Guide to The Arts in DC: Dec 2017

Art to See in DC

Arts Not To Miss Dec 2017

DC Has a LOT of great art, so much that it would make the calendar impossible to see so each month we will bring you a guide of the shows not to miss!! Click the title line to find tickets!!

 

Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image
Who: Marlene Dietrich
What: Visit the latest exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image. The new feature showcases the iconic actress and gender-bending role model and celebrates her noteworthy, long career. Please call Exhibitions for More info at (202) 633-8280
Where: National Portrait Gallery 8th St NW & F St NW, Washington, DC 20001
When: June 16,2017 – April 15,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

One Life: Sylvia Plath
Who: Sylvia Plath
What: Visit the National Portrait Gallery for an exhibition exploring the personal life and work of poet and writer, Sylvia Plath. Visitors will get a first hand glance at Plath’s personal letters, artwork, and family photographs, alongside a timeline exploring her life as she came of age as an author in the 1950s.
Where: 8th and F St NW, Washington, DC, United States
When: June 30th, 2017 – May 20th, 2018
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Ilya and Emilia Kabakov: The Utopian Projects
Who: Ilya and Emilia Kabakov
What: At first glance, the art of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov is unabashedly joyful, filled with bright colors and sunny scenes. Their optimism is contagious but it also comments on something much darker: the oppression both of the artists encountered while growing up in the Soviet Union. The couple now live and work on Long Island and are the subject of two major exhibitions this fall. London’s Tate Modern hosts their first major show in the U.K. starting in October, spanning the length of their careers, while the Hirshhorn’s exhibit focuses on models for work made after 1985. This includes original plans for “The Man Who Flew Into Space From His Apartment,” an expansive installation and tribute to the human spirit first seen in D.C. in 1990, and “The Ship of Tolerance,” an ongoing installation mounted in different bodies of water around the world with the assistance of children. As visitors explore the exhibit, they’ll begin to understand the Kabakov’s process and, perhaps, they’ll find their spirits lifted as well. The exhibition is on view daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., to March 4, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 7th Street and Independence Avenue SW. Free. (202) 633-4674. hirshhorn.si.edu. (Caroline Jones)
Where: Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Ave SW & 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
When: Oct 2,2017 – March 4,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets here

 

Before the 45th: Action/Reaction in Chicano and Latino Art
Who: Before the 45th
What: Ongoing: “Before the 45th: Action/Reaction in Chicano and Latino Art.” Artists from Southern California reflect on the ways they affected political, economic, and social justice issues through their art and their actions in this exhibition that brings together more than 30 participants.
Where: Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
When: Oct 2,2017 – Dec 29,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Black Artists of Today: Reinventing Tomorrow
Who: Black Artists of Today
What: Opening: “Black Artists of Today: Reinventing Tomorrow.” Zenith Gallery celebrates African Heritage Month with this group show that includes wood sculptures, paintings, and mosaics. Featured artists include Doba Afolabi, Akili Ron Anderson, Mason Archie, Anne Bouie, William Buchanan, Carolyn Goodridge, Bernie Houston, Hubert Jackson, Chris Malone, Christine Mays, Ibou N’Diaye, Preston Sampson, and Curtis Woody.
Where: Zenith Gallery Space, 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20004
When: Oct 31,2017 – Jan 6,2018

 

Posing for the Camera: Gifts from Robert B. Menschel
Who: Robert B Menschel
What: Pictures by Lewis Carroll, Edward Weston, Man Ray, Robert Frank, and Timothy H. O’Sullivan are presented in this exhibit of photographs donated by Menschel, who helped establish the museum’s photography collection in 1989.
Where: National Gallery of Art, 6th & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA
When: Nov 6,2017 – Jan 1,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Health of the Planet
Who: Health of the Planet
What: In the abstract, the exhibition of artworks by Steve Miller at the National Academy of Sciences—billed as a “metaphorical checkup” on the ecological health of the Amazonian rainforest—sounds like a gimmick. But while some of the pieces are needlessly complex, others turn out to be strikingly beautiful. In the former category are a series of large canvases that utilize renderings of satellite imagery and local flora and fauna to communicate the basin’s galloping deforestation and loss of biodiversity. The multiple overlays of imagery confuse rather than clarify. Simpler and more effective is Miller’s use of X-rays to depict animals (some of them still living, a stiff technical challenge). In two triptychs, Miller has assembled X-rays of artfully posed birds, turtles, and iguanas. Their ghostly images, rendered by inkjet on aluminum, seem to jump outward with an eerie shimmer. Meanwhile, in “Law of the Jungle,” Miller etched an X-ray on laminated glass, showing a sinuously curved python with a very dead mouse still being digested in its stomach. Equal parts beautiful and creepy, the work is easily Miller’s finest and the show’s least political. The exhibition is on view Mondays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to Jan. 31, at the National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Ave. NW. Free. (202) 334-2415. cpnas.org. —Louis Jacobson
Where: National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20418, USA
When: Oct 2, 2017 – Jan 31,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

An Act of God
Who: Snarky Tom
What: In these divided times, D.C. could certainly use some divine enlightenment. Luckily, Signature Theatre has a direct line to the man upstairs—or at least to the delightfully snarky Tom Story playing God in this hilarious, speedy (a brisk 90 minutes) one-man show. Originally a set of funny tweets, then turned into a bestselling book, Emmy-winning writer David Javerbaum’s show An Act of God brings the almighty down to Earth to set the record straight on what he really meant with those Commandments. This show promises to be gut-busting with the sharp comic talents of Story (in a role previously performed by Jim Parsons and Sean Hayes) and the biting wit of Javerbaum, who’s best known for his years writing on The Daily Show and for Stephen Colbert. Isn’t laughter truly healing? The play runs Oct. 3 to Nov. 26 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. $40-$75. (703) 820-9771. sigtheatre.org. (Diana Metzger)
Where: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206, USA
When: Oct 3,2017 – Nov 26,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Feast Your Eyes: A Taste for Luxury in Ancient Iran
Who: Feast Your Eyes
What: The Freer and Sackler galleries celebrate their 25th anniversary with a new exhibition showcasing their collection of precious metalworks from Iran. Spanning from 550 BCE through the early Islamic period, these pieces tell the stories of kings and other royalty, hunting scenes, and official ceremonies.
Where: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
When: Nov 6th,2017 – Dec 31,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Crazy for You
Who: Ken Ludwig
What: The songs of George and Ira Gershwin are reimagined by playwright Ken Ludwig in this musical about a banker, assigned to shut down a small-town theater, who decides to revive it instead. Featuring favorite songs like “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” this musical, arriving at Signature in time for the holidays, is directed by Matthew Gardiner.
Where: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206, USA
When: Nov 7,2017 – Jan 14,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

 

Angela To
Who: Angela
What: pening: “Angela To.” The Chinese-Canadian artist looks to nature for inspiration for these brightly colored works that are covered in layers of resin.
Where: Cross Mackenzie Gallery, 1675 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
When: Nov 9,2017 – Dec 1,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Nina Simone: Four Women
Who: Nina Simone
What: Arena Stage’s new production features civil rights activist Nina Simone’s famous songs.
Where: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC 20024, USA
When: Nov 10,2017 – Dec 24,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains)
Who: Felonius
What: Second City performer Felonius Monk mines his own life for experience in this comedy show that chronicles his journey from incarcerated criminal to corporate drone to comedian and actor. He’s joined on stage by a company of Second City comedians.
Where: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St NW, Washington, DC 20004, USA
When: Nov 11,2017 – Dec 31,2017
Tickets: Get Tickets Here

 

Abstract Art by Black Women Artists from 1960s to Today at Women’s Museum
Who: Magnetic Fields
What: Purchase your National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) tickets. Visit NMWA’s exhibitions and collection pages to see what is on view.Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for visitors 65 and over and students, and free for NMWA members and youth 18 years and younger. The first Sunday of every month is a Community Day at NMWA, with free admission to all exhibitions. You do not need to purchase a ticket if you plan to visit on a Community Day. Are you a member? Current members must enter their Membership ID below or present their current membership card at the Museum Shop in order to gain free admission to the museum. Visiting as a Group? Go to book a tour to reserve and purchase tickets. Please note the e-ticket expires six months after the date of purchase. All tickets are one-time use and nonrefundable. For questions, please call 1-800-222-7270.
Where: National Museum of Women in the Arts, New York Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC, United States
When: Oct 13,2017 – Jan 21,2018
Tickets: Get Tickets here

 

Immigration Film Festival
Who: Immigration Film
What: More than 25 films, all of them related in some way to issues of immigration, screen over the course of this two-month festival. Featured titles include Pelle the Conquerer,  Documented, and The Nine Muses.
Where: Various Venues
When: Nov 13,2017 – Dec 12,2017

 

Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia
Who: Encountering the Buddha
What: In this interactive exhibition, visitors can explore a Tibetan shrine or Sri Lankan stupa and travel the world with monks and teachers while learning about the principles and images of Buddhism. Art from the Freer and Sackler galleries fills out the exhibit.
Where: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
When: Nov 20,2017 – Oct 21, 2020

 

Christmas at The Old Bull & Bush
Who: Christmas at the Old Bull & Bush
What: Enjoy classic British carols and drinking songs in this holiday show set in a London pub. As the characters enjoy mince pies and sausage rolls, they perform sketches and share stories related to the Christmas season.
Where: MetroStage, 1201 N Royal St # D, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
When: Nov 20,2017 – Dec 24,2017

 

 

Splash: Attitude and Process
Who: Splash
What: Opening: “Splash: Attitude and Process.” In this year’s Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, residents are encouraged to submit work that expresses attitude and style.
Where: Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave, Brentwood, MD 20722, USA
When: Nov 20,2017 – Dec 30,2017

 

Linling Lu
Who: Linling Lu
What: Opening: “Linling Lu.” The local artist presents works from her ongoing series of circular paintings.
Where: Hemphill Fine Arts, 1515 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA
When: Nov 20,2017 – Dec 16,2017