What’s Going On This Week? Here are the Best Events in Town

By: Mimi Montgomery

Tons of art, a little cornhole, and all the greens.

Photo by Flickr user Mr.TinDC

MONDAY, JUNE 25

GREENZ, PLZ…Salad for President is a site and social media platform that is all about the leafy greens, whether it be recipes, cooking tips, or just really great photos of delicious looking salads (seriously–look at the Instagram page!). Its creator, Julia Sherman, is the creative director of Chopt, and she’ll be in D.C. tonight to chat with the ladies from pineapple D.C. Come learn how to make your own Insta-worthy salad while dining on some greens and sipping wine.

ART TALK…Spanish sculptor Bianca Muñoz will have her work on display at the National Museum of Women in the Arts as part of an exhibit later this week. But tonight, you can catch her talking about it. Muñoz will be in conversation with the museum’s assistant curator and a member of the Madrid art world to talk about international art and the female sculptor world in Spain.

HAPPIEST HOUR…Pearl Street is a cute little alley in the new Wharf development, and it hosts a get-together every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening. Stop by Pearl Street Warehouse for happy hour burgers, tacos, and Shiner drafts, or go across the street to Lupo Marino for Italian frittis and wines. While you’re at it, you might as well stick around for music at the Anthem or ice cream from Milk Bar.

AND…Learn about living in the District during the Civil War…Listen to four amazing women athletes share their stories…On American global leadership…Get on that self-care routine…How to create more powerful female characters on screen…Take a West African drum class…It’s election time in Mexico…How Love Canal became so terrible…Free yoga in Chinatown…Evgenia Citkowitz at Politics and Prose…

Photo by Ted Eytan

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED…Tonight, NPR host Audie Cornish of All Things Considered is kicking off the station’s new live interview series in Studio One. Cornish will sit down for a live conversation with jazz musician Gregory Porter, and you’ll get to listen to it. After, stick around as Porter performs some of his music before mingling with Cornish and other listeners over a drink.

AROUND THE WORLD…Today kicks off the Serenade! Choral Festival, which brings choral groups from around the world together in DC to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. Throughout the week, the choral groups will participate in workshops and outreach events, as well as performances. Tonight’s kickoff event will be a performance by the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir and the Indonesian Children and Youth Choir.

DESIGN DORKS…Head to the ‘burbs for a tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright original in Alexandria. The Pope-Leighey House was built in 1940, and is an example of the modernist Usonian homes Wright is best known for. This rare twilight tour will let you see the home lit up at night, so grab a glass of wine and nerd out with your best Architectural Digest reporter impersonation.

AND…An Armenian dinner…Ew, reptiles…A masterclass workshop at the Museum of African Art…Practice calligraphy and lettering with other enthusiasts…D.C. schools and the future of diversity…Tone it up…Listen to some funk on 14th Street…The James W. Foley Freedom Awards…A Marine Corps parade at the Lincoln Memorial…Have some drinks + draw a nude…

Photo by Flickr user m01229

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

CHUCK IT…Wanna do something different on a Wednesday? Come by the National Building Museum for an after-hours event of barbecue and cornhole. DC Fray is hosting an event with Hill Country Barbecue food and a dose of healthy competition, so bring your aim and get ready to make some new gaming buddies.

FEELIN’ FOLKY…Today kicks off the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which runs through this weekend and next. Each year, it celebrates different cultural heritages through activities and performances on the Mall, and this year it’s focusing on Armenian and Catalonian culture. Come by throughout the festival for cooking demonstrations, dance classes, live music, DIY crafts, a fashion show, and more.

BOOK TALK…You’ve probably heard of author Emily Giffin before–her fun books are great beach reads, and her book Something Borrowed was turned into a movie with Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson. She’ll be in town tonight to talk about her latest book, All We Ever Wanted, on the rooftop of the 880 P Street apartment complex. Take in the views with appetizers and wine alongside fellow book lovers before listening to Giffin outline her creative process.

AND…Learn the calligraphy basics…Finally, an event where your baby can wail as loudly as he/she likes…Intro to long-form improv comedy…Try some of that pink wine blowing up your Insta…Do yoga in an art gallery…Watch an Israeli movie…Support bike-riding women…Sip + henna…Gregory Porter at the Kennedy Center…

Photo by Flickr user angela n.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

TUNES OUTDOORS…Pack a picnic and bring your lawn chairs to the National Arboretum for some free outdoor music. Contemporary jazz artist Rochelle Rice will be performing in the arboretum’s meadow, so lean back and snack, sip, and listen. If you can’t make it tonight, no worries–there are several other performances throughout the summer.

HEAVY METAL…It’s the opening day of Heavy Metal, the fifth exhibit in the National Museum of Women in the Arts’s Women to Watch series. This one is all about contemporary female artists who work in metal, whether that be large-form sculptures, jewelry, or abstract pieces. The collection ranges from fine art to craft objects, and it runs through September 16.

BOOZE NEWS…Garrett Peck, historian and author of Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C., will be at Atlas Brew Works to talk about how bootleggers brewed undercover spirits in D.C. during Prohibition. After the talk, you’re obviously going to be thirsty, so stick around–you get a brewery tour, tasting, and beer flight with each ticket.

AND…A kiddo’s event at Dumbarton House…A star-studded screening of A Midsummer Night’s Dream…Mike Love at Union Stage…Learn all about the hottest TV shows in France right now…Watch Easy A outdoors…A talk with Moneyball author Michael Lewis…Sip on some sparkling wines…Opera in the Phillips Collection…Some Austrian tunes…SNL funny man Michael Che does stand up…