Arts & Entertainment
Pictures at an exhibition
Season’s gallery exhibits feature bounty of mixed-media wonders

‘The Good Switch’ is part of Rams Brisueño's ‘Conversations with Flowers’ series which will be on display as part of the "Travelin' Shoes" exhibit at Fleckenstein Gallery. It’s one of several gay offerings this fall. (Image courtesy Fleckenstein)
The Washington/Baltimore region, with its bounty of galleries, never ceases to astound with its endless bounty of art. Among the season’s highlights are:
The Fleckenstein Gallery (3316 Keswick Rd.) in Baltimore has a new exhibit, “Travelin’ Shoes” opening Oct. 5 featuring the work of Schroeder Cherry, Kylis Winborne and gay artist Rams Brisueño.
Brisueño portrays male and female figures, some asexual and some with gender-bending qualities. His profile on the Baker Artist Awards website says he uses collage and painting to show layers of experiences and differences.
“By organically letting the work be painted over, rubbed out or scribbled on top of, but with great attention to the surfaces of things … to texture and intuitive response, and with a conscientious distinction between spontaneous doodles and selected text, composition and personal associations come together in themes of mythmaking … and compositional unity through space, shape and color,” Brisueño says of his work.
This exhibit is in affiliation with the Black Male Identity Project and is part of Free Fall Baltimore.
Gallery plan b (1530 14th St., N.W.) has two exhibits scheduled to open this fall. The first, which opens today, will feature paintings by Kevin H. Adams. The second exhibit, which opens Oct. 19, will feature photographs by Kermit Berg and paintings by Delna Dastur.
Industry Gallery (1358 Florida Ave., N.E., Suite 200) presents “Meltdown” featuring new work by Tom Price, which opens Saturday with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. This is the British artist and designer’s first U.S. solo exhibition. He specializes in modern furniture products, sculpture and lighting design.
“I like to think of myself as working in collaboration with materials, processes and phenomena and that the final physical outcome is a product of mutual consent,” Price says in a press release.
Zenith Gallery’s newest exhibit, which features monumental and pedestal sculpture and three-dimensional wall art by Julie Girardini, David Hubbard, Joan Konkel, Barton Rubenstein and Paul Martin Wolff, opened Thursday and will run through Jan. 7 at the Eleven Eleven Sculpture Gallery (1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.).
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (200 North Blvd.) in Richmond has several exhibits scheduled to open this fall. First up, opening today, is “Vision from the Congo,” a two-part installation of bear sculptures. The first section features four sculptures by artists from the Pende culture, of the Congo’s Kwilu and Kasai regions that relate to the disruptions experienced by the Pende in the early 20th century. The second part features life-size sculptures by Renée Stout and Alison Saar, who draw from African art and culture in creating their works.
Dec. 23 brings the opening of “Elvis at 21,” which features 57 photographs taken by Alfred Wertheimer when Elvis was on the brink of international stardom. For information on these exhibits and more, visit vmfa.museum/exhibitions.
The National Gallery of Art (4th and Constitution Ave., N.W.) has a new exhibit, “Warhol: Headlines” which opens Sept. 25. This is said to be the first exhibition to full examine the works Andy Warhol, who was gay, created on the theme of news headlines by present about 80 works including paintings, drawing, photographs and more based largely on tabloid news.
Warhol’s headline works also chart the shift in mainstream media’s ways of delivering the news from a printed format to an electronic format. The headline motif encompasses Warhol’s key subjects, including celebrity, death, disaster and contemporary events.
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
Friday, January 30
Friday Tea Time will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Bring your beverage of choice. For more information, contact Mac ([email protected]).
Spark Social will host “RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party” at 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by local drag queens TrevHER and Grey, who will provide hilarious commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 31
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Sunday, February 1
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community and Conversation” at noon at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Go Gay DC sign on the long table near the front window. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, February 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam (adamheller@thedccenter.org).
Tuesday, February 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more information, email [email protected].
Wednesday, February 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, February 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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