PoP Weekend Picks – See Some Art, Hear Some Music and Read a Book

Image Above:
Artist: CHI Peng
Title & Date: Why Should I Love You?, 2008
Medium: C-print

The hidden gem, Meridian International Center, has a new exhibit. From an email:

Meridian International Center, together with the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing, and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, DC, has created a groundbreaking exhibition of Chinese contemporary art entitled METROPOLIS NOW! A Selection of Contemporary Chinese Art. It will open to the public in Meridian’s Cafritz Galleries in Washington, DC on Wednesday, March 25, 2009.

METROPOLIS NOW! is the result of a long-standing partnership that grew out of past artistic and cultural exchanges between Meridian and China. To identify artworks for this exhibition, Meridian’s Vice President for the Arts, Dr. Curtis Sandberg, and Director of Exhibitions, Terry Harvey, traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to collaborate with NAMOC Director, Fan Di’an, a renowned figure in the world of Chinese art, and his senior staff.

This compelling selection of 52 paintings, sculptures, mixed media, and video installations by 31 artists addresses the enormous changes taking place in China’s cities – specifically, the major art centers of Beijing and Shanghai. Visitors to the exhibit will gain new insights into aspects of urbanization and globalization in China, experiencing this through the eyes of 31 extraordinary artists.

I am interested in your editorial schedule and look forward to speaking with you about potential coverage of this exhibit. METROPOLIS NOW! will be on display at Meridian from March 25, 2009 – July 26, 2009. For latest updates, visit www.meridian.org.

Tonight!

Curtain Call

The exhibit includes images spanning a 20 year career as a Washington DC photographer documenting the political scene as well as recent work from a new project featuring dancers.

www.sardari.com

Opening Reception at Caramel
1603 U Street NW
Friday, March 27
6 – 9 PM

www.caramelfashion.com

Free Concert at American University Sat. Doors 6:30pm

From the Washington Post:

“We could not contain our squeal (the free part doesn’t hurt) when we heard Baltimore’s latest It band, Ponytail — a quartet of atonal art-rockers that made us feel alive and simultaneously disoriented when we caught them last year — is playing a free show tomorrow night at American University. The all-ages show, part of Internet radio station WVAU’s Capitol Punishment series, also features the Screaming Females and local indie-rock act Mittenfields.

Free. Doors at 6:30 p.m. American University, Kay Spiritual Life Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For details, http://www.wvau.org.”

Ed. Note: The following report was submitted by Christopher.

This month, the PoPville bookclub read ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Other Plays’ by Martin McDonagh. Set in rural Ireland, the plays lead you through petty squables, a couple of murders, some grave robbing, and an old lady being scalded with hot grease. What’s not to love?! The book was successful in setting a depressing mood, and I think the one thing that we all walked away from it with was a new found appreciation for our own families and friends. The plays are pretty short and easy to read (once you get through the irish slang), so check it out if you’re ever in the mood to feel better about your own personal relationships!

For April, the PoPville bookclub will be reading ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ by Carson McCullers, as part of the nationwide Big Read program. Your friendly Petworth neighborhood library has plenty of copies in, so swing by and grab one so you can look cool on the metro with it too! Our next meeting will be at the Red Derby on April 6th, 7:00pm for discussion on the book and a possible move to the Looking Glass Lounge for future non library meetings, followed by a wrap up meeting on April 20th, 7:00pm at the Petworth Library to have final discussions and pick a book for May.