DCAC - District of Columbia Arts Center

DCAC ART DECATHLON

January 13 - February 5
Opening Reception: Friday, January 13, 7 - 9 PM
Panel discussion: Tuesday, January 17, 7 - 8 PM
Artist Talk: Sunday, January 29, 5 - 6 PM
Closing ceremony: Sunday, February 5, 5 PM

The semi-finalists show the results of months of hard work as the Decathlon draws to a close! After centuries of specialization in art that has relied on labels such as painter, sculptor or photographer, DCAC asked artists working in the DC metropolitan area to submit proposals that explore the significance of what being “unspecialized” means to being a working artist today. For the competition, decathletes were required to produce work falling under 10 disciplines-- textiles/fiber; painting; drawing; printmaking; photography; collage; sound; video; conceptual art; and sculpture. Semi-finalists, Shanthi Chandrasekar, Lee Gainer, Lisa Rosenstein, and Mary Woodall, will exhibit their works at DCAC. This exhibition will culminate in a medal ceremony, but only one artist will walk away with gold!

The Panel discussion on Tuesday, January 17 brings together moderator Kriston Capps with panelists Ken Ashton, Kathryn Cornelius, Mike Hamberger, and Karen Joan Topping to talk about the intersections between art and sport.

We keep the gallery open late on the first Wednesday of the month for fellow art lovers to come over, relax and enjoy drinks with us. We've also made it an opportunity to sign up for membership at a discount. Discounted membership comes with the full benefits of being a DCAC member such as deals at many local businesses including restaurants and stores, not to mention discounted tickets on almost all the shows in our theater! Come ask any questions you might have about applying to the gallery or theater, and tell us about any interesting shows you've seen lately!

February 10 - March 18
Opening Reception: Friday, February 10, 7 - 9 PM
Artist Talk: Sunday,March 18, 5 - 6 PM

This exhibition is the first solo show of Washington DC artist Stephanie Williams and presents drawings and sculptures that playfully prod the constructs we formulate to understand our world. The show takes its title from Williams’ exploratory artistic method, in which she uses strangeness to make space for creative questioning. Her works, ripe with texture and oozing sensuality, invite us into bizarre yet enticing ecological systems.

A live, weekly late-night talk show with artists for the next two months at DCAC! The Charlie Visconage Show will feature interviews and performances by musicians, painters, dancers, poets, film makers, writers, and actors from the classical to the cutting edge. The show aims to connect new audiences to DC's thriving art scene with laugh-out-loud nights of interactive entertainment. For reservations call 202 462 7833.

Landless Theatre's Mash-Up festival is back! For the second year in a row, Mash-Up Festival breaks down the idea of conventional theater in this combination of original plays across various genres, all by local playwrights. Buy tickets at www.landlesstheatrecompany.org

Please join the In Your Ear Reading Series this month for readings by local and national authors. Each month In Your Ear features readings and performances by different sets of poets who draw on an avant-garde tradition. Curated by Buck downs and Maureen Thorson. For reservations call 202 462 7833.

The Capital City Showcase is a DC-themed variety show that features any and all things DC, including local musicians, comedians, and artists, as well as interviews with local athletes and politicians.

Fri - Sun, November 25 - 27
Thurs - Sun, December 1 - 23
Fri - Sat, January 6 - 14
7:30 PM

$25 Non-members/$22 DCAC Members

The run of Landless Theatre's Cannibal! The Musical has been extended for two more weekends, written by South Park’s Trey Parker. Cannibal! The Musical is the story of Alferd Packer, a man convicted of cannibalism. In this musical, he tells his side of the harrowing tale to news reporter Polly Pry while he awaits his execution. Book tickets at www.landlesstheatrecompany.org

HOLIDAY BUFFET

Fridays and Saturdays
December 9, 10, 16
10 PM

$10 Non-members/$8 DCAC Members

Orbit Chef's 'Holiday Buffet' is a rollicking multi-form smorgasbord of laugh-out-loud holiday fun!
The show – part sketch-comedy, part stand-up and storytelling – is an absurd take on the traditions and symbols that define the Season. See what happens when Santa turns his workshop into a full-time coal plant and an office gift exchange gets a little too personal... Find out who killed Rudolph and how to deal with party-pooping holiday naysayers! With performances from humorists plucked from DC's vibrant stand-up and spoken-word communities.

Orbit Chef is a sketch-comedy troupe founded in 2011. They recently completed their first season as a featured act in The Comedy Spot's (Arlington, VA) Tiger's Blood Theater show, a bi-monthly mash-up of improv, stand-up, and sketch-comedy performers. The ensemble includes Matt Fogarty, Derek Hills, Kate Schuler, Stephanie Svec, and Amelia Vogel, all graduates of the Washington Improv Theater's improv training and sketch-writing curricula and veteran members of DC’s theater, storytelling, and comedy communities.

DC Solo Performance Lab

Thurs, November 17 2011
7:30 PM

$10 Non-members/$5 DCAC Members

DC Solo Performance Lab-- a one-person play showcase! True Stories About Married Sex, Famous People at AA, Intellectuals Who Can't Get Laid, and The True Reasons We Go To War. This will be a night of amazing stories showcasing the culmination of an 8-week solo performance workshop. Short excerpts will be presented from four one-person plays featuring Marietta Hedges, Kurt Nemes, Roy Potter, and a preview of Laura Zam's newest commission from Theater J. Reserve tickets at http://sololabshowcase.eventbrite.com . Enter DCAC for members.

Burlesque shows of the 1930s featured both sultry sirens and stand-up comedians. In this spirit, Justin Purvis and friends bring two weekends of sexy, hilarious fun. With tantalizing burlesque performers and titillating improvisers from all over DC this show will knock your socks off. The show will be hosted by the charismatic Rock Tender and his lovely assistant Wendy Whiskysour. Call us at 202-462-7833 to reserve tickets.

Laughter Against the Machine has built a space for a comedy where the comedians and audience are challenged to laugh and think. It’s a no-holds-bar show without party lines, or cheerleading - because they have beef with everybody, including themselves. The show kicks off a tour to the most polarized places in the USA. The group recently returned from delivering one of the biggest shows of the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, which included Margaret Cho, Jimmy Dore, Hari Kondabolu, and Aparna Nancherla.

NEW RELEASES PERFORMANCES
A Benefit for DCAC

November 6 at 7:30 PM
$10/ $8 DCAC Members

DCAC Presents: NEW RELEASES PERFORMED BY D.C. ARTISTS! Hosted by performer and author Dee Snyder and featuring Pilesar, Eric Hendrixson, Russ Henry, and J.D. Smith. The show is an assemblage of experimental musicians and multi-genre writers. All proceeds from this show go to DCAC in our continuing mission to support emerging and established visual and performing artists.

Pilesar is a percussionist and songwriter who conjures idiosyncratic pop and wildly eclectic performances. He is showcasing his newest C.D., "Radio Friendly", which is inspired by the playful experimentalism of bands like Ween, The Mothers of Invention, and The Residents.

Eric Hendrixson was born a military brat in Lakenheath, England. His poetry and prose has appeared primarily in periodicals you've never heard of, and he's been rejected by all the periodicals you HAVE heard of. He will be reading from and signing copies of his new Bizarro fiction book, "Bucket of Face", published by Eraserhead Press.

Avant-guard musician and singer , Russ Henry, has been wowing audiences since 1996. He will be performing his new song, with lyrics by Dee Snyder, a song/gift which Dee won at D.C. Arts Center's recent Experience Auction. Russ's band, Milk Machine, is celebrating the release of their first full-length C.D., "Bees on the Vine".

J.D. Smith is a multi-genre writer, appearing in publications such as "Hardcore Harboiled: The Best of Thug Lit", and "The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica". His newest book is an essay collection, "Dowsing and Science", by Texas Review Press which Huffington Post called "a leading, feisty independent publisher".

LET'S GET PERSONAL
A performance by Annika B. Lewis

November 18 - January 8
Opening Reception: Friday, November 18, 7 - 9 PM

Acclaimed Danish/Swedish performance artist performs as part of Danish Arts Council-funded residency in Washington DC
Annika Lewis, in her Danish Arts Council-funded Kassandra Production LET’S GET PERSONAL, utilizes humor, absurdity and the self-help culture to deliver a provocative performance about the role of personal branding in attaining professional success. Lewis, who is known for merging technology, theatre and dance, delivers this parody in the form of a motivational lecture and workshop on how to successfully use blunders on Facebook and official public apologies for personal optimization. In twisting the entire milieu of motivational speaking she acidly comments on the roles of collective bedazzlement, radical political positioning, and the arts in a society increasingly driven by the experience economy.

Annika Lewis
Choreographer/director/artist Annika B. Lewis studied at Larssons Theatre Academy in Gothenburg/Sweden and at the Istituto di Arte Scenica (Institute for Scenic Art) in Pontremoli/Italy from 1987 to 1990. She went on to complete her post-graduate studies in theatre in 2002 at Scut/Gitis, the state theatre school of Moscow, Russia. Additionally Lewis has studied various forms of dance and choreography. In 1998, Lewis founded Kassandra Production through which she has created work characterized by a conceptually strong interdisciplinary approach, mixing the trivial with the philosophical to examine modern humanity in a challenging and entertaining way. Lewis has toured Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Belgium, Brazil, the United Kingdom and now the United States with her performances, installations and interventions. Her acting credits include: Year accountancies (2010), Let’s Get Personal (2010), Body Box#1 (2009), TWIST cabaret (2009), eXtasy (2009), Full Body Treatment (2008), Life Hacking (2008), XpositionREVERSE: Aarhus-Gothenburg (2006), Dancin’ Madly Backwards (2006), Life Is Fabulous (2005), Displacement (2005), XpositionLAB (2004), My Heart Is Yours (2004), Aurora Borealis: Aarhus-Reykjavik (2003), Delusion (2003), The Experiment of Choice/Limbo.03 (2003), Symposium X (2002), Real Time Open Door (2000), Real Time Lab (1999), A Thorn in the Eye (1998).

VINCENT
A one man play by Leonard Nimoy Performed by B. Stanley

September 22 – October 8
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30pm

Back by popular demand! This performance is a reprise of Stanley’s critically acclaimed sold-out run during the 2009 Capitol Fringe Festival.

At the time of his death many of Vincent van Gogh’s contemporaries, including Paul Gaugin, had written the painter off as an insane fool. In this moving one-person performance Theo van Gogh is determinedto rescue his brother’s legacy, attempting to transform him from a madman into a beloved brother and misunderstood genius. Set in Paris 1890 one week after Vincent’s dramatic suicide, Theo exposes the turbulent life of his brother and brings personal revelation into the tormented world of the artist. Using the hundreds of letters Theo and Vincent exchanged during their lives, Leonard Nimoy (most widely known as Spock on TV’s Star Trek) wrote “Vincent” in 1979 and performed it himself all over the country, as well as in a special PBS broadcast. Over 100 of van Gogh’s paintings are projected in the background as Theo recreates the world of the misunderstood genius in a poignant and intimate meditation on the life of the gifted painter. This critically acclaimed performance provokes laughter and tears and gives insight into van Gogh’s passion and suffering, while considering the meaning of art and artistry in a world where success is measured by sales and money.

B. Stanley
Actor/director/pedagogue/puppeteer B. Stanley is Executive/Artistic Director of DCAC, and founder and director of Theatre du Jour, an experimental group with an actor-based approach to creating works. In 1983, Stanley opened the Java Rama, a performance coffee house next door to Theatre du Jour. From 1989-1993, he trained under Ingemar Lindh at the Instituto di Arte Scenica (Institute for Scenic Art) in Pontremoli, Italy. In addition to Theatre du Jour, Stanley has performed with The Living Theatre, The Puppet Company, and Guillermo Gomez Pena. His acting credits include: Kenneth, What Is The Frequency?, Bluebeard, The Shadow, Pygmalion, Dangerous Border Games, Purlie Victorious, and Ubu Cuckolded. His directing credits include: There is No More FIrmament, Last Minute, Ritual Play, Poor Oedipus, World War Zero, I'm Scared of Myself, The Return of Uncle Silvana, and The Shadow. As director of DCAC, Stanley encourages the development of cutting edge work by new and emerging theater groups in Washington, DC. He conducts workshops on acting, directing and theater production and regularly participates in conferences and seminars abroad. In 2000, he was awarded the Tony Taylor Award by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington for his years of work encouraging and nurturing artists in Washington, DC.

Leonard Nimoy
American actor, film director, poet, photographer and musician Leonard Nimoy wrote and originally performed the one-man play Vincent. Though his incredibly diverse career has been largely eclipsed by his three-year role as Spock on the television series Star Trek, he has won much acclaim for his theater performances. He has acted in such plays as Fiddler on the Roof, The Man in the Glass Booth, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Twelfth Night. In addition to acting, Nimoy has authored two autobiographies, several volumes of poetry and the photography book Shekhina, in which he explores the feminine counterpart of God as described in Kabbalah scripture. He is also a musician, and has released five albums of vocal recordings, which include coveres of popular songs.

Vincent and Theo van Gogh
Born in 1853 in Zundert, The Netherlands, Vincent van Gogh worked as an art dealer, a preacher and missionary before he decided to pursue his career as an artist at the age of 27. He was largely encouraged by his brother, Theo, an art dealer who successfully pushed the popularity of Impressionist artists Degas and Monet. Although Theo never sold any of van Gogh’s works, he provided emotional and financial support and remained throughout the troubled artist’s life one of the few who understood him. The hundreds of surviving letters of their frequent correspondence have been published into books and provide much insight into the turbulent life of Vincent van Gogh and the close relationship between the two brothers.

Despite his aversion to formal training, Vincent studied in Brussels at the Royal Academy of Art and in Antwerp at the Academy of Fine Arts. Soon after, he moved to Paris, where he encountered Impressionist works, met fellow students Émile Bernard and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and befriended Paul Gauguin, who lived with him for a period in Arles. In 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles, where he took up landscape painting and painted outdoors with Gauguin until their excessive quarreling and van Gogh’s infamous severing of his own ear lobe drove Gauguin away. In 1889, van Gogh committed himself to a mental asylum in Saint-Remy, where the clinic and its surrounding landscape of cypresses, vineyards and olive trees provided subject matter for his painting. He also developed his famous swirling brushstrokes, which gave form to one of his most popular works to date, The Starry Night.During this time, he began to receive acclaim for his work. The French critic Albert Aurier praised his work and Monet declared his work best in show at the Artistes Indépendants group exhibit in Paris.

Van Gogh went to Auvers-sur-Oise to be closer to his brother Theo and to seek help from the physician Paul Gachet, whom van Gogh depicted in two portrait paintings. He spent the final months of his life in Auvers and was incredibly prolific, painting 70 canvases in 70 days. At age 37, van Gogh walked into a field of wheat and shot himself in the chest. He returned home where he died two days later in the arms of his brother. His dying words were “La tristesse durera toujours”: “The sadness will last forever.” Ailing from syphilis and unable to overcome the grief of his brother’s death, Theo died six months later.