Brain Food 1. “1934: A New Deal for Artists”: In 1934, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration created the Public Works of Art Program-the first federal government program to support the arts nationally. Artists from across the United States who participated in the program, which lasted only six months from mid-December 1933 to June 1934, were encouraged to depict regional, recognizable subjects, ranging from portraits to cityscapes and images of city life to landscapes and depictions of rural life.
Recommended Stories
Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW
When: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Jan. 10, 2010
Info: Free; 202-633-1000; www.americanart.si.edu
2. “Flying Solo”: An evening of monologues from theater artists representing Deaf West Theatre, Gallaudet University, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the National Theatre of the Deaf, and Quest: Arts for Everyone.
Where: Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW
When: 6 p.m. today
Info: Free; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
3. The Bannaba Project: Bannaba Project is nine-member band from Panama that blends pre-Columbian sounds and sensibilities with jazz, pop, calypso, and other rhythms of the Caribbean. In the Kuna language “bannaba” means “beyond” or “over there.” According to legend, when the Spanish conquerors arrived they asked the Kuna where gold could be found and they answered: “bannaba,” pointing to the south (“beyond” or “over there”).
Where: National Museum of the American Indian
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Info: 202-633-1000; www.nmai.si.edu
4. Edgeworks Dance Theatre Summer Benefit: Dance performance, visual exhibition and a food and clothing drive to benefit Miriam’s kitchen.
Where: American Dance Institute, 1570 E. Jefferson St., Rockville
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday; performance begins promptly at 7:30 p.m.
Info: $37.50 plus 2 articles for food/clothing drive; 301-984-3003; www.americandance.org
5. “Form and Movement”: The photographs of Philip Trager, documenting 40 years of the artist’s career, juxtaposing his earlier work depicting buildings with kinetic studies of the human body.
Where: The National Building Museum, 401 F St., NW
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 3, 2010
Info: Free; 202-272-2448; www.nbm.org
Galleries 1. “The Budapest Horse: A Leonardo da Vinci Puzzle”: This small but engrossing exhibit relates scholars’ quest to determine whether “The Rearing Horse and Mounted Warror,” a bronze from Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts, could have been made by Leonardo da Vinci or one of his disciples.
Where: West Building, National Gallery of Art, Constitution Ave. between Third and Seventh Streets NW
When: Through Sept. 7
Info: Free; 202-737-4215; www.nga.gov
2. “Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia”: Following its run at the History Society of Washington, DC last year, this enchanting exhibit gets a condensed re-mounting at the Anacostia Community Museum. Vintage photography and memorabilia revisits the era between the end of the Civil War and roughly 80 years later, when Major League Baseball was finally integrated.
Where: Historical Society of the District of Columbia, 801 K St. NW
When: On view indefinitely
Info: Free; 202-383-1850; www.historydc.org
3. “Grand Salon: Paintings from the Smithsonian American Art Museum”: This new, permanent selection of 70 of the most trenchant paintings in the SAAM collection features underappreciated artists from Elliott Dangerfield to Abbott Handerson Thayer.
Where: Renwick Gallery, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
When: Ongoing
Info: Free; 202-633-7970; www.americanart.si.edu
4. An Antiquity of Imagination: Tullio Lombardo and Venetian High Renaissance Sculpture: Four exquisite marble carvings form the center of this first-ever showcase for Venetian Renaissance sculptor Tullio Lombardo.
Where: West Building, National Gallery of Art, Constitution Ave. between Third and Seventh Streets NW
When: Through Nov. 1
Info: Free; 202-737-4215; www.nga.gov
5. “Storefront Churches: Photographs by Camilo José Vergar”: Camilo Jose Vergar’s haunting photographs document houses of worship in distressed communities throughout the United States.
Where: National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW
When: Through Nov. 29
Info: Free; donations accepted; www.nbm.org
Gatherings 1. “Let’s Sing Gospel 101!”: Join in the fun in this interactive show designed to get the audience moving and singing. You are the cast and choir as you learn to sing gospel music. All ages and voices are invited to sing, clap and move to Rosita’s piano beats.
Where: Goethe-Institut, 814 Seventh St. NW
When: 5:30 p.m. today
Info: Tickets available through Capital Fringe Festival at 866-811-4111 or www.capitalfringe.org
2. “Revolutionary: Isadora Duncan’s Words, Music and Dance”: Last chance to catch Word/Dance/Theater’s multi-media production including words, dance and music that reflect the life and work of Isadora Duncan.
Where: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave., NW
When: 11:30 a.m. July 25
Info: Tickets available through Capital Fringe Festival at 866-811-4111 or www.capitalfringe.org
3. Overtures Showcase: Pre-professional actors from Arlington’s Signature Theater’s summer program show off what they can do.
Where: Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-467-4600; www.kennedy-center.org
4. The Hirshhorn After Hours: Visit the famous Hirshhorn Museum after dark and see what a new take you can get on a familiar place. Curator led gallery tours, music by your favorite DJs.
Where: Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW
When: 8 to midnight July 24
Info: $18 in advance; 202-633-1000; www.hirshhorn.si.edu
Movies “The Ugly Truth”
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Cheryl Hines
Director: Robert Luketic
Rated R for sexual content and language.
Running Time: 100 minutes
Abby Richter, a challenged morning show producer, is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.
“In the Loop”
A number of heavy dramas have addressed the wars in the Middle East, but “In the Loop” takes a different approach: comedy. Though the American president and the British prime minister are itching to attack, a top U.S. general (James Gandolfini) and the British Secretary of State for International Development (Tom Hollander) believe that’s the wrong decision. However, a small miscommunication has the two powers ready to go to war, and it’s up to the British pol to stop things before they get started.
“G-Force”
A Disney animated comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws.
“Orphan”
Kate Coleman, a young mother devastated by the loss of a baby (and her resulting inability to conceive more children), decides, along with her husband, John, to fill the empty space in their broken hearts by adopting another child. Little could they know that the child they adopt, Esther, would turn out to be anything other than what they hoped for.
“Humpday”
It’s been a decade since Ben (Duplass) and Andrew (Leonard) were the bad boys of their college campus. Ben has settled down and found a job, wife, and home. Andrew took the alternate route as a vagabond artist, skipping the globe from Chiapas to Cambodia. When Andrew shows up unannounced on Ben’s doorstep, they easily fall back into their old dynamic of macho one-upmanship.
“Treeless Mountain”
When their mother needs to leave in order to find their estranged father, seven year-old Jin and her younger sister, Bin, are left to live with their Big Aunt for the summer. With only a small piggy bank and their mother’s promise to return when it is full, the two young girls are forced to acclimate to changes in their family life.
Music 1. Brad Paisley: The West Virginia native country singer/songwriter exhibits his guitar and Grammy Award-winning know-how in numbers from his latest release, “Water.” Joined by Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne.
Where: Nissan Pavilion
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Info: $18.35 to $49; tickets.livenation.com
2. NSO and “The Wizard of Oz”: The complete 1939 film with the original score continues to enchant all ages 70 years after Dorothy and Toto, the Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man first journeyed along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the wonderful wizard. A pre-performance discussion at 7:30 p.m. begins the tour “Over the Rainbow” and leads to the large screens where the MGM classic proves that there is no place like home.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Info: $20 lawn, $32 to $48 in-house; 877-965-3872; www.wolftrap.org
3. National Symphony Orchestra: Emil de Cou conducts the NSO and Julian Wachner directs The Washington Chorus and guest soloists in Orff’s “Carmina Burana”; other works by Mussorgsky, Schubert and Debussy.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8:15 p.m. today
Info: $20 lawn, $32 to $48 in-house; 877-965-3872; www.wolftrap.org
4. NSO and the Music of John Williams: Erich Kunzel conducts John Williams scores from “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and other spectacular pairings of the symphonic orchestra and Hollywood sound tracks.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8:15 p.m. Saturday
Info: $20 lawn, $32 to $48 in-house; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org
5. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: The BSO conducted by Gunther Herbig and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society bring the summer season to a resounding finale with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Where: Music Center at Strathmore
When: 8 p.m. today
Info: $25 to $55; 877-276-1444
Also worth noting:
6. Gordon Lightfoot: The Canadian folk singer/songwriter reprises his popular hits and more.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8 pm. Sunday
Info: $22 lawn, $40 in-house; 877-965-3872; www.wolftrap.org
theater
1. 21/24: “The Hollow” and “The Boy Detective Fails”: Signature launches a new series called 21/24 as part of its American Musical Voices Program-The Next Generation. After 21 days of preparation and polishing, two new musicals will be performed and presented in concert in the MAX Theatre, performed by some of Signature’s outstanding artists: “The Hollow,” book by Hunter Foster; “The Boy Detective Fails,” book by Joe Meno.
Where: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
When: “The Hollow: 6 p.m. today and 8:15 p.m. Friday; “The Boy Detective Fails”: 8:15 p.m. today and 6 p.m. Friday
Info: $20; 703-820-9771; www.signature-theatre.org
2. “Captain Drew on Leave”: It’s summer 1905 and Captain Drew — on leave from the Royal Navy, looking for romance — finds himself falling in love with the shy wife of a local industrialist.
Where: Quotidian Theatre, The Writers’ Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda
When: Through Aug. 9
Info: $15 and $20; 301-816-1023; www.quotidiantheatre.org
3. The Capital Fringe Festival: A wide variety of cutting-edge dance, theatre and performance groups and individual artists. Tickets can be purchased at door, subject to availability.
Where: various venues throughout northwest Washington; check listings on website
When: Through Sunday
Info: $15; 866-811-4111; www.capfringe.org
4. “El Canuto Del Rock”: Quique Aviles’ newest theater work, with music by Machetres and Cherie Latson. In this musical, set in El Salvador and Columbia Heights, an elder Salvadorean peasant realizes his dream to bring rock and roll to the countryside.
Where: GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St., NW
When: 8 p.m. July 24 and 25
Info: $20/$15 (students); 202-234-7174; www.galatheatre.org
5. “Barack Stars”: Perfecting the art of comedy revue with sketches, songs and a little improvisation, The Second City storms Washington to tackle partisanship, the politics of race and a host of other headline-grabbing personalities
Where: Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St., NW
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 2
Info: $40; 202-393-3939; www.woollymammoth.net
