art

Sketchbook by Stephen Gibson. Photo courtesy Transformer.

Sketch at Transformer: Yet again, Transformer makes innovative use of its small space in an exhibition of 16 sketchbooks by local artists. Participants’ approaches are all over the map: some of the books meet the conventional definition, while others incorporate unexpected collage elements. Oreen Cohen’s pages ‒ if you can even call them that – are thick with candle wax, animal fur and other disturbing “media” that is worth discovering on your own. Each visitor has the opportunity to draw on gallery walls with colored pencils, solving the sketchbook-display problem and at the same time rendering the show accessible to visitors of all ages. On view until May 7. “Draw-ins” on April 23 and 30 from 2 to 6 p.m. Metro: Dupont Circle.

Destino at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions: The latest show at Vivid Solutions will feature Takoma Park-based photographer Michelle Frankfurter’s work exploring the migration of Central Americans through Mexico to the United States. Through her portraits, Frankfurter frames the voyage both as a harsh day-to-day reality and an “epic Homeric journey imbued with religious connotations.” Opening reception April 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. Metro: Anacostia.

Call + Response: Textures at Hamiltonian Gallery: This year’s Call + Response, in which four visual artists create installations in response to works by four writers, focuses on the theme of texture. The gallery website offers no preview of the final products; however you can read about current participants and check out the results from last year’s collaborations. Opening on April 16 at 7 p.m. On view April 16 to May 7. Metro: U Street-Cardozo.

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Holy awesome. From 1300 block of U St, NW.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Vileinist

The potential government shutdown could hit PoPville particularly hard, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, trash collection suspended, libraries and the DMV closed and just general pandemonium/freaking out. One major concern is how closings of the Smithsonian museums and National Gallery might affect tourism. But with parking enforcement almost entirely suspended, and plenty of unaffected (and often free) private museums, galleries and events, the coming days could also be an opportunity to visit venues slightly off the beaten path. Below are several noteworthy alternatives, with more to come in Tuesday’s “Art Lens.”

Corcoran Gallery of Art: While their larger special exhibition Washington Color and Light is on hiatus until late June, between the permanent collection and two ongoing photography shows there is still plenty to see at the Corcoran this month. In the event of a shutdown, the museum will be offering complimentary coffee and pastries in their café during public hours. Government employees will also have free admission (normally $10 for adults) with a government ID. Metro: Farragut West.

Carroll Square Gallery: I mentioned Juan Tejedor’s solo show of mixed-media works at Flashpoint two months ago. Mapping, which opened last night in the Carroll Square building, features new map-based works by Tejedor alongside works by five other artists. Highlights include Carol Barton’s interactive roadmap constructions and Dahlia Elsayed’s acrylic maps of day-to-day experiences and emotions that evoke similar projects by illustrator Christoph Niemann. While the venue is rather obscure, its central location makes it easily accessible. FREE. Metro: Gallery Place – Chinatown or Metro Center.

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Marina Abramović, “The Kitchen VIII.” From the series “The Kitchen, Homage to Saint Therese.” Gijon, Spain, 2009. Courtesy of Marina Abramović and Sean Kelly Gallery.

James T. Demetrion Lecture: Marina Abramović at the Hirshhorn Museum: Although tonight’s talk by performance artist Marina Abramović sold out fast, the Hirshhorn will be live-streaming it on their website. Abramović, a pioneer of performance art most recently known for her controversial MoMA retrospective last year, will discuss the history and future of the medium, as well as the problems it poses to collectors and museums. To complement the lecture, the Hirshhorn has installed the artist’s 1977 work “Light/Dark” on the third level. April 5 at 7 p.m. Metro: L’Enfant Plaza or Smithsonian.

The Phillips Collection’s new blog: In case you missed it, the Phillips debuted their blog “The Experiment Station” last week, and so far, I’m blown away. There have already been over a dozen posts by contributors from departments across the museum, including behind-the-scenes looks at conservation and exhibition planning and an interview with an on-staff artist. The blog also boasts whimsical, Maira Kalmanesque illustrations by local artist Elizabeth Graeber. Considering that the Phillips is already the only D.C. museum with an iPhone app (the National Gallery has one in the works), other museums looking for a digital edge are going to have to step it up.

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From an email:

“The Corcoran College of Art + Design undergrad students are hosting an art sale on April 3rd from 10 AM – 4 PM in the Corcoran’s Georgetown campus parking lot at 1801 35th Street, NW. There will be hand-crafted items for sale including jewelry, ceramics, fine art, and of course photography.”

Installation in Anacostia by Ben Skinner. Photo by Beth Shook.

At Last: Joyce Y-J Lee at Hamiltonian Gallery: This small exhibition of new works by Hamiltonian fellow Joyce Y-J Lee packs a punch. Inside the gallery entrance, pastel vanitas drawings devolve into pixelated versions of themselves, preparing visitors to juggle past and present while drawing them toward Lee’s provocative large-scale “projection painting” that lends the show its name. All of the works were executed during the artist’s stay in a small mining community near Death Valley and employ themes of mortality and rebirth to link traditional modes of representation to contemporary mediums and spaces. On view until April 9. Metro: U Street-Cardozo.

Try a Little Tenderness as Painful as It Seems at Honfleur Gallery: Eponymous blogger the Jealous Curator brings work by Canadian conceptual artist Ben Skinner to Anacostia, turning abandoned storefronts along MLK Jr. Avenue and Good Hope Road into backdrops for his cryptic vinyl phrases. The exhibition culminates in two floors of photographs, paintings and amusing mixed-media panels made of everything from glitter and acrylic to candy sprinkles. On view until April 8. Metro: Anacostia.

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This is from U St, NW on the side of the old State of the Union building underneath this classic:

Coming soon to the Renwick: Judith Schaechter, The Floor, 2006, glass, Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein, Photo by Dominic Episcopo

“Culture Wars: Then and Now” at the Corcoran Gallery: Given recent events at the Smithsonian, this symposium on freedom of expression over the past two decades comes at a pivotal moment – and at a venue that has its own tangled history with art censorship. Panel topics range from the evolution of the “offensive” to public funding for the arts, with panelists including Corcoran Chief Curator Philip Brookman, a diverse group of scholars and curators and D.C.’s own iPad protestors. The event is hosted in conjunction with Transformer, the D.C. gallery that first opted to display David Wojnarowicz’s controversial video after it was pulled from the Portrait Gallery. March 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North.

Corridor at the Art Museum of the Americas: The AMA takes an unconventional approach to their latest exhibition, inviting a group of contemporary Baltimore and Washington-based artists to participate in a collaborative curatorial process. The twelve artists on view work in a variety of mediums; I’m particularly looking forward to whatever Martha Jackson-Jarvis’s mixed-media installation “Vegan’s Table, Cry Me a River” might entail. On view March 24 to June 26. Opening reception March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Metro: Farragut West.

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