 10
American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s
Faith Ringgold is well known for originating the African American story quilt revival in the late 1970s. In the previous decade, she created bold, provocative paintings in direct response to the civil rights and feminist movements. Ringgold’s unprecedented exploration of race and gender in America is examined in this comprehensive survey of 49 rarely exhibited paintings.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through Nov. 10
Awake in a Dream World: The Art of Audrey Niffenegger
The first major museum exhibition of visual artist and author of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” reveals a mysterious, strange and whimsical world, both real and imagined, through 239 paintings, drawings, prints and book art.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through Dec. 31
S.O.S. Spanish Office Showroom
As part of the SPAIN arts & culture program (www.spainculture.us), “S.O.S. Spanish Office Showroom” presents the most avant-garde pieces of Spanish design conceived for modern working environments, highlighting how the creativity of contemporary Spanish designers adapts to any office space and how Spanish design companies are successfully competing in international markets, such as the United States.
Former Spanish Residence
Through Jan. 5
A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
More than 100 photographs selected from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s permanent collection celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the museum’s photography collection, examine photography’s evolution in the United States from a documentary medium to a full-fledged artistic genre, and showcase the numerous ways in which it has captured the American experience.
American Art Museum
Through 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
Through Jan. 12
Living Artfully: At Home with Marjorie Merriweather Post
From the glamour of Palm Beach, to the rustic whimsy of the Adirondacks, to the distinguished social scene of Washington, D.C., heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post brought to her multiple residences a flawless style of living and entertaining that was made possible only through the gracious management of loyal staff.
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Through Feb. 9
Lines, Marks, and Drawings: Through the Lens of Roger Ballen
This exhibit considers the 40-year-plus career of Roger Ballen, one of the more recognized photographic artists working today, through a new approach: an examination of line and drawing in his photographs.
National Museum of African Art
Through June 8, 2014
Perspectives: Rina Banerjee
Born in India and based in New York City, artist Rina Banerjee draws on her background as a scientist and her experience as an immigrant in her richly textured works that complicate the role of objects as representations of cultures and invite viewers to share her fascination in materials.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
DISCUSSIONS
Thu., Aug. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
The Courts of Renaissance Italy: Power, Patronage, and Prestige
The families who shaped the dominant courts in Renaissance Italy wanted more than just political influence and power. Guided by the era’s new vision of man and his potential for achievement, they also sought to express their sway through patronage of art, architecture, and literature, helping to nurture talents such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Tickets are $130; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
Freer Gallery of Art
Tue., Aug. 13, 6:45 p.m.
If your idea of a perfect evening is to settle in with a good cocktail and a great novel, how does a good cocktail from a great novel sound? Raise a glass to the drinks showcased in the
works (and lives) of William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, Truman Capote, Dorothy Parker and other sipping scribes. Tickets are $70; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.
National Museum of the American Indian
Aug. 27 to 28
Jewelry Trunk Show of South African-Based Beloved Beadwork
The Embassy of South Africa and National Museum of Women in the Arts welcomes Beloved Beadwork designer and founder Anna Richerby from Cape Town, South Africa, for a trunk show and designer “meet and greet.” This small company of 12 Cape Town women, who create intricate pieces of high-end jewelry using complex weaving techniques and glass beads, was founded by Richerby in 2009.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Wed., Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Wagner at 200: Tristan and Isolde Comes to Washington
Members of the “Tristan and Isolde” cast and creative team present a program that celebrates Wagner’s bicentenary and explores the Washington National Opera’s forthcoming production of Wagner’s romantic masterpiece. RSVP to goetheinstitutwashington.eventbrite.com.
Goethe-Institut
MUSIC
Thu., Aug. 1, 8 p.m.
Natalie Cole
Nine-time Grammy award winning singer, songwriter and performer, Natalie Cole, brings her “Unforgettable” voice to Strathmore, only weeks after the June 2013 debut of her first Spanish-language album, “Natalie Cole en Español,” a memento to her father, Nat King Cole, and his Spanish recordings. Tickets are $33 to $92.
Music Center at Strathmore
Aug. 1 to 2
NSO at Wolf Trap: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II
See the iconic “Wascally Wabbit” in classic shorts such as “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville,” as Emmy-winning creator-conductor George Daugherty combines the magic of the symphony with Looney Tunes hijinks. Tickets are $22 to $55.
Wolf Trap
Sun., Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
Rodrigo y Gabriela
They’ve been heard in film scores from “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” to “Puss in Boots.” But Rodrigo y Gabriela’s live shows trump all — the mind-blowing speed strumming of this virtuosic guitar duo lends an edge-of-the-seat thrill to every song they touch, from the folk songs of their native Mexico to heavy metal to classical and beyond. Tickets are $55 to $78.
Music Center at Strathmore
Tue., Aug. 6, 6 p.m.
El Gusto
After fifty years of separation, an orchestra of Jewish and Muslim musicians torn apart by history and war reunite and embark on their first U.S. tour this summer.
Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
Wed., Aug. 7, 7 p.m.
Free Summer Outdoor Concert: Carlos Núñez
Known as “The Seventh Chieftain,” beguiling Spanish musician Carlos Núñez plays the gaita, a traditional Galician bagpipe. His unique folk music showcases his native region of Galicia, in northwest Spain, and the surprising Celtic traditions that thrive there.
Music Center at Strathmore
THEATER
Aug. 1 to Sept. 1
A Chorus Line
Featuring hit Broadway songs, “A Chorus Line” follows 17 dancers competing for eight coveted spots in the chorus of a Broadway musical. Throughout the audition, they bare their souls while sharing stories of their childhood, ambitions, fears and experiences in show business. Tickets are $32.50 to $65.
Olney Theatre Center
Through Aug. 4
The Third Beast
A series of characters tries to escape everyday life in search of true identity in “The Third Breast,” written in 1975 by one of Poland’s “angry young men,” Ireneusz Iredyński (1939-85), who explores such themes as addiction to power; fear of the other; the search for an absolute; love and erotic fascination; and the consequences of blind faith. Tickets are $20 to $40 (for mature audiences).
Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint
Aug. 15 to Sept. 22
Miss Saigon
Created by the acclaimed writers of “Les Misérables,” this modern, rock-infused adaptation of Puccini’s 1904 opera “Madame Butterfly” explores the ongoing impact of love, loss and the collision of cultures during the Vietnam War. Please call for ticket information.
Signature Theatre
Through Aug. 18
The Book of Mormon
Nine 2011 Tony Awards say it’s the Best Musical of the Year. Vogue says, “It’s the funniest musical of all time.” And the New York Times says, “It’s the best musical of this century.” It’s “The Book of Mormon,” the Broadway phenomenon from “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and “Avenue Q” co-creator Robert Lopez. Tickets are $43 to $250.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Through Aug. 18
Salomé
Scena Theatre, in the final production of its 25th anniversary season, presents Oscar Wilde’s engrossing biblical tragedy in one act — a provocative, controversial stage play that is rarely performed. Tickets are $35 or $40.
Atlas Performing Arts Center
Aug. 20 to Sept. 1
Much Ado About Nothing
The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s annual “Free For All” presents one of the greatest romantic comedies ever written, as two young lovers, Hero and Claudio, their quick-witted sparring companions, Beatrice and Benedick, and the schemes of friends and foes twist the couples’ relationships with playful hilarity.
Sidney Harman Hall
Aug. 21 to Sept. 15
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Maureen, a lonely spinster in her 40s, lives with her diabolically manipulative mother Mag in an isolated cottage in the west of Ireland. When Maureen is offered a last chance at love, she sees a chance to escape, but Mag has other ideas, setting in motion a chain of deceptions, secrets and betrayals that are both heartbreaking and hilarious. Tickets are $10 to $45.
Round House Theatre Bethesda