Galleries
SUMMER IN THE CITY 2019: galleries
Foundry, Hillwood, Newseum and more have compelling summer exhibits


Washington boasts nearly 80 museums and galleries and most are inexpensive with admission prices ranging from free to $30. So, if Stonewall celebrations whetted your appetite to be out in the community, D.C. offers much more arts and culture to feast upon.
Gallery B (7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda, Md.) will present an exhibition of work by Maryland Federation of Art members July 3-27. The exhibition is juried by Robert Yi, a recipient of the A.H.O. Roll Prize in Fine Arts and the Mae W. Jurow Scholarship who is also exhibiting at the Hylton Performing Arts Center (10960 George Mason Cir., Manassas, Va.) July 14-Sept. 8 with an opening reception July 25. Yiās portrait paintings have ranged from Mohammed Ali and the Dali Lama to muscular men in tiny briefs. Gallery hours for the MFA show will be Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. with a public reception on Friday, July 12 from 6-8 p.m.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) presents āQueer Japan,ā a colorful documentary celebrating the triumphs and struggles of being a sexual and gender minority in modern Japan, July 27 at 7 p.m. This film is part of the Reel Affirmations XTRA monthly LGBTQ film series showing at Landmarkās E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.). Tickets are $14. August 2-4 is the Outwrite Literary Festival and features award-winning novelists Kristen Arnett and Jericho Brown as well as queer poet and drag performer Wo Chan. Arty Queers continues as the Centerās monthly indoor LGBTQ art market featuring work crafted by local artists, and Center Arts Gallery will hold a closing reception for professional photographer and graphic designer Todd Franson Saturday, Sept. 7, from 7-9 p.m. at the D.C. Center. For more information on these and other events, visit thedccenter.org.
The Wentworth Gallery (7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, Md. and 1807 Galleria at Tysons II, McLean, Va.) is exhibiting works by artists Charles Fazzino and Elena Bond this July and August. Fazzino, a 3-D pop artist, uses bright colors and detail to construct lithographs and serigraphs that are finished with either acrylic or glitter paint. His Batman-themed piece has a retro-look. Bondās work is soft and impressionistic with soothing imagery such as crowds meandering down rainy streets. For more details, visit wentworthgallery.com.
The National Gallery of Art (6th and Constitution Ave., N.W.) presents āBy the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographsā July 14-Jan. 5. The exhibit marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969. An exhibition of some 50 works will include a selection of photographs from the unmanned missions leading up to Apollo 11 as well as images taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. An exhibition of Renaissance artist Verrocchio begins Sunday, Sept. 15. Verrocchio, who never married, was master to other greats such as Leonardo da Vinci. For more information, visit nga.gov.
The Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market Street, Suite 103, Reston, Va.) presents āOverlooked,ā a group exhibition featuring artists who seek to bring awareness to issues often not a part of āpolite conversation,ā July 13-Aug. 31. July 13 there will be an artist talk at 4 p.m. followed by an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Artists include Leila Abdelrazaq, whose short animated film āStill Birthā was commissioned for the 2018 Palestinian Young Artist of the Year Awards exhibition; Lorenzo Cardim, who explores how queer people and other social minorities question the status quo; former Hamiltonian Fellow Larry W. Cook; Leigh Davis, whose work navigates the line between voyeurism and empathy; Helina Metaferia, whose art asserts the black body into sites of systemic oppression; Matt Storm, whose trans-centric photography explores identity through self-portraiture; and Julie Wolfe, whose work has been reviewed in ARTnews and BBC American. Visit restonarts.org for more information.
National Geographic Museum (1145 17th St., N.W.) presents āQueens of Egypt,ā which is on display through Sept. 15. This exhibition explores the role powerful women such as Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra played not only in Egypt but on the world stage. The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with the last ticket sold at 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $15; for seniors, students and military members, $12; and for children ages 5-12, $10. Annual pass members and children under 5 are free. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.
The National Museum of African-American History and Culture (1400 Constitution Ave., N.W.) presents āTaking the Stage,ā an exploration of the history of African Americans in theater, film and television. Located in the fourth floor culture galleries, āTaking the Stageā provides visitors with the opportunity to reconnect with some of their favorite popular culture memories through artifacts such as Eddie Murphyās Detroit Lions jacket from āBeverly Hills Copā and the outfits worn by Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford in the groundbreaking series āThe Jeffersons.ā The exhibition showcases stories of how African-American artists have enriched American culture through entertainment while also crafting possibilities for social change, such as with āStar Trekāsā first televised interracial kiss. The museum offers free timed passes for entry, which can be reserved at etix.com. For more information, visit nmaahc.si.edu.
The Freer|Sackler Gallery (1050 Independence Ave., S.W.) presents āBody Image,ā one of many multicultural exhibitions displaying at the gallery this summer. āBody Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinentā explores through art how the human body is central to artistic expression on the Indian subcontinent in terms of sharing fundamental beliefs. The first room considers the perfect bodies of the Hindu gods before turning to the Indian courtly body as site of both pleasure and power. The rear gallery introduces the enlightened bodies of Buddhist and Jain traditions, as well as divine conceptions that transcend physical form. Admission is free. For more information, visit museum.oas.org.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts āPower in My Hand: Women Poets, Women Artists and Social Changeā through Oct. 31. This exhibit shows the enduring solidarity between women poets and artists using words and images illustrating the communication and inspiration across geographic boundaries and historical eras. Examples include Muriel Rukeyserās honor poem for the German artist Kathe Kollwitz and Judy Chicagoās āDinner Partyā artistic homage to poet Emily Dickenson. Regular admission is $10; $8 for visitors 65 and older and students and free for museum members and children 18 years and younger. For more information, visit nmwa.org.
The Foundry Gallery (2118 8th St. N.W.) offers an alternative gallery experience, through artist talks, workshops, opening receptions, demonstrations and consultations. This summerās exhibition includes āThe Habitual Lineā by Joseph Shetler July 3-28 with an opening reception on Saturday, July 13 from 5-8 p.m. Shetler’s work is post-minimalist reflecting the practice of simplicity in art and life and honoring his Mennonite heritage. The Foundry Gallery is a non-profit organization supported by member dues, sales commissions and community donations. For more information, visit foundrygallery.org.Ā
Hillwood Museum (4155 Linnean Ave. N.W.) presents āMid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedtā and the art collection of Adelaide Close Riggs. The Eisenstaedt collection features nearly 50 photographs from his career in photojournalism, focusing on his images of mid-20th century life and the eraās most celebrated figures. Riggs, eldest daughter of patron Marjorie Merriweather Post, was a notable art collector whose collection includes portraits, clothing and more. The exhibits run through Jan. 12 and suggested donations range from $5-18. Visit hillwoodmuseum.org for details.
Artists and Makers Studios (12276 Wilkins Ave., Rockville, Md.), an art center complex hosting about 150 resident artists, will host Black Artists of D.C. and the National League of American Pen Women for the month of July. Saturday, July 20, 1-3 p.m. is the Black Artists of D.C. talk. Other events include Theremin Music with Arthur Harrison, Solo Acoustic Guitar with David Ziegele and a Montgomery County Camera Club exhibition titled āPhotojournalism and Street Life.ā Exhibits continue through July 24 and viewing hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday and Sundays/Mondays by appointment. For more information, visit artistsandmakersstudios.com.
The Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) presents āRise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movementā on display through Dec. 31. This exhibit explores the modern gay rights movement in the U.S. and marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 raid of New Yorkās Stonewall Inn. The Newseum also screens āInto the Streets,ā a film exploring how the LGBTQ rights movement harnessed the power of public protest to change policy and shift culture, in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Big Screen Theater on Level 5. Admission is $24.95 for adults ages 19-64, $19.95 for seniors ages 65 and older, $14.95 for children ages 7-18, and free for children 6 and younger. For more information, visit newseum.org.
Hemphill Fine Arts Gallery (1515 14th St., N.W.) presents its summer show July 13-Aug. 23 with a reception on Saturday, July 20 from 4-6 p.m. The exhibition features modern and contemporary art in all media by artist ranging from emerging to mid-career to modern masters. Gallery hours are Tuesday ā Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and by appointment. Visit hemphillfinearts.com for more information.
Galleries
New gallery opening in D.C.
Dandelion Collective exhibition features works by John Von Sauerhoff

Dandelion Collective, a new space in Columbia Heights for LGBTQ healers and artists, will open on Saturday, Aug. 24 with an opening reception at 2 p.m. at 3417 14th St., N.W.
This first exhibition features the incredible, ethereal artwork of John Von Sauerhoff. His stunning pop surrealist paintings will transport you to another world.
More information is available at dandelioncollectivedc.com/art-gallery.Ā

New England artists Caroline Rufo and John Rufo, also known as RufoArt will open an exhibition on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. at Nepenthe Gallery.
The husband-and-wife duo will share their paintings and also talk about their inspirations. Caroline explores the natural beauty, ideas, and systems of power that create her surroundings while John works toward an understanding of art as a representation of singular moments of both immediate presence and a larger context of wholeness.
For more details, visit Nepenthe Galleryās website.
Galleries
John Waters introduces the world to his āroommatesāĀ
Baltimore Museum of Art showcases filmmakerās eclectic collection in new exhibit

As open as he is about his childhood and his movies and the causes he supports, writer and filmmaker John Waters remains guarded about his personal life.
From Watersā books, interviews and speaking engagements, fans know that heās gay and who his longtime friends are. They know he has three residences ā in Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco ā and that he spends his summers in Provincetown. They know where he plans to be buried, and with whom. But Waters reveals little about his most intimate relationships.
āI have to talk about my movies. I have to give interviews to promote what Iām doing,ā he once said. āBut no one really knows my personal life. And if you donāt have a personal life, I feel bad for you.ā
So it was a bit surprising this fall to hear Waters talk about the āroommatesā he lives with, as if heās a college kid in the freshman dorm, or heās renting out rooms to cope with inflation.
During a press briefing about a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Waters volunteered that he has roommates in each of his three residences. In many cases, he said, heās had these roommates for years. And theyāre not members of his biological family; he chose to live with them.
But for those hungry for morsels about Watersā private affairs, these arenāt exactly romantic roommates. The museum event was a preview for āComing Attractions: The John Waters Collection,ā an exhibition of 83 works of contemporary art from Watersā personal collection, that runs until April 16, 2023. And āroommates,ā Waters explained at the briefing and in a āgo mobileā narration that accompanies the show, is the term he uses to refer to the works of art at his different homes.
āMy roommates ā thatās what Iāve always called my art collection,ā he said at the media event.
āI call art my roommates because I live with them,ā he explains in the taped narration. āI look at them every day…We live in a commune.ā
Watersā notion of art works as roommates is not new. He wrote about it in a chapter of his 2010 book, āRole Models,ā in which he describes the art in his homes as roommates, having traits that he likes and seeks out for all of his homes. He said he prefers the companionship of art-roommates to live ones.
āNo sirree, no real-life people sharing my bathroom or reading my newspapers before me!ā he vowed. āInstead, I live with artists. Mike Kelley is one of my roommates.ā
Visitors to Watersā homes, including guests at his annual Christmas party in Baltimore, have been lucky enough to see what heās talking about. The BMA exhibit is the first time heās shared his companions on such a large scale.
Part of the fun of the exhibit for him, Waters said during a walk-through of the show, has been seeing his roommates from his three different residences, in the same space for the first time, in some cases side-by-side.
āTheyāve never met each other before,ā he said. āIt was like [the curators] were introducing different artists that should have met a long time ago.ā
Though heās perhaps best known for films such as āHairsprayā and āPink Flamingos,ā bestsellers such as āRole Modelsā and āCarsick,ā and nicknames such as āThe Pope of Trashā and āThe Prince of Puke,ā Waters, 76, is also a visual artist and noted art collector.
He was the subject of a retrospective entitled āJohn Waters: Indecent Exposureā at the BMA and the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, in 2018 and 2019. He has two works on view in the inaugural show at the Rubell Museum that recently opened in Washington, D.C., āBeverly Hills Johnā and āShoulda!ā
The 83 works on view in āComing Attractionsā were culled from a larger group of about 375 works that Waters, a Baltimore native and BMA trustee, has agreed to leave to the museum when he dies.
Watersā gift to the BMA includes 288 works by 125 artists other than himself, in a variety of art forms. Waters also donated 87 prints, sculptures, mixed-media and video pieces that he created. His gift will make the BMA the greatest single repository of his visual artwork and will enable it to provide, in perpetuity, a comprehensive view of his vision and approach to making and collecting art.
When Watersā gift was announced in 2020, directors promised the museum would have a preview of whatās to come while he was still alive, and this is it. All of the works in the show are on loan from Waters and will go back to him when the show is over.
In return for his gift, the museum board said it would name restrooms and a rotunda after him. That wasnāt a putdown. Known for his raunchy humor and offbeat way of thinking, Waters specifically asked to have his name on the restrooms, the first at the BMA that are āall gender.ā
Christened last fall with a āfirst peeā by trans artist and activist Elizabeth Coffey, The John Waters Restrooms are right next to The Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, where āComing Attractionsā opened on Nov. 20. The museum has also agreed to display prominently five works from the collection, including one by Waters, at all times.
āComing Attractionsā is one of two Waters-related museum exhibits opening over the next year, along with āPope of Trash,ā a career retrospective at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in 2023. Dates for the retrospective have not been announced.
Unlike āIndecent Exposureā three years ago, āComing Attractionsā doesnāt include works by Waters. Instead, it provides an insiderās look at his tastes in contemporary art, and how he lives with art, by focusing on works by others that he has collected and displayed at his homes in Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco.
The guest curators are photographer Catherine Opie and multi-media artist Jack Pierson, both of whom have been friends with Waters for years and are represented in his collection. Both identify as queer, as do many of the artists represented in the exhibit. The show is organized by Leila Grothe, the museumās Associate Curator of Contemporary Art.
Among the featured works are paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints by Diane Arbus; Nan Goldin; Mike Kelley; Cindy Sherman; Cy Twombly; Andy Warhol; Christopher Wool, Gary Simmons and others.
The museum refers to the exhibit as āa cutting-edge articulation of American individualism, particularly as it relates to queer identity and freedom of expression.ā
āAll of John has been a go-to for me, as a young queer,ā said Opie, who has a portrait of Waters in the show. The works ārepresent a type of contemporary art that the museum actually just doesnāt really have,ā Grothe said.
Watersā collection is a reflection of his personality and imagination, Opie and Pierson said in a joint statement.
āOur hope is to share with audiences another aspect of Johnās creative vision by offering a glimpse into what he values: artists who are unafraid to take risks, who do not compromise, and who create their art on the margins.ā
The roommate reference could have been a one-liner, but Waters takes the idea and runs with it, building on what he wrote in his Roommates chapter in āRole Models.ā
āThey delighted me or made me angry or made me laugh or I thought did something in a new way,ā he said of his companions. āThey just challenged me and I wanted to live with them because artās your roommates. You live with them forever.ā
In talking about his āroommates,ā Waters makes it seem as if they are sentient beings who have minds, feelings and personalities of their own, and who can interact with each other, perhaps when the museum is closed.
He paints a picture of his roommates being the art world equivalent of the robotic āhostsā in HBOās āWestworld,ā or the exhibits from āNight at the Museumā and its sequels, movies in which works of art come to life.
Waters talks about his roommates hanging out together, knowing theyāre in the home of the Cone Collection with its priceless paintings by Henri Matisse and other masters. He thinks about how theyāre adjusting to their temporary home. He muses about them developing relationships they couldnāt have in the different residences and becoming friends. He imagines his roommates plotting with each other. He fantasizes about them sneaking out of the gallery theyāre in and exploring other parts of the museum.
Asked at a donorsā event how he thinks his roommates are getting along in their new setting, Waters didnāt miss a beat: āI think theyāre so happy to meet each other,ā he said. āAnd they all want to gang up and scare The Blue Nude.ā
Itās not that much of a stretch to think in those terms, since many of the works in Watersā collection are images either of his friends (the late Cookie Mueller), or by his friends (Vincent Peranio), or both (Susan Loweās drawing of Mink Stole.)
The curators are going along with it, too, talking about āintroducingā different works so they can be āin conversationā with each other.
āJohn delights in the fact that these works, all pulled from different homes, are meeting each other for the first time,ā Grothe said at the press preview, pointing to a wall with works from three different residences.
āHow great does this wall look with Richard Tuttle on the left, the sculpture by Vincent Fecteau in the center, and Gary Simmons on the right?ā she asked. āThereās a lot to say about each artwork, but for now we should just appreciate the budding of a new friendship between these pieces.ā
The curators positioned certain works to show how they ābegin to speak to one another in different ways,ā Opie said. āThroughout the exhibition, youāll notice these little groupings…that we ended up putting together so that they could have a conversation.ā
Was anyone left out of the party?
Pierson said he regrets that there isn’t an “Edith Massey moment” in the show, in honor of the character who played Edith the Egg Lady in āPink Flamingos,ā so her voice could be part of the mix. “I’m sure I could have found one,” he said.
āThe only piece that would remind me of her [is one] that I didnāt buy but I wish I did, by George Stoll,ā Waters said. āHe made fake Easter eggs, but the collector hides them in their house so no one ever sees them. And you forget them, yourself, that you have them. And then youāre going through an old drawer ā Oh! Thereās a piece of art I bought!ā
During the donorsā event, Grothe asked Waters what his homes feel like with much of the art out on loan. She said people at the museum are worried about him, living without his roommates. Waters said his homes look and feel empty.
āIt looks like Iām moving, everywhere, because they didnāt take everything,ā he said. āSo there are big holes in the wall, and dirt.ā
Waters said he keeps thinking Louise Lawler should come over, a reference to the artist whoās made a career of studying and documenting art installations. āItās a great installation for her to do.ā
Waters went even further in the taped narration, likening his residences to scenes of a crime, still in disarray.
āThey have come to all my homes and taken half the stuff off the walls,ā he laments. āSo now I live in abandoned squats that look like art robberies happened in my house.ā
At the same time, he admits, his roommates look good in their museum setting.
āYou can see them so much better,ā he said. āI donāt have good lighting. They cleaned them, too. They were dirty, some of them.”
Even though the show just opened, Waters is already thinking about what happens after it comes down.
āItās weird,ā he said. āItās going to be hard to put them back where they went after seeing them in here together.ā
Waters said he thought about putting his roommates back differently, taking cues from the exhibit and preserving some of the new ārelationshipsā formed at the museum. He said heās grateful to the curators for coming up with āa whole new wayā to show them off.
āMaybe Iām going to never be able to hang it back the way it was [and] have to put it back the way you did it,ā he told the curators at one point.
But ultimately, he said, he decided against shifting everything around.
āOh god, that would really be complicated,ā he said. āIād have to move all the furniture and change everything. So they will go back, lonely.ā
Waters said he knows that wonāt be as much fun for his roommates, not hanging with their new friends. But he notes this isnāt the last time theyāll see each other, since theyāll be returning to the museum eventually.
After all, he said, āthey know that way later, after Iām dead, theyāll get together again.ā
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