Arts & Society

Richard Selden • March 19, 2015

Three special exhibitions in 2015 will mark the 25th anniversary of the National Gallery of Art’s photography collection. Two will open May 3: “In Light of the Past: 25 Years of Photography at the National Gallery of Art” (through July 26) and “The Memory of Time: Contemporary Photographs at the National Gallery of Art, Acquired with the Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund” (through Sept. 7).

The third, which will open Nov. 1 and run through Feb. 28, 2016, is titled “Celebrating Photography at the National Gallery of Art: Recent Gifts.” Displaying works donated to the museum in honor of the anniversary, it is likely to include gifts that have yet to be made.

Though the collection was launched in 1949 with a spectacular gift – Georgia O’Keeffe’s donation of the “Key Set,” more than 1,600 photographs by her late husband, legendary photographer and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz – the National Gallery began to actively collect photography in 1990.

The collection has expanded under curator Sarah Greenough to nearly 14,000 American and European photographs from 1839 to the present. Photographs are fragile and deteriorate when exposed to light. Most of the collection has never been exhibited and the works that have been exhibited have been on view only briefly.

Curated by Greenough and assistant curator Andrea Nelson, the exhibition of contemporary photographs will include works exploring the complexity of time, memory and history, by photographers including Sally Mann (b. 1951), Vera Lutter (b. 1960), Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948), Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953) and Sophie Calle (b. 1953).

Georgetowner • March 16, 2015

The Georgetown Garden Club has published “Gardens of Georgetown: Exploring Urban Treasures,” profiling 38 neighborhood gardens. The book’s author is well-known town observer Edith Schafer and the photographer is Jenny Gorman. For details, visit GeorgetownGardenClubDC.org, or call 202- 625-1175.

Mary Bird •

On March 6, the Embassy Series, a non-profit which Jerome Barry founded with the mission to unite people through musical diplomacy, presented internationally acclaimed Austrian pianist Till Fellner at the Embassy of Austria. The program featured works by Mozart, Bach and Schumann as well as a specially commissioned work dedicated to Fellner by contemporary composer Aleksandar Stankovski. The evening concluded with a buffet of Austrian treats prepared by the embassy chef.
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Mary Bird •

The second annual Leadership Awards dinner by GB Group Global was held March 4 at the Willard Intercontinental with the theme, “Celebrating Global Women: Women leaders who lead through political participation, corporate leadership and entrepreneurship.” Awardees included Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi, Ambassador Amina Ali of the African Union Mission, Angolan entrepreneur Isabel dos Santos, Fumbi Chima, vice president of International Integration for Wal-Mart, and Joan Wages, president and CEO of National Women’s History Museum.
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Gary Tischler • March 11, 2015

Deborah Rutter spent the last six months or so getting used to her role as president of the Kennedy Center, and in a whirlwind of activity – talks to donors, meetings with the board, appearances at the Press Club (and at one of the Georgetown Media Group’s leadership breakfasts at the George Town Club) – she shared her ideas and her vibrant personality, giving Washington’s cultural and media crowd a chance to get to know this new player on the Potomac.

She made her first appearance as host of the Kennedy Center’s season announcement in the Family Theater last week, and truth be told, it was kind of fun and not a little startling. The program and the planned offerings turned out to be a fair indication of just how she and the center were willing to embrace the future and all it might bring –and, for that matter, all that the center might bring to the future.

New initiatives, new works and new faces were all on the plate. “We will be presenting works and projects that will cut across genres, that will be cooperative and new,” said Rutter. Think Jason Moran, the center’s gifted artistic director of jazz. Think new composer-in-residence Mason Bates. Think former ABT dancer-choreographer and Aspen Institute Cultural Director Damian Woetzel and MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipient mandolinist Chris Thile. All of these talented folks will headline special series in 2015-16.

You might also want to whisper out loud the word “skateboard,” something not usually associated with the nation’s performing arts center. Skateboarding will be the focus of the season-opening festival in September, “Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media.” Collaborative and genre-bending, this explorative and immersive festival will celebrate skateboarding’s connection to art, movement, music and improvisation. The Kennedy Center is partnering with the George Mason University School of Art and the D.C. nonprofit Cuba Skate to bring together students, artists, musicians, skaters, and community members. Moran and his group, the Bandwagon, will headline the last two days of the Sept 5-12 festival, which will also include a specially-built skateable structure designed by artist and skateboarder Ben Ashworth.

Although the skateboarding festival is something new – “Why not take risks?” Rutter asked – it’s on a path that the center’s been following for a while. Not all that long ago, few people would have expected to hear former Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser utter the words “hip hop festival” when making a season announcement.

Moran is emerging as one of the center’s stars. An adventuresome and daring planner, he’s also a spectacular jazz pianist. The coming season will feature “Jason +,” a series that comprises the skateboarding festival; “Jason + Jeremy,” a “duel” between Moran and a fellow keyboard master, classical pianist Jeremy Denk (in collaboration with Washington Performing Arts); and “Jason + Ronald K. Brown,” a collaboration with the founder of the dance company Evidence; and “Jason + Mason,” an evening of electric jazz with the participation of DJ Masonic.

Bates is the newest electric wire – literally and otherwise – at the center, in the guise of a composer in residence. The youthful Bates will head KC Jukebox, presenting cutting-edge instrumentalists, vocalists and DJs in familiar and unfamiliar Kennedy Center performance spaces. He’ll be heading three new events, beginning Nov. 9 with “Lounge Regime: 100 Years of Ambient Music,” a trip through electronic music, 1970s minimalism and the “furniture” music of 1930s Paris.

Celebrity mandolinist Chris Thile will head “American Strings: A Tradition of Innovation with Chris Thile,” a festival of performances, workshops, jam sessions and panel discussions in 2016. Woetzel will present “DEMO,” a new series of cross-center performances with dance as its focus.

There’s big news at the Washington National Opera, where Artistic Director Francesca Zambello proudly announced the presentation of Richard Wagner’s complete “Ring of the Nibelung.” Three cycles of the four operas – “The Rhine Gold,” “The Valkyrie,” “Siegfried” and “Twilight of the Gods” – will be presented in April 2016. Long talked-about and envisioned, and often stymied, this should be one of the most anticipated cultural events in D.C., and the nation, in recent years.

But then again, there’s “Appomatox,” by the always-ahead-of-his-time composer Philip Glass, with a libretto by Oscar-winning writer Christopher Hampton (“Selma”), in November. “It’s an amazing work,” Zambello said. “It bridges the Civil War and the Civil Rights era. It’s just astonishing and moving.” The second act, which centers on the era of Dr. Martin Luther King, is newly composed. “Carmen” starts off the season, which also includes Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars” in February.

Nothing quite so startling is ahead in the theater season, though it starts off with a production of the Greek tragedy “Antigone” with luminous French actress Juliette Binoche. The rest is an all-musical season on the main stage, beginning with “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” in October and ending with “Phantom” in July of 2016.

The National Symphony Orchestra will offer two new programs: “Declassified: Fridays@ 9,” a mix of classic and modern works with pre- and post-performance programming, and “Coffee Concerts” at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays.

The Center’s contemporary dance program will focus on a celebration of choreographer Twyla Tharp’s five-decade career of dancemaking.

With the Kennedy Center in the midst of an almost month-long celebration of Iberian arts, it was announced that Ireland would be the subject of next year’s international festival.

Mary Bird •

William Wegman is best known for the enchanting photos of his Weimaraner dogs. On Jan. 29, he was at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center where he read to patients, signed his latest book, “Flo & Wendell Explore,” and donated five of his works in honor of his colleague Emily Heick, a breast cancer survivor. The reception hailed Julia Langley, who launched the Arts and Humanities Program. [gallery ids="101997,135298" nav="thumbs"]

Gary Tischler •

For the last few years now, when people talk about American soprano Leah Crocetto, who’s currently making her Washington National Opera debut in the role of Madame Ledoine in a emotionally wrenching production of “Dialogues of the Carmelites,” they tend to swoon a little. They talk about her big, expansive soprano voice, the prizes she’s won, and the rise to stardom she’s had, especially at the San Francisco Opera, where she’s built a passionate following of fans.

It’s not difficult to join a dialogue of Crocettoites. You might also add to that a conversation with her reveals her natural warmth, a certain effusiveness and love of the life she’s leading, and a lot of emotion about the experience of preparing for “Carmelites,” a contemporary (it was written in the 1950s) opera about the dramatic, chilling fate of an order of Parisian nuns during the French Revolution.

“From the very first days of rehearsals,” Crocetto said in a phone interview, “it was always about being a part of a group. It’s not just about collaboration—this opera moved all of us, and that feeling of closeness grew. It’s a very emotional piece, you can’t help get caught up in it. I can’t remember a rehearsal where we weren’t crying.”

She’s repeatedly described as a rising star but by her track record and performance, she’s definitely gone beyond that. She has risen. She was a winner at the 2010 Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions Concert at the Met, represented the U.S. at the 2011 Cardiff BBC Singer of the World Competitions, and she’s frequently appeared at San Francisco Opera, where she has shown her star quality in numerous productions. Her roles are diverse, but also amount to highlight of great roles for sopranos—Desdemona in “Otello,” with the English National Opera, Mimi in “La Boheme” with the SFO, Liu in “Turandot” (at SFO and at the Met), Verdi’s Requiem, “Travatore,” and the Female Chorus in “The Rape of Lucrezia,” among many, many roles.

Here’s something you note, though as you watch and listen to Crocetto weave her way through the role of Madame Ledoine, which was once sung by Leontyne Price. The opera begins like a gust of wind and includes an almost terrifying death scene by the prioress. The revolution rages outside the walls of the convent as Ledoine arrives to take over.

You notice in all her singing, and her strong acting, that Crocetto’s Ledoine is a kind of glue in the making. She is visibly and vocally strong; you listen to her because of the voice, but also the persona. The two merge seamlessly as she sets about pulling her flock together against the surrounding threats and chaos. For a diva type, it’s a subtle thing. You can see her charges pulling together under the ministrations of her rich voice, guiding and leading, as they slowly come together as a group and rise, moving toward martyrdom. You can feel the emptiness in the house when she marches to her fate, and also the deep, resonance of her presence, bearing and voice.

“I think it’s a character that’s often misunderstood,” she said. “She is uneasy about the martyrdom but when the decided to embrace it, she leads them and protects them.”

Crocetto is part of a large Italian family from Michigan, which accounts for a lot of things. She was drawn to singing and opera at an early age. She likes to sing cabaret style too and loves jazzy torch songs a la Ella and Sara Vaughn. She has a “mild-mannered” Maltese named Ernie—after Ernest Hemingway, one of her favorite writers.

“Carmelites” will be performed at the Opera House March 5, 8 and 20. It opened February 21 in the middle of a major snow storm but many people braved the elements anyway. And Crocetto will always remember the occasion. “What we do as performers, directors and actors can be so profound.”

She wrote on her Facebook page the morning after the opening night. “ There is a reason we do what we do and more so now, than ever before. I believe opera is a calling. We are telling as story so much bigger than all of us”

Georgetowner •

Fashion photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his time as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, visited DCanter on Saturday Feb. 28 for a book signing and wine tasting.

Nigel Barker is a fashion photographer whose images have been printed in many major magazines. The event was in honor of his newly released, Models of Influence. The book profiles 50 of the world’s most inspiring models from the 1940’s to today through 200 full-color photographs by esteemed photographers.

Barker celebrates icons such as 50’s pin-up Dorian Leigh, 60’s spirit Twiggy, the revolutionary Iman, supermodel Naomi Campbell and today’s leading ladies Cara Delevingne and Joan Smalls, among others.

After twenty years in the business, he says that working with many extraordinary models inspired him to write this book.

”Every one of this women helped change everyone’s opinion on what was possible of beauty,” Barker said,

He mentions how Alek Wek had a different appearance compared to what the fashion industry was used to. Now people who look like her can be showcased in a way that wasn’t possible before.

”The book is full of that, models who were trailblazers and pioneers. They were the first,” he continues.

Barker explains that during 1969 (when women were still heavily stereotyped by 1950s perceptions), a model like Twiggy changed the sophisticated look of the woman. People realized that the woman was an individual, which at the time was revolutionary.

He said he chose the 50 models highlighted in his book based on the way the women helped changed people’s opinions about definitions of beauty.

The three wines at the event came from Milan, Paris and New York—places considered by many to be the fashion capitals of the world.

Owners of DCanter Michael and Michelle Warner launched the boutique in 2013 with a goal of providing a wine and beer experience unlike any other.

”Opening this boutique is something we’ve always wanted,” said Michael Warner. ”Now we are offering many wines, for some of them we are the only outlet retailers.”

Although DCanter has only been open a year and a half year, the wine boutique has many returning customers in the neighborhood.

The wines featured at the event came from wineries that have some sort of commitment to art and fashion, like Brooklyn Oenology, which has different local artist create a unique piece of art for each bottle’s label.

The Capitol Hill boutique offers products and services that encourage customers to experience and discover unique artisanal wines and craft beers in a chic, inviting environment.

”We want to help our customers remember the moments,” he said. ”In most cases you don’t remember a specific wine — you remember the experience.

DCanter is located at 545 8th St. SE Washington, DC 20003. Phone: 202.817.3803. Website: www.DCanterWines.com.
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Richard Selden •

IN – Textile Museum

After nearly 90 years in Kalorama, the Textile Museum will open March 21 in a new Foggy Bottom facility as the George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum. The largest exhibition in the museum’s history, “Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories,” will display more than 1,000 pieces through Aug. 24. On the grand opening weekend, there will be free activities at the new museum, 701 21st St. NW, as well as a textile symposium on Saturday at the School of Media and Public Affairs, 805 21st St. NW.

The design, by Hartman-Cox Architects, links a new 35,000-square-foot structure with the former university police headquarters, Woodhull House, which will become the home of a collection of Washingtoniana – rare maps, drawings, documents and correspondence – donated to the university by Albert H. Small in 2011. The director of the two museums, also an associate professor of Museum Studies, is John Wetenhall, a historian of modern art who got his Ph.D. at Stanford and was executive director of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla., among others.

The origins of the Textile Museum were similar to those of the nearby Phillips Collection. It opened in 1925 in the S Street mansion of George Hewitt Myers (a collector of what were then known as Oriental rugs) and grew to be one of the major collections of non-Western textiles in the United States. The struggling museum was taken over by George Washington University a few years after a plan to open an annex in Penn Quarter was canceled in 2008. The university is also building a conservation and resource center on its Loudoun County, Va., campus.

OUT – Franklin School

On Feb. 9, Mayor Muriel Bowser abruptly announced the de-selection of the Institute for Contemporary Expression as the developer, with Anthony Lanier’s East Banc, of the landmark Franklin School at 13th and K Streets NW. A new Request for Qualifications, due March 23, has been issued, with a Request for Proposals to follow in the fall.

ICE’s plan to create a space for the presentation of cutting-edge art, especially large installation and multimedia works – along with education programs, a bookstore and a restaurant by José Andrés – was chosen by then Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration in February 2014. The building, designed in 1865 by Adolph Cluss, the architect of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building, became vacant when it ceased to be a homeless shelter in 2008. Several plans since then for its reuse went nowhere.

Collector Dani Levinas, executive director of ICE, has said that he was not consulted and his plan is solid. (Cost estimates vary from Levinas’s $13.2 million to more than $20 million.) It is not known if ICE will respond to the RFQ. In the meantime, there have been calls for revisiting the decision, with a letter circulating asking the mayor to “Please take this moment of public appeal to bring this matter back before the City Council.”