Second semester has arrived, and with it the winter chill we love to complain about so much. Gone is the hope of a rare 60-degree fall day and here to stay are winter coats, rosy cheeks and never-ending comments about the cold weather as we wait for the shuttle to appear.
Though the cold forces everyone inside, instead of fighting it, why not take advantage of some bitter weekend afternoons and spend them inside the warmth of some of the District’s best museums?
A new year brings new and exciting exhibits pleasing everyone from the classic art lover to the more quirky photography enthusiast. Also, in case you were too bogged down with finals in December, January provides the perfect opportunity to see some of the past year’s best exhibits for the last time.
Whether old or new exhibits, there’s no excuse not to spend a chilly Saturday at the many museums Washington, D.C. has to offer. Here are just a few of your (free) options.
Though the National Portrait Gallery might seem an unlikely choice to house such a hip exhibit featuring a pop culture icon, think again, as starting Jan. 8 (and through Aug. 22) the museum will be displaying “One Life: Echoes of Elvis” to honor the 75th anniversary of the King. According to the National Portrait Gallery’s Web site, “to this day, both the historical Elvis Presley and the fantasy-based vision of Elvis are the subject of poetry, literature, music, film and the visual arts.”
The exhibit will showcase images of Elvis’ life ranging from his earliest years to moments late in his career. The images are done by an array of artists including Andy Warhol, Red Grooms and Ralph Wolfe Cowan. This is an ideal option for the art lover who wants something a bit different than the classic Matisse or Van Gogh. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at www.npg.si.edu.
For a more thought-provoking outing, head to the Hamiltonian Gallery on U Street, currently featuring images by local D.C. photographer Frank Hallam Day. According to a Washington Post article, “his nine large-scale color photos depict store mannequins he’s discovered on his extensive travels in black Africa. Almost every mannequin he ever saw there was white.”
Especially noteworthy about the mannequins, and the exhibit as a whole, is how African shopkeepers let the mannequins show wear, alluding how beauty is far from a perfect white canvas. Many of the mannequins display very obvious wear and tear, yet are still in windows. The exhibit will be open through Jan. 16. For more information, visit the gallery’s Web site at www.hamiltoniangallery.com.
Day’s work is also currently being featured in the State Museum of Berlin and the Baltimore Museum of Art. His other photo collections include American waterscapes, ship wrecks and panoramics of Berlin.
For a more contemporary visual experience, head to Arlington, Va., where “Image/Project” is on display at the Arlington Arts Center. Though at first the exhibit may seem rather simplistic, as the images are not of especially unusual subjects, it is just the opposite.
Instead of focusing on the subject, the exhibit strives to display the range of the camera, the different mediums it can capture and the effects that a camera can elicit.
According to the Arlington Art Center’s Web site, “the show reflects the ways in which contemporary artists tend to approach photography and video.”
Many of the artists presented here view the camera as either a means for documenting or presenting cross-disciplinary projects, or as a tool for inquiry into the way we perceive and live in the world.” The exhibit features 17 projects by 19 different photographers and videographers.
“Image/Project” runs through Saturday, Jan. 16. For more information about the display or the Arlington Arts Center in general, visit www.arlingtonartscenter.org.
You can reach this staff writer at ostitilis@theeagleonline.com.
