Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy and engage in art as you shelter-in-place or practice social distancing.
This weekend: Kindred artists, fantastical cherry blossoms, The Met’s free art books, and more!
Kindred Spirits
Artist Hilda Wilkinson and her niece Lilian Thomas Burwell, also an artist, endured the hardships of the Great Depression and inequities of segregation in their native Washington, D.C., and became accomplished artists and educators. Filmmaker Cintia Cabib explores their unique relationship in her documentary Kindred Spirits, airing on Sunday, July 19, at 5:30 p.m. on Howard University’s WHUT public television station.
Lebanon Then and Now: Photography from 2006 to 2020
This immersive exhibit on view at the Middle East Institute’s online gallery features works by 17 of Lebanon’s most exciting art and documentary photographers who have chronicled the troubled calm that presaged the country’s current storm, and of the struggle for greater social justice and democracy that continues to this day.
Hanami : Behind the Bloom
Artechouse has reopened with the continuation of Hanami: Behind the Bloom, the vibrantly interactive installation on view before the citywide shutdown. Based on the illustrations of artist Yuko Shimizu, it blends art with technology in a modern take of the honored Japanese floral tradition; see it through September 7 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Art by the Book
The next time you are looking to for a great art history read, skip Amazon and go straight to The Metropolitan Museum of Art website. There you will find hundreds of Met published titles, spanning five decades, that you can download or read online—for free! Here are ten to get you started.
Artists Talks
In her eponymously titled podcast, singer and composer Helga Davis has engaging and insightful conversations with musicians, artists, writers, and other creatives about their life’s work. Catch recent episodes with musician and activist Judy Collins, poet Elizabeth Alexander, and visual artist and colorist Stanley Whitney.
Enjoy your weekend and wear your mask.