Top Stops

True Indie: 'Smoke Signals'

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:00:49 -0500

"SMOKE SIGNALS" was the first movie written, directed and produced by American Indians. See the 1988 award-winner Sunday.

» National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street & Independence Avenue NW; Sun., Dec. 7, 2 p.m., free, 202-633-1000. (L'Enfant Plaza)

Written by Express' Nathan Martin
Photo courtesy Miramax

Pretty Trippy: 'Multiverse'

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:00:05 -0500

FOR THE NEXT year the concourse between the East and West buildings of the National Gallery of Art will be home to "Multiverse," a 41,000 LED-node exhibition filling the 200 feet between buildings. It's an ever-changing, shimmery display that just might keep you riding the moving walkway all day.

» National Gallery of Art, 4th Street & Constitution Avenue NW; 202-789-3044. (Smithsonian)

Written by Express' Nathan Martin

What Lies Beneath: 'Undressed' at McLean Project

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:25 -0500

THE ANGEL OF DEATH is walking toward you with deliberation, and you can't even see her face, just the shimmering dress.

Photographer Aimee Helen Koch has taken the fairly alarming step of photographing Parisian runway models mid-stride and then painting over every inch of skin, flesh and background with matte black. You're left with just the clothing, afloat in a sea of shadow.

Some of the pictures entice: The clothing is quite fine, after all, in Paris' fall Fashion Week, the subject of "Undressed," at McLean Project for the Arts. But it takes only a confrontational picture like "Shirt #1," a starkly posed jacket in ebullient contrast, collar flared aggressively, grain pumped to the max, even a bit of motion blur to remind you that there is more afoot here than adulation. Koch is taking aim at the way runways are, well, run.

Time and Experience: Niels Van Tomme on Belgian Video Art

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:34:54 -0500

CHOCOLATE, BEER, FRITES, Plastic Bertrand, Herge, Magritte -- say "Belgium" to an American and you're lucky to get half of these in response. Recently relocated to New York after a couple of years in D.C., Belgian-born curator Niels Van Tomme observes that his countrymen seem quite comfortable with a national identity that remains nebulous, expressed in local cultures attached to the languages of larger neighbors: Dutch, French, a smattering of German.

Although it consciously eschews nationalism, "Onthaasting" ("Slowing Down") unites Belgian video artists under a sensibility. This deadpan, absurdist twist on the Italian dolce far niente emerges as actors re-create a seaside vignette for Guillaume Bijl's "James Ensor in Ostende ca. 1920" or a man whose shoes are nailed to the floor struggles to remove his vest without taking off his jacket in Cel Crabeels' "Topologic" or the artist uses a cordless drill to spin a bouquet of flowers into pieces in an episode of Messieurs Delmotte's "Breakdown Dream."

» EXPRESS: Does the Belgian government's subsidy of artists allow them to play with their spare time?
» VAN TOMME: All the Belgian artists are hard workers, but at the same time I think there is a difference.

» EXPRESS: A difference in the way we conceive of leisure?
» VAN TOMME: People [in Belgium] like to experience time, whereas here in the United States, it's about filling up time.

A Capitol Improvement: Capitol Visitor Center Opens

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:00:05 -0500

GOLDEN EARRINGS IN THE SHAPE of eagles beckon from a display case. A framed replica of the Declaration of Independence (with accompanying quill) hangs from a wall. A woven scene of U.S. Capitol on a blanket, dubbed the "Capitol Comforter," lies neatly folded in a corner. It's American patriot heaven. And that's just what's in one of the Capitol Visitor Center's two gift shops.

The 580,000 square-foot facility, which opened to the public yesterday, is dazzling. As visitors descend two escalators to the central Emancipation Hall, the underground level's sparkling marble grandeur is offset by a bright glass ceiling showcasing views of the Capitol dome. An indoor replica of the dome's Statue of Freedom — an exhibit focal point — is a commanding presence in itself, but it's not the only statue that will catch your eye. There are 24 state statues speckled throughout the center, and while all pay tribute to significant Americans, don't expect them all to be made of the same ole white marble.

Colorado's John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr. replica has the Apollo 13 astronaut rocking a replica NASA suit and holding a space helmet, while Wyoming's bronze depiction of Chief Washakie features the Shoshone tribe spokesman in feathered headdress, a spear in his right hand and peace pipe in his left.

The Emancipation Hall is just a taste of what the center has to offer. The real gems are just beyond the Statue of Freedom in the center's Exhibition Hall.

Picture This: 'The Mask of Lincoln'

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:00:49 -0500

THERE ARE a lot of photos of President-elect Barack Obama out there. And we're not just talking the official press-conference variety. Run a quick image search on Google and you'll find everything from a digitally remastered rendition of our future prez in a superhero costume to his pensive gaze on the side of a shoe. It's no surprise, really. Such photo exposure goes hand-in-hand with being commander-in-chief.

Just ask Abe Lincoln.

As one of the first presidents whose entire tenure was captured in the early variations of photographs, the rail-splitter understood the importance of maintaining a presence in the public eye through pictures. Don't believe us? Head to the National Portrait Gallery to see "The Mask of Lincoln," an exhibit featuring evolving depictions of Honest Abe over the years. In these days of zoom lenses and high-speed shutters, Obama's got it easy.

» National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW; through July 5, free; 202-633-8300. (Gallery Place-Chinatown)

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

Feel Your Insignificance: 'One Big, One Small'

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:00:41 -0500

SOME OF THE works in Studio Gallery's "One Big, One Small," have that "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" feel to them — perspective shots that make you feel tiny in comparison. The show features works by 35 artists.

» Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW; through Jan. 3, free; 202-232-8734. (Dupont Circle)

Written by Express' Jason Koebler
Image courtesy Studio Gallery

Cloaks of Visibility: TXT Styles at African Art

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:00:10 -0500

A SHOW AT THE National Museum of African Art about expressing identity through body adornment is itself at a loss as to what and whom it is for. Much of this uncertainty is reflected in the title. Whether rendered as "TxtStyles/Fashioning Identity" or "TxtStyl3s/F4shng Id3ntty," it tends to undercut its own purposes.

Why should a wall panel venture a strained analogy between the communication methods of textiles and text messaging? Because antsy kids can't be bothered with the measured pacing of a well-assembled museum show?

It's a shame. Because many of the items on view — a red-orange hat whose broad, flat top once swooped dramatically down to the head of a married Zulu woman, a hunter's shirt from Burkina Faso outfitted with medicine bundles — are almost too beautiful to be believed. And because the questions raised by their selection and arrangement are truly profound.

Factual Facelift: American History Museum

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:35 -0500

TWO YEARS, two months and 16 days: That is how long the National Museum of American History has been closed since the Smithsonian shut the 42-year-old building down for renovations. Well, the long wait is over and Washingtonians will finally have their history back when the museum cuts the ribbon and reopens this weekend.

In addition to architectural enhancements and infrastrucutre updates, this new and improved version of the museum will also feature a state-of-the-art gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner, 10-foot-high artifact walls and a new exhibit on the study of invention and innovation. See what $85 million of renovations can do for yourself at Friday's grand reopening.

» National Museum of American History, 14th St. and Constitution Ave., NW; Fri., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sat and Sun., Nov. 22 and 23, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., free; 202-633-1000. (Smithsonian)

Written by Express' Thomas Floyd
Photo courtesy National Museum of American History

Marching On: National Museum of American History

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:52 -0500

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY temporarily shut its doors in 2006 to prepare for a two-year, $85 million renovation. On Friday, the museum will officially reopen to show off its brand-new look, complete with a five-story-high skylight and an atrium of glass and white marble. It's now the Beaux Arts building with a modernist center.

The transformation of the museum's core has turned the once-dark institution — an encyclopedia site for 3 million cultural artifacts such as Julia Child's kitchen and the John Bull locomotive — into a study of light and glass.

"When the building was first designed in the late 1950s and open to the public in 1964, sunlight was a very bad thing for museums with objects. Now we know more than we did, and we know that light in public places is really important," said Patrick Ladden, program manager for the NMAH Restoration. "The architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have taken a 1950s classic and updated it for the 21st century. The materials are similar to the original building, but they're introducing more glass and creating a dynamic public center."