Happenings Around Town

Art Whino is slowly but surely putting themselves on the radar with their contemporary art exhibits and art classes. The classes are their newest venture and cost between $400- $600. A little pricey in my opinion, but if Gocco printing, and stencil art is your thing, then I guess it’s worth it. I’m sure you are wondering what the hell Gocco printing is; I Googled it and Gocco Printing is a Japanese printing technique done with a small, table top, plastic looking apparatus. It’s supposed to be a good alternative to screen printing.

This Saturday (12/29/07) the guys at Dissident Display are having a holiday dance party with booze and hot DJ’s. The invite, which I received via Myspace bulletin, informed party goers to give monetary donations for “great holiday beverages”. So, I’m guessing there will not be an abundance of alcoholic drinks, unless you plan on coughing up some cash. The party will be at their gallery/art space, if you need directions or the address just visit them here

I know this is supposed to be an arts and events blog, but I refuse to list all the parties, ceremonies, and orgies taking place on New Years Eve. As I’m sure you know, every venue with a bar and a sound system will be hosting some type of event, so just take your pick from the vast array of over stimulation.

See you in ’08!

Breathe, Boom

Rahaleh Nassri’s production of Kia Cothorn’s; Breathe, Boom is a violently poetic portrayal of a female gang leader's coming of age. This is Corthorn’s first full production in Washington DC. She has been the recipient of a long list of grants and awards including the Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award. Breathe, Boom follows Prix, played by Roxi Trapp - Dukes, from ages sixteen to thirty taking a look at her relationships with other gang members and her family. Through short burst of dialog and language that captures the essence of street life; Corthorn manages to draw us into each characters quirks and hearts. Roxi who is a dance choreographer/actress takes the character of Prix to another level using extreme facial expression and body language to express the inner turmoil of being in a gang but knowing that there is so much more to life.

Breathe, Boom runs through January 6, 2008. For more information visit The Studio Theater

Wall/Paper

In the Spring of 2007 the Transformer Gallery began a “flat file” of unframed works ranging in sizes 16" x 20" and smaller. Wall/paper highlights a number of pieces from this file including works by Andy Kozlowski and Lisa Marie Thalhammer. If the aforementioned artist’s names mean nothing to you don’t feel bad, I have included links to their sites so that when you go to the exhibit you can chat it up with all the artsy folks and not feel all uncultured and stuff. Transformer Gallery mainly showcases contemporary artist and their works, so if that is your thing then this is your exhibit. There 2007-2008 exhibition series is supported by a vast array of foundations including the Andy Warhol Foundation and The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.

The opening reception is Saturday, December 15, 2007, 7-9pm. The exhibit runs through January 19, 2008

For more information on the exhibit visit Transformer Gallery
For more info. on Lisa Marie Thalhammer click here
And for Andy Kozlowski click here

Tom Terrell

On November 29, 2007 we lost one of the best music journalist the DC area has ever known; Tom Terrell. Tom Terrell was a phenomenal music journalist who could smell good music miles away. According to his friends he always knew what was going on and never missed a beat. In addition to being a journalist, he was also a DJ and a photographer.
He got his start DJ’ing at DC Space in the late 70’s. From what I hear DC Space was the DC area’s premiere space for artist and musicians, kind of like Bus Boys and Poets, but without the stuffy commercial after taste. He also hosted numerous radio shows on stations across the area including; WPFW. He has written articles for Vibe, Essence, The Washington Citypaper and so many more magazines. His writing style was one of a kind. As soon as you start to read an article by him, you can tell this is a man that is comfortable with his “voice”. So many of us writers struggle to find our voice, but his just poured out into anything he wrote.
Tom Terrell will be greatly missed.

For more information on Tom Terrell and his writing visit Popmatters

Everybody needs a vacation

I am taking a mini vacation guys. I have A LOT of school work to catch up on. But, don't fret I will be updating Chocolate Milk again, in about a week. So, keep checking back. In the mean time, check out some of my cool links on the right of your screen

Art Whino: Justin Lovatos Solo Show

Art Whino is giving you double a dose of art, with the Justin Lovato solo show and a collaboration exhibit featuring twenty new artists.
Justin Lovato’s work is heavily influenced by video games and comic books, so many of his paintings have a dark fantasy quality. Lovatos time as a graffiti artist influenced him to incorporate the current political climate and urban life into his art. Many of the creatures he paints are animal hybrids that seem to be at peace or in some sort of distress. Texture and collage also play a large part in his work; this gives his pieces a rich, antique feel.
As if that wasn’t enough, Aphrodizia (Yoko K.) will be performing in the front gallery on the day of the opening!

The exhibit opening is on December 14, 2007 at the Art Whino Gallery. For more info. Visit Art Whino online.

Ai-Wen Wu Kratz

It seems to be a contradiction that such precise calculations could yield such lyrical, fluid drawings. The Ai-Wen Wu Kratz exhibit at the Museums of the Americas shows that there is beauty in such a contradiction. Ai-Wen has won multiple awards for her paintings, drawings and photographs and is also member of MOCADC . Ai-Wen is an example of an artist that truly loves and appreciates art as a meditation. She believes in listening to inner voice and knows that art can excite the senses and ultimately change the world.

Ai-Wen Wu Kratz work is on exhibit at the Museum of the Americas , in Doral Florida through December 1, 2007

Little Brother @ The Black Cat

Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother bring you back to a simpler time in hip hop, before gold diggers were getting down and murder music. The North Carolina natives debuted their first album, The Listening in 2003 after touring the underground North Carolina hip hop circuit before that they released a prior single in 2001 entitled, Speed. Little Brother originally consisted of three member; Big Pooh, Phonte, and 9^th Wonder, however 9^th Wonder did not participate on Little Brother’s latest release, Get Back. Even though the group is short a member they do not fall short on conscious lyrics and jazzy beats.

See Little Brother perform at The Black Cat Saturday December 1, 2007, along with Evidence (of Dilated Peoples), and Reef the Lost Cause.

Morris Louis Now: An American Master Revisited

A good way to describe The Morris Louis Now exhibit is; sensual and undulant. Standing in front of his paintings takes you to a place of pure pleasure. While each piece is huge measuring 8-12 feet in height, they are not at all over bearing in fact, they soothe you. Perhaps it is because each piece is made by staining a raw canvas with watered down acrylic paints, the out come is shadowy faint waves of color that blend and bleed into each other. Morris Louis did not always paint in this manner, he got his start painting realist paintings at the Maryland Institute of Fine and Applied Arts, it wasn’t until later in life that he found his calling, and started to create these abstract colorful pieces.

Morris Louis Now: An American Master Revisited will be at the Hirshhorn through January 6, 2008

Grand High Ladner Release Party

Grand High is a Washington DC based company that designs everything from shoes to album cover art. Over the last year they have toured all over Asia with K Swiss as part of the K Spray 2 International Stencil Art tour. Grand High’s newest project, the Grand High Ladner, will be introduced to the DC public on Saturday night at their release party where you can see live art installments by SDCTV customs, view rare and limited edition sneaker displays, and move your feet to the sounds of DJ 2 Tone Jones. This party will be a sneaker pimps fantasy!

The Grand High Ladner Release Party will be at Liv nightclub on Saturday November 17, 2007 from 5-9pm.

For more information visit Grand High

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

In Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, Mary Jordan takes a look at one of the most influential artist of the New York underground arts scene. Jack Smith was a performance artist, photographer, film maker, and an art world rebel. He received unwanted notoriety for his early 1960's film, Flaming Creatures which was banned in various states and countries for being too obscene. His unique brand of trashy art influenced film makers such as Andy Warhol and my personal favorite, John Waters. This film collage of images of his over the top art gives the viewer a deep look into his psyche, his hatred for his mother, and finally his untimely death of AIDS in 1989.


Jack and the Destruction of Atlantis is showing at the Hirshhorn on November 15, 2007 at 8pm

Beaujolais Nouveau

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive! Every year on the third Thursday of November millions of cases of Beaujolais Nouveau (a very easy to drink, fruity red wine) are shipped to Paris where they are immediately exported all over the world. This may not seem like such a big deal to a mere American, but to the French it means party time!

This year, the Alliance Francaise de Washington is inviting musical guest Simone Marchand to perform songs by Edith Piaf and other popular music from vintage French parties. But, what makes this affair extra special is that DJ Stylus will be conducting the vibe via the turntables with a funky mix of hip-hop, electronica, and soul, blending the nouveau with the vintage.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau wine release party is on Friday, November 16, 2007, from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

For more information and ticket prices visit The Alliance Francaise de Washington

For information on DJ Stylus visit The Vibe Conductor

MOCADC

Washington DC is known for politics, not really a place you would think to look to for cutting edge art, MOCADC as set out to change that, and has been quite successful in doing so. By offering the public a visual art space that houses works from emerging contemporary artist, MOCADC has broken the mold. Hosting exhibits such as Erotica 2007 and Heads & Tails, an exhibit featuring portraits of nudes and “tasteful backsides”, MOCA is bringing flavor and variety to DC’s art scene and has no intention on stopping or slowing down.

Heads & Tails runs through December 2, 2007, and MOCADC host gallery openings every first Friday.

For more information visit MOCADC

Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib

Art imitates life. Fernando Botero’s series of paintings depicting the torture of Iraqi insurgents is a testimony of that. Botero got his inspiration for the paintings in this exhibit from reading official reports of the terror and torture that has been going on in Iraq. While this exhibit is painful to take in, these are images that we have been bombarded with via the news for the last five years. Botero’s focus was to “concentrate on the suffering and dignity of the victims rather than their tormentors". This exhibit will hopefully allow the public to feel more compassion for the victims of torture and not just see them as a casualty of war.

This is the first U.S. viewing of Abu Ghraib.

Abu Ghraib runs from Nov. 6, 2007 through Dec. 30, 2007 at The Katzen Arts Center (American University Museum)

Wild Choir by Jeremy Clark

Jeremy Blake’s digital video montages make you feel like you just took a hit of acid. His pieces are vivid, colorful and fluid. In this collection he has collaborated with fashion designer, Ossie Clark, and poet/independent rock musician David Berman. These ultra-hip pieces were inspired by such topics as the mega mall, drug addicts and reality television.
Jeremy grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland attended Albert Einstein’s magnet art program, and eventually went on to the Art Institute of Chicago, so he is home grown.

Wild Choir runs through March 8, 2008 at the The Corcoran Gallery of Art

No Time Like the Present by Linn Meyers

DC native Linn Myer's large scale pieces seem to change form right before your eyes. The untitled pieces are almost all created by small etchings made on a Mylar canvas. Her work is abstract in the classic sense; however it is very pre-meditated and measured. If you look closely at her pieces they resemble graphs, each line is perfectly placed next to the one before it. The result is swirls of color and light that seem to turn into to each other and dance on the canvas.

The opening reception will be on November 3, 2007 from 6:30pm- 8:30pm at G Fine Arts

The exhibit runs through December 15, 2007

The Carolina Chocolate Drops

No one wants to admit they like country music. Let alone five string banjo and fiddle music. But, country music is making a comeback and The Carolina Chocolate Drops are singing in the comeback choir. These three young African American musicians, Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Dom Flemons joined forces to create a sound that is sugary and nostalgic as drinking sweet tea on your nana’s front porch.


See them perform at the Birchmere on November 4, 2007 at 8pm.

Alice Smith

Alice Smith is re-releasing her first album; For Lovers Dreamers and Me. You do not come across a voice like Alice Smith’s everyday. Her vocal range is amazing (four octaves to be exact). She has one of those voices that you have to see live to fully experience. As a youth, her musical influences were Bjork and The Commodores, with taste that diverse it’s no wonder her music is so emotionally charged and genre bending.


She is performing tomorrow night, October 30, 2007 at the Iota Club and Café
Show starts at 8:30pm

Juliette and The Licks

Actors/actresses turned musicians usually don’t work out. That is not true for Juliette Lewis who after acting in a long string of movies including; Natural Born Killers, Strange Days, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, decided to form a band. Juliette & The Licks got their start touring on the Van’s Warped Tour in 2004, opening up for acts such as Courtney Love and Turbonegro. According to Juliette “ The prototype for a female is that they're desirable, pretty to look at, predictable and safe.” She wants her music to be the antithesis of that…and it is!

Juliette & The Licks perform with Scissors for Lefty and Suffrajet at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Nov. 8, 2007. Doors open at 8pm.

For more information visit The Rock and Roll Hotel online.

WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution

WACK! is one of those advant garde exhibits that you will either love or hate. However, no matter how you feel it about it, it will affect you. Vagina paintings and huge sculptures that resemble ovaries are just some of the highlights of this exhibit. It is no surprise that this showcase of over two-hundred and fifty paintings, and sculptures was organized by the liberal peoples of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (LAMoCA).

This is the first East coast showing of WACK!

WACK! runs through December 16, 2007 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Zap Mama

Zap Mama's music defies description. It has influences from Africa, the Middle East and even hip hop. A Zap Mama concert is more than just a musical performance; it is a colorful journey across the globe. Marie Daulne and her band members dress in ornate garments and infuse dance and great imagination into their shows.

See Zap Mama & Fertile Ground at the 9:30 club Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007.

Show starts at 6:30pm

Ticket information

9:30 Club online

Matisse: Painter as Sculptor

Henri Emile Benoit Matisse (December 31, 1869- November 3, 1954) was one of the first painters to be labeled as a fauve (a wild beast), because of his wild style of painting. The nudes in his paintings, drawings, and sculptures bend and take on shapes that would make my teacher gawk in disbelief.

His nudes will be on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Yes, you have to face the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to get there, but believe me it is worth the drive.

Matisse: Painter as Sculptor will be on view through February 3, 2008

Ticket information

The Women of Brewster Place

“Ain't that the story. Colored folks try to do a little something, somebody come along and throw up a wall.”

Gloria Naylor’s, The Women of Brewster Place is one of those books that no matter how many times you read it, you always cry. It is a story about ten women that face unbelievable struggles and still have the courage to keep on keeping on. The Arena Stage along with the Alliance Theater has adapted the book into a funk, gospel and R&B filled musical.

This world premiere play runs through December 9, 2007.

For tickets visit the Arena Stage

Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits

Work from photographers such as Gordon Parks, Carl Van Vechten, and James Vander Zee have been brought together for this exhibition of portraits of African Americans that broke the mold and fought back, in their own unique ways. Portraits of Frederick Douglass, Wynton Marsalis, Lorriane Hansberry, and many more freedom fighters, artist, and abolitionist will be featured.

The exhibit runs through March 2, 2008.

For more information visit the National Portrait Gallery online

Walk for J Dilla (Jay Dee)

James Dewitt Yancey better known as, JDilla embodied and pretty much created the sound that we call "neo-soul". Whether you like neo soul or not you can't deny J Dilla's impact on music. He made beats, produced songs and albums for some of the biggest names in hip-hop and soul such as; Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Pharrell and so many others. He died an untimely death at the age of 32 from complications of a rare blood disease. Prior to his death he was also diagnosed with Lupus.

Join the Walk for Dilla (J Dilla Project) to support doctors and researchers find a cure for Lupus.

November, 3 2007 WALK FOR DILLA (Lupus Charity)

National Mall, Washington DC

Check in begins at 9:00 a.m. Walk begins at 10:00 a.m. Rain or Shine.

Distance: 5k (3.1 miles).

For more information visit the JDilla Project

Niggy Tardust

Saul Williams has reinvented himself, as all amazing artist do. He is now Niggy Tardust, and along with this new alter ego comes a new album. Those of you familiar with his first music project, Amethyst Rockstar, know that this man is capable of creating beautiful music. He ain't too bad on the poetry tip either!

The album is available for download on November 1st, but you can pre-order it on his website here.