It seems like DC's art scene is exploding. New art spaces are popping up across the city and blogs that focus on art-related activities are becoming more numerous. Is DC the next big art city? Who can say? I know one thing for sure—a lot of talented people call the DC metropolitan area home.
Many of these artists have works in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's permanent collection. Last spring, we decided to invite several local artists with works on display in the museum's Luce Foundation Center to talk about their work during our regular Art + Coffee program. Museum visitors loved directly interacting with them, as did we! As a result, we decided to expand the program to invite local artists who are not necessarily represented in our collections. Our neighbor down the street, Flashpoint Gallery, is helping us connect with many of these creative individuals.
On select Sundays each month, an artist, or artists in the case of the program in April, gives a talk that connects his or her work with specific pieces on view, or uses the space as inspiration. Adam de Boer and Hannah Naomi Kim were our first two artists. The third talk is this Sunday, March 20, with Juan Tejedor, whose work is currently showing at Flashpoint Gallery. He'll be talking about Ibram Lassaw's sculpture The Hyades, which was named for a cluster of stars in the Taurus constellation. Tejedor chose this piece because he often interprets natural and built structures in his own work.
Come support our local artists and take a look at some of the objects on display at the Luce Center. Hope to see you Sunday!
