Weekend Buzz: Oct. 8, 2025
Despite the government shutdown, there's so much to do around town! Celebrate Farm Day at Cherry Hill Park, attend our local Volunteer Fire Department's Open House, commemorate Indigenous People's Day, learn to love raptors anew, take a Roosevelt Island bird walk, or let your kids enjoy a Halloween Scavenger Hunt. We've also got the latest in local dining, film, theater, and visual arts. Plus there's this really skilled "liar" you should check out.... Enjoy!
CELEBRATE FARM DAY!
Farm Day at Cherry Hill Park
Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave., Saturday, Oct. 11, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Free admission. Some activities require tickets for purchase.
Take a blast to Cherry Hill Farm's past at the annual Farm Day. Learn about the farmhouse and barn history, visit farm animals, and enjoy farm-style fun!
Ticketed Activities
Activity tickets are sold for $2 each and cost between 1 - 5 tickets. Purchase tickets for all activities (except pony rides and petting farm tickets) day of at the Recreation and Parks ticket booth.
- Pumpkin Painting - 3 tickets
- Birdhouse Painting - 2 tickets
- Stick Horse Craft - 2 tickets
- Apple Fishing - 1 ticket
- Corn Grinding - 1 ticket
- Seed Sowing & Pot Decorating - 1 ticket
- Haystack Hunt - 1 ticket
- Popcorn and Cider - 1 ticket
Tickets Sold Separately*
- Pony Rides - 5 tickets
- Petting Farm - 2 tickets
*Tickets are sold separately at the pony rides and petting farm booth.
Free Activities
- Historic farmhouse tours
- Urban Forestry - Heavy Equipment & Knot Tying
- Beekeeping, yarn spinning, and blacksmith demonstrations
- Fairfax Archeology
- Farm Day Scavenger Hunt
- Hay Play Zone
Entertainment
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Live music from acoustic folk band Celtic Underground at the Farm Day Stage.
11 a.m. & 1 p.m. - Big Barn Puppet Show by KidSinger Jim.
10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., & 12:30 p.m. - Historic music and instrument demonstration with Little City Concerts inside the Farmhouse parlor.
Food & Beverage
Harvey's and Happy Tart will be onsite selling hot food and treats!
For more info go here.
ENJOY A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE!
Annual Open House, Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department
Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department Station 6, 6950 Little Falls Road, Arlington, Saturday, Oct. 11, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department’s Open House is happening Saturday, October 11, as part of our annual Fire Prevention Week activities. Bring the whole family for a behind-the-scenes look at our equipment, fire and life safety demonstrations, and more. There will be food, fun, and opportunities to meet the team that keeps our community safe.
For more info go here.
LOCAL DINING
Check Out Falls Church City’s New Online Dining Guide!
For the new Falls Church City Dining Guide go here.
COMMEMORATE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY!
Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake
National Museum of the American Indian, National Mall, Fourth St. & Independence Ave. SW. Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except Dec. 25). Open only through Saturday, Oct. 11, if government shutdown continues.
Meet the Native peoples of the Chesapeake Bay region – what is now Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware – through photographs, maps, ceremonial and everyday objects, and interactives. This compact exhibition educates visitors on the continued Native presence in the region, and provides an overview of the history and events from the 1600s to the present that have impacted the lives of the Nanticoke, Powhatan, and Piscataway tribes. The exhibition was curated by Gabrielle Tayac, Ph.D. (Piscataway)
For more info go here.
LOCAL FILM
Oddball Cinema: Quatermass Horror Movies
Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Upper Level Conf. Room, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2-4:30 p.m.
Oddball Cinema is coming to MRSPL this October with a series of science fiction horror movies: The Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass 2, and Quatermass and the Pit.
Interested in viewing eclectic and lesser-known films? Oddball Cinema presents the kind of obscure, unusual, and independent movies you won't find at your local multiplex!
October 11: Quatermass 2
Professor Quatermass has been lobbying the British authorities to support his lunar colonization project. While he’s made little headway on this front, he gets word of a newly constructed facility that looks remarkably similar to his own plans – but on Earth, not the moon. Meanwhile, meteors have been falling periodically in the area, and people have been acting strangely after encountering them. The professor is the first to make the connection between the two events, but he suffers from a self-inflicted Cassandra curse: he’s such a self-righteous prig that nobody wants to listen to him until the situation becomes dire.
This story is completely independent of the original The Quatermass Experiment; so there’s no need to see the prior production to fully appreciate this one.
Title: Quatermass 2, A.K.A., Enemy from Space. Director: Val Guest. Cast: Brian Donlevy, John Longden, Sidney James. Rating: Approved (suitable for teens and adults). ©1957 | 1h 25m | Horror, Sci-Fi | black & white.
To register go here.
LOCAL MUSIC
Live Salsa Night, 90s to 2000s
The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Friday, Oct. 10. Doors open: 7:00 p.m. Salsa Dance Class: 7:30 p.m. Showtime: 8:30 p.m.
¡Salsa Night is Back at The State!
Get ready to dance the night away with an electrifying 90s-2000s Salsa Romantica! — featuring all the rhythms that make your heart race and hips move!
Salsa Dance Class at 7:30 p.m. with a pro instructor — beginners welcome! Live Music Starts at 8:30 p.m. — classic hits from the golden age of salsa that’ll keep you on your feet!
TWO spacious dance floors. Full food & drink menu. Bring your friends, your energy, and your best moves. ¡Vamos a bailar!
Tickets: Early Bird: $15 (Limited Quantity). General Admission: $25. Day of Show: $30.
For more info go here.
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Kristian Bezuidenhout, piano
Chamber Music at The Barns
Wolftrap, The Barns, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Thursday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. Doors open: 6:00 p.m. Show starts: 7:30 p.m.
Experience an evening of vocal and piano works with internationally acclaimed Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and one of today’s leading pianists, Kristian Bezuidenhout, in an all-Schubert program. From the tender longing of Liebesbotschaft and Der Taubenpost to the stunning piano solos from Impromptu in C minor and Sonata in A major, this performance highlights masterful musical expressions of composer and musicians alike, making for a captivating season opener.
PROGRAM
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Kristian Bezuidenhout, piano
Schubert:
Schwanengesang (Swan Song), D. 957
Impromptu in C minor for Piano, D. 899, No. 1
Piano Sonata in A major, D. 664
For ticket info go here.
Joss Stone: Less is More
Strathmore, The Music Center, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Thursday, Oct. 9, 8:00 p.m.
Grammy Award-winning singer Joss Stone brings her Less is More tour to Strathmore in an intimate, soulful performance. Known for hits such as “Super Duper Love” and “You Had Me,” Stone’s new tour features a raw and emotional setlist, highlighting her rich voice and heartfelt storytelling. For the Less Is More tour, Stone performs with a pared-down ensemble, featuring her powerful vocals complemented by a guitarist, two additional vocalists for harmonies, and a cello. This tour was inspired by the simplicity and beauty of her earlier performances with minimal instrumentation and allows for an incredibly personal connection with the audience, focusing on the melodic passion in her music.
Tickets: $29 - $89.
One dollar per ticket sold will be donated to the artist's preferred charities.
For ticket info go here.
Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: Chopin ~ The Romantic
GMU Center for the Arts, 4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax. Sunday, Oct. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Experience some of the most stirringly melodious music ever composed in this Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel. The program Chopin — The Romantic features exhilarating polonaises, dreamy nocturnes, charming waltzes, poignant mazurkas, and the Ballade in G minor, Op. 23.
“Siegel's programs strengthen the fragile bonds of communication between composer and listener and are as welcome as they are rare.” (Chicago Tribune).
The program will conclude with a short Q&A with the audience.
This performance is appropriate for all ages. Program is subject to change.
Tickets: $60, $52, $38; half-price for youth through Grade 12. Prices include fees.
Run Time: approximately 90 minutes, plus intermission.
For ticket info go here.
LOCAL THEATER
The Turn of the Screw: The Musical
Creative Cauldron, 127 E. Broad St., Through Oct. 26.
Adapted from the Novella written by Henry James. Direction and Music by Matt Conner. Libretto & Lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith. Music Direction by Paige Rammelkamp.
The Turn of the Screw received its world premiere at Creative Cauldron in 2015, as part of the “Bold New Works for Intimate Stages” initiative. This musical adaptation of the Henry James classic ghost story was hailed by critics as “hypnotic and unnerving.” The story follows a governess who takes a position caring for two children on a remote country estate. She soon experiences eerie encounters and becomes convinced that her wards are being haunted by the spirits of two former employees. Told through the musical genius of Conner and Smith, Creative Cauldron’s revival of this chilling psychological thriller will keep audiences on the edge of their seats!
Tickets: Tier One: $50. Tier Two: $40. Students: $25.
Recommended for Ages 13+. Run time: 90 Minutes.
Sponsored by Mark Werblood and Serene Feldman Werblood.
Bold New Works Original Principal Sponsor Jon Wiant.
For ticket info go here.
The Mousetrap
By Agatha Christie
Opens this Friday! ~ Providence Players of Fairfax, The James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday Matinees at 2:00 p.m., Oct. 12 and 19. Runs: October 10 – 25.
By Agatha Christie.
In this famous mystery, a group of strangers are snowed in at a remote country guesthouse called Monkswell Manor. News of a recent murder in London and a policeman’s arrival further heighten the tension, as it’s revealed that the killer might be among them. As the guests and owners share their secrets and alibis, suspicions grow, and a second murder occurs, leading to a thrilling whodunit where everyone becomes a suspect.
For ticket info go here.
Strategic Love Play
DC Premiere! ~ Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Through Nov. 9.
By Miriam Battye. Directed by Matthew Gardiner.
From Succession writer Miriam Battye comes a razor sharp, not-quite-romantic comedy about the absurdity of modern dating in the seemingly endless quest to find “the one.” After matching online, a man and a woman meet for a date. Although they start off on the (very) wrong foot, they slowly begin to let down their guard in the hope that this time they’ve found something real. Bold, bitingly funny and achingly poignant, Strategic Love Play explores love, loneliness, and lying to (and about) ourselves in the age of swiping.
“As gripping as a friend’s rapid-fire texts from a disastrous first date.” ~ The Evening Standard
Running time is approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes with no intermission. This show contains adult language and themes. Recommended for ages 13+. Signature does not admit anyone under 6.
For ticket info go here.
ExPats Theatre: Cold Country
Atlas Performing Arts Center, ExPats Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 11, 2:30 p.m and 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 12, 2:30 p.m. Through Oct. 19.
“Strangers are not good in difficult times,” commands the pastor, his words echoing through the isolated Swiss mountain village. But Hanna’s world is already crumbling. Two years after her brother’s mysterious death, and under the pastor’s unsettling gaze, her voice is stifled by the community’s rigid silence. When hikers from the city arrive, they become unwitting catalysts, prompting Hanna to confront the unspoken truths that bind her. As secrets unravel, Hanna’s suppressed rage erupts, revealing the devastating price of enforced silence.
Run Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Ages: Ages 18 and older (Adults only)
Content Warnings: mild swearing and ‘coarse’ language, references to suicide, murder, sexual abuse and religious trauma.
For ticket info go here.
This Much I Know
Theater J, 529 16th St. NW. Through Oct. 19.
By Jonathan Spector. Directed by Hayley Finn.
A psychology professor's search for his missing wife launches us on a time-hopping fugue, weaving together the stories of Stalin's daughter defecting to America, the son of a white supremacist growing to doubt the beliefs he was raised with, and the secret despair of becoming an accidental killer.
Inspired by the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman about the science of decision-making, Jonathan Spector (Tony Award-winning Eureka Day) takes us on an explosively theatrical interrogation of how we make decisions, how we change our minds, and how much responsibility we bear for the things we do not control.
Produced by: Theater J.
Run Time: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes with intermission.
Tickets: $66-$131 (incl. a $6 fee). Members $50.
★★★★ "An invigorating theatrical brainteaser" ~ The Guardian
"Both deeply funny and refreshingly thought-provoking" ~ Washington City Paper
"A time-bending, narrative arc-diverting, and deeply intellectual commentary on history, relationships, and all the things we think we know" ~ MD Theatre Guide
"Hayley Finn directs This Much I Know with such a sure hand and precise appreciation of the play's puzzle-like structure that a more lucid production of this visionary script would be difficult to imagine." ~ DC Theater Arts
For ticket info go here.
The Great Privation
(How to flip ten cents into a dollar)
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D ST. NW. Wednesday, Oct. 8, 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 9, 8:00 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 10, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 11, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 12, 2:00 p.m. Through Oct. 12.
By NIA AKILAH ROBINSON. DIRECTED by MINA MORITA. PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOSTON’S COMPANY ONE THEATRE.
Philadelphia’s African Baptist Church, 1832: a mother and daughter guard the grave of their husband and father to deter resurrectionists from pillaging it for science.
Today, on the same grounds: another mother and daughter work as counselors at what is now a summer camp. Timelines collide, reminding us to find joy in our present even as we exhume our nation’s buried past.
“Nia Akilah Robinson has written something astonishing in its ambition: temporally expansive, formally agile, and rooted in a deep, lived love of Black community — full of laughter, ache, sweat, and spiritual insistence…” ~ Mina Morita, Director, The Great Privation
For more info go here.
Julius X: a Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Folger Shakespeare Library, Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol Street SE. Through Oct. 26.
By Al Letson. Directed by Nicole Brewer.
This bold new play takes Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Julius Caesar and reworks it through the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, focusing on the story of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X and drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem.
Playwright and poet Al Letson, a Peabody Award-winning journalist and the host of the Reveal podcast, champions Shakespeare’s original text, amplifying it with his own verse.
“In many ways, you already know the story—whether through Shakespeare or American history,” shares director Nicole Brewer, “but you’re compelled to watch it unfold again, because of how Letson remixes his own verse with excerpts from Malcolm X’s speeches and the most notable lines and scenes from Julius Caesar.”
In Julius X, we see the cyclical nature of societal strife, as well as the shared human experiences of ambition, betrayal, and brotherhood.
Tickets: $20 – $90. Please note: Children under the age of 4 are not permitted.
For more info go here.
The American Five
Ford’s Theatre, 511 Tenth Street, NW. Through Oct. 12.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his inner circle imagined a pluralistic society in which equality and justice is guaranteed for all. In the face of surveillance, intimidation, arrests and life threats, five giants form a powerful coalition to advance civil rights and shape a defining moment in American history. Together, Dr. King, Coretta Scott King, Bayard Rustin, Stanley Levison and Clarence B. Jones plan the March on Washington and craft the speech that would galvanize the nation and inspire generations to advance America’s efforts to turn a dream into reality.
Recommended for ages 12 and older. Next Audio-Described Performance: Oct. 11, 2:00 p.m. ASL-Interpreted Performance: Oct. 9, 7:00 p.m.
General Information: (202) 347-4833. Tickets: (888) 616-0270.
For more info go here.
Red Pitch
U.S. Premiere of a West End Hit! ~ Olney Theatre Center, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Through Oct. 19.
Winner of all five Off-West End Awards for Best New Play.
Bilal, Joey, and Omz have been boys their whole lives, growing up together playing soccer on their small pitch outside their south London apartments. But change is coming. Professional teams are signing up prospects, and they all harbor dreams to be chosen. Moreover, the neighborhood is changing, with lots of new apartments and franchise coffee shops pushing out longtime residents and local favorites. Can their friendship survive the threatened demise of their beloved “red pitch” and all it represents? This engrossing new play was such a hit in its initial run at London’s Bush Theatre (the same theatre that premiered Sleepova) that it earned a West End transfer, playing to critical and popular acclaim.
Starring: Ty'Ree Hope Davis (Bilal), Terrence Griffin (Joey), Angelo Harrington II (Omz).
“Tackling gentrification, change, and ambition, Tyrell Williams’s writing creates a convincing bond in a play that is fierce, affectionate and effortlessly funny.” ~ The Guardian
“So good … It’s a brilliant bit of writing about gentrification, friendship, masculinity, and aspiration, without ever being heavy-handed.” ~ Time Out London
Tickets: $47 - $96.
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Age Guidance: If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for brief strong language, violence, and intense conversations.
Damn Yankees
Arena Stage, Fichandler Stage, 1101 Sixth Street SW. Through Nov. 9.
One of America’s most beloved musicals is coming back, dusted off and spit-shined for a new generation. All the elements that made it famous are there: a diehard love of baseball, one man’s fateful (and hilarious) pact with the Devil, and Broadway's sexiest femme fatale... but gently re-tooled for its first major revival in the 21st Century. Featuring iconic songs like “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Who’s Got the Pain?,” this production immerses audiences in a whirlwind of temptation, ambition, love, and sacrifice in this bold new adaptation by Lortel Award winner Will Power and Pulitzer and Tony Award-winner Doug Wright, with additional lyrics by Tony Award-winner Lynn Ahrens, and directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Sergio Trujillo.
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours, 10 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. Advisories: Includes haze, fog, strobe lights, bright lights, and loud noises.
For more info go here.
LOCAL VISUAL ARTS
Falls Church Arts: 'Paper' Exhibit Open through Nov. 16
The artworks of 31 artists from the Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland area are now on display at Falls Church Arts as the City's premier local arts gallery presents its upcoming "Paper" exhibit, running through Nov. 16.
This diverse show features 50 works that incorporate a paper element, with submissions created on or including paper.
Juror Jennifer Wilkin Penick described the exhibition's broad theme of "Paper" as allowing for a wide range of submissions, resulting in "an eclectic and wonderfully interesting representation of different artistic mediums."
As both an artist and art historian, she appreciates many aspects of artistic production, including "the pleasure apparent in creating a work, as well as the process, innovation, beauty, and a work's ability to communicate with the viewer." She was delighted to select works by artists working in photography, drawing, painting, collage, mixed media, and more.
Jennifer Wilkin Penick is a mixed-media artist, art historian, and teacher who lived in Italy for over two decades, where she studied studio art and earned an MA in Italian Art History. Her work often features patterns and repetition, exploring art as a way to process the unpredictability and chaos of the outside world.
Penick's art has been exhibited in Italy, Oregon, Washington, D.C., California, and various locations throughout Virginia. She has been featured in publications such as Contemporary Collage Magazine and Uppercase magazine. She has also taught at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arlington for over a decade, at the Corcoran, and at Shop: Made in DC, and she has been an artist-in-residence with Georgetown University Hospital's Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program since 2018.
The Falls Church Arts gallery is at 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church. Admission is free, and the gallery is open with new winter hours: Tuesdays-Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Artworks can be viewed online at https://www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.
Participants include:
Cathy Abbott
Iraima Alonso
Barbara Bitondo
Teresa Brunson
Claire Coram
Gretchen D’Amore
Marina DiCarlo
Clara Doley
Bill Firestone
Anjori Halder
James Hengst
Mary Kane
Sylvie Kostrzewski
Jean Lauzon
Hyonsook Lee
Naomi Lipsky
Xianling Liu
Gini Moore
Donna Moss
Nancy Newman
Kelley Parent
Jisoo Park
Karin Rindal
Elise Ritter-Clough
Susan Sander
Deborah Schindler
Joan Slottow
Lara Tiller
Suzanne Updike
Kristin Vogt
Kala Wright
Captured in Time: John Valenti - Photography Exhibit
Idylwood Studios, 7617 Idylwood Rd., Falls Church. Through Oct. 29.
Photographer John Valenti will exhibit his work at Idylwood Studios October 4-29. Captured in Time presents a curated selection of photographs that highlight the beauty of everyday moments. Shadows, textures, and fleeting expressions are suspended in light, reminding us that every moment carries a story worth remembering.
For more info go here, or cantact: IdylwoodStudios@gmail.com.
Wild Spaces by Lisa Green
at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
Opens Oct. 13! ~ Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, 230 W. Broad St. Through Jan. 11. Free and open to the public.
Local landscape artist Lisa Green will present her new solo exhibition, Wild Spaces, at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in Falls Church from October 13 through Jan. 11.
Wild Spaces invites visitors to step away from the daily rush and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Through her paintings, Green explores meadows, mountains, and coastlines where shifting light, rich textures, and open space create a sense of presence and wonder.
“Noticing wild spaces, whether they’re vast landscapes or a patch of meadow by the roadside, is essential to my everyday life,” says Green. “When we pay attention to the beauty around us, we build a sense of connection and responsibility. I hope these paintings encourage people to see and value the natural world so that it can be protected and enjoyed by others for years to come.”
The collection includes a range of colorful oil paintings and black and white ink wash paintings, from intimate 8x10 pieces to larger works up to 36x36 inches. All pieces are available for purchase through Green’s website, with QR codes onsite linking directly to the online shop.
Lisa Green is a Herndon–based artist whose work reflects her deep connection to the landscape. Her paintings are collected nationwide and recognized for their luminous color and sense of place.
The exhibition is free and open to the public during Rare Bird’s regular business hours.
For more info go to: www.lisagreenfineart.com.
Visual Voices with Carolyn Drake
GMU, Fairfax Campus, Harris Theater, Thursday, Oct. 9, 4:45-6:30 p.m.
Join us for Visual Voices with Carolyn Drake. This event will be held at Harris Theater on GMU's Fairfax Campus, and via Zoom. RSVP is required to receive the zoom link via email the day of!
Questions should be emailed to Jeff Kenney (jkenney5@gmu.edu).
About the Artist
Carolyn Drake works on long term photo-based projects seeking to interrogate dominant historical narratives and creatively reimagine them. Her practice embraces collaboration and has in recent years melded photography with sewing, collage, and sculpture. She is interested in collapsing the traditional divide between author and subject, the real and the imaginary, challenging entrenched binaries.
Drake was born in California and studied Media/Culture and History in the early 1990s at Brown University. Following her graduation, Drake moved to New York and worked as an interactive designer for many years before departing to engage with the physical world through photography at the age of 30. She has published six photo books. The most recent of these, “I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours,” is a collaboration with her partner Andres Gonzalez in towns along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Drake has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Henri Cartier Bresson Award, and a Fulbright fellowship, among other prizes. She is represented by Magnum Photos and Yancey Richardson Gallery and is based in Vallejo, California.
For more info go here.
Rik Freeman: Wade in the Waters
The Phillips Collection, Phillips@THEARC Exhibition, 1801 Mississippi Ave., SE. Free and in-person. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 12-5:00 p.m., and second and third Wednesdays open until 8:30 p.m. Through Feb. 19.
Pioneering D.C. artist Rik Freeman has been creating paintings and murals that focus on the African diaspora for over three decades. Wade in the Waters features artworks that engage themes of history, community, resilience, joy, and faith. The power and rhythm of water flows through the paintings — from the beaches of Bahia to the Anacostia River — sharing stories of both survival and triumph. Through a kaleidoscope of narratives, the exhibition draws from several of Freeman’s series, exploring waterways and their connection to the diaspora over generations.
About Rik Freeman
A native of Athens, Georgia, Rik Freeman began his professional career as an artist in Washington, D.C. in 1989, painting numerous murals throughout the metropolitan area. Some of his most notable commissions are “Ode to Barry Farms” (2016), Barry Farms Recreation Center; “KNOWLEDGE” (2011), Dorothy I. Height Library, “Learn From Your Past” (2011), H.D. Woodson High School, “Shaw Rhythms” (2003), Washington Convention Center; “ARL@200” (2002), Arlington County Courthouse; and “A Libertade de Maria Felipe” (2012), library in Itaparica, Brazil.
Freeman has widely exhibited his works on canvas, including at the Honfleur Gallery, Hill Center, and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. From 2008-11, Freeman’s critically acclaimed series “The Chittlin’ Circuit Review,” based on the early history of Blues music, toured seven venues in seven states. Currently he's working on his series “Black Beaches During Segregation,” which began in 2022 with the support of the Honfleur Artist-in Residence fellowship and award. He is also continuing his series “BAHIA!,” about the African contribution to Brazil’s history and culture and based in part on his two residencies at Instituto Sacatar in Itaparica (2011 and 2015).
For more info go here.
Women Artists of the DMV
McLean Project for the Arts, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.
This exhibition will be the first ever survey of the many talented female visual artists from the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. area). Curated by Lenny Campello.
Artists on display at MPA include:
- Shiri Achu
- Patricia Autenrieth
- Michele Banks
- Ann Barbieri
- Denée Barr
- Carol Barsha
- Holly Bass
- Karin Birch
- Liliane Blom
- Kristin Bohlander
- Laurie Breen
- Maria Brito
- Dianne Bugash
- Melissa Burley
- Anne Calamuci
- Sue Canuteson
- Rachel Carren
- Mei Mei Chang
- Hsin-Hsi Chen
- Irene Clouthier
- Sheila Crider
- Jacqui Crocetta
- Joan Danziger
- Catherine Day
- Jen Droblyen
- Cheryl Edwards
- Rita Elsner
- Felisa Federman
- Jill Finsen
- Helena Gallegos O’Neill
- Janis Goodman
- Freya Grand
- Beatrice Hamblett
- Elyse Harrison
- Mira Hecht
- Dorothy Hickson
- Jackie Hoysted
- Anna Katalkina
- Lori Katz
- Linda Lawler
- Kyujin Lee
- Liz Lescault
- Taina Litwak
- Julia Malakoff
- Carolina Mayorga
- Donna McCullough
- Camille Mosley-Pasley
- Susana Raab
- Lesley Riley
- April Shelford
- Judy Southerland
- Hillary Steel
- Ellyn Weiss
Led by the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in D.C., and as part of the generous Alper Initiative, these art venues agreed to co-stage the show, which will run in eighteen separate art spaces starting in September 2025 for 6-12 weeks.
For more info go here.
Chris Gregson: Expedition
Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, 888 N. Quincy St., #102, Arlington. Thursdays through Saturdays, 12-6:00 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5:00 p.m. Through Oct. 27.
For more info go here.
Justin Favela: Capilla de Maíz (Maize Chapel)
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), 8th and G Streets, NW. Open Daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. If government shutdown continues, this exhibition will close after Oct. 11. Free.
Capilla de Maíz (Maize Chapel), a site-specific installation by Justin Favela, transforms the Rubenstein Grand Salon at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery into a fantastical world, with shimmering gold-fringed walls and piñata corncobs that highlight the role of maize in North American visual culture.
Justin Favela is a multidisciplinary artist of Guatemalan and Mexican heritage based in Las Vegas, Nevada. His mixed-media practice incorporates traditional Mexican and Latin American craft — specifically cartonería or piñata making—into large-scale sculptures and installations that meld art history with pop culture.
In Capilla de Maíz (Maize Chapel), Favela draws together many sources and symbols of maize (corn), frequently called “yellow gold” in the Americas. Maize sustained Indigenous peoples and later European settlers, helping to grow the American agricultural economy. The shimmering gold-fringed walls combine two Mexican art practices, cartonería and the lavish Churrigueresque ornamentation of eighteenth-century Mexican Catholic churches.
The museum commissioned this site-specific installation for the Renwick Gallery’s Rubenstein Grand Salon to complement the exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Favela’s piñata corncobs highlight both the importance of maize in the formation of an American identity and the confluence of agriculture and craft traditions on display at state fairs.
For more info go here.
Material Witness
Rubell Museum DC, 65 i Street 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.
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, Missouri). 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.
A Land and 河/River
Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, 12001 Market St., #103, Reston. Through Dec. 20.
Kimberly M. Becoat & Hong Hong
A Land and 河/River explores the powerful and intricate relationship between place, our histories, and imaginings of self. Artist Kimberly M. Becoat uses acrylic paint, sumi ink, and watercolor as well as tar paper, candy wrappers, and other detritus to investigate the idea of urban displacement. Her series, Seneca Village – Everywhere explores the idea of Seneca Village; a 19th Century free-black community of landowners in New York City that was removed for the construction of Central Park. Learn more about Seneca Village here.
Hong Hong’s work 河/River is her first thematic, research-based project that considers her personal relationship with water. The paper-based installation imagines and presents water as a long-form poem, documenting the river as meteorological occurrences, the artists’ birth, her family’s immigration process, and texts she and her mother both love. Hong Hong (whose last name means flood) makes no distinction between our symbolic understanding of water, its nurturing properties, or its ability to destroy or divide.
For more info go here.
Fairfax Art League's New Fall Show
WITNESS A GUBERNATORIAL BATTLE!
Debate Watch Party
Settle Down Easy Brewing Co., 2822 Fallfax Drive, Falls Church, Oct. 9. Debate starts: 7:00 p.m.
While we are open to the public, there will be a Virginia Gunernatorial Watch Party. Food and Drink Specials. Brats, Dogs and 1/2 Smokes on the GRILL!
For more info go here.
EXPERIENCE TRUE LOVE... OF RAPTORS!
Critter Corner: Awesome Raptors!
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct., Vienna, Oct. 13, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Whoooo loves raptors? Meet Squeakers the Red-Shouldered Hawk and Smoke the Screech Owl at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin will be on-hand to share information on these fascinating raptors.
Regular garden admissions ($4-8) or memberships apply.
For more info go here.
BE MORE LIKE TEDDY ROOSEVELT!
Bird Walk ~ Roosevelt Island
DC Bird Alliance, Roosevelt Island. Meet in the Parking Lot. Sunday, Oct. 12, 8-10:00 a.m. Walk lasts 2 hours. Registration required.
In 1931, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association purchased the island from Washington Gas Light Company with the intention of erecting a memorial honoring President Roosevelt. On Dec 12, 1932 in a ceremony in the east room of the White House, President Hoover accepted the island as a shrine to Roosevelt and declared it would be known as Theodore Roosevelt Island. (Wikipedia). Today, this hotspot is home to an impressive number of resident and migrating species.
See you outside!
Please do not bring unregistered guests. It is unfair to your fellow birders on the waitlist and unfair to our volunteer guides. If you are on the waitlist and have not received an email that a space has opened, unfortunately we're at capacity and can't add more to our flock for this walk.
CANCELLATION: The walk will proceed in rain (best time to bird!), but will be cancelled in the event of heavy downpours or thunderstorm; cancellation will be emailed at least 2 hours before meeting time. So please check before you head out.
Refunds up to 1 day before event.
WHAT TO BRING / PARK INFO:
- Sunscreen / Sun Protection
- Comfortable footwear to walk or hike. We will be walking on unpaved trails.
- Water and snacks
- If you have binoculars, please bring them.
- Parking is limited at Roosevelt Island, arrive early to have the best chance for a spot.
- Alternatively, the Rosslyn Metro station is a 10-15 walk to the island. Please plan accordingly to meet us in the parking lot by 8:00 a.m.
- Portable restrooms are available on the island.
To register go here.
BEHOLD MAGIC & MENTALISM!
Brian Curry. Magic and Mentalism.
Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW. House opens: 7:30 - 8:00 p.m. Show begins: 8– 9:10 p.m.
By Brian Curry Presents.
Brian Curry: The Good Liar — A mind-bending mix of magic, wit, and lies. Perfect for date night or a night out in D.C.!
Brian Curry: The Good Liar
Get ready for an evening of mind games, magic, and mischief with Brian Curry: The Good Liar. This fast-paced mentalism show will leave you questioning what’s real and what’s just a clever con.
Brian combines sharp wit with mind-blowing tricks, making you laugh one moment and gasp the next. Whether he’s reading your thoughts, predicting your choices, or weaving a web of delightful deception, his charm and skill will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Perfect for date nights, group outings, or anyone who loves a good mystery — The Good Liar is D.C.’s must-see night of magic and mind reading. Don’t miss out!
For more info go here.
SEND YOUR KIDS SCAVENGING!
Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Meadowlark Gardens, 5400 Ox Road, Fairfax Station. Throughout October.
All month long, Meadowlark’s Children’s Garden transforms into a playful Halloween adventure. Take part in a self-guided Halloween Scavenger Hunt, searching around the log cabin, veggie garden, and pavilion for all things spooky and fun. When you’ve finished, turn in your completed hunt sheet to our friendly Greeter/Treaters for a sweet prize — no tricks here!
- Hunts are $8 per participant and can be purchased at the Visitor Center Admission Desk
- This is a self-guided activity, so participate at your own pace
- Regular garden admission or membership is required for accompanying guests.
Get in the Spirit! Costumes and festive attire are encouraged. We’ve set up a few photo worthy spots so you can capture those Halloween memories. The hunt is open to all ages.
Don’t Miss the Book Walk! On your way to the Children’s Garden, enjoy our seasonal Book Walk featuring The Spider by Elise Gravel. This playful read from the Disgusting Critter Series makes learning about creepy crawlies a treat!
For more info go here.
Compiled by Christopher Jones
Member discussion