A showcase celebrating emerging and established artists– SQFT brings DC together for a two day pop-up exhibition featuring over 100 pieces of 1’x1′ art by 50+ local artists. Curated by Peter Chang, co-founder of No Kings Collective and REDEYE Night Market, and Jason Bowers, founder of JAB Arts, the exhibition will take place on August 18 and 19 at the Asian Fusion Gallery on L Street NW.
Featuring a diverse range of local artists, attendees can expect to see a wide range of contemporary art. Featured artists include Kelly Towles, Jamilla Okubo, Trap Bob, Brandon Hill, Charles Jean-Pierre, Mas Paz, Red Swan, and Emon Surakitkoson.
SQFT is open Friday, August 18 from 6-11pm and from Saturday, August 19 from 2-10pm. For more details, a full list of exhibiting artists, and to RSVP to the opening night event please visit:
A showcase celebrating emerging and established artists– SQFT brings DC together for a two day pop-up exhibition featuring over 100 pieces of 1’x1′ art by 50+ local artists. Curated by Peter Chang, co-founder of No Kings Collective and REDEYE Night Market, and Jason Bowers, founder of JAB Arts, the exhibition will take place on August 18 and 19 at the Asian Fusion Gallery on L Street NW.
Featuring a diverse range of local artists, attendees can expect to see a wide range of contemporary art. Featured artists include Kelly Towles, Jamilla Okubo, Trap Bob, Brandon Hill, Charles Jean-Pierre, Mas Paz, Red Swan, and Emon Surakitkoson.
SQFT is open Friday, August 18 from 6-11pm and from Saturday, August 19 from 2-10pm. For more details, a full list of exhibiting artists, and to RSVP to the opening night event please visit:
Friday, July 28, 10 a.m.
Friday, August 11, 10 a.m.
Friday, August 25, 10 a.m.
Gardens at the National Museum of the American Indian
How do we protect the museum’s croplands from natural pests? Convergent lady beetles, better known as ladybugs, are a natural pesticide used by our groundskeepers to maintain the health of our gardens. Join experts from Smithsonian Gardens outside our museum on the National Mall to learn how to identify a ladybug and other fun insect and garden facts. Then place a few ladybugs on plants yourself.
This program is for visitors of all ages. Children should be accompanied by adult caregivers. Program subject to cancellation in case of inclement weather.
Artist Lecture by Karen LaMonte | Shaping the Invisible
Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 5:30-8 p.m.
Contemporary artist Karen LaMonte will delve into her artistic process and share her approach to developing conceptual frameworks and translating them into mesmerizing sculptures.
Please note: This is the first program in Glass: Art. Beauty. Design. Lecture Series.
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tysons Corner Center invites you to a special CELEBRATE VIRGINIA day on Saturday, September 16th on The Plaza from 11am – 4pm, rain or shine. Bring the family and have some fun outdoors celebrating the talent of Virginia as you enjoy live music & entertainment, shop local artisans’ wares, indulge in Virginia Beer Tasting, VIP Wine Tasting, mural painting, giveaways, and more! Celebrate Virginia is offered in partnership with Visit Fairfax and Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC).
GENERAL ADMISSION: Shop the Made in Fairfax local Artisan Market, enjoy live music from three Virginia based musicians, sample beer from five state breweries, and take part in painting a community mural with Loudon-based artist Kevin Bednarz. Participants will also get a chance to Spin the Tysons Wheel for limited edition “Virginia is for Shopping Lovers” custom merchandise including t-shirts, picnic blankets, beanie hats and more! The event is open to the public and FREE to attend.
“We are excited to bring the community together at our inaugural Celebrate Virginia event, which highlights everything that makes our home state special,” says Jesse Benites, Director of Property Management. “We will be showcasing small Virginia-based businesses, artists, and talent and are thrilled with the support and collaboration from our public officials and community partners.”
“Virginia’s artisan, craft beer, and wine industries have become important drivers of Virginia’s tourism economy, making the Commonwealth an ideal destination for travelers who are seeking authentic, experiential attractions. This event will provide an excellent locally made experience of everything Virginia has to offer firsthand,” said Andrew Cothern, Director of Communications for VTC.
“Fairfax County is home to so many talented artisans, makers and musicians and Visit Fairfax is thrilled to be a part of celebrating them all, as well as the great Commonwealth of Virginia, at Tysons Corner Center’s exciting new event. We hope residents and visitors alike will come out to see what this amazing destination is all about and even take home a unique piece of Virginia.” – Barry Biggar, President & CEO of Visit Fairfax.
Saturday, September 16th on The Plaza from 11am-4pm, rain or shine.
The Boro invites the whole family to get festive at its annual Oktoberfest celebration!
Fuel up with specialty German food from local food trucks and sip back and relax at The Boro’s biergarten, located at The Sandlot Tysons, featuring a variety of brews including Oktoberfest, pumpkin and weissbier styles.
Show off your strength during our beer stein-holding competition! Winners get bragging rights and a gift certificate to a Boro retailer. Get grooving to a live polka band that promises classic tunes with a modern twist!
Little ones will enjoy glitter tattoos, face painting, crafts, giveaways and more at our kids’ celebration area. The first 150 people to arrive will receive a custom-branded beer mug.
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and The Boro is proud to host a local chapter of Alex’s Lemonade Stand during Oktoberfest to raise funds and awareness.
WHEN: Saturday, September 23 from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Rain date: Saturday, September 30)
WHERE: The Boro Tysons (8350 Broad Street, Tysons, VA 22102)
HOW:
The event is free and fun for all ages but registration is encouraged. Registration info can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces that The West Wing’s Melissa Fitzgerald and Martin Sheen will reunite to perform A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters in celebration of Recovery Month. Directed by Cameron Watson, Love Letters will be performed September 28 at 7:30 p.m. and September 30 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Terrace Theater.
For more than two decades, Martin Sheen has been among the most ardent public champions of treatment courts, specialized programs that deliver treatment and recovery support to individuals in the justice system due to substance use and mental health disorders. In 2011, Sheen invited his former West Wing colleague and dear friend Melissa Fitzgerald—who had recently lost someone close to her to a substance use disorder—to Washington, D.C. to attend RISE, the annual training conference for treatment court professionals. The experience of being around thousands of dedicated public health and public safety leaders on the front lines of justice reform was transformative. A year later, Fitzgerald made the decision to leave Hollywood and move to Washington, D.C. to work for All Rise where she has spent the last decade championing treatment courts and fighting for justice reform.
In 2020, Fitzgerald and Sheen began work on a production of A.R. Gurney’s two-person play, Love Letters, to be performed at RISE. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person events, they pivoted and performed the play virtually during Recovery Month as a thank-you to public health and public safety professionals working in treatment courts. Now, the pair will reunite to perform the play in-person for the first time at the Kennedy Center.
“I was so honored when Martin asked me to perform Love Letters with him back in 2020. Then the pandemic happened, and we weren’t sure it would ever see the stage. Now, it’s the joy of a lifetime to be able to perform this play with Martin Sheen at the Kennedy Center,” said Melissa Fitzgerald. “For years, Martin and I have collaborated to advocate for expanding treatment and recovery for people with substance use and mental health disorders in the justice system and we continue to find resonance in the story of Love Letters. I am excited to finally share it with the public and so happy to do so during Recovery Month.”
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Kennedy Center to reunite with my West Wing colleague and friend, Melissa. I can think of no better time for this performance than during Recovery Month. Love Letters is a poignant call to compassion, to empathy, to finding our common humanity through struggle and through love,” said Martin Sheen.
A unique and imaginative theater piece by A.R. Gurney, Love Letters is composed of letters exchanged over a lifetime between two people who grew up together, went their separate ways, but continued to share confidences. As the actors read the letters aloud, what is created is an evocative, touching, frequently funny but always telling pair of character studies in which what is implied is as revealing and meaningful as what is actually written down.
Taking over the National Mall Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1, the 2023 World Culture Festival is expected to be the largest gathering in the nation’s capital this year, featuring the largest stage area ever built on the historic National Park property.
Over 250,000 visitors from every corner of the globe are expected to travel to Washington, D.C. to be a part of the World Culture Festival. Today, organizers already report 184,513 registered attendees who will join in-person along with an estimated broadcast audience of over one billion worldwide. Registrants to date represent:
- 60% from the capital region
- 91% from the United States representing all 50 states
- 4% from India
- 5% from 121 other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Thailand and South Africa.
Free registration and full Festival information can be found at https://wcf.artofliving.org.
Program Schedule
*All schedules are subject to change
Friday, September 29
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Festival Village
- A one-mile stretch between 7th St and 14th St NW, featuring over 75 cultural pavilions, activities including fashion showcases, and 80+ food trucks serving international cuisines.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Saturday, September 30
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Festival Village
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Sunday, October 1
8:00 am – 9:00 am: Yoga Festival
10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Festival Village
10:00 am – 1:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Performances
An initial lineup was announced today including over 8,000 individual stage performers representing an array of human cultural art forms from around the globe. The program features all U.S.-based artists presenting music, dance, and performance art from diverse Native American and American immigrant cultures. Among them:
LOCAL
- The acclaimed Showtime Band from Howard University
- A melody performance from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
- Pulsating beats and infectious energy of Washington’s iconic go-go bands including Junkyard Band, DJ Cool and Bela Dona Band.
- Traditional Gospel Choir with 1,000 singers – a performance by musicians from church and university choirs of 1KVoiceChoir
- Native American dance by 100 artists representing various tribes from the region perform to the powerful beats of live drums and other traditional instruments
- Traditional Mongolian Dance & Music with 100 Dancers – A vibrant and energetic dance highlighting the heritage and nomadic traditions of Mongolia
- Indonesian Dance by 100 Artists – A “wonderland dance of Indonesia” representing the country’s five main islands
- Irish Step Dance with 100 Dancers – Lively Irish dancers in traditional dress showcasing the rich traditions of the Emerald Isle
- Bolivian Folk Dance with 200 Dancers – Vibrant folk dancers of Bolivia present 4 kinds of traditional dances
- Nepalese dance with 150 artists in vibrant costumes, representing the spiritual traditions of Nepal
NATIONAL
- Global Guitar Ensemble with 1,000 guitarists playing popular sing-along classics with renowned lead guitarists, including Grammy-award winner Micki Free.
- Rhythms of reggae with Skip Marley, grandson of the legendary Bob Marley, and dancers representing the cultures of the Caribbean islands.
- One World Family Invocation – A 200-artists choir with Grammy nominated artist Chandrika Tandon
- Pop influencer Jini June performing alongside 200 children, spreading a message of harmony in song
- Amadou Kouyate and his djembe and kora orchestra, accompanied by 200 African dancers
- Kurtis Blow and other hip hop legends accompanied by 200 breakdancers, MCs, DJs and graffiti artists
- 10,000 Garba Dancers – representing a traditional folk dance of western India circle the National Mall in a spirit of celebration.
- Traditional Afghan Music & Sufi Whirling with 150 Artists – 130 musicians playing traditional instruments and singing captivating melodies along with 20 whirling dervishes
- Indian Classical Dance & Classical Symphony with 1000 Artists – Symphony of 300 instrumentalists including sitar, veena, tabla, mridangam, flute, ghatam and violin, plus 700 dancers performing a variety of classical Indian dance styles
- Latin American Dance Fusion with 200 Artists – Vibrant folk dancers representing the unique traditions of Colombia, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela
- Chinese Cultural Choir & Dance with 1,000 Artists – Chinese classical choir, classical dancers, dragons, & kung-fu in a fusion of music & movement
- Bulgarian Folk Dance by 300 Artists – 300 artists dance to the soul-stirring melodies of Bulgarian singers
- Ukrainian Dance by 200 Dancers and Choir – Exhilarating acrobatics and vibrant footwork of the hopak, a traditional Ukrainian dance
Activations
- The largest ever yoga event to take place on the National Mall, with over 2,000 instructors from various schools of yoga demonstrating a flow to more than 25,000 yoga enthusiasts. The event will be followed by a meditation led by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
- Over 80 food trucks will serve culturally expressive food and beverages from around the world. Some of the cuisines include Middle Eastern (Koshary Corner), French (Taste of Montreal), Latin-American (Arepa Zone), South Asian (Rangoli), Vegan/Plant Based (Soultarian), Indonesian (Sambal), Caribbean (Patty Party), West African (Kuks Tribute), Italian (Ciao Roma), Mexican (Mexicocina), Thai (Thai Pinto), British (Salt Pot Kitchen).
Taking over the National Mall Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1, the 2023 World Culture Festival is expected to be the largest gathering in the nation’s capital this year, featuring the largest stage area ever built on the historic National Park property.
Over 250,000 visitors from every corner of the globe are expected to travel to Washington, D.C. to be a part of the World Culture Festival. Today, organizers already report 184,513 registered attendees who will join in-person along with an estimated broadcast audience of over one billion worldwide. Registrants to date represent:
- 60% from the capital region
- 91% from the United States representing all 50 states
- 4% from India
- 5% from 121 other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Thailand and South Africa.
Free registration and full Festival information can be found at https://wcf.artofliving.org.
Program Schedule
*All schedules are subject to change
Friday, September 29
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Festival Village
- A one-mile stretch between 7th St and 14th St NW, featuring over 75 cultural pavilions, activities including fashion showcases, and 80+ food trucks serving international cuisines.
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Saturday, September 30
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Festival Village
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Sunday, October 1
8:00 am – 9:00 am: Yoga Festival
10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Festival Village
10:00 am – 1:00 pm: Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
Performances
An initial lineup was announced today including over 8,000 individual stage performers representing an array of human cultural art forms from around the globe. The program features all U.S.-based artists presenting music, dance, and performance art from diverse Native American and American immigrant cultures. Among them:
LOCAL
- The acclaimed Showtime Band from Howard University
- A melody performance from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
- Pulsating beats and infectious energy of Washington’s iconic go-go bands including Junkyard Band, DJ Cool and Bela Dona Band.
- Traditional Gospel Choir with 1,000 singers – a performance by musicians from church and university choirs of 1KVoiceChoir
- Native American dance by 100 artists representing various tribes from the region perform to the powerful beats of live drums and other traditional instruments
- Traditional Mongolian Dance & Music with 100 Dancers – A vibrant and energetic dance highlighting the heritage and nomadic traditions of Mongolia
- Indonesian Dance by 100 Artists – A “wonderland dance of Indonesia” representing the country’s five main islands
- Irish Step Dance with 100 Dancers – Lively Irish dancers in traditional dress showcasing the rich traditions of the Emerald Isle
- Bolivian Folk Dance with 200 Dancers – Vibrant folk dancers of Bolivia present 4 kinds of traditional dances
- Nepalese dance with 150 artists in vibrant costumes, representing the spiritual traditions of Nepal
NATIONAL
- Global Guitar Ensemble with 1,000 guitarists playing popular sing-along classics with renowned lead guitarists, including Grammy-award winner Micki Free.
- Rhythms of reggae with Skip Marley, grandson of the legendary Bob Marley, and dancers representing the cultures of the Caribbean islands.
- One World Family Invocation – A 200-artists choir with Grammy nominated artist Chandrika Tandon
- Pop influencer Jini June performing alongside 200 children, spreading a message of harmony in song
- Amadou Kouyate and his djembe and kora orchestra, accompanied by 200 African dancers
- Kurtis Blow and other hip hop legends accompanied by 200 breakdancers, MCs, DJs and graffiti artists
- 10,000 Garba Dancers – representing a traditional folk dance of western India circle the National Mall in a spirit of celebration.
- Traditional Afghan Music & Sufi Whirling with 150 Artists – 130 musicians playing traditional instruments and singing captivating melodies along with 20 whirling dervishes
- Indian Classical Dance & Classical Symphony with 1000 Artists – Symphony of 300 instrumentalists including sitar, veena, tabla, mridangam, flute, ghatam and violin, plus 700 dancers performing a variety of classical Indian dance styles
- Latin American Dance Fusion with 200 Artists – Vibrant folk dancers representing the unique traditions of Colombia, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela
- Chinese Cultural Choir & Dance with 1,000 Artists – Chinese classical choir, classical dancers, dragons, & kung-fu in a fusion of music & movement
- Bulgarian Folk Dance by 300 Artists – 300 artists dance to the soul-stirring melodies of Bulgarian singers
- Ukrainian Dance by 200 Dancers and Choir – Exhilarating acrobatics and vibrant footwork of the hopak, a traditional Ukrainian dance
Activations
- The largest ever yoga event to take place on the National Mall, with over 2,000 instructors from various schools of yoga demonstrating a flow to more than 25,000 yoga enthusiasts. The event will be followed by a meditation led by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
- Over 80 food trucks will serve culturally expressive food and beverages from around the world. Some of the cuisines include Middle Eastern (Koshary Corner), French (Taste of Montreal), Latin-American (Arepa Zone), South Asian (Rangoli), Vegan/Plant Based (Soultarian), Indonesian (Sambal), Caribbean (Patty Party), West African (Kuks Tribute), Italian (Ciao Roma), Mexican (Mexicocina), Thai (Thai Pinto), British (Salt Pot Kitchen).
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces that The West Wing’s Melissa Fitzgerald and Martin Sheen will reunite to perform A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters in celebration of Recovery Month. Directed by Cameron Watson, Love Letters will be performed September 28 at 7:30 p.m. and September 30 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Terrace Theater.
For more than two decades, Martin Sheen has been among the most ardent public champions of treatment courts, specialized programs that deliver treatment and recovery support to individuals in the justice system due to substance use and mental health disorders. In 2011, Sheen invited his former West Wing colleague and dear friend Melissa Fitzgerald—who had recently lost someone close to her to a substance use disorder—to Washington, D.C. to attend RISE, the annual training conference for treatment court professionals. The experience of being around thousands of dedicated public health and public safety leaders on the front lines of justice reform was transformative. A year later, Fitzgerald made the decision to leave Hollywood and move to Washington, D.C. to work for All Rise where she has spent the last decade championing treatment courts and fighting for justice reform.
In 2020, Fitzgerald and Sheen began work on a production of A.R. Gurney’s two-person play, Love Letters, to be performed at RISE. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person events, they pivoted and performed the play virtually during Recovery Month as a thank-you to public health and public safety professionals working in treatment courts. Now, the pair will reunite to perform the play in-person for the first time at the Kennedy Center.
“I was so honored when Martin asked me to perform Love Letters with him back in 2020. Then the pandemic happened, and we weren’t sure it would ever see the stage. Now, it’s the joy of a lifetime to be able to perform this play with Martin Sheen at the Kennedy Center,” said Melissa Fitzgerald. “For years, Martin and I have collaborated to advocate for expanding treatment and recovery for people with substance use and mental health disorders in the justice system and we continue to find resonance in the story of Love Letters. I am excited to finally share it with the public and so happy to do so during Recovery Month.”
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Kennedy Center to reunite with my West Wing colleague and friend, Melissa. I can think of no better time for this performance than during Recovery Month. Love Letters is a poignant call to compassion, to empathy, to finding our common humanity through struggle and through love,” said Martin Sheen.
A unique and imaginative theater piece by A.R. Gurney, Love Letters is composed of letters exchanged over a lifetime between two people who grew up together, went their separate ways, but continued to share confidences. As the actors read the letters aloud, what is created is an evocative, touching, frequently funny but always telling pair of character studies in which what is implied is as revealing and meaningful as what is actually written down.
