EVENT CATEGORIES

ART 

Through Aug. 1

American States in Yuan Xikun’s Eyes: Preservation and Transformation

In this collaboration between China and OAS member countries, Yuan Xikun uses cross-disciplinary art and modern context to energize trans-Pacific dialogue.

Organization of American States Sculpture Garden

Through Aug. 2

Sandra Pani: My Intangible Self

Celebrated Mexican artist Sandra Pani explores the body, its structure and its relationship with natural phenomena, using superimposed veilings that both invite deciphering and impede a definitive reading, opening up a variety of interpretations.

Mexican Cultural Institute

Through Aug. 17

An American in London: Whistler and the Thames

American artist James McNeill Whistler arrived in London in 1859 and discovered in its neighborhoods and inhabitants an inexhaustible source of aesthetic inspiration. His images of the city created over the next two decades represent one of his most successful assaults on the contemporary art establishment.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through Aug. 17

Continental Drift

This survey of Washington artist Judy Byron invites the viewer to consider the visual and auditory environment that informs identity, acknowledging the artist’s drifting of visual influences among three specific countries: Brazil, China and Ghana.

American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Aug. 17

The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund: Second Act

“Second Act” features paintings, sculptures and works on paper by Richard Cleaver, Emilie Brzezinski, Fred Folsom and other artists who received grants totaling $670,000 over the last 13 years from the Bader Fund.

American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Aug. 17

An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle

Jess Collins and his partner, the poet Robert Duncan, merged their personal and artistic lives by exploring their mutual interest in cultural mythologies, transformative narrative and the appropriation of images.

American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Aug. 17

Passionate Collectors: The Washington Print Club at 50

With almost 150 prints selected from Washington collections, this exhibit reveals a diversity of techniques — from relief printing by celebrated masters Durer, van Dyck, Carracci, Pissarro, Picasso and Chuck Close to monoprints by contemporaries Richard Estes, Ventura Salimbeni, Thomas Frye, Adolphe Appian, Reinhard Hilker and Keiko Hara.

American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Aug. 17

Visions from the Forests: The Art of Liberia and Sierra Leone

The exhibition features some 70 artworks from the collection of William Siegmann (1943–2011) — a former curator of African art at the Brooklyn Museum who lived and worked in Liberia for more than two decades — that survey the traditional arts of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

National Museum of African Art

Through Aug. 24

Africa ReViewed: The Photographic Legacy of Eliot Elisofon

“Africa ReViewed” showcases the African photography of celebrated Life magazine photographer Eliot Elisofon and explores the intricate relationships between his photographic archives and art collection at the National Museum of African Art. Elisofon’s images had a huge impact in framing America’s perceptions of Africa and its diverse cultures during the 20th century.

National Museum of African Art

Aug. 27 to Oct. 1

ApocalyptiCAT: Woodcuts and Papercuts by Franca Bartholomäi

Franca Bartholomäi’s woodcuts and papercuts are unique within German contemporary art. No other artist combines the tradition and iconography of woodcut with romantic and psychedelic motifs from the 19th and 20th centuries to form images with such expressive power.

Goethe-Institut

Through Aug. 29

Investing in Women and Girls: A Photography exhibit of winners of the Colors of Life photo contest

This exhibition of winning entries of the Colors of Life International Photo Contest, organized in conjunction with the World Bank Art Program, features international documentary and street photographers tackling issues such as women’s rights and the international movement toward a more just and humane world.

Art Museum of the Americas

F Street Gallery

Through Aug. 31

Made in the USA: American Masters from The Phillips Collection, 1850–1970

Following an acclaimed four-year world tour, the Phillips’s renowned collection of American masterworks returns to the museum to tell the story of American art from the late 19th-century to the mid-20th century, when it became a significant global force after World War II.

The Phillips Collection

Through Sept. 2

Peruvian Gold: Ancient Treasures Unearthed

This exhibition journeys through civilizations from 1250 B.C. to 1450, learning through the ceremonial gold, silver, ceramics and textiles created by the complex Andean civilizations in ancient Peru that rival anything made by the ancient Egyptians.

National Geographic Museum

Through Sept. 5

Marks and Traces: Helga Thomson Retrospective

The work of Buenos Aires-born artist Helga Thomson, who studied in Argentina, Europe and the United States, encompasses etchings, collagraphs, monoprints, digital prints, mixed media and installations that are rich in color and content, reflecting a life story with deep symbolic references.

Embassy of Argentina

Through Sept. 7

Small Guide to Homeownership: Photography by Alejandro Cartagena of Mexico

This selection from Alejandro Cartagena’s “Mexicana Suburbia” series considers the interdependence of humans and landscape in the face of urban expansion.

Art Museum of the Americas

Through Sept. 14

Bountiful Waters: Aquatic Life in Japanese Art

This exhibition features a selection of prints, paintings, illustrated books and ceramics that depict the Japanese appreciation for the beauty and variety of fish and other species.

Freer Gallery of Art

Through Sept. 14

Meret Oppenheim: Tender Friendships

More than 20 artworks and archival papers by Swiss surrealist Meret Oppenheim (1913-85) explore friendship as a source of support and inspiration, as seen through two 18th-century poets, Bettina von Brentano and Karoline von Günderode.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through Sept. 21

Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence

A community of women living and working together in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has developed a new form of bead art — using black fabric as a canvas and different colored Czech glass beads as the medium of expression — to empower local women.

The Anacostia Community Museum

Through Sept. 26

In the Library: Preservation and Loss during World War II

The loss of cultural patrimony in times of war is often a sad byproduct of military action, and until the modern era was rarely documented. But the National Gallery of Art Library contains thousands of photographic images that do just that: chronicle the loss and preservation of countless works of art and architecture that were in peril during armed conflict.

National Gallery of Art

Through Sept. 28

American Metal: The Art of Albert Paley

Spanning a remarkable 50-year career, this first-ever retrospective surveys the art of Albert Paley, one of the world’s most distinguished metalsmiths.

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through Sept. 28

Mark Tribe: Plein Air

Nine large-scale images explore the aesthetics and representation of aerial views in landscape photography through the virtual lens of computer simulation.

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through Sept. 30

Marco Paoli Photography

Marco Paoli presents large black-and-white photographs from his collection “Silenzio (Silence)” and from his forthcoming monograph on Ethiopia, using his travels as metaphors for an artistic exploration around the concepts of silence, memory, emotion and inner journey (viewing appointments must be made by emailing iicwashington@esteri.it).

Embassy of Italy

Through Oct. 5

Degas/Cassatt

Although Edgar Degas’s influence upon Mary Cassatt has long been acknowledged, the extent to which Cassatt shaped Degas’s artistic production and prepared the way for his warm reception by American audiences is fully examined in this exhibition for the first time.

National Gallery of Art

Through Oct. 5

Femininity Beyond Archetypes: Photography by Natalia Arias of Colombia

This exhibit showcases Natalia Arias’ series “Venus,” which initiates a conversation on her vision of Venus and references the idea of the goddess throughout history, and the series “Taboo,” which demonstrates that female bodies are charged with concepts prohibited by society, denying the inherent beauty in biological functions.

Art Museum of the Americas

Through Oct. 12

Total Art: Contemporary Video

The first museum exhibition to focus on women’s impact on the field of video art highlights the inventive processes and compelling subjects that sustain women artists’ position at the forefront of video.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through Oct. 26

Symbols of Honor: Heraldry and Family History in Shakespeare’s England

This show — the largest and most comprehensive of its kind ever mounted — explores the birth of genealogy in its modern form by examining the colorful world of heralds and their rivals, which competed to profit from the craze for coats of arms that seized England during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Through Nov. 14

The First Woman Graphic Novelist: Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová

Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová (1894–1980) was a Czech graphic artist whose 1929 novel “Zmého dětství (From My Childhood)” is widely acknowledged to be the first wordless novel created by a woman.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through Dec. 31

Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Dazzling Gems

One of Cartier’s most important and enduring clients, Marjorie Merriweather Post commissioned some of the most exquisite jewelry sets, fashionable accessories and finely crafted jeweled frames of any American collector.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Through Dec. 31

Titian’s Danaë from the Capodimonte Museum, Naples

One of the most sensual paintings of the Italian Renaissance, Titian’s “Danaë” from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples will be on view to celebrate the commencement of Italy’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.

National Gallery of Art

Through Jan. 4

One Nation With News for All

Ethnic newspapers, radio, television and online publications have helped millions of immigrants to America become part of their new country while preserving their ties to their native lands. This exhibit tells the dramatic story of how immigrants and minorities used the power of the press to fight for their rights and shape the American experience.

Newseum

Through Jan. 11

Salvatore Scarpitta: Traveler

A fascinating and singular figure in postwar art, Salvatore Scarpitta (1919–2007) created a powerful body of work that ranges from nonobjective abstraction to radical realism.

Hirshhorn Museum

DANCE

Tue., Aug. 5, 6 p.m.

Silk Road Dance Company

The award-winning Silk Road Dance Company presents traditional and contemporary women’s dances from the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

Tue., Aug. 26

Gina Ling Chinese Dance Chamber

Founded in 2009 and based in Howard County, Maryland, the Gina Ling Chinese Dance Chamber is committed to promoting Chinese classical, folk and minority nationality dance and performing arts.

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

DISCUSSIONS

Sat., Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The World of Olive Oil

For thousands of years, a liquid gold called olive oil has been produced, traded and cherished. With the widening recognition of its role in a healthy diet and annual global production reaching 3 million tons, the making of olive oil is branching beyond the traditional places, and investments are pouring into new operations just about anywhere in the world olives can grow. Tickets are $150, including Mediterranean box lunch and olive-oil tasting; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

Mon., Aug. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Al-Tayyib Salih Symposium

Sudanese author al-Tayyib Salih (1929-2009), whose literary works put him in the forefront of modern Arabic literature, is the subject of an international symposium that will be followed that evening by a musical and theatrical program focusing on al-Tayyib Salih’s work and Sudanese traditional culture.

Library of Congress

Mon., Aug. 4, 7 p.m.

Colin Powell: On Life and Leadership

Few Americans leaders know better than Colin Powell the axiom that war is a continuation of politics by other means. This evening, Powell, one of America’s most admired public figures, talks about what he has learned along the way of being a soldier on the ground in Vietnam to the country’s first black secretary of state. Tickets are $45; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

Lisner Auditorium

Wed., Aug. 6, 6:45 p.m.

Cuba Today: History, Heritage, and Modern Life

Cuba has long held a special place in the American imagination, but the 52-year-old trade embargo makes it difficult, if not impossible, for us to travel to the island. Still, many Americans wonder how Cubans live today. How does the sense of their own history influence their choices? Join long-time Cuba researcher Michael Atwood Mason as he discusses the many ways that history and heritage influence contemporary Cuba. Tickets are $42; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

Mon., Aug. 11, 6:45 p.m.

Panama: Crossroads of the World

Panama, bridging two continents and site of the only canal that connects two oceans, draws tourists with its tropical jungles, rich cultural heritage, and swashbuckling history. In this illustrated tour led by biodiversity specialist Bob Szaro, explore the dazzle and variety of Panama City on the Pacific coast and the intriguing Indian villages along Gatun Lake. Tickets are $25; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

Location on ticket

Tue., Aug. 12, 6:45 p.m.

Holy Icons of Medieval Russia: Reawakening to a Spiritual Past

Scott Ruby, associate curator of Russian and Eastern European art at Hillwood Museum, examines how the appreciation and understanding of medieval icons developed, as well as some of the aspects of medieval iconography that differentiate it from the work of later centuries. Tickets are $25; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

Thu., Aug. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Inside the World of Diplomacy

Members of the U.S. Foreign Service are the face of America in countries around the globe. From ambassadors to embassy staffers, their posts are demanding, important and often difficult ones. How does someone enter the world of diplomacy — and what do they find there? Take a rare opportunity to get answers from men and women whose careers are spent in diplomatic Washington as you go inside the American Foreign Service Association and the U.S. Department of State. Tickets are $135; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

American Foreign Service Association

Sun., Aug. 17, 6:45 p.m.

Global Warming We Can Live With: Chili Peppers are Hot

From the South African piri-piri to the Mexican habanero to the Vietnamese black dragon to the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet, spicy peppers are a window into a country’s climate, culture and cuisine. Chili expert Robb Walsh explains scientific concepts like Scoville units that measure pungency and the historic migratory patterns that helped spread peppers over the globe. Tickets are $45, including tasting; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

Location on ticket

MUSIC

Sun., Aug. 3, 8 p.m.

Cultura Profetica

Cultura Profética, a Puerto Rican reggae roots ban formed in 1996, stands out as one of the most influential bands in Latin America, touring extensively in the biggest venues of the continent. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Howard Theatre

Tue., Aug. 5, 8 p.m.

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman is a Syrian artist who changed the vibe of weddings throughout the Middle East with his Shaabi street sound, bringing it to the West through his notorious late-night festival slots. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Howard Theatre

Aug. 6 and 7, 8 p.m.

Beres Hammond and DJ Inferno

Beres Hammond is considered Jamaica’s greatest practicing singer/songwriter whose recent appearance at Jamaica’s premier music festival was unanimously hailed as the finest of the event, captivating an audience of nearly 20,000. Tickets are $39.50 in advance and $45 at the door.

Howard Theatre

Fri., Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.

Pianist Mark Damisch

The Austrian Cultural Forum presents pianist Mark Damisch in concert playing a range of classic compositions by Bartok, Beethoven and Schubert for friendship and peace. Admission is free but registration is required at http://markdamisch.eventbrite.com.

Embassy of Austria

Sat., Aug. 9, 8 p.m.

Pan Jazz Legend: Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore

Ken Philmore, one of the premier steel-pan soloists in the world, was born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the birthplace of the “steel pan,” the only musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Tickets are $25 to $50.

Howard Theatre

Fri., Aug. 15, 7 p.m.

Quraishi

World-class Afghan-American rubab player Quraishi offers a performance of original compositions that carry a deep dedication to his native country’s artistic tradition and its national instrument.

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

THEATER

Through Aug. 3

The Tempest

Shakespeare’s glorious tale of magical creatures, love and forgiveness on a faraway island is sure to captivate in our outdoor space, the Root Family Stage. Please call for ticket information.

Olney Shakespeare Theatre

Aug. 5 to Sept. 21

Sunday in the Park with George

Signature launches its 25th anniversary season with Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize- winning play inspired by the painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat that merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art. Please call for ticket information.

Signature Theatre

Aug. 16 to Sept. 21

Shining City / Molly

Scena Theater presents two overlapping Irish productions: “Shining City,” by modern master Conor McPherson, and the world premiere of “Molly,” a play about the mistress of Irish playwright J.M Synge by George O’Brien. Tickets are $20 to $40.

Atlas Performing Arts Center

Through Aug. 17

Disney’s The Lion King

Winner of six Tonys including Best Musical, “Disney’s The Lion King” returns with direction and costumes by Julie Taymor and a score by Elton John and Tim Rice that brings the African Pridelands to life. Tickets are $40 to $190.

Kennedy Center Opera House

Through Aug. 17

Stupid F###king Bird

An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation while a nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist in this irreverent remix of Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” Please call for ticket information.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre

Aug. 19 to 31

The Winter’s Tale

The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Free For All,” a beloved Washington tradition, brings back its imaginative and critically acclaimed 2013 production of “The Winter’s Tale,” a story of two generations rising above torment and obsession in the austere court at Sicilia and the bright sea shore of Bohemia.

Sidney Harman Hall