Welcome to The Artful Five
-our weekly picks for getting your art fix!
Explore the vibrant and diverse art scene of Washington, D.C. at The District 51 Art Show, an expansive exhibition showcasing the works of 51 talented artists—including Art Leagues members Abol Bahadori and Rashad Ali Muhammad—at Touchstone Gallery. From emerging creators to seasoned visionaries, the collection spans a variety of mediums, styles, and perspectives, offering a unique window into the region’s rich artistic tapestry. It is on view through February 9.
Check out Winter Blast: A Family Day of Native Games Saturday, January 25, at the American Indian Museum. This family-friendly event celebrates Indigenous games from the Arctic to Argentina, including Kōnane (Hawaiian Checkers) and Moa Pahe`e (Dart Sliding) from Hawaii; La Rayuela and El juego del Sapo (The Toad Game) from Bolivia; Mahkisina Meehkintiinki (Moccasin Game) played by the Myaamia; and more! The museum’s collection also has a craft activity based on the Penobscot ball and triangle game. The fun starts at 10 am to 5 pm, and it’s free.
Read Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, by Natalie Dykstra, about the extraordinary life of art collector, philanthropist, and Gardner Museum founder Isabella Stewart Gardner. Then join us in person or virtually for our January in book club discussions where we will delve into Gardner’s storied life and legacy. For extra credit you can also read Stephen Kurkjian’s Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist, where the investigative reporter sheds new light on the 1990 Gardner Museum theft, the largest in the world.
Listen to “The Year Ahead 2025: market predictions, the big shows and openings,” on the The Week in Art podcast. Georgina Adam, The Art Newspaper’s editor-at-large, shares what might lie ahead for the art market this year; and fellow editors Jane Morris and Gareth Harris discuss the big museum openings, biennials and exhibitions of the year including the reopening of the newly renovated Frick Collection in New York, Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; and Wifredo Lam at MoMA.
Watch “Spotlight on Brutalist Architecture,” a CBS Sunday Morning segment about the mid-20th century style of huge, bulky public buildings that have been controversial since their debut. And since Washington, D.C. is home to many of these structures, see Capital Brutalism, an exhibition that examines the history, current state, and future of seven of the city’s polarizing buildings and the WMATA Metro system. It is on view at the National Building Museum through February 17. Finally, don’t miss “The Brutalist” starring Adrien Brody as the fictional László Tóth, a brilliant architect and Holocaust survivor who is commissioned to build a Brutalist style building while rebuilding his life in America.