Galleries
Impressions and expressions
Several provocative fall exhibits run through early 2015
A work by Natalia Arias on display at Art Museum of the Americas. (Image courtesy Arias)
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) is featuring “After the Rainbow” by Soda_Jerk running through Nov. 2. In cooperation with the District of Columbia Commission of the Arts and Humanities, the video installation merges film clips from “The Wizard of Oz” and a 1960s television special featuring the infamous Judy Garland. For more details, visit nmwa.org.
“Femininity Beyond Archetypes: Photography by Natalia Arias of Colombia” includes two of Arias’ series “Taboo” and “Venus” that present her own perspective on femininity and looking beyond pre-established archetypes. The exhibit is brought to the Art Museum of the Americas (201 18th Street, N.W.) by the support of the Inter-American Commission of Women, which aims to promote gender equality and leadership of women. The exhibit runs through Oct. 1. To find out more, visit museum.oas.org.
The American Art Museum (8th and F streets, N.W.) is hosting “Richard Estes’ Realism” from Oct. 10 through Feb. 8. Estes’ exhibit will feature 46 of his paintings of urban scenes spanning his 50-year career with contemporary realism. Visit americanart.si.edu for more details.
Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery (632 U Street, N.W.) is featuring emerging artists Shanté Gates and Njena Surae Jarvin’s exhibit, “Divergence.” The multi-media exhibit includes performance videos and numerous materials to create socio-dynamic environments and provocative pieces. Check out “Divergence” through Oct. 25 and visit smithcenter.org for more information.
The National Portrait Gallery (8th and F streets, N.W.) is showcasing “Portraiture Now: Staging the Self” through April 12. This ninth installation in the series will contain work of six contemporary U.S. Latino artists who explore the theme of searching for one’s identity through unique and shared traits within the Latino community. Visit npg.si.edu for full details.
The Library of Congress (101 Independence Ave., S.E.) will display “American Ballet Theatre: Touring the Globe for 75 Years” through Jan. 24. The exhibit chronicles the rise of the renowned American Ballet Theatre and is comprised of objects pulled from the American Ballet Theatre collection in addition to dance and music collections housed by the Library of Congress.
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Va.) is featuring “Joshua Yospyn: American Sequitur” in conjunction with FotoWeek DC. The exhibit contains a selection of sequenced images taken from Yospyn’s book project, “American Sequitur” created from Yospyn’s editorial assignments and road trips taken across the country over the past five years. The exhibit runs through Nov. 15. Visit artisphere.com for more information.
The Phillips Collection’s (1600 21st Street, N.W.) latest installation in the Intersections Series is “Bernadi Roig: No/Escape” running from Oct. 25 through Feb. 15. The exhibit features the Mallocran artist’s six sculptural works housed in both internal and external spaces. “No/Escape” contains themes of poignant social commentary such as “entrapment-liberation” and “blinding-illumination” portrayed through cruel-looking plastic figures molded from real people. More information can be found at phillipscollection.org.
The Bethesda Urban Partnership (7700 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md.) has revealed its finalists for the Trawick Prize Exhibit which is on display in a group exhibit until Sep. 27. The prize honors artists from the D.C. Metro area with $14,000 in prize money. Find out more at bethesda.org.
Angelika (2911 District Ave, Fairfax, Va.) is one of the select venues featuring “DAVID BOWIE IS,” a documentary about the gender-bending music icon’s exhibit that was housed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London last year. The documentary features the vast collection of photographs, stage costumes and rare possessions from the David Bowie archive. The art film is available for public viewing on Sept. 23. Get all the details at angelikafilmcenter.com.
Transformer (1404 P Street, N.W.) is showcasing the work of Brooklyn-based Israel artist Tama Ettun through Oct. 25. This multi-media installation, “My Hands Are the Shape of My Height” includes sculpture, video and photographs from his recent series, “Performing Stillness.” The exhibit explores the concept of sculpture and performance art switching roles and creating a physical reaction or sensation within the viewer. Learn more at transformerdc.org.
“Baggage Claim: Unpacking Immigration Lives,” an exhibit that showcases the work of nine artists, is viewable at the District of Columbia Arts Center until Oct. 12. The showcase explores the many sides and perspectives of immigration issues in the United States through mixed media. Find out full details at dcartscenter.org.
Galleries
Blockbuster Amy Sherald exhibit opens in Baltimore
Artist has emerged as LGBTQ hero after refusing to cave to censorship
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.
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
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.
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.
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