Arts & Entertainment
Arts news in brief: Oct. 7
Stein exhibit opens at Portrait Gallery, Center hosts two weekend events and more
Gertrude Stein posing for Jo Davidson in 1922. A tribute to the iconoclastic lesbian poet and art collector opens next weekend at the Portrait Gallery in Washington. (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian)
Stein exhibit opens at Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery has a new exhibit, “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories” opening Oct. 14.
The exhibit features more than 50 artifacts and 100 works by artists detailing the groundbreaking lesbian writer’s life and work.
Wanda Corn, who is serving as guest curator, and Tirza True Latimar, serving as associate guest curator, have written a book of the same name which analyzes the portraits Stein posed for and more.
The gallery is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free.
Mackey: the ‘Knife’
Lesbian singer/songwriter Jeanne Mackey will be performing “Drop the Knife: A Memoir-in-Song” on Oct. 14 at the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium (7500 Maple Ave.) at 7:30 p.m.
As a young musician, Mackey advocated feminist values and social justice and in this musical she chronicles her search for personal and ancestral healing, exploring the meaning of magic, homeland, curses and death.
There is a suggested donation of $10 to $15.
Center hosts two artists this weekend
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) has two events this weekend.
First up is the Center’s monthly open mic night tonight at 8 p.m. featuring Liz Prescott, a semi-finalist in Capturing Fire, the first national, queer poetry slam. Prescott has also been featured at Busboys & Poets and Bloombars.
The night will be hosted by Mike Brazell and those who wish to participate should sign up by 7:30 p.m.
Then on Saturday, Kimberly Dark, a writer, mother, performer and professor, will be performing “Good Fortune” tonight at 8 p.m. Dark has compiled her own “tarot deck” of 49 large-size art images that correspond to stories. At each performance, an audience member chooses cards from the deck to form the show’s “reading.” The cards’ selection, arrangement, and impromptu interpretation ensure that no two shows will ever be alike. Tickets are $10 and can only be purchased at the door.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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