Coming back to school can be a stressful time. Between balancing classes and homework, spare time may seem like a foreign concept. However, coming back to the district doesn’t have to be all about that school-grind. September is a great month to check out some things happening around D.C. Here is a rundown of some of the great art museum exhibitions going on throughout September.
What: Salvatore Scarpitta: Traveler
Where: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
When: July 17, 2014 – January 11, 2015
The Hirshhorn continues to showcase innovative contemporary works with this exhibition, which highlights the work of the American artist Salvatore Scarpitta. Scarpitta was known for studying the art of motion through sculpture. This exhibit highlights the ways in which he linked the worlds of art and car racing. This will be Scarpitta’s first ever solo presentation of his artwork on the East Coast and the first one in the United States in over a decade! Be sure to head over to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to experience Scarpitta’s fascination with movement brought to life in this innovative exhibition.
What: Perspectives: Chiharu Shiota
Where: Freer Gallery
When: August 30, 2014 – June 7, 2015
There couldn’t be a better word to describe this exhibition than perspectives. Japanese performance and installation artist, Chiharu Shiota, creates a monumental piece that speaks to intimate themes. Shiota uses a collection of discarded shoes and notes to explore personal loss and the memories we keep of lost individuals. Although the magnitude of Shiota’s work is great, she adds a level of personalization. The installation consists of 350 shoes each attached to a handwritten note from its individual owner. Shiota’s art examines the link between objects and their owners and how the meaning we attach to familiar objects can change over time. This won’t just be an exhibit to witness but to experience!
(Centre of Japanese Art and Technology, Krakow, Poland by Chiharu Shiota; 2004)
What: Mark Tribe: Plein Air
Where: Corcoran Gallery of Art
When: July 19, 2014 – September 28, 2014
You don’t have to jump on a plane to be transported to new heights this fall. Mark Tribe takes you higher with his landscape photography as he explores the representation of aerial views. Commissioned by the Corcoran Gallery, Tribe created digital simulations of real landscapes. Tribe’s software used geospatial data and fractal algorithms to present an abstraction of what we think we know and perceive. This innovative exhibition challenges the basic premise of photograph. Tribe’s art blurs the lines between actual reality and simulated reality by producing images that although are artificial still hold a sense of powerful meaning.
What: Portraiture Now: Staging the Self
Where: The National Portrait Gallery
When: August 22, 2014 – April 12, 2015
Currently at the National Portrait Gallery is the ninth installation of “Portraiture Now.” “Portraiture Now: Staging the Self” features the work of six U.S. Latino artists who seek to present the individual more theatrically. The exhibition breaks down the conventions of traditional portraiture focusing their work on telling personal stories. Manipulating images or superimposing portraits the artists explore portraiture as a means for self-discovery.