Tag Archives: corcoran

Food and Drink
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ARTINI Week Three

Frank Jones of The Gibson for ARTINI 2012. Photo credit: Dan Swartz. Courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

ARTINI 2012 is underway! Twelve** Eleven talented bartenders have created cocktails inspired by works in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Every Friday the We Love DC drinks team will wrap up the week’s feature nights with reviews of each ARTINI entry, to culminate at the gala on March 31st. Check out our notes from Week One and Week Two – and find out what we thought of Week Three.

ARTINI 7: Chantal Tseng, Tabard Inn
Inspiration: Indian Warrior, Alexander Phimister Proctor, 1918, bronze
Reviewer: Fedward

Chantal Tseng’s Horsefeather, inspired by Alexander Phimister Proctor’s 1918 bronze, Indian Warrior, comes with a story of its concept. It “… represents a kind of pre-battle elixir, kind of like an offering to the warrior gods.” It’s a tasty concoction of Mount Gay rum, echinacea root tea, lime juice, honey syrup, molasses, and allspice dram, garnished with a slice of “charred spiced dried apple” (which was flamed on the spot). Oh, and it was served with a side of smoked hickory and roasted coconut popcorn. Chantal’s description of the drink is apt. The elements of smoke, spice, and earth (in the apple, tea, and molasses) bring visions of the warrior himself to life. Of the three ARTINIs I’ve had so far, its taste is most evocative of its inspiration, although Rachel Sergi’s Niagara was more visually apt. I’ll be very curious which approach the ARTINI judges prefer. Continue reading →

Food and Drink
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ARTINI: Week One Features

Oyamel ARTINI by Daniel Swartz, Courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art

It is ARTINI season – which might just be the happiest season of all for your We Love DC lushes, who think a combination of fine art and fine cocktails is pretty hard to beat.

Hosted by the 1869 Society to benefit the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s “ArtReach” education programs, the ARTINI gala on March 31st is an annual event not to be missed. Twelve** Eleven of DC’s best mixologists will engage in a friendly competition to make drinks inspired by impressive artworks from the Corcoran’s collection.

Throughout the month of March, these drinks are available on Feature Nights at each participating bar, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Corcoran. During these opportunities to sample, the public can also vote for their favorite among the drinks. The Drinks Team will be tasting them all and posting our thoughts here in weekly round-ups – and we encourage you to visit each bar and taste along with us.
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Downtown, Entertainment, The Daily Feed
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Gaia Returns to the Corcoran on Saturday

Photo courtesy of
‘Turntables’
courtesy of ‘oparrish’

On November 19th, Gaia will make a triumphant return to the Corcoran after a sold-out party held there over the summer. This evening of music, visual and performance art – even a bit of magic – is sure to please anybody looking for an arty alternative to the usual nightclub experience.

For one night, the D.C.-based Gaia collective of DJs, musicians, artists, dancers, and more will take over the Corcoran space to create an interactive, multimedia experience which actively engages with the visual art on display in the gallery and the architecture of the building itself.
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Special Events
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FotoWeek DC Returns This Week

FotoWeek DC--See you next year!
FotoWeek DC by Hoffmann

FotoWeek DC will return to the District this week for a series of exhibits celebrating the art of photography. The festival features over 150 photography-related workshops, lectures and exhibitions, as well as portfolio reviews by a specialized panel at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It all starts with a launch party scheduled for this Friday, and a schedule of events can be found below. The festivities run from November 5th – 12th. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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NOW at Night Lights Up the Corcoran on Friday

Photo by Dakota Fine, Courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art

This Friday night, you will want to put on a suit or party dress and head over to the Corcoran Gallery of Art for NOW at Night. Presented by the Corcoran Contemporaries, a group of arts patrons with a particular interest in supporting contemporary art, NOW at Night benefits NOW at the Corcoran, the institution’s dedicated contemporary gallery.

By no means an old-fashioned charity event, NOW at Night promises to be more of a chic, hip party. Remember our coverage of the gallery’s spring affair, ARTINI? For NOW at Night, however, instead of focusing on the elaborate cocktails, eyes will be on multimedia entertainment from the renowned Paul D. Miller, AKA DJ Spooky, a special viewing of 30 Americans, and a last chance to catch the current NOW exhibition, Chris Martin: Painting Big before it closes.

Tickets are still available and are for sale on the Corcoran’s website through Wednesday, October 19. Advance purchase is required – tickets will not be available at the door.

Now, go order tickets and start thinking about what you are going to wear!

Foggy Bottom, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: 30 Americans at Corcoran Gallery of Art

Kehinde Wiley, Sleep, 2008. Oil on canvas, 132 x 300 inches. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami.


At Tuesday night’s preview of 30 Americans, a representative of the Corcoran told the story of how, in 1940, a young, female, African-American artist secretly entered a contest held by the gallery, sending a white friend to drop off the painting because she feared she would not be allowed past the building’s grand front stairs because of the color of her skin. Lois Mailou Jones won the contest and had the prize mailed to her so she would never have to show her face.

Seventy-one years later, Ms. Jones’ painting is held in the Corcoran’s permanent collection and the gallery is hosting a powerful exhibit of contemporary African-American artists which has already generated tremendous excitement in advance of the October 1st public opening.

One of the most-anticipated openings hitting the walls of DC galleries (in a season that is proving to be crowded with buzzed-over exhibits), 30 Americans brings together three decades of influential African-American artists, both household name and lesser-known, in a variety of media. The principle by which they are organized is that all seventy-six works on display (by, in fact, thirty-one American artists) grapple with the concept of identity – particularly but not exclusively race – in modern American life.
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The Daily Feed
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Afternoon Video Delight

I always need an afternoon pick me up.  Some days it comes in the form of dark chocolate, but today it is all about this video.

NOW at the Corcoran’s inaugural exhibition presents new work by Spencer Finch.  This video gives you a peek into Finch’s magical world of perception and sensation.  Some trippy (and fascinating) stuff if you ask me.

The exhibit will be on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art through January 23, 2011.

The Daily Feed
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Chuck Close Extended

Photo courtesy of
‘Chuck Close 01’
courtesy of ‘Max Cook’

When a great exhibit is in town, I am always sad to see it go.  So finding out that Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration at The Corcoran Gallery of Art has been extended till September 26  makes me all giddy and happy inside.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, Corcoran’s Free Summer Saturdays will run through Labor Day weekend.  What a fantastic and FREE way to spend your lovely holiday here in D.C.!

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is located 500 Seventeenth St NW.

The Daily Feed
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Author Stephen Salny on Francis Elkins

Photo courtesy of
‘Lonely Lady’
courtesy of ‘Hoffmann’

Author Stephen Salny will be giving a talk on Tuesday night at the Corcoran (7PM) about his critically-acclaimed book, Francis Elkins: Interior Design (Norton, 2005).   Francis Elkins is best known for her avant-garde style, pushing the boundaries of Interior Design for the first half of the 20th century, and ultimately still influencing the practice today.

For more on author Stephen Salny, check out his interview with We Love DC!

Tickets are $15 for the public and $12 for Corcoran Members, ASID, and AIA.

For more information please call 202-639-1770.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is located at 500 Seventeenth Street NW.

The Daily Feed
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Thomas O’Brien at the Corcoran Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Corcoran Gallery of Art’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

Tonight at 7 PM, interior designer Thomas O’Brien will be giving a talk at the Corcoran, discussing his new book American Modern (Abrams, 2010), a survey of seven of his most influential projects.  O’Brien is the founder and President of Aero Studios, one of America’s most influential design firms, and Aero, it’s home goods boutique in NYC.  Furthermore, he has created a line of home furnishings and bedding called “Vintage Modern” for Target, designed a fittings collection for Waterworks, and has been featured in numerous publications such as Elle Decor, House Beautiful and Architectural Digest.

I hope to see you there!

A book signing will follow the talk.

Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Helios, Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge, Horses. Running. Phryne L. Plate 40, 1879, from The Attitudes of Animals in Motion, 1881. Albumen silver print. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon 2006.131.7.

Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change at the Corcoran is the world’s first, comprehensive study of the photographer’s influential and inspirational career. Reigning over the field of photography for much of the second half of the 19th-century, Muybridge was a pioneer of the visual medium – bringing together both science and art in a seemingly effortless fashion.  The exhibition includes over 300 elements, spanning from books – to albums – to stereographs (and even a Zoopraxiscope), all of which portray pieces of a process, establishing the foundation of the Muybridge legacy.

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Special Events, The Features
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Eco Chic: Night of Stars and Rising Stars

Photo courtesy of
‘Eco Chic Star Award’
courtesy of ‘oparrish’

Last night at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the stars aligned.  Bringing together pioneers of the environmental movement in fashion, art, beauty, architecture, and interior design to celebrate the event, “Eco Chic: Night of Stars and Rising Stars”. The occasion, held on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day was the first of its kind; promoting awareness of Eco and Ethical Design, while recognizing the exemplary efforts of a few, key professionals on their pursuit of excellence.

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The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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Free Fun at the Corcoran

Photo courtesy of
‘Corcoran Gallery of Art’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

This just in…

This Sunday the Corcoran is open to the public, FREE of charge.

And as if this couldn’t get much better, it does.  Starting Memorial Day and lasting all summer, the Corcoran will be having FREE Summer Saturdays.  Join the Corcoran for gallery tours, workshops, and performances galore all for FREE.  Here is a link to check out all of these awesome events.

I am particularly looking forward to checking out the new exhibit Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change — opening this Saturday!

The Corcoran is located at 500 Seventeenth Street NW.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Special Tour of “Oil”

AMARC #5, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, USA, 2006. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

AMARC #5, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, USA, 2006. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

I’ve been hearing great things about the Edward Burtynsky exhibit “Oil,” which features large, intriguing, beautiful photographs related to oil — how we take it out of the ground, what we make with it, and the effects it has the world over.

Tonight offers a chance to see it up close and personal. CarbonfreeDC is hosting a social hour at the Corcoran Museum Cafe at 6 p.m., followed by a special guided tour of the exhibit.

I’m prepared to become addicted.

We Love Arts
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Edward Burtynsky: Oil

Highway #1, Intersection 105 & 110, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

Highway #1, Intersection 105 & 110, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003. Chromogenic color print. Photograph © Edward Burtynsky

Thankfully for those of us in D.C. who love art, especially those with a particular fondness for photography, we have Paul Roth and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.  Over the past couple of years they’ve had an amazing lineup of photography exhibits, showcasing a dream team of photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, and William Eggleston.  All known for completely different styles of photography (although it has been argued that Leibovitz is “copycatting Avedon“), there’s been a genre on display for everyone.  Continuing their record of hosting world class and historically important photography exhibits, the Corcoran opens Edward Burtynsky: Oil on Saturday.

I don’t read art magazines.  I don’t read art blogs or subscribe to their RSS feeds.  I don’t have a degree in art history and I’ve never taken a photography class.  I prefer to learn about art by experiencing it first hand, by learning about it from others, or by pure coincidence.  About a year ago I was adding movies to my Netflix queue when I came across a documentary called Manufactured Landscapes.  I had never heard of Edward Burtynsky but was enticed by the description of this film about “an examination of industrialization and globalization”, a concept that has always been interesting to me as I tend to look at things from a 10,000 foot point of view.  Needless to say that when I watched this documentary I was immediately a fan of Burtynsky’s, not necessarily for his photographic abilities, but for what he was interested in showing his audience.  Leibovitz can show you glamorous photos of Angelina Jolie with perfect lighting and makeup, but no matter how impressive they may be, you are only left with feelings of lust or admiration.  On the other hand, when you see Burtynsky’s photo of three Bangladeshi men standing barefoot in a pool of oil, you are left with feelings of wonder, with sorrow, with relief that you have a desk job.  Burtynsky’s photos are not only beautifully executed pieces of art, but they make you think and want to know more, which takes his photography to the next level.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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The Magic of the Single-Shot Photographer

Photo courtesy of
‘Personal Vision’
courtesy of ‘1Sock’

I read an article in Express yesterday that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. It was about color photographer William Eggleston, whose work is displayed at the Corcoran right now. The part that was amazing to me is his technique: he doesn’t take multiple frames of his subject and pick the best one, like most photographers. He takes one shot. Just one. And they’re not just good, they’re defining-art-photography amazing. This, I have to see. The exhibition, William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, will be open through September 20.