Results tagged “museum”

The arts season kicks itself into high gear this weekend. There's enough happening to keep your art plate full, with plenty of seconds.

>> In 2008, for the first time in human history, more people lived in cities than in rural areas. One-third of these urban dwellers—more than one billion people—resided in slums. The National Building Museum opens a multimedia exhibit titled The Places we Live, which documents the homes of 20 different families in four slums around the world. Opening September 15.

Opening today, the Renwick Gallery presents Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009 which brings together four artists who explore the narrative in their medium of choice. Ceramic artist Christyl Boger, fiber artist Mark Newport, glass artist Mary Van Cline and ceramic artist SunKoo Yuh walk the fine line between what is traditionally known as craft and art, showing decidedly non-functional pieces that are heavy on the narrative. They forgo the traditional definition of craft for the appeal of story telling through art.

>> On August 1, the Newseum opened Woodstock at 40: The Rise of Music Journalism. This exhibit commemorates the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair featuring rarely seen images, memorabilia and artifacts.

>> Connor Contemporary Art opens Academy 2009 this Saturday. This 9th annual MFA/BFA survey showcases the talent and work of recent fine art graduates of regional college art programs. Start the evening off with the No Artist Left Behind series: The Top 10 Things Every Artist Should Know, a panel discussion co-hosted by Washington Project for the Arts at 4 p.m. Opening reception for Academy 2009 starts at 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m. PULSE Contemporary Art Fair will award one of this year's Academy exhibiting artists an exhibition space at PULSE Miami 2009.

>> Saturday night, head over to the vacant lot at 1st and K Streets SE to see over 20 artists perform some live street art for Breaking Wave: Mural Jam. Presented by the Capital Riverfront BID and Artomatic, they'll also have music, food and drink from 5 to 11 p.m. This event has been postponed.

>> The Hirshhorn brings us two interesting and sure to be popular events this July. For the beginning of the month, learn what a curator and a critic thought of the Venice Biennale at In Conversation: Kristen Hileman and Blake Gopnik on Art in the Present. July 9, 7 p.m. At the end of the month, Hirshhorn After Hours returns Friday July 24, 8 p.m. with The Nighthawks. Tickets will only be sold in advance, so get yours now.

>> During the post-World War II boom years, countless families had money for travel and a curiosity about the world, particularly Europe. In documenting these travels, many people used Kodachrome film, the first color film to find widespread use. Starting in June, the National Geographic Museum will take visitors on a vacation back to this era with a new photography exhibition, Kodachrome Culture, culled from images from the National Geographic archives. Opening June 25

The first annual CraftWeek DC kicks off this Wednesday, April 22, with five days filled with exhibits, panel discussions, open studios and more. The week is an expanded program of crafty celebration, anchored by the 27th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show and the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) Spring Craft Weekend.

The area's museums take March by the tail and offer up some celebrations, comics, costumes and cheese. Yup, cheese.

As an artist looked on as a leading figure in 20th century art, Louise Bourgeois has enjoyed an incredible 70 year career. From her early influences of Surrealism to her Feminist works, Bourgeois uses memory and emotion to create thought provoking motifs and dramatic sculpture. At the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Bourgeois' lengthy and successful career is highlighted in a major retrospective of her work.

The American story isn’t just told by famous people. That's apparent at the National Portrait Gallery, which recently opened Feature Photography, the fourth installment of Portraiture Now, the series that showcases 21st century portrait artists. A nice departure from many of the other shows that the gallery presents, which focus almost exclusively on the more well-known members of our society, Feature Photography shows the work of six artists, who each give us their take on portraiture.

Washington's museums are atwitter with the season, offering many holiday themed events great for visiting family and friends in among other non-holiday themed exhibits.

The big news in the museum world is the The American History Museum, which is scheduled to reopen November 21. The reopening will mark the completion of a two-year, $85 million renovation of the building, transforming the museum’s architecture while reorganizing and renewing the presentation of its extensive collections. Celebrations include a three-day reopening festival, with ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and extended hours on Friday. Enjoy family-friendly activities, musical entertainment, and giveaways. You can get the full run down on the festivities here.

In 2006, local artist Sondra N. Arkin was given an enviable but extremely difficult job: acquire the defining volume of works that captured the breadth and scope of D.C. art to display in HeART of DC, the City Hall Art Collection at the John A. Wilson Building. She was given funds through the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities, access to their temporary art bank, six floors of empty hallways, and mere months to make it all happen. By that October, she'd purchased 155 pieces of art and borrowed 18 from the art bank to round out the collection of D.C.'s greatest artists.

You didn't think we could get through the last few days of 2007 without one more Smithsonian scandal, did you? The Post has a lengthy report today on National Museum of the American Indian's retiring director Rick West and the whopping $250,000 of Institution funds he spent on travel and luxuries.

>> Pepto Bismal threw up inside the Carville-Matalin home. [DC Metrocentric]

This is a fantastic shot of the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum by chip py the photo guy. The futuristic silver on blue colors and interesting angle of the hangar and air traffic observation tower belie the awesome technological advancements inside. Though it takes a drive out near the Dulles airport, it's worth the trip if you're even mildly interested in the history of air and space flight, if only for an up close view of the Space Shuttle , the Gemini VII space capsule, the ... oh someone stop me). EXIF.

view at DCAC, gives us a glimpse into what our next future holds, while reflecting on what didn’t come to pass. Curated by Kristina Bilonick, the exhibit brings together a collection of four artists and their eclectic mix of old and new, pointing out disappointment in what could have been and small wisps of hope for a possible new future.

From Hieronymus Bosch to Asher B. Durand to John James Audubon, the influences inherent in John Alexander’s work are clear. His paintings and drawings run the gamut from landscapes to abstractions, making for a diverse and extraordinary exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. John Alexander: A Retrospective, with 40 paintings and 27 works on paper, opens today and runs through March 16.

As you might imagine, there's not a whole lot going on in the art world this week, and unlike the last holiday, even the Smithsonians close on Christmas Day. Nevertheless, we found a few exhibits for you to poke around this weekend. And if you're one of those last minute gift buyers and can't bear to wage war at the mall, don't forget our guide to art museum memberships for something a little more unique than the new Harry Potter DVD on rush delivery from Amazon.com.

Living in the Nation's Capital, with so many free events going on year-round, it might seem silly to spend a princely sum of money for the privilege of becoming a Member of a local arts organization. But there are a number of good reasons to think about becoming a member -- maybe you're interested in a particular subject that's only shown at a pay-for museum, maybe you're an artist looking to grab a foothold in...

This week the big news is the appointment (PDF) of Dorothy Kosinski as the new Director of The Phillips Collection. She's currently the Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Dallas Musuem of Art, and comes with an impressive résumé that include extensive curating, acquisitions, and teaching experience. Kosinski will officially take over next spring, to replace retiring Director Jay Gates, just in time to take the reins on a five-year strategy the...

December begins tomorrow, and that means only one thing: it's time to take that special person in your life to a holiday concert. Do you want to subject him or her to the same old carols, something historical, or something really weird? Here is a list of your options, not including the many performances of Handel's Messiah or The Nutcracker, to be previewed tomorrow. THE BEST OF THE BEST: >> For those who never want...

My mother and I used to think we were so clever sneaking out of the house after the post-pumpkin pie haze to spend our tryptophan relaxing time at the movie theater, while our extended family lay sprawled on the couches in front of the boob tube ... until a few years later when the entire world caught on and every theater had lines around the block on Turkey Day. Lucky for you, we're in Washington,...

Regarding Thanksgiving customs, going around the table saying what we’re thankful for is about as basic as it gets. If it seems too basic, this year you can consider adding a new dimension to the tradition by reading for the table what our Presidents have been thankful for. Thanks to the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts, all the Thanksgiving Proclamations are available online. That means we have access to Proclamations dating from the Continental Congress...

Still in the office, D.C.? Yeah, us too. We hope you're only sticking around because you don't need to travel this holiday season. If so, enjoy the empty halls, bask in the quiet, and call it a day early. If not — well, good luck on the roads and at the airport. It sounds like they're going to be predictably nasty. There Seems To Be Some Sort of Holiday Occurring: And consequently you can...

America by Air, the newest permanent gallery opened by The National Air and Space Museum, encompasses the entire history of flight and air travel in the United States, starting in 1914 and leading up to today. We know what you're thinking, "Isn't that what the whole museum is about?" And yes...it is. So Air and Space has managed to create an exhibit that is, in fact, a microcosm of itself, which is so damn postmodern...

Dynamic, lively, stunning, soaring. These are the words used by Smithsonian officials and architect Spencer de Grey to describe the new Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, home to both the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. With a blend of modern aesthetics and historic sensibilities, the new courtyard is a gorgeous space that the Smithsonian plans to use to hold public...

A little over a year since the Reynolds Center, where the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are housed, re-opened its doors, it continues to celebrate huge improvements to the building. This Sunday stop by for the grand opening of the Kogod Courtyard, which will include tons of musical performances both in the courtyard and inside on the third floor, hands-on activities for all ages (a Lite Brite station!), and, as usual,...