It’s rainy and cold again, but Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo, a new exhibit coming to the National Museum of American History this year makes me believe once again that there’s no place like home in the district. Here are some recent arts-related headlines and reports that will make you feel the same way. Check back weekly for upcoming Monday Art Gatherings.
Heads will roll: SIXby Toby Marlow and Lucy Mossbrings together the six women married to Henry VIII, including Anne Boleyn– and pop sensibilities to “remix 500 years of historic heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power!” (According to the press release.) The Broadway sensation, with its all-female cast and girl group (dubbed The ladies of honor), arrives at the National Theater in DC on July 5, where it will continue until September 4. With lyrics like “Divorced, beheaded, dead, divorced, beheaded, survived”, I’m not sure it’s my definition of “girl power”, but what do I know – I learned this term from the The Spice Girls, after all. Tickets for SIX goes on sale at 10 a.m. on April 19.
We take care of each other: The praised game Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karskiwritten by Clark Youngdirected by Derek Goldmanand starring the Oscar-nominated actor David Strathairn, returns to a local and meaningful stage in May. After a successful run with the Shakespeare Theater Company last fall, the play took off on its national tour. Now, before heading overseas this summer, it will be presented at the Gonda Theater at Georgetown University from May 12-22. This is particularly important because Karski, who “provided the first complete accounts of Germany’s goal to exterminate the Jewish people,” was a professor at Georgetown for 40 years. The university’s Global Performance and Policy Lab, co-directed by Goldman, was the first to present a draft Remember this in 2014.
Light, camera, action: A new permanent exhibit is coming to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Complete with a yellow brick road and the museum’s beloved piece of Oz memorabilia, the Ruby Slippers, the Bilingual Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo opens December 9. If you’ve been visiting the museum for years, you’ve probably seen the ever-magical ruby slippers covered in sequins, but now you’ll find them next door michelle yeoit is Star Trek: Discovery costume, the dress worn by Ali Wang in a groundbreaking stand-up performance, one of Selenalegendary costumes and guitars that belonged to Prince, Paul Simon, and other musicians. The beloved robots of star wars, C-3PO and R2-D2will be there too, just like Mohamed Aliboxing dress. The 7,200 square foot multimedia exhibit, featuring more than 200 exhibits, will be the Smithsonian’s first space dedicated to the history of entertainment.
Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo will anchor the museum’s new culture wing on the third floor. In addition to the Hall of Culture and the Arts, a gallery that will feature temporary exhibits, the wing will also house the Warner Bros. Theater. of the museum, which is also scheduled to reopen on December 9.
Climate change: CHARCOAL + ICE, the Kennedy Center’s immersive photography exhibit that examines climate change via its impact on landscapes and people will remain standing and open to the public for another day. The exhibit was scheduled to close after April 22, but in honor of Earth Day, CHARCOAL + ICE will run until April 23 with additional events planned. Earth Day proper, April 22, an evening event, with a guided tour, live art creation by a Cuban costume designer Celia Ledon, a DJ, and the presentation of the Asia Society Climate Change Poster Design Awards, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Ledón is the star of Friday night’s Sustainable Fashion event. The designer, during a round table with Manuel Carmona YebraAdvisor for the Environment and Oceans at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States and Vice President for International Programming at the Kennedy Center Alicia Adams— will discuss how she creates sustainable fashion using recycled materials.
open temple: If you’ve ever driven the Capital Beltway, you’ve probably seen a towering white and gold building towering over rows of trees. My family affectionately nicknamed it the Emerald City building because its enchanting shape mimics the Wizard of Ozthe fictional residence of. Its official name is actually the Washington DC Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This means that, with very few exceptions, people who do not belong to the Latter Day Saint faith are not allowed to enter, which is true of all LDS temples. On April 28, the temple will make one of those rare exceptions. This is the opening of an open house, which will run until June 11. It is the first time since the temple was built in 1974 that non-believers will be allowed inside, and not just confined to watching in awe from their cars. There is no yellow brick road to follow, but there is parking and a free shuttle from Forest Glen tube station to get you there while you have the chance. —Ella Feldman
Buy, deposit and roll: Femme Fatale DC will return to a Cleveland Park storefront in June. Co-ownership of Cee Smith and Adrian Mendoza, this Black and Latinx-owned grassroots retail business does pop-up stores and online sales. It started in 2016 to support and shine a light on women, women and non-binary creators. When it appears in a brick-and-mortar venue, Femme Fatale DC creates space for retail, art exhibits, and community gatherings. Today (April 18) they opened their apps for entrepreneurs looking to sell their products and build brand awareness this summer. Applications, for a $20 fee, are due May 2. Once received, Femme Fatale DC will open applications for Experiences + Events.
Make it rain: Calling all local artists! The Washington Award 2022, funded by Sachiko Kuno of the S&R Evermay Foundation, seeks to support DMV residents with not one but eight awards for the coming year. In an effort to reach a more diverse range of artists and needs, local creators can apply for one of four $12,500 cash prizes or, for the first time, one of four space prizes. one year studio. The four cash prizes will go to an artist in each of the following disciplines: dance (performance or choreography), music (performance or composition), visual arts (studio or community) and interdisciplinary art. Likewise, one performer in each of the above disciplines will be selected for one-year use of the dance studio or studio spaces at The Fillmore School in Georgetown. Conditions, such as holding events that the local community must attend, apply.
The non-profit organization behind it all, S&R Evermay, has worked since 2000 to educate, support, and recognize “talented emerging innovators, scientists, and artists whose talents contribute to greater global, cultural, and scientific understanding.” The Washington Award is one of two annual awards given out by the organization. The other, known as the Kuno Award, is given to women who use scientific research and principles to solve current problems. Applications for the 2022 Washington Award are due April 29. Winners will be notified the week of June 13.