Hot on the heels of last Saturday’s Art All Night event is SW ArtsFest––yet another opportunity to soak up visual and performing arts offerings in the District. With six different programs, each catering to art aficionados of all aptitudes, SW ArtsFest is a must-see for D.C. residents starved for art.
Spanning Oct. 2 to 5, events will be scattered throughout Southwest D.C. Just south of the National Mall and readily accessible from the Waterfront metro station on the green line, the rapidly redeveloping Southwest is a vibrant alternative to the hipster bastions of the District. With lectures, presentations, and plenty of exhibits, ArtsFest is likely to be a Mecca for D.C.’s art scene.
The most prominent event will undoubtedly be the fourth installation of the (e)merge Art Fair at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, showcasing some of the most cutting-edge artists in the District. “The Shoplifters” at the Kreeger Theater-Arena Stage promises to be a biting social commentary about an elderly shoplifter, played by Tony-nominee Jayne Houdyshell, in a world distinctly divided into the haves and have-nots.
For visual art, Lance Fung’s Nonuments will re-create the National Gallery’s sculpture garden with a welcome revival of Jazz in the Garden’s regular home. Nonuments is further dedicated not to the national heroes and leaders whose erected likenesses we encounter on the National Mall, but illuminates pertinent issues of our time, such as human trafficking and immigration.
G40 Art Summit at Blind Whino will also feature visual installations throughout the weekend, while the outdoor market will be running on the same grounds on Saturday, with bohemian arts and crafts vendors and jazz performances. If you missed Nuit Blanche this past weekend, make up for it with a pilgrimage to SW ArtsFest’s fourth iteration.
SW ArtsFest
October 2-5
swdcartsfest.org
