Did you know that you can engage with contemporary visual art, play with a giant 3-D “Etch-a-Sketch,” learn how to salsa dance, listen in on a live rock album recording and experience live theatre all under one “Dome” in Rosslyn?
Named “Best New Venue” in the Washington City Paper’s Readers Poll 2011 and “one of the top 10 performing arts venues in the DC-area” by the Washington Examiner, Artisphere is a new breed of urban arts center that presents a wide array of innovative arts programming —from visual art, live music, film and theatre to new media, family programs and dancing. Artisphere’s unique modern space features four performance venues, three visual art galleries, a 4,000 square foot ballroom, free Wi-Fi and here CaféBar. Admission to Artisphere and its visual art galleries and new media installations is free; there is a cost for ticketed events.
So what’s on? Below is a just a sampling of the exciting arts events and exhibitions that are just two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro and just across the Key Bridge from Georgetown. Did we mention that Artisphere has free parking after 5pm and all day on weekends? For more information on Artisphere and a complete calendar of all its programming, visit www.artisphere.com.
ON VIEW
PHOTO 11: Annual Juried Mid-Atlantic Photo Exhibition
Through Sun Sep 11 / Free
Gallery talks by Artisphere Visual Arts Curator Cynthia Connolly: Mon Aug 15 + 29 / 12:30pm / Free
Juried by Amanda Maddox, former Associate Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Corcoran Gallery of Art
Photo 11 provides DC-area audiences the opportunity to engage with photographs by 18 artists from the Mid-Atlantic region and serves as a forum for regional photographers to showcase and sell their work.
Repetition Is A Form Of Change: The Process and Practice of GIF Art Online
Wed Aug 3–Wed Sep 7 / Free
Gallery Tour: Wed Sep 7 / 12:30pm / Free
A format originating in the early days of the World Wide Web, the animated GIF has since become deeply embedded in the visual culture of the Internet. This show examines recent GIF art by plucking works from the endless stream of the net to look more closely at how an international roster of contemporary artists uses this medium.
Free Art Marking Drop In: GIF iT! mAKE YOUR OWN!
Tue Aug 9, 16, 23: 12:30–2:30pm; Wed Aug 10, 17, 24: 5–7pm; Thurs Aug 11, 18, 25: 2–4pm
Create your own GIF animations and learn where and how to join the conversation online. Drop by with a computer and an image capturing device – a webcam, cell phone, or camera.
LIVE MUSIC
BEAUTY PILL: THE IMMERSIVE IDEAL project
An open recording residency
Through Tue Aug 2/ Noon-10pm daily / Free
Brown Bag Talk with rock band Beauty Pill: Tue Aug 2 / 12:30pm / Free
Inspired in part by the famous Abbey Road Studio Two window, Washington, DC art-rock band Beauty Pill is creating its new album in full view of the public eye—providing you unprecedented access and insight into the creative process of musicians.
LIVE JAZZ HAPPY HOUR THURSDAYS
Happy hour: 4:30-7:30pm; $3-$5 drink + food specials / Live music: 5:30-8pm / Free admission
Every Thursday through Sep 8, Artisphere has live jazz during happy hours. Next up: Flute Visions on Thu Aug 4.
Fri Aug 12 / 9pm / $15 / Ballroom
A dance party at the Brooklyn-Mexico border. Fans around the world are dancing cumbias to the group’s socially-conscious songs en español about life on the border. The band has toured internationally with Los Lobos, Lila Downs and Ozomatli, among others.
ROCK OUT WITH THE FAMILY
2010 Parents’ Choice Award Winner for Piñata Party
Sat Aug 13 / 2pm / $12 adults; $8 kids / All ages
Moona Luna is the new musical project brought to you by the Latin-Alternative group Pistolera. This bilingual quartet from Brooklyn bursts atthe seams with positive messages and sweet, delicious and satisfying rhythms that will get you and your children grooving on the dance floor. Their album, Piñata Party, was a 2010 Parents’ Choice Award Winner. A bailar! All ages welcome.
ROCKNOCEROS
Sun Aug 20 / 11:30am / $12 adults; $8 kids / All ages
Northern Virginia's premiere power-trio for children, Rocknoceros, continues to find its way into the hearts and homes of music-lovers of all ages. From Tin Pan Alley to the shores of Jamaica, Rocknoceros hops from genre to genre, getting families on their feet to dance at their high-energy shows. All ages welcome.
Posted by Courtney Cacatian on July 29, 2011 | Permalink
