Weekend Buzz: June 4, 2026
Happy Pride Month! So many fun things to do around town this weekend. We've got: a host of Pride activities nearby; a Vietnamese Heritage Day Celebration at Cherry Hill Park; Falls Church Arts' new show; a West Falls Summer Bash at Commons Park; and new summer music and film festivals at the Wharf. The DC Jazz Festival's coming to National Landing. A Georgetown Summer Art Walk is this Saturday. You've got loads of chances to dance – outdoors or indoors. Or, try block parties and picnics at a few major galleries. Plus, we've got the latest in local music, dance, film, comedy, theater, and fine arts for you to check out. Enjoy!
Celebrate Pride Month!
Fairfax PRIDE
The Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd., Fairfax City. Saturday, June 6, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend this family-friendly event!
This collaborative FREE event will kick off Pride Month with community vendors from both the Mason campus and the NOVA area, as well as children’s activities, including FREE caricatures, face painting, music and more!
Fairfax Pride is proudly sponsored by BOND VET.
Celebrate PRIDE with the City of Fairfax all month long:
PRIDE Storytime
Date and Time: Monday, June 22, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Location: City of Fairfax Meeting Room 101-A, City of Fairfax Meeting Room 101-B at the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
The books Worm Loves Worm and Peanut Goes for the Gold are fun and affirming stories appropriate for all ages. This PRIDE-themed storytime will feature fun songs and rhymes as well a cute rainbow craft. All Ages.
Presented by the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
Tween Crafts: Making Pride Sheep with Air Dry Clay!
Date and Time: Sunday, June 28, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: City of Fairfax Meeting Room 101-A, City of Fairfax Meeting Room 101-B at the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
Who doesn't like cute things? Let's make some adorable rainbow sheep out of air-dry clay to celebrate a colorful month! For ages 10 to 14.
Presented by the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
For more info go here.
LGBTQ+ Pride Month Party at Water Park
Water Park, 1601 Crystal Drive, National Landing. Saturday, June 6, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Come celebrate Pride Month in National Landing with the LGBTQ+ Pride Month Party at Water Park! Enjoy music, dancing, exciting drag performances, and a divine signature cocktail. Come ready to party and celebrate Pride!
For more info go here.
Comedy Show for LGBTQ+ Prosperity
The Festival Center Washington, D.C. Friday, June 5, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Happy Hour: 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. Show starts at 8:00 p.m.
A very funny, very queer show produced by Grassroots Comedy to celebrate the DC LGBTQ+ Center and the beginning of Pride Month!
Across the country, LGBTQ+ people are losing access to care, protection, and support. These aren’t abstract policy changes – they are real people losing the resources they rely on to stay safe and well. And when that happens, many come to Washington, D.C., a place long considered a site of refuge for these vulnerable populations.
That's why we're producing the Comedy Show for LGBTQ+ Prosperity, with a portion of proceeds going to The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center! The Center educates, empowers, uplifts, celebrates, elevates and connects the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. And we at Grassroots want to honor that mission by producing a comedy show to benefit the Community Center and the communities they serve.
Featuring Anthony Oakes (DC Improv), Violet Gray (DC Improv), Joe Yuke (Don’t Tell Comedy), and more! Hosted by Grassroots’ very own Laura Arago (DC Improv, Washington Roast). With signature cocktails by Hustle Hut. Bring your friends, your allies, your questioning cousin, or bring a nun. Everyone's welcome at this night of joy and hilarity for LQBTQ+ prosperity!
Tickets: From $15.18.
For ticket info go here.
PROUD 2026: Opening Reception
Shop: Made in DC, 1304 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Friday, June 5, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Through July 6. Free.
By Shop Made in DC.
Experience the vibrant and diverse voices of local LGBTQIA+ artists in our latest art exhibition, PROUD.
This show highlights the talent and creativity of queer artists across various mediums, as they bring their unique perspectives, voices, and visions to life. Join us in celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community's contributions to the art world and explore the richness of queer culture in D.C. Enjoy light refreshments during the evening.
About SHOP MADE Brands:
Founded by Stacey Price of People Make Place and Michael Babin of Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Shop Made is a retail initiative with a mission to grow D.C.'s makers and artists. Now with six D.C. locations and sister brands in Virginia and Maryland, we're home to over 10,000 MADE IN DC/VA and MARYLAND products including apothecary, apparel, art, furniture, jewelry, home decor, and stationery.
CONNECT WITH US: @shopmadeindc; @shopmadeinva; @shopmadeinmd; or, www.shopmadeindc.com; www.shopmadeinva.com; www.shopmadeinmd.net.
For more info go here.
Explore Capital Pride 2026!
Capital Pride 2026
Fridays, June 12 - Jun 19. Times Vary.
There'll be plenty of ways to show the community love in June!
Each year, local nonprofit Capital Pride hosts an array of exciting events for the annual Capital Pride Celebration! Building on the global momentum and impact of WorldPride 2025, we’re turning joy into action and visibility into lasting change.
For more info go here.
Celebrate Vietnamese Heritage Day!
Cherry Hill Farmhouse, 312 Park Ave. June 6, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Free. No registration required.
In partnership with the Vietnamese Literary and Artistic Club (VLAC), experience Vietnamese culture through authentic antiques, food, music, dance, fashion, and more at Cherry Hill Farmhouse! Come learn with us as we explore the unique heritage and culture of the local City of Falls Church Vietnamese community.
For more info go here.
LOCAL MUSIC
Wilbur’s Redemption
Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, 130 N. Washington St., Saturday, June 6, 5:30 p.m.
Your friendly neighborhood front porch band.
For more info go here.
Don't Miss Latin Dance Saturday!
The Salsa Room, 8453 Tyco Rd., Tysons, McLean, Va. Saturday, June 6 and 7, 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. FREE admission for Ladies. Ages 21+. Free parking.
Enjoy Latin Saturdays ~ It's Ladies Night!
By TSR Productions.
Get ready for a Ladies Night Edition Saturday full of Latin vibes! DJ AC will be spinning a hot Latin mix featuring reggaeton, salsa, bachata, merengue, and cumbia to keep you dancing all night.
Plus, don't miss Oriana's salsa classes from 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. to sharpen your moves or learn something new!
Come join the fun and dance the night away!
No refunds.
To register go here.
Carly Harvey
Lubber Run Concert Series, Lubber Run Amphitheater, 200 North Columbus Street, Arlington. Saturday, June 6, 8:00 p.m. Free.
Since the construction of the first permanent stage in 1969, generations of Arlingtonians have enjoyed free summer cultural events at the sylvan venue nestled two blocks off Route 50, ranging from Encore Stage & Studio to bands like Raul Midón, Eddie from Ohio and superstar Ritchie Havens.
The Lubber Run Summer Concert series features free performances from a variety of genres including big band, blues, soul and orchestral music as well as cabaret to the Lubber Run Amphitheater. Working in partnership with the Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation, we bring the very best of D.C. Metro area arts to the heart of Arlington.
The series will run Saturday, June 6 through August 2, 2026, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. (See exceptions below). View an at-a-glance season schedule.
Wondering about the weather and last-minute cancellations? Visit our Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.
For more info go here.
Gary Clark Jr.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Wolf Tramp, Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road Vienna, Saturday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. Gates open: 6:30 p.m.
Gary Clark Jr.’s “thunderous blues [sounds] like the music of tomorrow” (Rolling Stone), delivering silky-smooth vocals and explosive, experimental guitar work at every show. The Austin-born rocker spans genres, from the classic blues of Blak and Blu to the Hip Hop and hard rock of 2024’s JPEG Raw. Four Grammys in, Clark is also a frequent collaborator with artists like Alicia Keys, the Foo Fighters, and Stevie Wonder. Now, he brings heavy hitters like “Bright Lights” and “This Land” back to Wolf Trap. Mississippi blues guitar virtuoso Christone “Kingfish” Ingram opens the show.
Tickets start at: $58 (incl. fees). Ticket includes free parking and more.
For more info go here.
Live! At the Library: Ekep Nkwelle
Tonight! ~ Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Coolidge Auditorium (LJG45A), 10 1st Street SE. Rescheduled from November 6, 2025. Thursday, June 4, 8:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Part of Concerts from the Library of Congress.
The event is free, but tickets are required, and there may be special restrictions.
Praised as a “rising star of her own” by All About Jazz, Ekep Nkwelle captivates audiences with her vocal exuberance, versatility, and charisma. A graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard University, Nkwelle earned her master’s degree in 2023. At age 24, she received the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, nominated by Wynton Marsalis, in recognition of her talent and potential. She has collaborated with some of the most prominent figures in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Dianne Reeves, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. With a voice that bridges generations and a vision grounded in both tradition and innovation, Nkwelle continues to shape the future of jazz with grace and power.
For ticket info go here.
Grooves in the Grove: DeJay Sax
Grooves in the Grove at The Wharf DC, 760 Maine Ave. SW. June 4, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Grooves in the Grove returns Thursday evenings this Summer bringing vibey beats to the waterfront. Grab a bite to-go from your favorite Wharf restaurant and enjoy music in The Grove near bartaco.
Grooves in the Grove Music Lineup:
June 4: DeJay Sax
June 18: Tre4rmDC
June 25: Alisha Glover
July 2: DeJay Sax
July 9: Sterling Anderson
July 16: Tre4rmDC
July 23: DeJay Sax
July 30: Alisha Glover
August 6: Sterling Anderson
August 13: Tre4rmDC
August 20: Alisha Glover
August 27: Sterling Anderson
September 3: Tre4rmDC
For more info go here.
Jazz at Metropolitan Park:
Eric Byrd Trio
National Landing BID Event, Metropolitan Park (The Met), 1330 S. Fair Street. Thursday, June 4, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Enjoy the return of Jazz at Metropolitan Park with a free concert series co-presented by the DC Jazz Festival and National Landing BID. Refresh with onsite vendors including Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream and Taqueria Xochi, plus free samples from Mocktail Club — non-alcoholic beverages inspired by travel destinations. Take part in artist-led Studio Sessions curated by Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington while enjoying the music. Visit businesses around Met Park to pack a picnic or sit down for a meal after the show.
June 4: Eric Byrd Trio
The Eric Byrd Trio (EBT) has been showcasing the sounds of swing, bebop, gospel, and the blues to audiences around the world for the past 25 years. The trio includes Eric Byrd, Alphonso Young Jr., and Will Hazel, all musical experts in their own right. They've been awarded the Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, as well as a Governor's Citation from Gov. Larry Hogan honoring their decades of global performances.
MoCA Studio Session: "Sticking Systems: Mapping Home"
Stitch a simple path with yarn and burlap that reflects some daily movement through your home. Each square will become a part of a growing collective quilt that maps how we move through and divide shared space. Led by Lauren Crawford, current Resident Artist at MoCA Arlington's main museum.
Jazz @ Met is presented by DC Jazz Festival and National Landing BID, sponsored by Amazon. Additional support for performances is provided by The Galena-Yorktown Foundation and The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation.
To register go here.
LOCAL DANCE
Swing at The Wharf!
The Wharf DC, Transit Pier, 970 Wharf St. SW. Select Summer Fridays at 7:00 p.m.
Friday Night Dancing
Come to The Wharf for free themed dance nights with live music on select Fridays in June, July, and August at 7:00 p.m. Each night will feature a different style of music and dancing.
Grab a Pacifico Beer and get out on the dance floor!
2026 Lineup
On select nights throughout the summer, meet us on either Transit Pier or District Pier at The Wharf to enjoy free dance nights with dance instructors and live music.
June 5: Swing Dance Night with Gottaswing and music by The Thrills (Swing & Americana)
July 3: Country Line Dance Night with DC Rawhides and music by Shawn Parsons & The Secret Service (Country)
August 7: Salsa Dance Night with Salsa with Silvia and music by Cubano Groove (Salsa)
- Friday Night Dancing in June, July and August takes place at Transit Pier at The Wharf (970 Wharf Street SW, Washington, DC 20024). Learn more about ways to Get to The Wharf.
- Dancing begins at 7:00 p.m., followed by open dancing.
- This event is family-friendly — all ages are welcome. You must be 21+ to consume alcohol.
- Waterside bar Cantina Bambina serves up cold Pacifico and mixed drinks throughout the event. Outside drinks are not allowed.
- In the event of inclement weather, event status updates will be posted on The Wharf's Facebook page.
For more info go here.
LOCAL FILM
Subject Yourself to a New Horror Flick!
Backrooms
Paragon Theater Founders Row, 112 Founders Ave., Falls Church. Showtimes: 4:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 9:00 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
R|105 min|Horror, SciFi/Fantasy.
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Avan Jogia, Lukita Maxwell.
Director: Kane Parsons.
For more info go here.
'Sun Ra: Do the Impossible' Documentary Screening
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, D.C., 641 D Street NW. With a Panel Discussion following the film. Friday, June 5, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Doors open: 6:30 p.m. All ages. Paid parking.
Sound. Spirit. Imagination. A cosmic exploration of the Sun Ra legacy through film, conversation and community connection.
Join us for a special screening of Sun Ra: Do the Impossible, a powerful documentary exploring the life, legacy, and boundless imagination of musician and visionary artist, Sun Ra.
Following the film, we welcome you for an intimate Q&A panel featuring key contributors and cultural voices connected to the documentary, offering deeper insight into Sun Ra’s enduring impact on music, Afro-futurism, and artistic expression. The evening will conclude with a reception, inviting guests to connect, reflect, and celebrate in community.
Duration: 3 hours. No refunds.
Organized by Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation.
Tickets: $10.
For more info go here.
Sunset Cinema at The Wharf
Mark your calendars! ~ Transit Pier at The Wharf, 970 Wharf Street SW. Wednesday evenings from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
2026 Lineup
June 10: Hairspray (2007)
June 17: Sinners (2025)
July 1: National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
July 8: Hamilton (2020)
July 15: A League of Their Own (1992)
July 22: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
July 29: Apollo 13 (1995)
August 5: Roman Holiday (1953)
August 12: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
August 19: F1 (2025)
August 26: Project Hail Mary (2026)
September 2: Double Feature of When Harry Met Sally (1989) and First Wives Club (1996)
- Movies take place on Wednesdays at Transit Pier at The Wharf (970 Wharf Street SW, Washington, DC 20024). Learn more about different ways to Get to The Wharf.
- Movies are on Wednesdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Movies begin at 7:30 p.m.
- Limited adirondack chairs are available on a first-come first-served basis starting at 7:00 p.m. You may bring a blanket or folding chairs to this event.
- Closed captions are available upon request. Please see the movie attendant on site or email here to make the request.
- This event is family-friendly — all ages are welcome. Dogs on a leash are welcome. You must be 21+ to consume alcohol.
- Waterside bar Cantina Bambina serves up cold Pacifico and mixed drinks throughout the movies. Outside drinks are not allowed.
- You may bring in food from any Wharf restaurant. Stageside kiosk Union Pie offers hot and fresh pizza throughout the show. Whether you're craving a Cuban sandwich, a hot and sweet pizza, or chips and guac, our Wharf restaurants have something special for everyone.
- In the event of inclement weather, event status updates will be posted on the Sunset Cinema event page on The Wharf Facebook page.
For more info go here.
Museum of the Night
National Gallery of Art, East Bldg., Large Auditorium, Sunday, June 7, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
The world of avant-garde theater and cinema in early 1970s New York was a rich cauldron of brave experimentation and creativity — the time of legends like Jack Smith, Jonas Mekas, David Johansen, and Warhol superstar Mario Montez. It was also the time of Theater of the Ridiculous, a theatrical genre that was particularly well-documented by Argentine photographer Leandro Katz. Museum of the Night introduces contemporary audiences to this side of ’70s New York through Katz’s eyes and experience. (Fermín Eloy Acosta, 2023, English and Spanish with English subtitles, DCP, 90 minutes)
To register go here.
Live! At the Library: “The Disappearance of Miss Scott”
Library of Congress, James Madison Bldg., Mumford Room (LM649), 101 Independence Avenue SE. Thursday, June 4, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Free, but must register.
Part of Concerts from the Library of Congress.
Introduced by Adam Clayton Powell III.
The Disappearance of Miss Scott chronicles Hazel Scott’s meteoric rise as a jazz talent and major Hollywood star. A prodigious pianist, singer and actor, she was an incandescent performer, quickly achieving fame on Broadway and in five popular feature films, and earning a spot in history as the first African American to have her own television show. Scott was an influential figure in the early Civil Rights movement, with her husband, Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. She was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s for her outspoken testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Facing a shattered career, she would remain an exile from the brilliant world of American entertainment in which she had achieved such fame.
Directed by Nicole London and produced by 4th Act Actual for the American Masters series, this rich documentary tells the story of Hazel Scott’s remarkable life fully for the first time, through archival footage and stills, performance clips, and animation. Excerpts of her unpublished autobiography are voiced by Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, revealing the artist as a woman who would not compromise on her beliefs; complementing them are interviews with jazz musicians including Camille Thurman and Jason Moran, among others, Adam Clayton Powell III, Hazel Scott’s only son, and biographer Karen Chilton. The Disappearance of Miss Scott was the runner up for the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film in 2023.
The Music Division holds the Hazel Scott Papers, more than 4000 items documenting her life and career, including music, diaries, photographs and clippings, contracts and correspondence.
Made possible in part through the generous support of the Revada Foundation of the Logan family.
For ticket info go here.
LOCAL THEATER
Little Women: The Musical
Creative Cauldron Stage, 127 E. Broad St. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Through June 7.
Based on Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic, this Civil War era story of love and family stands the test of time. Little Women follows the adventures of sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March as they navigate adolescence, each determined to live their lives on their own terms. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but publishers reject them, until she finally begins to weave the personal story of herself and her sisters’ experience growing up in Civil War America. The powerful score of this Tony Award-nominated musical soars with the sounds of personal discovery, heartache and hope – the sounds of a young America finding its voice.
Directed by Laura Connors Hull. Music by Jason Howland. Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Book by Allen Knee.
Tickets: Tier One: $50; Tier Two: $40; Students: $25.
Visit fxva.com/fairfax250 to explore the celebration.
For ticket info go here.
DEAD AIR
Dominion Stage, Theatre on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington. Through June 13.
WRITTEN BY: GREG JONES ELLIS. DIRECTED BY: ELEANORE TAPSCOTT. PRODUCED BY: JENN ROBINSON. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: GARY DINARDO, CHANEL LANCASTER, and BRUCE HERR, JR.
"Reggie, a popular TV host's on-air trademark is 'my son the genius.' However, the son is a recluse who resents his mother's use of him as a 'Unique Selling Point' in the increasingly competitive daytime talk show world. As Reggie's career takes off, her on-air advice to a variety of guests ironically contrasts with her failing marriage and her troubled child."
For ticket info go here.
Indecent
Opens Today! ~ 1st STAGE, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons. June 4- 21.
Written by Paula Vogel. Directed by Alex Levy.
From Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, a deeply moving play inspired by the true events surrounding the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance” — a play seen by some as a seminal work of Jewish culture, and by others as an act of traitorous libel. Indecent charts the history of an incendiary drama and the path of the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it.
“We are indebted to Vogel… for reminding us of a brave play that fearlessly told the world there’s nothing indecent about love.” ~ TheaterMania
Presented with generous support from Sandy Laeser, in honor of Dick Laeser.
Open Captioned Performances :
- June 11 - 7:30 p.m., June 12 - 7:30 p.m., June 13 - 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., June 14 - 2:00 p.m.
Audio-Described Performance:
- June 14 - 2:00 p.m.
Mask Required Performances:
- June 13 - 7:30 p.m.
Community Conversations
Following the 2:00 p.m. Performance
June 6: Meet the Design Team
Join us in conversation with members of the Design Team for Indecent about creating the world of the play.
June 7: Meet the Director
Chat with director Alex Levy about the process of bringing this story to life.
June 13: Meet the Cast
Join 1st Stage in conversation with the cast of Indecent.
For ticket info go here.
Precarious
Opens Today! ~ Mosaic Theater Company, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE, June 4 – 28.
By Steph Del Rosso. Directed by Jaki Bradley.
A fresh new comedy about starting out, starting over, and the enduring love of family. Recently retired Violet is ready to chart a new path forward, but her daughter Tilly and a summer heat wave seemingly stand in her way. A world premiere, Precarious offers insightful reflections on climate change and generational divides while imagining a brighter future.
For ticket info go here.
A Fine Madness
Multiple Venues! ~ Dupont Underground: June 5-7, Hamiltonian Artists: June 11-14, The Nicholson Project: June 25-28.
CREATED AND PERFORMED by JUSTIN WEAKS. DIRECTED by RAYMOND O CALDWELL. CHOREOGRAPHED BY TONY THOMAS.
For the final show of the 2025-26 season, Woolly Mammoth Company Artist Justin Weaks invites us to the intersection of ‘performance’ and ‘event’ for a radical act of remembrance.
Inspired by the mission of the Voyager Golden Record, A Fine Madness calls on its audience to participate in the creation of a new record of shared humanity through a kaleidoscope of poetry, games, music, scientific findings and storytelling. Through retelling and reclaiming his own personal journey as a Black gay man living in Washington D.C. and newly diagnosed with HIV, Justin seeks to create a new archive that's inclusive of his lived experience and those of the people in the room. As the line blurs between performer and audience, space opens for discovery and healing. A Fine Madness is both experiment and celebration, experience and discovery, and an act of affirmation in the face of erasure... For the record!
ABOUT THE TOUR: Following the March 2024 workshop presentation of A Fine Madness at Woolly Mammoth, we are thrilled to bring this project back to D.C. audiences in the form of a local tour where the piece is performed for the public in different D.C. communities and cultural hubs.
The tour also features a series of Constellation Events — these free gatherings are inspired by the spirit of the Golden Record, creating points of connection, reflection, and exchange across the city.
Accessibility Dates:
Hamiltonian Artists: Saturday, June 13, 8:00 p.m. Open Captioned.
Hamiltonian Artists: Thursday, June 11, 8:00 p.m. Mask Required.
Nicholson Project: Saturday, June 27, 8:00 p.m. ASL Interpreted.
Dupont Underground: Sunday, June 7, 2:00 p.m. Audio Described.
For ticket info go here.
Staged Reading: I Know of Plagues
Theater J, Saturday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception and Artists Conversation: 6:00 p.m. Staged Reading: 7:30 p.m.
Celebrating 36 years of Theater J and 100 years of the Edlavitch DC JCC, our Festival of Favorites and Firsts brings together beloved works from our past alongside powerful new voices shaping the future. Across two weekends — May 30th-31st and June 6th — you’re invited to experience a vibrant lineup of readings.
Duration : 2 hours and 30 minutes.
By Kendell Pinkney. Directed by Reginald L. Douglas.
The Shapiro-Rosenblatt-Cunningham clan has gathered in White Plains, New York to do what it does every Passover: commemorate, sanctify, dispute, remember, rehearse, indict, celebrate and “passively regress” the ancient feast of Jewish liberation. When estranged daughter Skye returns home with an unexpected guest and a pet-project in tow, everyone is forced to confront long simmering grievances and repressed truths that threaten to wreck the holiday, and maybe the family, for good. I Know of Plagues excavates the unique ways that only family can fracture when race, politics, religion, and generational grudges can no longer be kept at bay.
For ticket info go here.
Carla Hall in 'Please Underestimate Me'
Olney Theatre Center, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Through July 12.
World Premiere Solo Show!
Carla Hall is a judge on Food Network’s Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, Summer, Holiday & Halloween Baking Championships, host of Max’s Chasing Flavors & ABC’s The Chew, competed on Bravo’s Top Chef & Top Chef: All Stars and so much more.
Award-winning chef, best-selling author, and beloved TV personality, Carla Hall, is at the top of her game. But getting there was no picnic. In this theatrical one-woman show, Carla Hall invites you to “strap in” for a wild, hilarious, and emotional ride as she reveals how she learned to embrace her own authenticity, “work her quirk” and finally step into her power. From her Tennessee roots as an awkward theater camp kid, to Howard University, to a stint on the runways of Paris, to her irreverent takes on the confusing expectations of Black excellence, crushing sexism, and the many attempts to erase her uniqueness, Carla has had to battle every step of the way to find her true voice – and wait till you hear it!
In this insightful and inspiring World Premiere, Carla reveals the secret ingredients to her greatest creation: herself. This intimate exchange will leave audiences laughing, thinking, feeling and… maybe even discovering a little of their own power in simply being themselves.
“We can all catch some measure of [Carla Hall’s] infectious energy and exceptional joie de vivre.” ~ Marie Clare
By Carla Hall, Lori Kaye and Leslie Thomas. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown.
Due to the layout of the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, late seating is at the discretion of the House Manager. Those exiting the theatre during the performance will not be re-admitted while the performance is in progress.
Tickets: $52 - $116 (including fees).
Age Guidance: If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for language and mature themes.
For ticket info go here.
Sally & Tom
Regional Premiere! ~ Round House Theater, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Through June 28.
By Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed by Timothy Douglas.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog) delivers a “hilarious and harrowing nesting doll of a play” (The New York Times) in Sally & Tom, a bold, whip-smart theatrical rollercoaster. A scrappy theater group is staging a play about Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, with the playwright playing Sally and her partner directing and playing Tom. What could possibly go wrong? As art and life collide, rehearsals spiral into chaos, unearthing powerful truths about race, power, and art. By turns funny, gut-wrenching, and unflinchingly honest, Sally & Tom is a bold and entertaining explosion of the stories we tell about America’s not-so-distant past that will stay with you long after the final bow.
Sally & Tom reading list from Wonderland Books: Dig further into the context behind and world of Sally & Tom, as well as some of the broader themes explored in the show, with some good reads! Click here to browse the Bookshop.org reading list curated by members of the Round House and Wonderland teams, or stop by the shop at 7920-B Norfolk Ave. in downtown Bethesda.
Recommended for ages 13+.
Content advisory: This production contains profanity, racial slurs, sexual content, and references to enslaved people, rape, and suicide. For additional information, please contact the box office.
Run time: approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes including one intermission.
EVENTS & DISCUSSIONS: View pre-show and post-show discussions here.
Audio-Described performances: June 6 (matinee).
Open-Captioned performances: June 7 (matinee), June 13 (matinee), June 20 (matinee).
Pride Night: June 12. HBCU Night: June 17. Relaxed performance: June 20 (matinee). Mask Required performance: June 27 (matinee). Learn more.
For ticket info go here.
OTHELLO
Extended! ~ Shakespeare Theatre Company, Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW. Through June 28.
By William Shakespeare. Directed by Simon Godwin.
Trust no one.
Simon Godwin directs Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Elsbeth) in Shakespeare’s towering tragedy about the power of words to kill. Venice is scandalized when its protector, Othello (Pierce), elopes with a nobleman’s daughter, while his most trusted lieutenant, Iago (Ben Turner, Macbeth), seethes after being passed over for a promotion. Vengeful Iago speaks a word and contorts the world: transforming Othello’s faithful wife into an adulteress and upright men into beasts.
Runtime: Approximately 3 hours, with a 15-minute intermission.
For ticket info go here.
Pippin
Limited seats available! ~ Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Through July 26.
Stephen Schwartz’s (Godspell, Wicked) musical masterpiece of purpose, ambition, lust and glory sizzles for summer, thrillingly staged as only Matthew Gardiner can do.
A traveling troupe of performers brings to life the story of Pippin, the restless heir of Charlemagne, on his quest for purpose. Dreaming of greatness, he dives into war, passion, and even murder — only to find himself disillusioned at every turn in this dazzling and provocative coming-of-age parable about what it means to be extraordinary.
Join us for this sardonic and witty extravaganza, flush with spellbinding dance and the iconic songs “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic to Do” and “Morning Glow.”
“Massively, almost overwhelmingly entertaining” ~ BroadwayWorld
Book by Roger O. Hirson. Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Originally produced on the Broadway stage by Stuart Ostrow. Originally directed on the Broadway stage by Bob Fosse. Music Directed by Jon Kalbfleisch. Choreographed by Rachel Leigh Dolan. Directed by Matthew Gardiner.
- Running time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
- This show will use strobe and lighting effects, loud noises, theatrical haze/smoke and the use of a torch/fire.
- The production will contain adult themes, sexual content, adult language, drug use, representations of violence, war and death, and discussion of suicide.
- Recommended for mature teens and up. Signature does not admit anyone under 6.
- Audio Described.
For ticket info go here.
The Drowsy Chaperone
Final Shows! ~ Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria. Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. Through June 6.
Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Directed by Krissy McGregor. Choreographed by Benjamin Simpson. Music Directed by Owen Posnett. Produced by Jennifer Thomas.
Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life, and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan, and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Hailed by New York Magazine as “The Perfect Broadway Musical,” The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre.
Tickets: $36 Reserved Seating.
For ticket info go here.
OR,
Final Weekend! ~ Constellation Theatre Company, 1835 14th St. NW. Through June 7.
A Whip-Smart Theatrical Romp of Power, Passion, and Playwriting.
Written by Liz Duffy Adams. Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman.
Liz Duffy Adams’ play entitled OR, is a fast-paced, witty comedy that blends romance, feminism, and espionage in 1660s England. The farce follows Aphra Behn — spy, poet, and the first professional female playwright — as she races to finish a script, navigate secret missions, and juggle lusty entanglements, all in one chaotic night. With clever wordplay and whimsical plot twists, OR, is a celebration of art, passion, and sexual freedom.
Ages: 13+
Runtime: 90 minutes
Seating Policy: This production offers two seating tiers: Premium and Standard. Premium seating is located in the first three rows, while Standard seating is in the last two rows. All seats within each tier are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Your ticket will grant you access to one of the two tiers.
Content Advisory: This production contains swearing or ‘coarse’ language, references to sexual content, sexual assault, violence, grief, smoking, and use of weapons. For additional information, please contact the box office.
Pay What You Will Policy: Constellation Theatre Company is offering Pay What You Will tickets for all preview performances. PWYW tickets start at just $2.00 and can only be purchased with cash at the Box Office.
For ticket info go here.
The Motion
Arena Stage, Fichandler Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Through June 14.
Credits by Christopher Chen. Directed by Hana S. Sharif.
They came to test a theory — now reality is testing them.
A fiercely intelligent and emotionally charged exploration of humanity.
What begins as a razor-sharp debate spirals into a world-altering unraveling as four scholars are thrust into a kaleidoscopic odyssey through memory, identity, and the fragile boundaries of belief. As the world around them transforms, they find unexpected solace, love, and companionship. Collectively, they wrestle with profound and unsettling questions about purpose, morality, and what it truly means to be alive. The Motion is a searing, intelligent, and emotionally charged journey into the core of the human condition — where certainty shatters, vulnerability reigns, and no conviction emerges unscathed.
Post-Show Conversations
Connect with the show beyond the performance at a post-show conversation on June 3 following the 12:00 p.m. matinees, and on June 9 following the 7:30 p.m. performance.
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour, 45 minutes without an intermission.
For ticket info go here.
ONCE
NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon. Through June 21.
Book by Enda Walsh. Music & Lyrics by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová. Directed by Heather Lanza.
Can a chance encounter change your life forever? On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into something more. This captivating piece is the only show to have music with an Academy Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award, and Tony Award. This achingly beautiful musical, including the Oscar-winning song "Falling Slowly,” illustrates how a lighting-in-bottle experience can reignite passion and purpose.
If You’re Into:
- Indie folk music like The Swell Season
- Normal People
- Cozy Irish Pubs
Expect:
- Stuck Artist’s Second Chance
- Almost Romance
- Intimate acoustic musical
- Actor-Musicians that rock!
Special Events:
- $30 Under 40 Happy Hour: Friday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. Folks under 40 are invited to get to the theatre early to enjoy their first drink on the house and mingle with other theatre-lovers. This Happy Hour is part of our $30 Under 40 program where NextStop offers $30 tickets to anyone under 40. To sign up for this discount code, simply fill out this short form.
- Topical Talkback: Friday, June 5 after the 8:00 p.m. show. Audiences are invited to stay after the performance for a free talkback that dives deeper into the themes of the show.
- Artistic Talkback: Sunday, June 14 after the 2:00 p.m. show. Audiences are invited to stay after the performance for a free talkback with the artists that brought the show to life.
For ticket info go here.
LOCAL FINE ARTS
Check Out Falls Church Arts' New Exhibition!
Opens this Saturday, June 6, with a Meet-the-Artists Reception. See below for our recent article on the latest from Falls Church Arts:
Christopher Jones
John Gratz: The New Paintings
Opens with a reception this Saturday! ~ Idylwood Studios, 7617 Idylwood Rd., June 6 - July 7.
Coming up next! John Gratz will host his solo show, THE NEW PAINTINGS, with Idylwood Studios. The opening is Saturday, June 6, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. John has been hard at work — come see his new paintings!
For more info go here.
The Art of Looking: Georges Braque, 'The Port of La Ciotat'
Virtual Conversation, National Gallery of Art, Friday, June 5, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Ages 18+.
Georges Braque’s The Port of La Ciotat is the inspiration for this interactive conversation. Join us for a one-hour virtual session and share your observations, interpretations, questions, and ideas about this work of art.
These conversations will encourage you to engage deeply with art, with others, and with the world around you as you hone skills in visual literacy and perspective-taking.
The program is free, open to the public, and is designed for everyone interested in talking about art. No art or art history background is required. Ages 18 and over.
For more info go here.
Artist Talk: Wendy MacNaughton
National Gallery of Art, East Bldg., Large Auditorium. Saturday, June 6, 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Part of First Saturdays.
Hear from artist and visual storyteller Wendy MacNaughton about her public art project, DrawTogether Strangers. Afterward, join Wendy in the East Building Atrium to draw someone you just met, and experience portraits in a new way.
Wendy MacNaughton is an artist, visual storyteller, graphic journalist, and educator whose wide-ranging, boundary-pushing work is rooted in a conviction that drawing, and the careful attention it requires of us, is an essential tool for creating human connection.
Wendy is the author-illustrator of the books How to Say Goodbye, which grew out of her year-long artist’s residency at a pioneering California hospice facility, and Meanwhile in San Francisco, a first-of-its kind volume of visual journalism which leveraged her background in social work to chronicle overlooked and underrepresented stories hiding in plain sight in her hometown.
She has also collaborated as an illustrator on numerous best-selling books, including Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat and The Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul. As a visual columnist for The New York Times, The California Sunday Magazine and The Rumpus, Wendy spent years crisscrossing the continent in her “mobile studio” (built into the back of a Honda Element), chronicling idiosyncratic and often surprisingly poignant corners of American life, from a century-old, woman-owned knife-sharpening shop in Montana, to a community-building Black beekeeper in Oakland, to the military court proceedings at Guantanamo Bay.
Wendy is currently the Creator and “Drawer-in-Chief” of DrawTogether, a participatory drawing web series for kids which began, on the fly, during the earliest, most bewildering days of the pandemic and has rapidly expanded ever since. The enterprise now includes an educational nonprofit, DrawTogether Classrooms, which provides free social-emotional-learning and art curriculums to nearly 300,000 learners worldwide, and a weekly publication for adults, the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table, which offers imaginative art exercises and wellness support to a hyper-engaged community of more than 55,000 subscribers.
In 2023, armed with nothing but a card table, two folding chairs and her own preternaturally ebullient willingness to chat up strangers on the street, Wendy launched DrawTogether Strangers, a one-woman, guerilla-style, interactive public art project which encourages pairs of random passerby to sit down, face to face, and spend a few minutes drawing portraits of each other. This project has blossomed into both a distillation and emphatic demonstration of Wendy’s core belief: that spontaneous, genuine connectedness can be sparked, even between perfect strangers, through the simple act of truly looking at one other.
For more info go here.
A Collab Collage Group Show
Opens this Saturday! ~ The Reston Art Gallery, 11400 Washington Plaza West, Reston. Open Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sundays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Opening Reception: June 6, 2:00 p.m. Create a collaged postcard with the artists, June 14, 2:00 p.m. Closing Reception: June 28, 3:00 p.m. Runs: June 6 - 28.
For more info go here.
Loida Velilla: Slices of Life
Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, 230 W. Broad St. Through Aug. 2. Free.
Loida Velilla's Artist Statement:
I have been painting in a variety of mediums, including acrylics and pastels. My focus is on mutuality of colors and design - including abstracts and bold impressionism. I work to instill a feeling of personal connection with each work of art, achieving a balance of color, design, overpainted highlights and drama. My art studios are in both Falls Church, Va. and Bayamon, Puerto Rico. I have conducted an interactive workshop at the Museum of Art in Bayamon, PR.
Instagram: @Loida_Artist; email: loida.velilla@gmail.com.
For more info go here.
Fred Schnider Gallery, 888 N. Quincy St, #102, Arlington. Next Event: 'Artist Talk' with Robin Croft: Saturday, May 30, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, National Mall, Fourth Street & Independence Ave. SW. Ongoing Exhibition.
Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting explores how Native artists challenged perceptions of what constituted art and what Native art could and should look like. Featuring more than 50 works by over 40 artists, this exhibition tells the story of how American Indian art expanded after World War I and how Native painters began to advocate for themselves in a world that often ignored their talent.
Artists such as Fred Kabotie, Tonita Peña, and Stephen Mopope carved out space for painting at a time when Native art was often dismissed. Later generations — including Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kay WalkingStick, Fritz Scholder, James Lavadour, Jeffrey Gibson, Dyani White Hawk, and Athena LaTocha — expanded the field even further, embracing a wide range of approaches. Over the span of ten decades, these artists and their work demonstrated the breadth, complexity, and continuing expansion of Native self-expression.
For more info go here.
Kevin Jones:
Reflections in Black and White
Mason Exhibitions, George Mason University School of Art, Art and Design Building, 4400 University Drive, Suite 2050, Fairfax. Through June 20. Free and open to the public.
Reflections in Black and White is a collection of drawings by Kevin Jones. Jones creates large-scale, highly detailed work based on reinterpretations of masterworks in the classical canon through the lenses of science fiction, comic books, and anime. Kevin’s work searches for new truths in the re-examination of classic work. His work uses the concept of Afro-Futurism as a way of engaging with the topic of Black erasure.
For more info go here.
The Collaborative | Pyramid Atlantic
Imar Lyman ~ Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory
The Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road, NW. Through July 11.
The Kreeger Museum and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center are pleased to present Imar Lyman ~ Echo/Location: Exploring the Extra-Sensory, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Imar Lyman, on view at The Kreeger Museum through July 11. This exhibition is presented under The Collaborative, a program developed by The Kreeger Museum to support Washington-area artists.
Echolocation is a form of biological sonic radar. Used as a tool for some animals to “see” and navigate their environments, sound waves are emitted to avoid prey and find their way in the dark.
Echo/Location showcases D.C.-based artist Imar Lyman’s [Hutchins] (b. 1970) new body of abstract work. Bringing together mixed media collage, painting, sculpture and printmaking, his artistry is in conversation with artists Sam Gilliam and Frank Stella, masterworks that have anchored The Kreeger Museum’s Contemporary Gallery since 1994 when the Museum opened to the public.
Imar Lyman’s debut exhibition at the museum utilizes “echoes” from the past to navigate the current moment and propel different points of view forward. Several pieces featured invite participation, asking the viewer to consider how the artwork is presented or to explore its form and function — things which may not always appear obvious. Constantly pushing boundaries, he also pays homage to overlooked aspects of printmaking traditions. The culmination becomes an energetic loop of color, patterns, and materiality that blend time and our place within it.
For more info go here.
Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art
National Museum of African Art, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. Through August 23.
Curated by Kevin D. Dumouchelle and Serubiri Moses.
We are here.
Artists’ voices are central to this exhibition, which is based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with African visual art practitioners who claim belonging in the LGBTQ+ community, however they define those terms. They're united by a simple, shared declaration: We are here and always have been and will be.
The exhibition is part of a larger research initiative, the Here Project, that seeks to document these voices. The artists in the Project practice across the entirety of the African continent and its global diaspora, using their work to speak their truths. Inviting us into their worlds, they share complex stories of openly claiming their identities, their histories, and their place. While their experiences are unique to them, they address issues that unite us all: the importance of family, of spirit, of standing up for oneself and others, of imagining the future, of making intimate connections, of finding belonging, of embracing potential, and above all, of experiencing joy.
Here is based on years of close collaboration and dialogue with these artists and their communities. Through their art, they invite us into their worlds, and share complex stories of openly claiming their identities, their histories, and their place. Here is in the largest exhibition on this subject to date, with nearly 60 artworks, demonstrating how they're a part of a larger story of African art history.
They are here. All that is left is for us to hear them.
Support for Here generously provided by the Fisher Arts Impact Fund.
For more info go here.
Mary Cassatt
National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Ave. NW, West Bldg. Main Floor, Gallery 86. Through Aug. 30.
An intimate exhibition brings together rarely-seen treasures and iconic works by Mary Cassatt, marking 100 years since her death.
Mary Cassatt’s art and life reflect an independent spirit that defied expectations for women in her time. Explore three galleries in the National Gallery’s impressionist collection to look closely at how she worked. Some 40 paintings, drawings, and prints — largely drawn from our rich holdings of her work — show an artist shaped by tradition yet radically modern.
Admission is always free and passes are not required.
For more info go here.
Material Witness
Rubell Museum Washington DC, 65 I St SW, Through Fall, 2026.
Material Witness presents 30 of today’s most compelling and innovative artists employing non-traditional materials and processes. Squid ink, Coca-Cola, ostrich eggs, anointing oil, lipstick, discarded metal, and animal hides are several of the preformed, natural, and unnatural mediums incorporated into three-dimensional works that expand upon the storied legacy of assemblage—a critical approach to artmaking that was first formalized in the 1961 exhibition The Art of Assemblage at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.With echoes of land art, Arte Povera, abject art, and readymades these artists employ industrial waste, organic detritus, and mass-produced commodities to explore formal, environmental, political, and social concerns. Found objects in various entropic states provide the backbone for many of these works, illuminating cycles of consumption, decay, and renewal.Material Witness spans 23 galleries across the museum’s three floors and presents individual artist rooms as well as group presentations connecting artists who share similar materials and motives. For many of these artists, Material Witness represents their first exhibition in our nation’s capital or at the Rubell Museum.
For more info go here.
Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Galleries 23 & 24, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Through July 26.
The tallest mountains on earth rise from the plains of northern India in a series of steep hills, snowy peaks, and narrow valleys. From the same Himalayan region arose some of the world’s most beautiful—yet least understood—works of art.
Discover the extraordinary beauty and unique history of paintings made for Hindu kings in India’s Pahari (hill) region between the 1620s and 1830s. Pahari artists worked in radically different styles ranging from lyrical and naturalistic to boldly colored and abstracted. Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms illuminates new scholarship on the collaborative artist communities in which most painters worked. Learn about the political, cultural, and religious contexts of these forty-eight exquisite works, and look closely to enter a world of fine detail that delights and astounds.
Of the Hills celebrates the remarkable collection of Pahari paintings the museum acquired from renowned art historian Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim. Some of these artworks have never been exhibited publicly before. We’ve brought these rare pieces into conversation with our historic collections and paintings on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Of the Hills is accompanied by the major publication Pahari Paintings: Art and Stories and runs concurrently with Pahari exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum.
For more info go here.
Nick Cave: Mammoth
Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Open Daily, 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Through January 3, 2027. Free Admission.
In Mammoth, Nick Cave invites visitors to walk among the fantastical remains of these ancient creatures. His new project envisions a world animated by the power of the past and the transformative possibilities of the imagination.
Nick Cave (b. 1959) is renowned internationally for his work that surreally and seductively combines sculpture, performance, and fashion. Known for the exuberant Soundsuits that he originally created in response to racialized police violence, Cave has long been interested in the intersections of history and identity. With this new body of work, his scope is both broader and more personal. Cave explores his family’s history in rural Chariton County, Missouri, his relationship with the landscape there, and the nature of his own creativity. In doing so, he invites us to consider our connections with the natural world and the everyday objects that surround us.
In Mammoth, Cave remakes the museum’s galleries into an immersive environment marked by the crafted hides and bones of mammoths, a video projection of the long-dead animals come to life, and hundreds of transformed found objects — from vintage tools to his grandmother’s thimble collection — presented like paleontological specimens on a massive light table. By showcasing the ordinary and often forgotten bits and pieces of the world we live in, Cave’s work shines light on what we value and how we make meaning together. It evokes the lives and cultures we've lost, as well as the magical possibilities of a universe created through imagination and the humblest of materials.
Focused on the fundamental connections between people and their environment, Cave asks how we can begin to make sense of our relationship with a landscape that continues to evolve. How might we adapt, persevere, even thrive? As the contemporary world increasingly challenges what it means to be human, Cave envisions a space of both grief and possibility.
For more info go here.
Janet Loren Hill | Andrew Casto
Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, 12001 Market St. #103, Reston Va. Through July 25.
The exhibition will feature recent work by artists Janet Loren Hill and Andrew Casto. Hill’s shaped paintings present surreal characters moving through complex environments, tracing various global histories of coercion, labor, and the potential for rupture.
Casto’s recent work — whose formal language is based on a material study of geological processes translated into ceramic and mixed-media vessel forms — explores the connection between “macrocosmic” environmental change and interruptions in our often routine existence.
Visually, their work plays both against and with each other: painting vs. ceramic, large vs. small scale, use of texture, the absurd and the sublime, decadent color, and sometimes unnerving forms. Contextually, they share a use of humor and absurdity, varied references to the body, and commentary on our world.
For more info go here.
Miró and the United States
The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW, Through July 5.
Special Exhibition!
At the end of his life, Joan Miró maintained, “It was really American painting that inspired me.”
Co-organized with the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, Miró and the United States explores the vibrant exchanges between Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893-1983) and the burgeoning American art scene in a pivotal moment of 20th-century art. This little-known yet decisive period of connection between Miró and American artists — including Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, and Adolph Gottlieb — was influential in the development of post-war art on both sides of the Atlantic.
For Miró, the United States represented new audiences and creative freedom. He had retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941 and 1959, and traveled to the U.S. seven times between 1947 and 1968, during which he met artists in their studios, collaborated on prints and architectural projects, and closely followed exhibitions at galleries and museums. Featuring 75 works by more than 30 artists, this exhibition reframes Miró’s legacy, revealing how his dream-like pictures evolved through artistic dialogue and experimentation with his American counterparts.
For more info go here.
Teen Portrait Competition, 2025
National Portrait Gallery, 8th and G Streets NW, Second Floor, North Galleries. Through Aug. 30.
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is proud to present the winners and finalists of the 2025 Teen Portrait Competition!
Matilda Myers of Maryland and Kate Stermer of California have been announced as winners of the 2025 Teen Portrait Competition, a triennial event inspired by the museum’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The teen competition is open to students between the ages of 13 and 17 who reside in the United States and its territories. Ten finalists were selected from the 13 to 15 age group, and nine finalists were selected from the 16 to 17 age group. The selected works showcase the next wave of contemporary portraiture by teens. Myers received the top prize from the 13–15 age group, and Stermer from the 16–17 age group. The photographs by the 19 finalists will be on view in a video presentation on the second floor of the National Portrait Gallery through August 30, 2026.
Teens were invited to submit their photographic portraits through an anonymous open call. The museum received more than 1,100 entries from students in 48 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. The photographs were reviewed by the Teen Museum Council, a group of high school students from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia who aim to learn about museum careers while building a community for teens with interactive programs and events inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. The council narrowed the submissions to 40 semi-finalists. Three members of the council, joined by artist Caitlin Teal Price, who is based in Washington, D.C., and New York, juried the competition’s final round to select the exhibiting artists and name the prizewinners.
Myers’ photograph, “Rest,” compares the masculine and feminine by showing a ballerina resting with a pickaxe. Stermer’s black-and-white portrait, titled “The Cost of Conformity,” depicts a teenage girl as a puppeteer manipulating the markers of success (cars) with marionette strings. Photographs by all 19 finalists prompt conversations about identity through the eyes of teens in the United States, and they address topical issues including tradition, mental health and sibling relationships. The photographs will be on view alongside the museum’s triennial “The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today” exhibition, featuring finalists of the 2025 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition by artists 18 and older.
For more info go here.
Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Arthur Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW, East Building. Through Sept. 7.
At the dawn of time, the Hindu god Vishnu slept on a coiled serpent floating in the primordial ocean. There, he dreamed the universe into existence. This magnificent story of creation comes to life through the largest bronze ever cast in Southeast Asia, now on loan to us from the National Museum of Cambodia.
For the first time in centuries, you can experience this sculpture’s full monumental scale: a breathtaking six meters long (nearly twenty feet). Only the head and torso have been displayed since 1936, when the sculpture was found buried in a pit with dozens of loose bronze fragments. A team of international experts has recently conserved and reconnected the body’s remnants after decades of scientific research.
Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean presents this monumental masterpiece of Cambodian artistry and explores its rich context. Delve into the sculpture’s original island-like temple, the deep blue waters of the surrounding reservoir, and the ancient city of Angkor. Learn about water’s cultural importance as a mirror of the ocean of creation, and admire the exceptional bronze-casting and engineering skills of artists who lived a thousand years ago.
An exclusive film brings you to the present-day reservoir and its surrounding community. Cambodian American director praCh Ly shares a day in the life of a local fisherman, a merchant, and a young Buddhist monk. Titled Awkun (meaning “thank you” in Khmer), this film draws attention to the relationships that bridge sacred and urban spaces, from past to present.
For more info go here.
Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift
Rubell Museum DC, 65 i Street SW. Through Fall, 2026.
Basil Kincaid: Spirit in the Gift marks the first solo museum exhibition in Washington D.C. for Kincaid (b. 1986, St. Louis, MO). Four large-scale quilted artworks created during the artist’s residency at the Rubell Museum in Miami in 2023 will be presented in the D.C. museum’s largest gallery. Kincaid’s work pays homage to the long history of quilt-making while exploring the relationships between identity, ancestry, and place. Some themes are deeply personal and autobiographical, others are more universal, but all evoke the joy inherent in the artist’s love for and nurturing of community. The entailed and labor-intensive process of creating these monumental works is balanced by an improvisational, spontaneous, and fluid quality that runs throughout them. The result is as indebted to freehand drawing and jazz music as it is to patchwork quilt making and embroidery.
For more info go here.
Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Through July 26.
Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection brings together approximately 80 works by nearly 70 of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Cecily Brown, Sheila Hicks, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Joan Mitchell, Faith Ringgold, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Pat Steir, Sarah Sze, Kara Walker, and Zarina. Featuring a wide variety of artworks from the past eight decades, including painting, sculpture, installation, textile, beadwork, and ceramics, the exhibition emphasizes connections between intergenerational and international artists who circumvent and upend conventions in art-making, embracing craft techniques, inventive methods, and alternative materials.
The exhibition is organized within seven sections that illustrate key thematic threads: Gestural Abstraction, Luminous Abstraction, Pixelated Abstraction, Disobedient Bodies, Of Selves and Spirits, The Power of Form, and Craft is Art. Each section juxtaposes works by emerging artists with the pathbreaking contributions of their predecessors, demonstrating how earlier generations anticipated contemporary perspectives on representation, identity, and power. Making Their Mark envisions art history as an interconnected web of influences and affinities among artists who subvert traditional narratives and hierarchies in a historically patriarchal field.
Many of the works on view question rigid and gendered distinctions between art and craft, eroding arbitrary and increasingly obsolete categories and value systems. Making Their Mark assembles significant works by artists whose innovative explorations demonstrate expansive vocabularies of art-making, highlighting the importance of prioritizing diverse perspectives to change the way art histories are told.
For more info go here.
MPA Berlage Arts & Education Studio: Yasmine C. Iskander: Life Through the Power of Color
Final Weekend! ~ McLean Project for the Arts, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean. Through June 7.
Yasmine C. Iskander Gallery / Gallery Vivienne: Yasmine C. Iskander: Life Through the Power of Color.
Guided by her passionate inner life, Yasmine Iskander (1998–2024) expressed her world in brilliantly colored abstract paintings. She built compositions by alternately veiling and revealing shapes, applying washes that soften edges and then marking the plane with geometric or biomorphic elements that assert themselves with decisive clarity.
“My art expresses my feelings about the happy moments in my life, but also about the difficult times I've had, especially my many heart and brain surgeries,” Yasmine once explained. “When I paint, I feel strong, excited, exuberant and emotions flow as colors! I feel it in my heart. The colors and shapes that guide my work pop into my head. I use a range of vibrant colors.”
Yasmine’s visual responses were shaped, in part, by her deafness — a condition that sharpened other senses and altered the way she attended to the world. She cultivated a heightened visual attentiveness: a sensitivity to rhythm in form, to the cadence of color shifts, to the spatial qualities of layered shapes. “As a Deaf artist who wears hearing aids, I know that there are many ways to communicate. Colors are the most direct and powerful,” she said.
Rather than defining her work by limitation, this aspect of her life enriched it, producing paintings that feel attuned to subtler registers of perception. Her canvases translate experience into a distinct aesthetic grammar.
For more info go here.
Best Laid Plans: Unrealized Projects from the Archives of American Art
Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, 1st floor, 8th and F Streets, NW. Through Oct. 18.
Best Laid Plans examines unrealized projects preserved in the Archives of American Art. While centered on unfinished artworks, the exhibition also brings together proposals for publications, exhibitions, and other creative initiatives that, for various reasons, were never realized. Rarely exhibited or published, these materials often survive only in archival form. By foregrounding them, the exhibition reveals an essential dimension of the Archives’ holdings and introduces little-known — or entirely unknown — projects by influential artists and thinkers.
For more info go here.
GRAB BAG
Check Out Summer Events at West Falls!
Weekly programming and signature events bring live music, fitness and community gatherings to Falls Church.
West Falls Summer Bash
WHEN: Saturday, June 6, 11:00 - 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Commons Park at West Falls (201 W. Falls Station Blvd., Falls Church)
HOW: The West Falls Summer Bash is free and open to the public. Families, residents, and visitors alike are invited to come celebrate the start of summer.
West Falls is kicking off summer with an afternoon of live music, local food favorites and family-friendly fun at the West Falls Summer Bash on Saturday, June 6, from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Commons Park.
The Summer Bash will feature live music from Half Pint Harry, inflatable lawn games, face painting, food pop-ups and activities for all ages. Participating West Falls retailers include BurgerFi, Ice Cream Jubilee, Mason’s Famous Lobster
Rolls, Perspire Sauna Studio, Tierra Encantada, The Alder Apartments, and an open house from The Oak Condominiums from noon to 3:00 p.m.
Event highlights include:
● Live music from Half Pint Harry
● Beer and wine pop-up
● Ice cream cart and local food vendors offering onsite deals such as free medium fries with a burger purchase from BurgerFi and soup and chip samples from Mason’s Lobsters
● Inflatable soccer darts
● Inflatable mini golf
● Face painting
● LEGO table and kids' activities hosted by Tierra Encantada
Trivia Night Tournament
- Dates: Every Thursday through June 11
- Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
- Location: Commons Park
- Cost: FREE
- Details: Put your knowledge to the test every Thursday night at our weekly trivia tournament. Bring your crew, pick up dinner from one of our restaurants, and go head-to-head for weekly prizes and ultimate bragging rights.
Barre3 Pop-Up Series
- Dates: Every second Saturday
- Time: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
- Location: Commons Park
- Cost: $10
- Details: Start your weekend on a high note with an energizing outdoor class led by Barre3, with an all-levels workout that combines strength, cardio, and balance for a feel-good start to the day. Come with a mat and water, bring a friend, and make a morning of it by exploring local shops or grabbing brunch!
WHERE: Commons Park at West Falls, 201 W. Falls Station Blvd.
Run/Walk for an Awesome Cause!
The Michael J. Fox Foundation Washington D.C. Run/Walk
Virginia Highlands Park, 1600 S. Hayes St. Sunday, June 7, 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Registration closes June 5 (check with organizers).
Join The Michael J. Fox Foundation on Sunday, June 7, at Virginia Highlands Park for the Washington, D.C. Run/Walk — a family-friendly event bringing our community together to fund Parkinson’s research.
Enjoy a day of movement, connection and resources for people living with Parkinson’s, loved ones and supporters. Whether you’re running, walking or cheering from the sidelines, your participation directly supports MJFF’s mission to accelerate better treatments and find a cure.
Get involved:
✔️ Register at michaeljfox.org/DCRunWalk
✔️ Invite friends & family
✔️ Fundraise to amplify your impact
Every step moves research forward.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) launched the Run/Walk Series in 2017 to connect those affected by Parkinson’s, their families and community supporters. Since then, the Series has expanded nationwide, raising over $10.1 million and uniting more than 33,800 participants.
This family-friendly event offers a day of activity, community and valuable information about Parkinson's disease and local support resources. Whether you're living with Parkinson’s, supporting a loved one or simply seeking to learn more, our Run/Walk Series provides an opportunity to engage, raise awareness and make a difference.
All proceeds directly fund MJFF’s research to accelerate treatments and find a cure. Your involvement is crucial to advancing our mission, and we thank you for your support!
For more info go here.
Enjoy a Block Party at the National Gallery of Art!
National Gallery of Art, East Building, West Building, 4th St. Plaza, Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
We’re throwing our biggest party ever, and you’re invited! Celebrate 250 years of American art and creativity. Across our campus, enjoy indoor and outdoor art-making, special guests, food, music, curator talks, video screenings, and more fun for all ages. We’ll be ready, rain or shine.
Highlights:
- Behind-the-scenes art talks in our American galleries and special exhibitions;
- A community collage quilt, found poetry, zine-making, sound baths, an outdoor chalk mural, and other interactive experiences led by local creatives;
- Kids’ activities such as Storytime, face-painting, family yoga, and open play space;
- DrawTogether Strangers, an interactive public art project that encourages people to draw a portrait of someone they just met;
- Performances by local groups: Batalá Washington Drum Band, East of the River Steel Drum Band, and the Eastern High School Marching Band;
- Refreshing, seasonal food and drinks.
To register go here.
Celebrate America's 250th at the Smithsonian Castle!
American Aspirations
Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle), The National Mall, 1000 Jefferson Drive SW. Through July 26.
For nearly 250 years, Americans have been inspired by the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. American Aspirations brings together for the first time more than 30 of Smithsonian’s most treasured objects to commemorate this founding document. The exhibition invites visitors to consider how the founding ideals of 1776 have been interpreted and how each generation has reached towards new understandings of freedom, opportunity, and a shared future.
For more info go here.
Have a Picnic at The Kreeger!
The Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road, NW. Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Free.
Picnic Day at the Kreeger!
Join us in the Sculpture Garden for Picnic Day on June 6th! Bring your favorite picnic snacks and drinks to celebrate the warm weather. Please bring a picnic blanket or use one of our benches in the Sculpture Garden to enjoy your lunch. Light refreshments will be available for purchase. Enjoy tours of the Sculpture Garden and kids' scavenger hunts throughout the day.
Please note, no lawn chairs or glass beverages are allowed in the garden.
Admission to the Museum will be free. Limited parking will be available at The Field School, located at 2301 Foxhall Road NW.
For more info go here.
Take a Georgetown Summer Art Walk!
1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Saturday, June 6, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For our free inaugural Summer Art Walk, we invite you to visit the Main Street corridor to visit our locally-owned galleries. The event will feature over a dozen local venues showcasing a diverse range of artwork, including paintings, photography, sculptures and mixed media pieces. You’ll be able to visit working studios and talk with artists about their work.
Participating Galleries & Venues:
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, 1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW
StudioLab RD, 1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW, side entrance
Washington Printmakers Gallery, 1675 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Klagsbrun Studios, 1662 33rd St. NW
Calloway Fine Art & Consulting, 1643 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Gallery Article 15, 1624 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Gallery 16TEN, 1610 Wisconsin Ave. NW
L’Enfant Gallery, 1442 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Shop Made in DC, 1304 Wisconsin Ave. NW
For more info go here.
Enjoy Dulcet Dulcimer Music on the C&O!
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, 142 W. Potomac St., Williamsport, Md. Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Free.
Join us for our Music on the Canal program (the first Saturday of the Month)!
Musicians from the Northern Virginia Dulcimer Group will share their interpretations of 19th century music and perform songs on a variety of historical instruments, including dulcimers, banjo, and upright bass. Stop in to listen and learn about music of the Canal Era during your visit! Event may take place outside or indoors depending on the weather.
For more info go here.
Sample G-Dub's Whiskey!
George Washington Whiskey Tasting at Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway Mount Vernon, Va. George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill is located 2.7 miles from the main estate entrance. Saturday, June 6, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
At this outdoor event, sample George Washington's whiskey and other distilled spirits made at Washington's Distillery.
Ticket holders also receive general admission to Mount Vernon on the day of their tasting (a $30 value), and a tour of the gristmill and distillery. Show your tasting ticket at the Mount Vernon ticket window for admittance.
Tickets: General Public: $60. Member: $50.
For more info go here.
Try an Artist-Led Workshop!
Workshop: "Chance and Control"
MoCA Arlington Innovation Studio + Store525, 14th St. S., Arlington. Friday, June 5, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free.
Pour-and-pattern painting workshop with Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi inspired by Persian art traditions and Western abstraction.
Come play with unpredictability and control to create hybridized abstractions that tread the fine line between equilibrium and chaos.
Seeking inspiration from diverse visual languages and painting traditions such as Persian Art and Western abstraction, we will experiment with layering of paint drips and stains as well as intricate patterning to create our own hybrid abstractions. This workshop is a great opportunity to incorporate mixed media techniques into your artworks.
Make sure to drop in with enough time to explore and create – at least 30 minutes.
Follow Hedieh @hediehiFollow MoCA Arlington @mocaarlington.
About the Artist
Hedieh Javanshit Ilchi was born in Tehran, Iran and currently lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area. Ilchi received an M.F.A. in studio art from American University and a B.F.A. from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Ilchi’s paintings provide a space where her two disparate histories come together to reflect on cultural traditions and notions of belonging.
She is the recipient of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellowship, VisArts Studio Fellowship, Charm City Fellowship, Zeta Orionis Painting Fellowship, Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Painting, and Bethesda Painting Award. Ilchi has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally. Her work has been featured in many publications including The Washington Post, Hyperallergic, Art Papers, the Washington City Paper, and New American Paintings.
Website: www.hediehilchi.com | IG: @hediehi.
For more info go here.
Compiled by Christopher Jones
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