Georgetown Art Map
• July 13, 2011

Susan Calloway Fine Arts

1643 Wisconsin Ave | 202.965.4601 | www.callowayart.com | T –St 10-5 | A bright gallery filled with works of color, representing all genres of art Susan Calloway Fine Arts salon style gallery is a go-to gallery. Located in Book Hills Georgetown, this fine art gallery offers views collections from local and international artists, playing with content, color, light, style, and meaning. | Photo credit: Hound Dog, Walter Addison

Parish Gallery

1054 31st St NW | 202.944.2310 | T- St 12pm- 6pm | www.parishgallery.com | Parish Gallery, run by a delightful husband and wife couple, expresses primarily African and African Diaspora art. Recently celebrating 20 years of exhibitions and business, the gallery thrives on local and international artists and plans to continue its cultural presence in Georgetown for years to come. | Photo credit: The Night Tulsa Died, Leslee Stradford

Galerie Lareuse

2820 Pennsylvania Ave NW | 202.333.1506 | www.galerie lareuse.com | T-St 12- 7pm | This gallery highlights the masters of contemporary and modern art prints such as Kandinsky, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Warhol, and many others. With recent acquisitions from Miro, Braque, Dali, and Calder, Lareuse constantly maintains their collections to ensure the highest quality and best modern/contemporary art for Georgetowners. | Photo Credit: Kleine Welten III, Wassily Kandisndky

Addison/Ripley Fine Art

1670 Wisconsin Ave NW | 202.338.5180 | www.addisonripleyfineart.com | T- St 11am- 6pm | The changing exhibits at Addison/Ripley demonstrate the variety that art has to offer to viewers. Displaying paintings, sculpture, photography, prints and other mediums of art from both local and international, this gallery has something for everyone to expand their art ventures. | Photo Credit: Untitled, Hedieh Ilchi

Shingo Bork Mu Project

1521 Wisconsin Ave NW | 202.333.4119 | www.muproject.com | The Mu Project bridges the gap between Washington art viewers and contemporary Asian artists and their exquisite and exciting work. Ms. Bork focuses on new artists who have relocated to the states from Asian countries, and who are bring a new perspective to the D.C. art scene. | Photo Credit: Painting by Gi-On Jeon

The Ralls Collection

1516 31st St NW | 202.342.1754 |www.rallscollection.com | T-St 11am – 4pm | The Ralls Collection embraces contemporary art from all types of mediums that not only participates in exhibitions but also, takes a larger role in art education. Not only do they display for the general public they also do art for hotels, resorts and other hospitality enterprises. This collection, no matter the venue is a contemporary beauty to behold. | Photo Credit: Orchard Mist, John Blee

Maurine Littleton Gallery

1667 Wisconsin Ave | 202.333.9307 | T-St 11-6 | www.littletongallery.com |Highlighting contemporary glass, metal, and ceramic works, this gallery is a great way to get a variety in your art-viewing portfolio. Exhibiting 3D works from Dale Chihuly to Therman Stanton, this exhibit explores the artistic play of light, space, movement, theme, subject, and color. The gallery also has 2D works of art from local and national artists. | Photo Credit: Deep in Space, Jay Musler
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Monaco Toasts Prince Albert’s Nuptials
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Ambassador of Monaco and Mrs. Gilles Noghes celebrated the sixth anniversary of Prince Albert II’s accession to the throne and his recent wedding to Charlene Wittstock at a July 7 reception at the Metropolitan Club. Following a rendition of national anthems, the Ambassador said that the Prince had found the Princess he was looking for and shared that Prince Albert had quoted poet Robert Frost in honoring his new Princess as being the one he found on “the road less traveled.” Guests enjoyed a video presentation of the nuptials followed by an eloquent ambassadorial toast to US-Monaco friendship and, of course, to the newlyweds. [gallery ids="102536,120113,120119,120097,120105,120131,120125" nav="thumbs"]

Bulgaria Honors Azar Foundation
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On June 30, Ambassador of Bulgaria Elena Poptodorova hosted a buffet dinner at her residence to introduce her diplomatic colleagues and US officials and friends to the Azar Foundation for Children of the World founded by Shahin Mafi. The foundation focuses on issues related to underprivileged and orphaned children as well as women’s issues internationally. The Ambassador spoke of children as often a “threatened species.” In welcoming the support for Azar, Shahin said “The smile or cry of children has no language. It is universal.” The evening was enhanced by the delightful singing of Bulgarian artist Elitsa Yordanova Stoyneva. [gallery ids="100235,106539,106565,106561,106544,106557,106549,106553" nav="thumbs"]

Turkey Celebrates the Washington Ballet
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Ambassador of Turkey Namik Tan held a June 28 reception to celebrate the Washington Ballet’s upcoming cultural mission to Turkey and participation in the international Dance Festival in Bodrum on the Turkish coast. Board Chair Sylvia de Leon thanked the Ambassador for Turkey’s leadership in the arts and acknowledged the presence of Turkish dance students. The Ambassador traced the history of the residence and its role as a jazz center when Turkey’s second ambassador in Washington Münir Ertegün hosted black jazz musicians during the 1930s and 1940s in a racially segregated capital. The Ballet’s eight day tour in late August will include visits to historic sites in Istanbul and Ephesus, Whirling Dervishes and a performance at famed Bodum Castle. [gallery ids="100234,106524,106545,106529,106541,106534,106538" nav="thumbs"]

Champagne Brunch Toasts Paloma Picasso
• July 7, 2011

In conjunction with the current exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), on June 6 outgoing Co-Presidents of the Women’s Committee Cyd Everett and Isin Ludlow invited members to join them for a champagne brunch in the museum board room and the chance to touch the amazing jewels of Tiffany jeweler Paloma Picasso. The designer honors her family name as the daughter of the famed artist and her mother Francoise Gilot. Paloma Picasso is represented in the Smithsonian’s famed jewel collection. NMWA Director Susan Sterling spoke of Cyd’s “spark and oomph” and thanked Isin for hosting an event and her constant support. Tiffany representatives Mary Adams and Bryant Rice traced the designer’s evolution from early designs to the current Moroccan inspired theme and brought outstanding pieces to hold and admire. [gallery ids="100049,100050,100051,100052,100053" nav="thumbs"]

Luxembourg Honors Ambassador Melanne Verveer and Innocents At Risk
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The stunning Luxembourg residence was the place to be on May 17 as Ambassador Jean-Paul Senninger and Mrs. Louise Akerbloom entertained supporters of Deborah Sigmund’s Innocents at Risk (IAR). The Ambassador said that women’s advancement should be a centerpiece in government plans. Barbara Harrison of NBC championed the evening’s honoree Melanne Verveer, President Obama’s Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. The Ambassador previously served as Chief Assistant to First Lady Hillary Clinton and as Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership. Deborah has garnered staunch international backing for her campaign to combat the scourge of human trafficking. [gallery ids="99833,99834,99835,99836,99837,99838,99839,99840,99841" nav="thumbs"]

Nooristan
• July 6, 2011

On June 3, Ambassador of India Meera Shankar in conjunction with The Nooristan Foundation hosted a Spring Soirée, “The Evening of Hope for Afghanistan.” The Nooristan Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit organization established in l999 to provide humanitarian, medical and education support for rural areas of Afghanistan. Current projects include assisting 91 refugee families outside Kabul, a village school in Nooristan and midwife training. Board President Marie Kux thanked the Ambassador and her guests for empowering women through their support for literacy programs and grassroots projects. Ambassador
Shankar said that India views itself as a development partner with Afghanistan “for the long term.” Ambassador Thomas Pickering stressed the importance that schools for girls stay open even under Taliban control.
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Al Tiramisu Celebrates Puglia
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In the third of a series of year-long cooking demonstrations celebrating regional Italian cuisine, on June 25 Chef Luigi Diotaiuti, the owner of Al Tiramisu near Dupont Circle captivated loyal patrons with the cooking, history and culture of Puglia, “the heel of Italy’s boot.” The region is best known for its olive oil production and pastas from durum wheat, including Orecchiette. The class gathered in the kitchen as the chef prepared fava bean puree with chicory, strascinati pasta with broccoli rabe and stuffed beef rolls. As a reward for their participation, they enjoyed the sumptuous results accompanied by three regional wines, a lesser known Locorotondo Bianco and the more frequently exported Primitivo and Negroamaro reds. Puglia has long been a crossroads of the Mediterranean. The famed Via Appia Antica stretched from Rome to the Adriatic port of Brindisi. [gallery ids="100214,100215,100216,100217" nav="thumbs"]

Crave Kimpton Mid-Atlantic
• June 30, 2011

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants celebrated the tenth anniversary of their stellar arrival in our midst with a veritable bash at the Monaco Washington DC on June 23. From the moment valets swept away cars and guests were greeted by beaming hostesses, it was clear that it would be fun-filled evening. The weather even cooperated as guests sipped cocktails and enjoyed fabulous hors d’oeuvres on the patio with festive entertainment before venturing indoors to enjoy the splendors of Kimpton’s special touch. Fabulous prizes included luxurious getaways to Kimpton properties and privately prepared chef dinners. [gallery ids="100209,100210,100211,100212,100213" nav="thumbs"]

“The Merchant of Venice”–Ethan McSweeny
• June 29, 2011

Even at 40, Ethan McSweeny looks too young to have done everything he’s done, to be, well, Ethan McSweeny.
He’s casually dressed, has a thin beard which still can’t prevent him from looking boyish, looks nonchalantly handsome, and is finishing up some salad after winding down a rehearsal for his production of “The Merchant of Venice” at the Washington Shakespeare Company in the Harman Center, which will open officially three days later.
He’s just said good bye to his parents, Dorothy McSweeny – the emeritus chair of the Washington D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities – and Bill McSweeny – a retired oil man, Kennedy Center trustee and journalist – along with his 7-year-old nephew, who sat in on the rehearsal. Both are prominent figures in the Washington cultural scene.
McSweeny is no longer quite a boy wonder, or wunderkind, as he was referred to back in his 20’s when he not only took a new play called “Never the Sinner” at Signature Theater to a successful Off Broadway run, but directed an all-star cast of theater pros in “The Best Man” on Broadway, making him the first director under 30 to direct a play on Broadway.
“I’m sure that rankled some people,” McSweeny admits. He doesn’t lack for confidence, and his background, which he has described as privileged, did not hurt, but there’s also no question that he’s earned his considerable accomplishments by way of a major talent, a restless imagination, a tireless gift and love for the work.
This year, he’s been especially busy with back-to-back directions of “A Time to Kill,” a world premiere stage play which just ended its run at Arena Stage, and “The Merchant of Venice.”
“You didn’t have to travel much,” he quips. “There was actually an overlap where we were doing final rehearsals for “Kill” and first preparation for “Merchant.”
He’s right at home here, of course, because although he lives in Brooklyn now, he’s a D.C. hometown boy.
“We lived across the street from the Kennedy Center,” McSweeny says. “When I was little, they [my parents] took me to see the opera ‘Boris Gudonov.’ I didn’t understand what was going on, but I was impressed, enchanted, and I think in a way that was it for me.”
He went to school at St. Albans or as he says, “survived it,” but found his true vocation early, becoming the first alumnus of Columbia’s undergraduate theatre department. He came home in 1993 to train under the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Michael Kahn, becoming his unofficial right-hand-man. He was all of 22. “Michael was a mentor, and I could not think of someone who affected me more,” McSweeny says.
Everywhere he goes – the celebrated Guthrie Theater, Broadway, the Chautauqua Theatre in New York State where he served as co-director (with Vivienne Benesch) – his style, his interests and his ideas are eclectic. You never quite know what you’re likely to get. He can go from “Romeo and Juliet” to Shaw to new, boundary-breaking plays.
While he’s built a huge reputation and accumulated over 60 directing credits, he’s obviously happy to be here where it all began and continues unabated. He did a clean, abundantly joyous and passionate production of “Ion” at the Shakespeare Theatre, a raw version of “The Persians” which echoed like a bell in the midst of the Iraq war, and production of Shaw’s “Major Barbara” that was a hallmark of clarity and singular acting achievements.
And now, “The Merchant of Venice,” a play that draws directors (and actors) like trembling moths to a flame. Many get burned and few do it perfectly. Because there’s no standard, the play is not only confounding, but changes for each audience and generation.
“It’s about money,” I suggest. “Of course it’s about money,” he says. “It’s ALL about money. It’s about what’s valuable to people, everything has a value tag here.”
So naturally, McSweeny set the play in 20th century America – specifically the Lower East Side of New York during the 1920s – teeming with immigrants who are trying to get a slice of the American dream. “To me the period and the setting resonate, the crash lies right ahead in time, but nobody sees it coming,” McSweeny says.
“It’s funny, it’s the first Shakespeare play I’ve done here, after all this time,” he says. And the most difficult.
McSweeney’s wide intellectual range is reflected in his family—his sister Terrell McSweeny is Vice President Joe Biden’s domestic policy adviser, for instance—where politics, culture, business and even sports are never mutually exclusive or trivial matters.
There might even be a critic lurking in the family – his 7-year-old nephew was asked how he liked what he saw in the theater. He gave it some thought.
“It’s not ‘Frog and Toad,’” he finally said.
It’s not. But think what Ethan McSweeny might do with “Frog and Toad.”