Arts & Entertainment
‘Fight the Power’
From ‘Homocats’ to gender-bending video installations, region’s galleries not offering same old thing
‘HOMOCATS’ (Courtesy Transformer)
“Fade 2 Grey,” a solo exhibition by artist Adrian Loving featuring six video art installations that explore androgyny, gender roles, fashion and sensationalism of style in ‘80s pop music through artists such as Patti Smith, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Sylvester, Boy George, Prince and more, opens with a reception tonight from 6-9 p.m. and runs through April 25. It’s at Vivid Solutions Gallery inside the Anacostia Arts Center (1231 Good Hope Road, S.E.). Visit vividsolutionsgallery.com for full details.
Transformer (1404 P St., N.W.) is featuring “HOMOCATS: Fight the Power” by Brooklyn-based artist J. Morrison through March 15. Morrison, who is gay, combines the internet phenomenon of cats and socio-political LGBT issues on a psychedelic wallpaper design and printed c-prints. His work pays homage to historic queer symbols like the rainbow flag and pink triangle.
‘Behind Fourth Wall’ (Courtesy Royal Books)
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) and Royal Books presents “Behind the Fourth Wall: Actors and Directors on the Set, Photographs 1926-2001,” a behind-the-scenes movie exhibit. It opens today and runs through May 26. The exhibit is a collection of vintage behind-the-scenes of classic films from the silent era to the 20th century. The photos are candid and were taken by famous photographers such as Mario Tursi and Bob Willoughby, working professionals and anonymous photographers. For more details, visit afi.com/silver.
Kreeger Museum (2401 Foxhall Rd., N.W.) is currently featuring “K@20,” a celebration of the museum’s 20th anniversary, through July 31. The exhibit features 14 D.C.-area artists in a variety of mediums including installations, paintings, sculptures and paper to video. On April 16 from 6-7:30 p.m., a roundtable discussion will occur. For more information, visit kreegermuseum.com.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) presents “Light and Dark,” an exhibit that explores darkness and light in the spring equinox, through March 30. Touchstone member artists produced various forms of artwork such as ceramics, paintings, sculpture and drawing. For more details, visit touchstonegallery.com.
Corcoran Gallery (500 17th St., N.W.) features Rineke Dijkstra’s “The Krazyhouse, Liverpool UK, 2009” a four-channel video installation exhibit, March 29-June 15. Dikstra filmed guests at a popular dance club in Liverpool. It shows five young people (Megan, Simon, Nikky, Phillip and Dee) as they dance and sing to music they selected themselves. The half-hour show intends to look at each individual in a broader social spectrum.
Corcoran Gallery is also showing “Jennifer Steinkamp and Jimmy Johnson: Loop,” a visual art and music installation, March 15-April 20. Visitors are surrounded by digital colorful rope and can see their shadows on the walls. The combination makes for a multi-colored three dimension moving abstraction. Admission for the gallery is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and free for children under 12. Visit corcoran.org for more details.
Gallery B (770 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md.) is showing “Ideal Form,” featuring paintings and drawings by artist Robert O’Brien, through March 29. O’Brien is a Maryland native and received his Certificate in Painting from Washington Studio School. His work has been shown in galleries throughout the area. For more details, visit bethesda.org.
Foundry Gallery (1314 18th St., N.W.) presents Ana Elisa Benavent’s “Shifting Gears” through March 30. Benavent uses color expressionism to demonstrate revival, healing, reinvention and change through a painting interpretation of riding in a car. Visit foundrygallery.org for more information.
The Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) is showing “Intersections: 50-65 Horizon Line” by Jean Meisel, a D.C.-based artist, through May 4. The exhibit displays more than 50 watercolor paintings of horizon lines.
‘Edward Hopper’s Sunday’ (Courtesy Phillips Collection)
The Phillips Collection is also featuring “Made in the USA,” the most comprehensive on-site installation of the Phillip’s American collection to date, through Aug. 31. The exhibit includes prominent American artists of the late 19th century, as well as a display of Abstract Expressionists. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and free for members and children under 12. Featured artists are Edward Hopper, Milton Avery, Man Ray and many more. Visit phillipscollection.org for details.
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.) presents “Coast to Coast” by Empty Stretch, an online photography curation group, April 2-Aug. 3 on the Town Hall Video Wall. Empty Stretch selected approximately 400 photographs that feature different coastlines and bodies of water. The photographs were collected through email submissions and Flickr. Visit artisphere.com for more details.
Hirshhorn (700 Independence Ave., S.W.) is featuring Santiago Sierra and Jorge Galindo in the Hirshhorn’s “Black Box” series with “Los Encargados (Those in Charge)” through May 18. Sierra staged a performance in 2012 with a motorcade of seven black Mercedes-Benz sedans with portraits of prominent Spanish leaders on top. By-standers filmed the spectacle on their phones and the footage can be seen in black and white.
The Smithsonian Craft Show is now in its 32nd year and scheduled for April 10-13 at the National Building Museum (401 F St., N.W.). It features 123 craft artists selected in a “quest for the best” and sale of limited edition and one-of-a-kind works available in 12 different media. Visit Smithsoniancraftshow.org for full details.
And though Gay Day isn’t until September, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden always has tons of great events, lectures and concerts on its slate. Visit hillwoodmuseum.org for full details.
a&e features
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths
The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.
This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.
This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.
Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis
Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers
ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES
- Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives - Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream - Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC - Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency - Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision - Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry - Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine - Queen Adesuyi (she/they)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice - Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) - Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra - Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer - Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital - Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space - Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Director of Programs, Pride Live (Stonewall Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriques (she/her)
— Program Leader, Pride Live (Stonewall Visitor Center) - Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women - Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader - Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation - Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle - Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle
LEGEND AWARDEES
- Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau - Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP - leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography - Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University - Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation - AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, ACLU - RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart - Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign - Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group - Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame - Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction) - Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Formerly of Voto Latino - Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade - Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer - Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures - Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association - Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Coalition - Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted - Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies - Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter - Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington - Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit - Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio - Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT - J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
Celebrity News
D.C. goes gaga for Gaga
Bisexual icon brought ‘The Mayhem Ball’ tour to Washington this week
Lady Gaga this week took D.C. by storm.
The bisexual icon and LGBTQ rights champion brought “The Mayhem Ball” tour to Capital One Arena on Monday and Tuesday.
“Abracadabra,” “Paparazzi,” “Applause,” and “Bad Romance” are among the songs Lady Gaga performed during the 2 1/2-hour long concert. Lady Gaga also celebrated her many queer fans.
“You are precious to us,” she said on Tuesday night before she performed “Born This Way.”
Photos
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
D.C. LGBTQ political group celebrates milestone at Pepco Edison Place Gallery
The Capital Stonewall Democrats held a 50th anniversary celebration at Pepco Edison Place Gallery on Friday. Rayceen Pendarvis served as the emcee.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
A surtax would end this war quickly
DeSantis signs emergency bill that restores Fla. ADAP funding
Menaka Guruswamy celebrated as India’s first openly LGBTQ MP
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
