Curated by Adrian Loving, the “Downtown Scene of NY” Film Series brings films about the hailed underground art scene of 1970s and 80s New York City to galleries in DC. The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Phillips Collection, and National Gallery of Art have partnered to screen the four selected films, for free, until the middle of October.

At the Corcoran, Downtown Calling and Downtown 81 have been selected to dovetail with their much-buzzed-about current exhibition, “30 Americans.” Iconic pop artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the titular thirty notable African-American artists of the last thirty years, and features prominently in both films.

Downtown Calling will screen on Friday, the 23rd, at 7:00 and Downtown 81 will be on Sunday, October 9th, at 4pm. There will be informative q-and-a sessions following each film. Both events are free and open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged.

The series also includes Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child at the NGA on October 1st and the opened earlier this week with The Universe of Keith Haring at The Phillip’s Collection, followed by a launch party at Blackbyrd Warehouse.

Brittany Martin

Brittany has tried to leave DC, it just never lasts. She has lived in Chicago, California, and China – but she always comes back home. Brittany is a drinks, nightlife, and style correspondent for We Love DC. Between columns, you can find her on Twitter, Tumblr, or standing by the bar. Email her at brittany(at)welovedc.com.