EVENT CATEGORIES
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ART
Through Nov. 4
2,000 Miles: Divided Land, Common Humanity
This exhibition aims to contribute to our ongoing conversation about walls, borders and people. Until recently, the idea of separating territories and peoples via manmade borders seemed an outdated relic from the past. Recent political developments, however, including the creation of new barriers at the European Union’s borders, have made such barriers a topic of heated debate. Germany’s own past in this regard serves as inspiration for two German artists, Daniel Schwarz and Stefan Falke, who take a close look at the geography and the cultural and social commonalities on the two sides of the U.S.-Mexican border.
Goethe-Institut
Nov. 4 to 30
Seen vs. Shown: Perspectives on Human Identity
When it comes to people, what is seen and what is shown does not necessarily coincide. By crossing boundaries of past, present and future, this exhibition of contemporary media and photography aims to reveal definitions of human identity, emotion and the anonymity that typically go unseen.
Korean Cultural Center
Through Nov. 6
Will & Jane
Merchandising, parodies and spinoffs through the centuries have put William Shakespeare and Jane Austen on a first-name basis with the world. Explore the stories of “Will” and “Jane” and the nature of literary celebrity. How does today’s Cult of Jane resemble the first wave of Bardolatry 200 years ago?
Folger Shakespeare Library
Nov. 9 to Jan. 13
Light from the Other Side: Shadowgraphs by Tim Otto Roth
Shadows underscore the beauty of nature and escape the captivity of their surfaces in the shadowgraphs created by German conceptual artist Tim Otto Roth. Usually referred to as photograms, these highly differentiated shadow records on light-sensitive surfaces are created in a process similar to an X-ray, with Roth dedicating 15 years of research and development into this medium.
Goethe-Institut
Nov. 12 to Dec. 18
Alex Katz: Black and White
This exhibit showcases renowned American realist artist Alex Katz’s lifelong interest in stripping color out of his prints and replacing sensual pleasure with intellectual design. Design versus color is an artistic debate that goes back to the Renaissance.
American University Museum
At Katzen Arts Center
Nov. 12 to Dec. 18
Martha Wilson & Franklin Furnace
“Martha Wilson & Franklin Furnace” highlights Wilson’s four decades creating innovative photographic and video works that explore her female subjectivity through role-playing, costume transformations and invasions of other people’s personae.
American University Museum
At Katzen Arts Center
Nov. 20 to March 5
Stuart Davis: In Full Swing
As one of the most important American modernists, Stuart Davis (1892–1964) blurred distinctions between text and image, high and low art, and abstraction and figuration, crafting a distinct style that continues to influence art being made today.
National Gallery of Art
Through Dec. 11
Gender Equality: We’ve come a long way – haven’t we?
Sweden’s achievements in gender equality are hailed as inspiring examples. Focusing on four sub-goals of gender equality set up by the Swedish government — equal division of power and influence; economic equality; equal distribution of unpaid housework and provision of care; and men’s violence against women — this exhibition aims to inspire and reflect as well as discuss the changes that have been made and to initiate the changes still needed.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 11
Spirit of the Wild: Through the Eyes of Mattias Klum
All life on earth is interconnected. Cities, societies and nations depend on healthy natural ecosystems to survive and prosper. Mattias Klum, one of the most important natural history photographer of our time, shares the stories of his journeys; from deep in the Artic to wild places like the Borneo rainforest, to the savannahs of Tanzania and the life under the sea.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 11
Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Unfolded
The freedom to express oneself in speech and writing is one of the basic human rights according to the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948. Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Act was passed almost 200 years earlier, in 1766. This unique timeline exhibition reveals how Sweden’s freedom of the press came about and focuses on some of the advances and setbacks that have shaped it.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 11
Viktigt by Ingegerd Raman
With love of craftsmanship and simplicity at the heart of it all, Viktigt pieces do their job in silence. Ingegerd Råman, the House of Sweden’s own designer, explores the craftsmanship behind her IKEA collection of glass, ceramic, bamboo and natural fibers.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 11
Wingårdhs
The House of Sweden turns 10 years this fall. The architects behind the beautiful building tell us what motivated the design of this stunning example of contemporary Scandinavian architecture.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 11
Woodland Sweden
Nature is prevalent everywhere in Sweden and there is a long tradition of using nature’s raw materials in the country’s built environment. Wooden architecture and design, in fact, are becoming a new Swedish export item. This exhibition shows the rapid development of Swedish innovative contemporary architecture and examines different aspects of construction work with wood.
House of Sweden
Through Dec. 31
Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945
The style that came to be known as art deco, which flourished from the 1920s to 1940s, was a vivid reflection of the modern era and the vitality of the machine age. Between the wars, as normalcy returned to politics, jazz music blossomed and the flapper redefined the modern woman, art deco left its mark on every form of visual art. This exhibit explores how the Japanese interpreted the style and transformed it through their own rich art and craft traditions.
Hillwood Museum, Estate and Gardens
Through January 2017
Resilience: Reclaiming History and the Dominican Diaspora
Resilience is defined as the human ability to cope with difficult times and bounce back from personal trauma. The Inter-American Development Bank, with support from the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic, examine how artists create a space for society’s healing and growth. Today, the Dominican Republic is one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the advances in reducing poverty and inequality have not kept pace with GDP growth. Looking toward the future, the country needs to improve the quality of education, health care infrastructure and services, diversify exports and boost productivity, while also adapting to climate change and promoting innovation.
IDB Cultural Center
Through Jan. 2
Drawings for Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt
Dutch landscapes, still lifes, and scenes of daily life possess a remarkable immediacy and authenticity, giving the impression that Dutch artists painted them from life. However, artists actually executed these works — as well as biblical and mythological subjects—in studios, often using drawings as points of departure. Over 90 drawings and 25 paintings by renowned Golden Age masters reveals the many ways Dutch artists used preliminary drawings in the painting process.
National Gallery of Art
Through Jan. 2
Intersections: Photographs and Videos from the National Gallery of Art and Corcoran Gallery of Art
Nearly 700 photographs from Eadweard Muybridge’s groundbreaking publication “Animal Locomotion,” acquired by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1887, became the foundation for the institution’s early interest in photography. The Key Set of more than 1,600 works by Alfred Stieglitz, donated by Georgia O’Keeffe and the Alfred Stieglitz Estate, launched the photography collection at the National Gallery of Art in 1949. Inspired by these two seminal artists, Muybridge and Stieglitz, the exhibition brings together highlights of the recently merged collections of the Corcoran and the National Gallery of Art by a range of artists from the 1840s to today.
National Gallery of Art
Through Jan. 2
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
“Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings” encompasses landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes and history subjects that demonstrate the originality of Dutch and Flemish draftsmanship and its stylistic evolution.
National Gallery of Art
Through Jan. 2
Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa
This exhibition features six internationally recognized African artists and examines how time is experienced and produced by the body. Bodies stand, climb, dance and dissolve in seven works of video and film art by Sammy Baloji, Theo Eshetu, Moataz Nasr, Berni Searle, Yinka Shonibare and Sue Williamson, all of whom repeat, resist and reverse the expectation that time must move relentlessly forward.
National Museum of African Art
Through Jan. 5
North Is Freedom
This photographic essay celebrates the descendants of freedom-seekers who escaped slavery in the United States by fleeing to Canada. In the years before the American Civil War, approximately 30,000 fugitive slaves followed the “North Star” to freedom, using a network of clandestine routes that became known as the “Underground Railroad.” Some 150 years later, Canadian photographer Yuri Dojc explores the northern end of the “Underground Railroad” and presents a series of 24 portraits of descendants. This exhibit honors the contributions of once-enslaved African Americans and their descendants to Canada and celebrates the opening of the newest Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Embassy of Canada Art Gallery
Through Jan. 7
The Overflow of Productivity Logic
“The Overflow of Productivity Logic,” with works by artists Cristina Lucas, Irving Penn, Abraham Cruzvillegas and more, features a selection of pieces that, through gestures, evocations or representations, displace the conceptual pillars of the prevailing economic model. Through three thematic axes, the exhibit calls into question production processes and economic exchange, reflects on the role that the economy plays in the constitution of an individual and challenges the logic of “productivity” within the capitalistic economic model.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Through Jan. 8
NO MAN’S LAND: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection
Born in 16 countries across five continents, 37 contemporary artists use their aesthetically diverse work to address varied political and intellectual themes. This exhibition centers on the process of making as well as on images of the female body — both topics that extend from the feminist art movement of the 1970s.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Through Jan. 8
People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series
The Phillips Collection reunites all 60 panels of “The Migration Series,” Jacob Lawrence’s seminal masterwork depicting the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between the World Wars. Shaped by an interdisciplinary team of scholars, this exhibition explores the historical, literary, socio-cultural, aesthetic and contemporary manifestations of migration that underlie Lawrence’s powerful visual narrative. The presentation is complemented by a new interactive website, featuring the artist’s first-hand accounts as well as contemporary responses to migration.
The Phillips Collection
Through Jan. 8
Ragnar Kjartansson
“Ragnar Kjartansson” is the first major survey of the work of the internationally acclaimed Icelandic artist and his prodigious output since his debut in Reykjavík in 2000. It features the artist’s most celebrated works, including many never before seen in the U.S., and encompasses the entirety of his practice — live endurance performance, large-scale video installations, drawings, photography and painting.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Through Jan. 8
Whitfield Lovell: The Kin Series & Related Works
The work of internationally recognized Bronx-born artist Whitfield Lovell powerfully examines “the markings that the past has made — and continues to make—on who we are.” In his exquisitely crafted Kin series and related tableaux, Lovell combines freely drawn Conté crayon figures of anonymous African Americans with time worn objects from everyday life, such as a brooch, clock or flag.
The Phillips Collection
Through Jan. 28
DeLIMITations
This exhibit chronicles a 2,400 mile-long, site-specific installation that traces the border between Mexico and the United States as it existed in 1821. In marking the short-lived historic boundary with a series of monuments that mimic those installed along the contemporary border, artists Marchos Ramírez Erre and David Taylor question the permanence of borders while recognizing the shared history and common interests between the two neighboring countries.
Mexican Cultural Institute
Through Jan. 29
Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959-1971
The remarkable career of gallerist and patron Virginia Dwan will be featured front and center for the first time in an exhibition of some 100 works, featuring highlights from Dwan’s promised gift of her extraordinary personal collection to the National Gallery of Art.
National Gallery of Art
Through Jan. 29
Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan
Decades of civil unrest nearly destroyed Afghanistan’s vital artistic heritage. Over the past decade, Turquoise Mountain, an organization founded in 2006 at the request of the prince of Wales and the president of Afghanistan, has transformed the Murad Khani district of Old Kabul from slum conditions into a vibrant cultural and economic center.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Through Feb. 7
No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting
“No Boundaries” showcases the work of nine Aboriginal artists from remote northwest Australia, revered as community leaders and the custodians of ceremonial knowledge. They took up painting late in their lives, but quickly established themselves at the forefront of Australian contemporary art. The paintings of these nine men cannot be understood outside of the rich cultural traditions that inform them. At the same time, these artists are innovators of the highest order.
Embassy of Australia Art Gallery
Through Feb. 12
Notes from the Desert: Photographs by Gauri Gill
Since the late 1990s, Gauri Gill (born 1970) has been photographing marginalized communities in western Rajasthan, India. Featuring 57 of her prints, this exhibition showcases Gill’s work in the remote desert region and draws on her extensive archive.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Through Feb. 20
The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
In recognition of one of the world’s extraordinary collections of Qur’ans, the Freer|Sackler is hosting a landmark exhibition, the first of its kind in the United States, featuring some 50 of the most sumptuous manuscripts from Herat to Istanbul. Celebrated for their superb calligraphy and lavish illumination, these manuscripts — which range in date from the early 8th to the 17th century — are critical to the history of the arts of the book. They were once the prized possessions of Ottoman sultans and the ruling elite, who donated their Qur’ans to various institutions to express their personal piety and secure political power.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Through March 5
Photography Reinvented: The Collection of Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker
The collection of Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker brings together works of critically important artists who have changed the course of photography through their experimentation and conceptual scope. Especially rich in holdings of work by photographers of the famed Düsseldorf School, among them Struth, Candida Höfer, Andreas Gursky and Thomas Ruff, the collection also includes examples by photographers exploring the nature of the medium itself, such as Demand, Cindy Sherman and Vik Muniz.
National Gallery of Art
Through March 26
The Great Swindle: Works by Santiago Montoya
Colombian artist Santiago Montoya uses paper currency as the base for his work, re-contextualizing one of our most basic and intimate relationships: the relationship with money. Comprised of works that Montoya has made over the last 10 years, “The Great Swindle” represents a sustained examination of the complicated, fluid relationships we have with financial systems, as well as a journey through the artist’s forays into the materiality of paper bills — raising questions and taking positions on our place within the financial system.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas
Through Aug. 6, 2017
José Gómez-Sicre’s Eye
A half-century ago, Cuban-born curator José Gómez-Sicre took the reins of the OAS’s art program, thrusting himself into the rapidly expanding Latin American art world and bringing young, emerging talent to the OAS’s budding exhibition space. Impassioned by the arts, Gómez-Sicre planted the seeds of what is today considered among world’s finest collections of modern and contemporary Latin American and Caribbean art. The OAS will be celebrating the centennial of Gómez-Sicre’s birth throughout 2016, honoring his contribution to the legacy of the hemisphere’s art.
OAS Art Museum of the Americas
DANCE
Nov. 4 to 13
Fuego Flamenco XII
GALA Hispanic Theatre continues its 41st season with the 12th annual Fuego Flamenco Festival, which brings leading flamenco artists from Spain and the U.S. to Washington, including the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company and Francisco Hidalgo and Company. Single tickets are $40.
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Nov. 23 to 27
Cincinnati Ballet: The Nutcracker
This annual presentation of this holiday favorite brings the D.C. premiere of a bright and colorful production featuring elaborate scenery, whimsical stage effects, awe-inspiring acrobatics and entrancing choreography. Tickets are $59 to $250.
Kennedy Center Opera House
DISCUSSIONS
Wed., Nov. 19, 12:30 p.m.
How is it Going Germany: The Day After – German Perspectives on the U.S. Election
The day after the elections, Dieter Dettke of Georgetown University, veteran German journalist Klaus Jürgen Haller and a group of election observers from Germany will talk with Charles Lane about the possible impacts the results of this election could have on the U.S.-European relationship.
Goethe-Institut
Wed., Nov. 16, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Serbia: A Cultural Confluence
Contemporary Serbia’s inheritance from both the East and the West is rooted in its location: The Balkan nation sits astride the ancient “catena mundi,” the road tying Constantinople to Rome. This heritage is reflected in everything from the country’s flag to dual alphabets based on Latin and Cyrillic models, and from music and literature to culinary traditions. Serbian-born Vladimir Pistalo provides a cultural and historical overview of a nation that might be described as “the East of the West and the West of the East.” Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
FESTIVALS
Sat., Nov. 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Czech Christmas Market
This popular annual event features beautiful hand-blown glass ornaments, exquisite glass and jewelry, delicious Christmas cookies, pastries, mulled wine (svařák) and more. Highlighted companies include Glassor, Antipearle, La Bohemia Bakery, Slovak-Czech Varieties and Topix Crystal Art. For more information, visit www.mzv.cz/washington/en/culture_events/culture/czech_christmas_market.html.
Embassy of the Czech Republic
Sat., Nov. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Slovak Christmas Market
Washington’s Christmas bazaar season starts this month with the unique Slovak Christmas Market at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic. Enjoy beautiful handmade glass ornaments; tastings of traditional Christmas soup and mulled wine; Christmas cookies; famous Austrian jewelry from Oliver Weber by Swarovski; and Christmas carols by children´s choir.
Embassy of the Slovak Republic
Through Nov. 6
Kids Euro Festival 2016
The Kids Euro Festival, now in its ninth year, is a two-week long festival of European arts and culture presenting free activities to D.C. metro area children and their families. There are performances, concerts, workshops, movies, storytelling and more — all brought to you by the 28 European Union member states. Highlights include Finland’s “Wow Hoop!” introducing children and infants to the joys of the circus (Nov. 2-5); “Short and Sweet,” a collection of four short animated films from Latvia (Nov. 3); “Story Telling, Irish Style!” (Nov. 5); “Colourful Games” interactive dance performance from Lithuania (Nov. 4-6); and a basketball camp with Poland’s Marcin Gortat of the NBA (Nov. 6). For a complete schedule, visit kidseurofestival.org.
Various locations
Through Nov. 20
Mutual Inspirations Festival: Martina Navrátilová
This year’s Mutual Inspirations Festival, hosted by the Czech Embassy, honors a living sports legend: Martina Navrátilová. The Czech-American tennis great took women’s tennis to another level and inspired the world with her unsurpassed record of 59 Grand Slam titles. Beyond her victories on the court, Navrátilová has become an inspirational leader to rising stars, athletes, women, breast cancer patients and minorities, and she is an outspoken advocate for human rights and healthy living. The annual festival, now in its seventh year, celebrates the mutual influence between Czech and American cultures and the enormous personalities who have shaped this connection. Highlights include a variety of films screenings, discussions, exhibitions, fitness demonstrations and theater. For information, visit www.mutualinspirations.org.
Various locations
MUSIC
Wed., Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Levon Ambartsumian, Violin; Evgeny Rivkin, Piano
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence with violinist Levon Ambartsumian, who studied at the Moscow Gnessin Music School and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and has performed in the U.S., Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Brazil and South Korea. Along with pianist Evgeny Rivkin, they will perform a program of Schubert, Brahms and works by various Armenian composers. Tickets are $95, including buffet and wine; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Armenia
Fri., Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m.
Nadir Khashimov, Violin
Nadir Khashimov’s expressive and charismatic style has made him one of the most accomplished and versatile violinists on the international music scene today, having appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Orchestra of Russia, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. Event is by invitation only; for information, call (202) 625-2361.
Embassy of Uzbekistan
Fri., Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.
Darwin Noguera Jazz Ensemble
With three albums, frequently commissioned works, many recordings and performances across the United States and Central America, Darwin Noguera is considered to be a rising star in the new generation of pianists in the jazz and Latin genres. Tickets are $110, including buffet reception and wine; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of Nicaragua
Sat., Nov. 19, 7 p.m.
Christopher Schmitt, Piano
Christopher Schmitt, a graduate of the Juilliard School with a doctoral degree in musical arts, is a resident pianist in the President’s Own U.S. Marine Band. While performing Shostakovich’s “Trio No 2” and the Messaien Quartet for the “End of Time” at the Phillips Collection, the Washington Post called Schmitt’s playing “carefully colored” and “sensitive.” Tickets are $25, including reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
International Student House
THEATER
Through Nov. 6
Romeo & Juliet
The most famous love story in the world and one of Shakespeare’s early poetic masterworks, “Romeo & Juliet” follows two star-crossed lovers from love at first sight to eternal life hereafter. Please call for ticket information.
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Lansburgh Theatre
Nov. 12 to 20
Washington National Opera: The Daughter of the Regiment
A woman raised by soldiers must convince her “fathers” to let her marry a peasant — just as a mysterious Marquise comes to whisk her away to become a proper lady. Tickets are $45 to $315.
Kennedy Center Opera House
Through Nov. 13
Sense and Sensibility
Reason and passion collide in Jane Austen’s beloved tale of sisterhood and romance. When sudden financial straits force the Dashwood family to move to a distant cottage, sisters Elinor and Marianne become ensnared in heart-wrenching romances. Tickets are $30 to $75.
Folger Theatre
Nov. 15 to Dec. 31
The Secret Garden
When 10-year-old Mary Lennox loses her parents to a cholera epidemic in the British Raj of India, she travels to England to stay with her remote and morose uncle, still grieving the death of his wife 10 years ago. Terrified of every nook and cranny of the haunted Craven Manor on the Yorkshire Moors, Mary seeks refuge in her late aunt’s mysterious walled garden, where she discovers amazing secrets. Please call for ticket information.
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Harman Hall
Nov. 18 to Dec. 3
A View from the Bridge
Internationally renowned Belgian director Ivo van Hove presents a limited engagement of Arthur Miller’s masterwork, winner of two 2016 Tony Awards including Best Director and Best Revival of a Play. Join tragic protagonist Eddie Carbone in this dark and passionate tale of family, love and duplicity. Tickets are $45 to $149.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Nov. 18 to Dec. 24
Moby Dick
Set sail on an epic adventure this holiday season with a dramatically reimagined production of “Moby Dick,” which uses bold trapeze and acrobatic work to bring to life Captain Ahab’s harrowing quest for the legendary great while whale. Tickets are $40 to $90.
Arena Stage
Through Nov. 20
The Year of Magical Thinking
Iconic stage and screen actress Kathleen Turner returns to Arena Stage to star in Joan Didion’s one-woman drama that chronicles the sudden death of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, and the illness of her only daughter. Her first-person account weaves together an intensely personal yet universal story of hope in the face of inescapable loss. Tickets are $40 to $90.
Arena Stage
Nov. 27 to Dec. 21
The Second Shepherds’ Play
This magical retelling of the Nativity story combines beautiful music and a moving story for the holiday season, featuring the Folger Consort, the award-winning early music ensemble in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, performing festive medieval English tunes against the backdrop of this engaging mystery play. Tickets are $40 to $60.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Through Dec. 24
Carousel
Named the best musical of the 20th century by Time magazine, “Carousel” follows Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan through their journey of love, loss and redemption and soars with unforgettable songs including “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Tickets are $50 to $99.
Arena Stage