Welcome to Artful Weekend, our new weekly listing of area art happenings! Check it out every Friday for fun and interesting exhibits and events occurring throughout the DMV. Share your experience at these and other weekend art destinations by tagging us (@theartleague) and including the hashtag #artfulweekend on social media.
This weekend: Our January Open Exhibit, some really big sculptures, an Insta-worthy pop-up, and more!
The Art League January Open Exhibit
Juried by New York-based artist and curator Catherine Haggarty, our January Open Exhibit features a diverse array of paintings, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and mixed-media work by our exhibiting artist members; on view until February 5 at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union Street in Old Town Alexandria.
Free Stylin’—Homage to Ed Clark
Joyce Wellman’s Free Stylin’- Homage to Ed Clark, at Foundry Gallery through February 2, is an acknowledgement of the influence that the groundbreaking abstract painter—who happened to be her mentor—has had on her own work. There’s an opening reception Saturday, January 11 from 5:30-8 p.m., and a gallery talk hosted by Michelle Parkerson January 19 from 3-5 p.m.; Foundry Gallery, 2118 8th Street, N.W.
6 @ 35—Fabricating Sculpture
6@35 – Fabricating Sculpture marks the 35th anniversary of the Washington Sculptors Group, and recognizes the works of members Luc Fiedler, Allen Linder, Mitra Lore, Vienne Rea, Gil Ugiansky, and Wilfredo Valladares. Says Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post, this exhibit “is a fine and suitably diverse introduction to the group, and its mostly large-scale work fills the spacious lobby authoritatively.” See it now through January 19 at the Zenith Gallery-programmed lobby gallery of 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Time Capsule
Head over to Cultural DC’s pop-up gallery in Union Market for the final two days of Time Capsule, a mixed-media critique of contemporary consumerism, American politics and Internet media by Baltimore-based artist duo (Daniel) Wickerham & (Malcolm) Lomax. There you’ll see large-scale portraits of Insta-ready young people framed by props like U.S. flags, copies of the Mueller Report, and “squeegee kids” buckets alongside Wickerham & Lomax-branded T-shirts and handbags that are for sale; on view now through Jan. 12 at Cultural DC pop-up, 1258 Fourth St. NE.
Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art and Mickelane Thomas: A Moment’s Pleasure
Two must-sees at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA): Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art (through January 19) offers a sweeping new perspective on the contributions black artists have made to the evolution of visual art from the 1940s to the present. Mickalene Thomas: A Moment’s Pleasure (through May 2021) is an immersive, two-story installation that transforms the museum’s East Lobby into a living room reflective of Thomas’ signature aesthetic influenced by 1970s and 1980s motifs. Bonus: Thomas-curated works by Derrick Adams, Zoë Charlton Theresa Chromati, Alex Dukes, Dominiqua S. Eldridge, Devin N. Morris, Clifford Owens, and D’Metrius John Rice, all artists with ties to the city, are included; Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD.
Incoming
Incoming by Richard Mosse, at the National Art Gallery through March 22, sheds light on the migrant crisis and humanizes displacement. Mosse, along with cinematographer Trevor Tweeten and composer Ben Frost, used a highly specialized surveillance camera to capture the sights and sounds of events along two major migration pathways leading into Europe—one from Africa, the other from the Middle East; National Gallery of Art, Constitution Avenue N.W. between 3rd and 9th Streets.