Fall break (one extra day off, woo!) is over. For some, it was a chance to see family after being separated for about two months; for others who chose to stay on campus, it was no different than any other weekend in the District.
Hopefully for those of you who went back home, you all got a chance to do the things you missed. This could have included going to a favorite restaurant, visiting a friend or perhaps just going shopping at a familiar (and cheap) grocery store. And maybe you didn’t get a chance to do all that you wanted to do. But no matter, there will be other breaks ahead.
I’m sure that many of you already have activities planned for the next time you visit back home. Checking out a local art gallery may not be among these plans, but you may be surprised at what treasures lie closer to you than expected.
Like a lot of you, I come from a small town. There are maybe one or two art galleries in close proximity, but nothing that could compare to the many contained here in Washington. However, I am always pleasantly surprised when I find out that these galleries are having an opening, or perhaps temporarily housing an exhibit. Aside from the usual modes of artistic expression (painting, sculpture, photography, etc.), there is always something happening in my town, whether it be a play, a dance recital or a musical performance.
For many of you, this will be true of your town as well. Obviously, those from larger cities such as Chicago or New York have endless possibilities when it comes to entertaining a weekend or even just a night with art. For those of us from places more off the map, looking for these sorts of events can itself occupy a whole evening.
I recently thought to myself, “Where can I find information on what’s going on in my dingy, small town?” I did think of a few. They seem to work for me, so hopefully they will prove useful to you as well.
Go to a coffee shop. It may seem like a cliché pairing: coffee and art. And yeah, it definitely is. But hey, I’m willing to bet that a great majority of you here at AU drink coffee (we have what, like six places here on our small campus that sell coffee, and they’re always busy).
Coffee shops usually have bulletin boards where local artists, gallery owners and performance artists post fliers for events coming up. Some of you may overlook these boards, thinking that they are filled with business cards and ads for washed up pre-school teachers looking for tutoring jobs.
Even though this may be the case, you may be able to spot a good event worth attending.
Check out your local newspaper. This one seems pretty obvious, but I know that with the Internet and 24-hour news feeds, I myself tend to forget about my town’s newspaper. My local paper has a section dedicated solely to what events and activities are going on in my town. Dig through yours to see if you have anything similar.
When none of these “real world” techniques work, use the Internet! Who here isn’t an avid Googler? Most of us are, and now’s a great time to put that “talent” to the test. I suppose you could use Facebook as well, but I don’t have one, so I’m not sure how that mumbo-jumbo works. Either way, the Internet is just teeming with information waiting for you to discover. Search your town’s name, followed by “events” or perhaps “art.” This should yield lots of results, and hopefully some pertaining to what you are looking for.
There is a small possibility that your town is so small that it really wouldn’t have any sort of art events. If that’s the case, sucks for you — that’s what a car is for. However, don’t fret. There are plenty of events happening in D.C. Case in point, whether you’re here or back at home, you should always make an effort to support the arts and find your way to an event.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
