Spring Arts Preview
Pages 9-15
Sunday,
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Exploring the DMV Arts Scene: Creativity Thrives
Washington, DC, and its surrounding regions are home to a dynamic and diverse performing arts community. From intimate local theaters to grand concert halls, the cultural landscape of the area is rich with creative expression, fostering talent and engaging audiences. This roundup explores some of the most notable performing arts organizations and venues, including the Keegan Theatre, Gala Theatre, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, George Mason Center for the Arts, Creative Cauldron Falls Church, Falls Church Arts, and the Friday Morning Music Club. Each of these institutions contributes to the artistic vibrancy of the region in unique ways.
Keegan Theatre: Intimate and Bold Storytelling
The Keegan Theatre, located in Dupont Circle, is known for its commitment to producing bold and transformative performances. Founded in 1996, the Keegan Theatre has built a strong reputation for showcasing emotionally powerful plays, including both classic and contemporary works. Their mission is centered around creating productions that resonate deeply with audiences, fostering conversations about the human experience. The venue itself, a charming, intimate space, provides an up-close connection between actors and theatergoers, making each performance a personal experience.
Gala Theatre: A Hub for Latino Performing Arts
Located in the heart of Columbia Heights, Gala Hispanic Theatre stands as a beacon for Latino arts and culture in Washington, DC. Since its founding in 1976, Gala Theatre has been instrumental in bringing Latino voices and stories to the forefront through engaging plays, musicals, and cultural performances. Its productions often feature bilingual and Spanish-language works, ensuring accessibility to a diverse audience. Beyond theater productions, Gala Theatre actively engages the community through educational programs, youth outreach, and collaborations with Latin American artists.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC: Using Music to Inspire and Empower
For over 40 years, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) has stood as a symbol of inclusivity, artistic excellence, and social advocacy. This
renowned choral ensemble, with over 200 members, uses the power of music to uplift, educate, and inspire. Their performances span genres from Broadway hits to classical choral works, often incorporating themes of LGBTQ+ rights and equality. In addition to its seasonal concerts, GMCW participates in outreach programs and community events, bringing music and messages of hope to schools, churches, and public forums throughout the region.
George Mason Center for the Arts:
A Premier Performing Arts Venue
Located on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, the Center for the Arts serves as a cornerstone of the region’s performing arts scene. With its impressive 2,000-seat concert hall, this venue hosts an array of performances, including orchestras, ballet, opera, and theater productions. It serves as both a stage for professional touring companies and a showcase for student and faculty performances from George Mason University’s highly regarded School of Music and Theater. Audiences can enjoy a diverse lineup of world-class performances throughout the year, making it a cultural hub in Northern Virginia.
Creative Cauldron Falls Church: A Nurturing Space for Artists
In the city of Falls Church, Creative Cauldron has carved out a niche as a space dedicated to innovative storytelling and the development of local talent. This black box theater and arts organization specializes in intimate productions that blend theater, music, and visual arts. One of its signature programs, the Bold New Works for Intimate Stages initiative, focuses on producing original musicals and plays that reflect contemporary social themes. Additionally, Creative Cauldron fosters emerging talent through its Learning Theater program, which provides young actors with hands-on theater experience alongside professional artists.
Falls Church Arts: Showcasing Visual Creativity
Unlike the other organizations on this list that focus on performing arts, Falls Church Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to the visual arts. It provides a platform for local artists to exhibit and sell their work while engaging the community through workshops, exhibitions, and interactive programs. Located in the heart of Falls
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RHYTHM INDIA
CHERISH THE LADIES
SPRING ARTS
Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Getting Into the Arts
Church, its gallery space regularly features rotating exhibits that highlight various artistic styles and mediums, from painting and photography to sculpture and mixed media. Falls Church Arts plays a vital role in making art accessible and fostering a strong community of artists and art lovers.
Friday Morning Music Club: A Tradition of Musical Excellence
Founded in 1886, the Friday Morning Music Club (FMMC) holds the distinction of being one of the oldest and most respected musical organizations in Washington, DC. This classical music society is composed of accomplished musicians who perform free concerts throughout the city, making high-caliber chamber music, orchestral performances, and solo recitals available to the public. The club is also dedicated to nurturing young talent, offering scholar-
ships and competition opportunities for aspiring classical musicians. With performances held in some of DC’s most iconic venues, FMMC remains a cherished institution within the region’s classical music landscape.
Each of these organizations contributes significantly to the cultural fabric of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Their collective impact extends beyond entertainment, as they also serve as platforms for education, artistic innovation, and community engagement. From celebrating Latin American culture at Gala Theatre to empowering LGBTQ+ voices through the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, these institutions exemplify the power of the arts to foster inclusivity, dialogue, and social change.
Additionally, venues such as the George Mason Center for the Arts and Creative Cauldron provide opportunities for both established artists and emerging talent to connect with audiences. Meanwhile, Falls Church Arts ensures that visual artists
have a space to thrive, and the Friday Morning Music Club continues a long-standing tradition of bringing classical music to the public for free.
The Washington, DC area is undeniably rich in artistic diversity, with institutions that cater
to a wide range of artistic tastes and cultural interests. Whether one is seeking an intimate theatrical experience, an inspiring choral performance, a visual arts exhibit, or a world-class orchestral concert, these organizations ensure that the region
remains a thriving hub for the arts. As the arts community continues to evolve and grow, these venues and ensembles play a crucial role in shaping the cultural landscape and providing meaningful artistic experiences for all. FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 5,
SPRING ARTS
National Building Museum Unveils Captivating New Exhibits
by Patricia Leslie
“Build it and they will come” to the National Building Museum which features something for everyone from “bricks” to architecture to the museum’s historical objects on view for the first time.
The newest exhibition, “A South Forty,” presents American Southern contemporary architecture and designs beginning in the 1990s and created by 40 regional firms found along the US Highway 40 corridor starting in North Carolina and ending in Oklahoma.
Curated by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, photographs and models reflect the dynamic changes in the region and how personalities and Southern environments infuse structures.
“Brick City,” is in another gallery, an astonishing presentation of landmark buildings from around the world which United Kingdom artist Warren Elsmore has constructed entirely of Legos (with one exception).
Exquisitely crafted, these structures are unbelievable in their complexity and they are certain to pro-
duce astonishment for those who see San Francisco’s “painted ladies” houses, the Empire State Building and many more.
Anchoring the gallery is the magnificent centerpiece, London’s St. Pancras Station, measuring 12 feet and containing more than 180,000 Legos.
Other notables are the “Mona Lisa” (which took Elsmore 14 hours and 900 bricks to assemble), Moscow’s St. Basil’s Cathedral (100 hours, 3000 bricks), and Rome’s Colosseum (25 hours, 1600 bricks).
It took the artist and his team 24 hours and 2000 bricks to construct the Lincoln Memorial, and 12 hours and 800 bricks for Buckingham Palace’s balcony scene of Prince William and Kate’s 2011 wedding, with the notable exception that some non-brick items were used for the Royals’ clothing.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans happens next Tuesday and Elsmore celebrates the festival with 9,000 bricks which took him 50 hours to erect.
Plentiful bricks and tables to construct personal landmarks by visitors to the museum are available for more fun. (On the day I was there about the same number of fathers
were building Lego designs as their children.)
It’s a “must see to believe” show!
Another exhibition, which closes March 17, is “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania” of architecture past and future from the 1930s through the 1950s which Wright (1867-1959) finished and others, he didn’t.
It “examines how [Wright’s] vision of the future might have impacted urban, suburban, and rural landscapes,” says the museum’s website. A film with original music presents three Pittsburgh “unrealized” properties.
Still another architectural exhibition, this one held over until June 30, 2025, is “Capital Brutalism” about seven structures in Washington and the WMATA Metro system.
Characterizing “brutalism” (and eerily prescient of today’s environment!) are straight and harsh geometric lines of unpainted concrete, brick, steel and glass, void of personal drama (the exteriors), the style which came of age in response to the first Cold War (1947-1991).
The designs suggests the stark, cold lines and environment of a casket, inhabited by non-humans (which
our nation’s capital may become after some get their fill).
The museum’s website says many of the buildings “haven’t aged well,” but I was heartbroken when the Third Church Of Christ, Scientist on 16th was demolished in 2014 because the church didn’t have funds to maintain it.
The brutalists in the exhibition are the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Lauinger Library at Georgetown University, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, and the Euram Building at Dupont Circle.
Also, the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), the James V. Forrestal Building (U.S. Department of Energy) and the Hubert H. Humphrey Building (now the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
Robert C. Weaver (1907-1997) was the first HUD secretary and first Black cabinet member. James V. Forrestal (1892-1949) was the first secretary of defense whose namesake was originally built to house Pentagon personnel and now, the U.S. Department of Energy.
Former presidential nominee,
vice president and U.S. senator Hubert H. Humphrey (1911-1978) was the first living person to have a building named after him who died 75 days after the building was dedicated in 1977.
The National Building Museum is loaded with ongoing exhibitions, too, like “Building Stories,” designed in collaboration with the DC Public Library, which is an exploration of children’s books related to the buildings around them, especially aimed at grades K-3 students and their parents and caregivers.
Another ongoing and one of the most intriguing galleries and among my favorites, is “Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage,” a broad range of historical objects and artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection previously unseen by the public due to size, scope, and material.
And there are more!
The National Building Museum, 401 F Street, Washington, D.C. 20001, is across the street from the Judiciary Square (Red Line) Metro stop and four blocks from the National Mall near the National Gallery of Art.
SPRING ARTS
Creative Currents: Exploring the Vibrant Arts Scene in F.C.
by Falls Church Arts
Al Fresco Arts
Events in Falls Church
Falls Church Spring Window Painting Festival (March 22) is a celebration of spring with merchant storefront windows being painted. Many young painters will take to the streets between 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on March 22 to paint festive, familyfriendly, spring-themed designs on storefront windows along the major Falls Church City thoroughfares. This grew from the very popular fall window painting event around Halloween. Over the years this is another part of the community fabric that makes Falls Church a great place to live and visit. It was initiated by Marty Baer of Falls Church Arts and joined by Bethany Henderson. Businesses asked if a spring painting was possible – and this year, for the first time, it is being provided. Those aspiring artists will return to clean up the windows on April 19. This volunteer-led event is sponsored by Falls Church Arts. There is no cost to participating merchants.
Arts at the Park in Falls Church (April 26) will be held for the 3rd
year and appears to be becoming an annual part of the local arts calendar.
It is part of the City’s World Art Day celebration which showcases over 40 artists work, but also fosters community engagement and appreciation for the arts. The spring Arts at the Park will occur this year on Saturday April 26 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. near the Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Park. The rain date is May 3rd.
In Falls Church, this event evolved from a sequence of events when Falls Church Arts rescheduled Plein Air Falls Church event from spring to September during Covid. What followed were requests for a spring art event in the City. Members of the City’s Arts and Humanities Council, Mary Sellers and Ari Autor raised the possibilities of celebrating World Day which is a United Nations initiated event. With a general consensus to move forward, the AHC leaders teamed with the Falls Church CATCH Foundation members Roxanne Kaylor and Keith Thurston to provide several free arts events for the public. In the first two years it included the Arts at the Park, open house artists’ studio tours, and dance demonstrations. Each year, the mix of events has varied to keep
it interesting.
World Art Day was first proposed as an international celebration of the fine arts at the 17th General Assembly of the International Association of Art (IAA) in Guadalajara. This proposal was sponsored by Bedri Baykam of Turkey and co-signed by Rosa Maria Burillo Velasco of Mexico and supported by 10 other countries. It was accepted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly, and promoted by UNESCO to help preserve the arts and cultures of societies around the world. The first celebrations were held in 2012 in many countries, and it has grown each year.
The IAA suggest that the date in April be adopted in honor of the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci (April 15). Da Vinci was chosen as a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, brotherhood and multiculturalism. It also highlights art’s importance to other parts of society and the economy. It promotes awareness of creative activity worldwide. Since April 15 falls on a weekday, Falls Church and other locations celebrate on a weekend in late April.
En Plein Air Festival Falls Church (September 26) There are
many Plein Air events around the U.S. and the world. Painters of rural and urban landscapes travel to these festivals for an opportunity to paint interesting local venues, to compete for thousands in cash prizes and win acclaim and recognition with the juror awards. One of the largest al fresco events in Falls Church for painters and the public participation is the Plein Air Festival. It attracts painters form the mid-Atlantic area
to come to Falls Church for two weeks to paint the scenes around the City. Then Falls Church Arts
President Barbara Cram started the event here in 2007, and it has grown and thrived since. One of the prizes is awarded each year in her memory. At the culmination on September 26, Farmers Market visitors can vote for their favorite, and buy a unique and beautiful view of their favorite things about the Falls Church.
WORLD ART DAY held in Falls Church. (Photo: Keith Thurston).
Laura Conners Hull Talks About Her Creative Cauldron Adventure
Last week marked the momentous and historic opening of a permanent new home for Creative Cauldron, the City of Falls Church’s home grown and operated theatre production and education nonprofit. A full house attended the opening of an energetic production of “Steel Magnolias” following a Friday noon ribbon-cutting that involved the full contingent of A List community leaders.
Though she was too busy taking care of all the last minute pressures of getting the place ready for showtime, Laura Connors Hull, the creative force behind the whole shebang from before its beginning, found herself with the tangible results of this phase of her enormous efforts and achievements to bring something very important to her town.
A friend of the News-Press from the get-go, Connors Hull shared a summary of her experiences creating and cultivating the Creative Cauldron with this newspaper this week.
The effort is technically in its 24th year, though it was in the late 1990s that Hull developed the vision for what has come to pass beyond her dreams.
She told the News-Press her story from the beginning.
“I started out with an idea of developing a professional theater company right out of college in Ohio,” she said. Penniless after travelling upon graduating, she took advantage of Carter administration arts initiatives and worked for nine years creating and advancing community theater in Astabula, Ohio, a city almost the exact size as Falls Church an hour east of Cleveland.
She said she longed for a more impactful environment, which led to her moving to the D.C. area. “I was tired of being a big fish in a small pond, I longed for an international community. D.C. was perfect, New York was too much for me.
“I got involved in the business side of theater, starting with a West End dinner theater in Alexandria where I was director of sales for three years. I moved to the Arena Stage in D.C., the mother ship of the regional theater movement here, where I was able to double their sales in the first year. I became the publicity director for 10 years, with a staff of 35 and a budget of $6 million.
“But I had two kids at home, and the artist in me had become disconnected. I decided I had to do something, so I remained as a consultant with Arena, while I spent more time with my kids at home, and wondered why there wasn’t more of the arts in the Falls Church area.
So I decided to form a non–profit.”
She said she was fortunate that one of her first hires was the incredibly creative Matt Conner. “His arrival became an absolute inflection point. I hired him in 2002 as media director, and he was also a composer, actor and amazingly creative person. We wrote a grant proposal to Fairfax Arts for our first production by him, the ‘King of Pizza.’ We began a director and musical composition journey, paired with different writers, including his husband, Steven Gregory Smith, and the collaboration led to our Bold New Works for Intimate Stages project.
“Matt and Steven decided they wanted to develop shows for all five years of this project, and in the near future we will be revisiting all of them here 10 years after their original launch. They included ‘The Turning of the Screw,’ ‘Monsters of the Villa Diadade,’ ‘Kaleidoscope,’ ‘Witch’ and ‘On Air,’ about the first radio broadcasts. Matt had also written and directed ‘Nevermore,’ a production for the Signature Theater in Arlington that we also did two runs of here.”
Hull said the experience of creating and running Creative Cauldorn has been such a major source of joy for her.
“There are so many memories. It is amazing. Receiving letters and testimonials from young people who came up through our program make me feel the best of all, the idea of making a difference that will last for someone over decades makes for me the most joy.”
While that is the real reward for her work, it must also be noted that the Cauldron’s production have earned a couple dozen Helen Hayes Award nominations and five or six wins, she noted.
The new space was developed as a result of contact with Rick Hauser of the Insight Property Group, she said. He came to a production at the old home of
the Cauldron on S. Maple, which had been its home for a full decade.
“We had outgrown that space, and after a 10 year lease there was no extension option and had a cumbersome triple-net lease, compared to the simple fee lease we have now,” she said. “Rick Hauser, when he first showed up at our old space, said ‘So this is where the arts live in Falls Church!”
Laura and her team learned of the Insight Group’s plans for their large scale Broad and Washington project, and won Hauser over on the idea of providing the 5,000 square feet in their new project at a low rent with options for extending their lease 30 years into the future.
“We’d outgrown the old space and needed a bigger footprint for more educational programming, storage space, a proper dressing room and capability of making audiences comfortable. We were sad to leave the old space that we’d occupied since 2009.” In fact, Laura is still in the process of cleaning stuff out of the old location.
“It was the interest of Rick Hauser, the top dog at Insight, that has made this possible. He and his team are visionaries, they believe in the synergy of the arts and community. Now Maury Sterns has become our main contact with Insight, and I am beyond pleased,” she said.
“It is an astonishing experience to walk in. It is a beautiful space, the community as a whole has a treasure realized. We are delighted that we were able to raise $750,000 over two years to outfit the space. We are in an environment with other theater groups nearby, including the Nova Nightsky and Providence Players.
“I decided to put my roots in Falls Church for a reason.There is a ‘there there.’ It is more than a crossroads, and is now really living up to its potential.”
LAURA HULL SHOWS off the new theater space of Creative Cauldron. (Photo: News-Press)
by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press
SPRING ARTS
FCArts Latest Show Light & Dark Contrast Opens March 1st
by Susan Hillson
The creativity of forty-four local photographers will be presented when Falls Church Arts hosts the exhibit Light & Dark: Contrast next month. The exhibit continues the organization’s long-standing support of arts in the community.
The sixty-piece exhibit will open Saturday, March 1, with a meet-the-artists reception from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the gallery of Falls Church Arts, 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church, Virginia. The event is free and open to the public. The Juror’s Choice Award will be announced at the reception. Visitors are invited to vote for the People’s Choice Award at the gallery before March 21.
The color and black and white images will be on display from March 1 to April 6, 2025. Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery is open Tuesdays–Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The images can also be viewed at https:// www.fallschurcharts.org. All images are available for purchase at the gallery or online.
Aimee George, juror for Light and Dark: Contrast, is an artist and educator native to the Shenandoah Valley. She teaches art at James Madison University. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree with concentration in photography from James Madison University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Shepherd University. She has juried a national photography exhibition at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts and given a gallery lecture on experimental photography at James Madison University.
George said, “When I began looking through the 147 entries from 57 photographers for Light & Dark: Contrast, I was
struck by the small, yet profound moments captured in each image.”
Commenting on the judging process, she wrote: “The artists who submitted their work explored contrast in an expansive variety of ways—through bold tonal shifts, striking juxtapositions of subject matter, and dynamic compositions that played with light and shadow. Some took contrast literally, capturing stark differences in brightness and form, while others embraced it metaphorically, telling profound stories of opposing forces, emotions, memories, and ideas. Seeing such diversity in perspective and execution filled me with deep appreciation—the thoughtfulness behind each piece and the creative endeavors to capture these moments made this exhibition even more compelling.
“Light & Dark: Contrast is a tribute to the world we live in and the fleeting, blissful moments we all share.”
For more information, please email info@fallschurcharts.org.
Exhibiting photographers are:
John Allen, Asia Anderson, Maureen Budetti,DeVanteCapers,KathleenConklin, Nasr Dallaa, Robert Davidson, Chuck Dervarics, Success Ellington, Gregory Felder, Steven Ferri, Sharon Fields, Rafael Franco Dolande, Maureen Goss, James Hengst, Dan Hildt, Justin Holtzman, Lizzy Javier, Steve Jennings, Chris Kagy, Nihal Koyash, Al Krachman, Thomas Lauzon, Naomi Lipsky, Samantha Mandeles, Alan McAfee, McKaid McConnel, Suzanne McIntire,ZanMcKelway,NancyMPatrick, Margaret Raymond, Elise Ritter-Clough, Carl Salsbury, Susan Sanders, Cynthia Schoeppel, Janet Sifers, Thomas Smith, Tom Updike, John Valenti, Alexandra van den Heever, Jeff Vincent, David Voss, Andrew Wohl,Amy Woodhouse.
SUSAN SANDERS AFTER THE RAIN will be on display along with 59 other pieces. The show opens March 1st at Falls Church Arts, 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church, Virginia. (Photo: Falls Church Arts)