If you're looking for a bit of culture and artistic uniqueness as a D.C. student, look no further than across the street. AU's Katzen Arts Center is host to both local and world-renowned art exhibits that are free to the public. Four new exhibits covering various mediums and histories will be available to view at Katzen beginning this September.
The world's largest exhibit of modern Australian indigenous art will be making its way to AU's art center on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The exhibit, entitled "Australian Indigenous Art Triennial: Culture Warriors," shows pieces by artists from all over Australia using several different types of media for their designs.
"The works are abstract and figurative, drawing on the past as they comment on the present," according to a press release from AU.
The "Culture Warriors" exhibit is a treat for fans of any kind of medium, as it encompasses everything from video and photography to textiles and paintings on bark.
"The title 'Culture Warriors' reflects the determination of the numerous indigenous groups of people to preserve their identities while being included in their homeland's culture and history," said Jack Rasmussen, the director and curator of Katzen Arts Center.
This extensive collection will be the first time that works of this size and kind are shown in the United States. The exhibit closes Sunday, Dec. 6.
Also opening Sept. 8 is an exhibit by local sculptor John Dreyfuss. The Sylvia Berlin Sculpture Garden outside Katzen will serve as host to Dreyfuss' six new, oversized pieces. The works will be on display until Sunday, Jan. 17.
Photographer Paul Feinberg will also have his own exhibit, "Another Washington," opening Sept. 8. Showcasing places of interest in Washington, D.C., Feinberg's photos show more than just the most populated hot spots in the District, representing instead the diversity of the city and its inhabitants.
"This Washington is not the one tourists see in travel guides," AU's press release said. "Feinberg's camera lens presents intimate looks at all kinds of Washingtonians and their neighborhood haunts and places of pleasure."
This will not be the first time Feinberg's work has appeared in the D.C. area. His pieces of the District have been in magazines across the region for over 35 years. Feinberg's Katzen exhibit closes Sunday, Oct. 25.
Ron Haynie, a late AU professor, will also have his "Playing With Light" exhibit come to Katzen on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Haynie's works blend true-to-life images with abstract ideas. According to AU's press release, "In Haynie's hands, paint perform[s] as material, light, color, space, gesture and feeling all at once."
The exhibit will be on display until Sunday, Oct. 25.
After browsing the several exhibits that often make their way through Katzen, make sure to stop by the retail shop to possibly pick up some of your favorite prints of works from current and past exhibits, as well as other unique souvenirs and books.
You can reach this staff writer at cmoore@theeagleonline.com.
