Galleries

FALL ARTS 2016: ‘Trans/Formation’ experience

Voguing, lesbian self portraiture, Art All Night and more among fall exhibits

Published

9 years ago

September 15, 2016

Mariah Cooper

galleries, gay news, Washington Blade, design

Luwayne Glass performs as dreamcrusher. (Photo courtesy VisArts)

(901 New York Ave., N.W.) presents exhibits “Beyond Face Value” by Touchstone member artists in Gallery A, “Tutto sui Fiori” by Judy Giuliani in Gallery B and “The Thermal Zone” by Peter McCutchen in Gallery C through Sunday, Oct. 2. “Beyond Face Value” explores the literal and figurative face of things. “Tutto sui Fiori” is a series of abstract flower paintings and “The Thermal Zone” focuses on Yellowstone’s Thermal Zone. McCutchen and Giuliani will give an artist talk on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m.

Art All Night, an overnight arts festival, is Saturday, Sept. 24 from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. at various locations in the neighborhoods of Congress Heights, Dupont Circle, H Street, North Capitol, Shaw, Van Ness and Tenleytown. Artwork on display will be a mixture of painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, film, poetry, music, dance, theater and more. A complete list of artists and a schedule of exhibits and performances are to be announced. Admission is free.

Out artist Gordon Binder presents his exhibit “Skylines and Treelines,” a city-themed, oil-based artwork, at Studio Gallery (2108 R St., N.W.) from Wednesday, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Oct. 22.

Artists & Makers Studios (11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, Md.) presents “Trans/Form.ation” through Wednesday, Sept. 28. The three-gallery exhibit challenges the concepts of form based on a generic dress form. Artists involved include Meaghan Busch, Amelia Hankin Cashin, Minji Kim, Jun Lee and more.

VisArts Emerging Curator Program presents “Noise, Body, Music,” an exhibition that features work from queer and gender non-conforming artists in the disciplines of visual art, dance, punk and experimental electronic music, at VisArts at Rockville (155 Gibbs St., Rockville, Md.). There will be an opening party on Friday, Sept. 16 from 7-11 p.m. Local queercore/transcore punk band Homosuperior will perform. Cyber-noise artist Fire-Toolz, trans-disciplinary dance group Antibody Corporation and nihilist queer revolt music artist Luwayne Glass, known as dreamcrusher, will also perform. The exhibition is on display through Sunday, Oct. 16. Admission to the opening party and exhibition is free.

Homosuperior will perform in the ‘Noise, Body, Music’ exhibiton at VisArts in Rockville. (Photo by Farrah Skeiky)

The Center for Black Equity hosts “Our Lives, Our History, Our Museum,” an LGBT celebration of the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 7-9 p.m. Singer and LGBT activist Frenchie Davis will perform. Refreshments will be provided. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opens on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Zenith Gallery presents “Humor Heals,” a comedic take on classic artworks, at 1429 Iris St., N.W. from Sept. 23-Oct. 29. Artists included in the showcase will be Caroline Benchetrit, Elissa Farrow-Savos, Stephen Hansen, among others. There will be a “meet-the-artists” receptions on Friday, Sept. 23 from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 24 from 2-6 p.m.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts Smithsonian magazine’s 12th annual Museum Day Live on Saturday, Sept. 24.from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. A special exhibition Alison Saar in Print will be on display for the day, which showcases Saar’s prints from throughout her career. The promotion is free of charge and includes tickets for two for free admission to a number of museums.

D.C. Design House holds its ninth annual showcase from Oct. 1-30 at 2509 Foxhall Rd., N.W. Local decorators will transform 21 spaces inside and outside the home. Designers included this year are Charles Almonte, Kimberly Asner, Barbara Brown, Rachel Dougan, Blake Dunlevy & Gina Palmer, Eve Fay, among others. Preview day is on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 1-4 p.m. Tickets are $60. The showcase will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and closed on Monday. Tickets are $35.

One of the houses set for transformation on this year’s D.C. Design House event. (Photo courtesy MokiMedia)

The Kreeger Museum (2401 Foxhall Rd., N.W.) opens its exhibit “Smith | Paley,” a collaboration between artists Clarice Smith and Albert Paley, on Monday, Oct. 7. The exhibit features a group of Smith’s paintings, including “Gallop,” and a selection of Paley’s sculptures, including “Albert Paley on Park Avenue.” The exhibit runs through Friday, Dec. 30. Admission is $10. Admission for seniors and students is $7.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art holds its inaugural African Art Awards Dinner at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building (900 Jefferson Dr., S.W.) on Friday, Oct. 28 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare will be honored along with contemporary artist and LGBT advocate Ato Malinda and CEO of Kenya’s Safaricom and philanthropist Bob Collymore. CNN news anchor Isha Sesay will host the event. Food will be provided by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. Tickets are $500.

On Oct. 15 from 6-9 p.m., the museum will present Keith Holt and the House of Ebony in “Voguing Showcase: Un Ballo in Maschera.” After a screening of the film “Un Ballo In Maschera,” Holt and his company will perform as part of an outreach event to the local LGBT community.

Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) presents “Refugee,” a photography exhibit that explores the journeys of refugees from across five continents, from Nov. 18-March 12. Photographers Lynsey Addario, Omar Victor Diop, Graciela Iturbide, Martin Schoeller and Tom Stoddart are featured in the exhibit. Adult tickets are $22.95, senior tickets for individuals 65 and older are $18.95 and youth ages 7-18 are $13.95. Children are free.

“The Art of Romaine Brooks,” featuring androgynous works by the legendary out painter, is nearing the end of its run. It opened in June at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and continues through Oct. 2.

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Galleries

Blockbuster Amy Sherald exhibit opens in Baltimore

Artist has emerged as LGBTQ hero after refusing to cave to censorship

Published

5 days ago

November 3, 2025

Kevin Naff

Amy Sherald at Sunday’s BMA interview. (Blade photo)

Artist Amy Sherald has emerged as a hero in the LGBTQ community following her controversial decision to pull her blockbuster new exhibit “American Sublime” from the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. and move it to Baltimore after Smithsonian officials sought to censor her painting “Trans Forming Liberty.”

That painting depicts transgender model Arewà Basit as the Statue of Liberty, which conflicts with President Trump’s war on DEI and his efforts to erase transgender people from the American narrative.

Sherald issued a statement over the summer that the Smithsonian had “concerns” about the painting. “These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition,” Sherald said in the statement. “While no single person is to blame, it is clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role.”

She said the Smithsonian had proposed including a video in the exhibit that would “contextualize” the painting and likely include anti-trans views. It was then she announced her decision to pull the exhibit entirely and move it to the Baltimore Museum of Art, a major coup for the museum.

*‘Trans Forming Liberty’ by Amy Sherald triggered censorship efforts at the Smithsonian. (Image courtesy Amazon)*

Sherald studied at Baltimore’s Maryland Institute College of Art, which she described as “the best decision I ever made,” during a sold out Q&A on Nov. 2 moderated by the BMA’s director, Asma Naeem. Unfortunately, the subject of censorship and the last-minute decision to move the exhibit to the BMA didn’t come up during the discussion. But Naeem rightly described Sherald as “one of the most important painters of our time.”

“American Sublime,” billed as a mid-career retrospective, features 38 of Sherald’s paintings, including her portraits of former first lady Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, along with “Trans Forming Liberty.”

Sherald and Naeem joked throughout the breezy hour-long conversation and reminisced about spending time at MICA and in Baltimore. The artist said she still finds inspiration and even potential portrait subjects in grocery stores and on the streets of Baltimore and New York, where she now lives. Many of the portraits in the exhibit were painted in Baltimore.

Although Sherald and Naeem kept it light and avoided discussing censorship, the one serious and non-negotiable subject Sherald addressed was the paramount importance of integrity. Her insistence on the integrity of the work and the inclusion of trans representation in the exhibit brought her to the difficult decision to pull her work from the Smithsonian. It was a bold and inspiring move in a time when so many public figures, CEOs, and politicians have shown a disappointing and dangerous lack of integrity in the face of an administration that seeks to subvert the Constitution and erode the First Amendment. Sherald stands as a powerful symbol of resistance and, yes, integrity in these dark times. Her refusal to cave to authoritarian impulses and blatant censorship will be remembered for years to come. The nation’s top tech CEOs and congressional leaders should see this exhibit and learn from her brave example.

“American Sublime” is open now through April 5 at the Baltimore Museum of Art and requires a paid ticket for entry. (Admission is free on Thursday evenings and free on Jan. 15 and Feb. 19. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.) For more information and tickets visit artbma.org.

Galleries

New gallery opening in D.C.

Dandelion Collective exhibition features works by John Von Sauerhoff

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2024

Tinashe Chingarande

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.

Galleries

New England art duo to exhibit in Virginia

RufoArt opens at Nepenthe Gallery

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2023

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by New Africa/Bigstock)

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 Gallery’s website.