This Saturday: Art All Night
By • September 27, 2018 0 1027
Hundreds of artists who live and work in D.C. will invade Tenleytown and Dupont Circle streets and spaces on Saturday, Sept. 29, as part of Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents Art All Night: Made in DC, inviting the public to immerse themselves in art and let their creative juices flow all night.
The free annual event, with a record eight participating D.C. neighborhoods this year, kicks off at 7 p.m. with a smorgasbord of pop-up galleries, interactive exhibits, free booze, stages for visual and performing arts and more across the city.
Tenleytown, considered the most family-friendly Art All Night neighborhood, offers events for art lovers of all ages and backgrounds. The event drew 11,000 visitors in 2017, and this year Tenleytown is expecting more than 100 artists and performance groups — its largest and most diverse program yet, with 14 venues in on the action. Perks include raffle prizes from local businesses, booze tastings at select venues and free shuttle service between Tenleytown-AU Metro Station (Red Line) and Katzen Arts Center.
Installations will include photography, paintings, drawings, sculpture, jewelry, textiles and mixed media, with chalk creations by Rajan Sedalia in front of the Container Store and along Tenleytown’s sidewalks. Along with viewing live music, poetry, dance, theater and martial arts, guests can partake in dance classes, arts-and-craft programs and henna art.
In Dupont, from 7 p.m. to midnight, nearly 20 galleries, embassies, historic houses and retailers will come alive with art. At Alex Gallery, 2106 R St. NW, guests can view Lithuanian figurative and abstract work from the 1980s and 1990s by oil painter Vytautas Valius and portrait painting by a contemporary Russian-trained master, Igor Babailov.
At Art Jamz, 1728 Connecticut Ave. NW, visitors can put their mark on a “living” graffiti wall, get groovy with neon in its downstairs glow-in-the-dark room or decorate its roving human canvas, with discounts on wine, beer and creative cocktails all night.
“New this year, we are including an art market at 15th and P Streets NW,” said Bill McLeod, executive director of Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets. “There will be 30 vendors selling everything from paintings to jewelry to ceramics. The art market, known as Art Rave, is staying open late for Art All Night: Dupont Circle — now in its fifth year.”
In addition, a variety of embassies will open their doors for Art All Night. The Embassy of Guatemala will highlight Guatemalan culture, art and music, with beer tastings until they run out. Meanwhile, the Embassy of Peru will pour the national drink of Peru, pisco sour, while showcasing native dances and a photography exhibit called “Belleza Peruana” (Peruvian beauty).
At 9 p.m., Dupont Circle is the hot spot to be, with fire dancing, juggling and fire breathing by Peculiarity Productions. Meanwhile, Heurich House Museum: Carriage House Gallery, 1921 Sunderland Place NW, is all about beer this year, with a graphics exhibit showcasing signature designs of local craft breweries.
The historic townhouse Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW, will house celestial paintings by Carolee Jakes to graceful sculptures by Chris Corson, paired to live music and a calligraphy demonstration by Freda Lee-McCann. For a quiet break from the hectic night, Take Five Meditation, 1803 Connecticut Ave. NW, will offer free sound healing meditation sessions.
Art All Night is presented by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development in partnership with Destination Congress Heights, Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, H Street Main Street, Minnesota Avenue Main Street, North Capitol Street Main Street, Shaw Main Streets, Tenleytown Main Street and Ward 7 Business Partnership, with support from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
