Art

Artomatic is an annual art (art, music, performance, film) festival featuring local artists in the DC area. This is the tenth year of the event that started in the historic Manhattan Laundry building in NW Washington, DC. There are nine full floors of art on display in a brand new building at 50 M Street, SE (Navy Yard Metro Station).

I went to Artomatic twice and still did not manage to see all Artomatic had to offer. Even though you may not see everything, it’s still worth taking a look today, the event’s last day. With so many different styles of art, there is truly something for everyone (though there are some pieces that are not kid-friendly).

Mask
Nuna peoples, Burkina Faso
Mid-20th century
Wood, pigment, metal

This mask depicts a butterfly, one of a cast of masquerade characters, and a representation of a bush spirit.  Butterflies signal the coming of rain and the start of the farming season.

One of the things that I like about the Washington, DC, area is the abundance of cool museums that are predominately free.  I admit, however, that like most I usually take them for granted.  I had not gone to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art in more than 10 years but stopped by to see the current exhibition African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection.  This collection is known for its unique and rare works of traditional African art from countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and has been instrumental in defining the field of African art history in the United States and abroad.

The exhibition, which runs until March 30, is worth taking a look.  There’s almost no one in the museum at lunch time during the week so that’s the perfect time to go.