Art Exhibits, Restaurant Week, Book Talk

Happy Monday, DC!

February may be coming to a close, but March has a fresh lineup of fun things to do. Attend a book talk with best-selling author Dolly Alderton, or view retro art at a number of new exhibitions opening in the area.

Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend

February 26-March 3

1. Dolly Alderton book talk. New York Times bestselling author Dolly Alderton is no stranger to writing good material. The podcaster and author of the popular memoir-turned-TV-series Everything I Know About Love recently released a new romance novel about heartbreak and friendship. At the Sixth & I talk, Alderton will be accompanied by DC author Karin Tanabe to unpack Good Material’s sharply funny narrative (Wed, $12+ for virtual, $25+ for in-person, Downtown).
2. “Bonnard’s Worlds” at The Phillips Collection. It’s been 20 years since The Phillips Collection featured a major retrospective of Pierre Bonnard’s work. This week, bold illustrations and colorful prints from the French painter will go on display in a new exhibition that reflects the artist’s international scope, “Bonnard’s Worlds” (Sat through June 2, $20, free for 18 and under, Dupont).
3. Fairfax City Restaurant Week. Restaurant deals and specialty menus kick off this week in Fairfax City. Diners can choose from pre-fixe brunch, lunch, and dinner menus (Mon-Sun, $10+, Fairfax).
4. Fire & Ice Festival. Chevy Chase Lake is inviting neighbors to embrace the cold weather at the inaugural Fire & Ice Festival. The outdoor event boasts live fire performances, ice sculptures, a hot cocoa bar, live music, drink specials from Uncorked, games, and a fire pit with s’more to warm up (Sat, free, Chevy Chase).
5. “David C. Driskell & Friends” exhibit. More than 70 artworks by 35 prominent African American artists make up the David C. Driskell Center’s latest exhibition at the University of Maryland. As Black History Month comes to a close this week, spectators can visit the opening of “David C. Driskell & Friends: Creativity, Collaboration, and Friendship” to view archival visual works from major Black artists such as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Aaron Douglas, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Alma Thomas (Mon through May 24, free, University of Maryland).
6.  Ari Voxx concert. Ari Voxx is a local pop star who performs regularly around town, filling music venues with her eclectic sound. This month the singer-songwriter is a headliner at secret pop-up concert series SoFar Sounds DC. You can snag a ticket to see the intimate showcase at Eaton House (Fri, $27, Downtown).

Want More Things to Do?

Arts and culture:

• February James explores the meaning of home in a reflective exhibit at Mobile Art Gallery (Wed-Sun through March 24, free, Southwest DC).
• Create a custom lip shade with a group of friends at the Wharf’s recently opened Lip Lab (daily, $40+, Wharf).
• See the colorful shapes of American artist Ellsworth Kelly in his retrospective “Ellsworth Kelly at 100” at Glenstone before it closes (through March 17, free, but tickets required, Potomac).
• Observe art designed by artists of Italian descent in the Americas, and explore the impact of migration, at the Art Museum of the Americas (through May 12, free, Northwest DC).
• Writer Paul Alexander discusses his biography about the life and music of Billie Holiday (Tues, free, MLK Library).
• Hear the environment-themed poems of Saretta Morgan and three other authors at Loyalty Bookstores (Wed, free, but registration required, Petworth).
• Visit the National Building Museum to discover the architectural works of artist Nina Cooke John (Thurs, $15, Penn Quarter).
• Author and DC food writer Travis Mitchell will be signing his new book DC Cocktails at Ambar; there will be cocktails to taste, too (Sun, $36+, Shaw).

Community and heritage:

• Go on a Black History Month Run through the historic U Street Corridor (Mon, free, U Street).
• Get a rare look at the concert gown of historic Black singer Marian Anderson. The sequined dress is on display at DAR Museum for a limited time (through Fri, free, Downtown).
• Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University is showcasing the late 20th century works of Ghanaian photographer Gerald Annan-Forson (opens Mon, free, Howard University).

Theater and shows:

• Watch the ’60s neo-noir mystery movie In The Heat of The Night starring Sidney Poitier (Mon, $13, Union Market).
• Spanish Cinema Now + at Spanish Cultural Center returns with six screenings that demonstrate the diversity of modern cinema (Wed, free, but registration required, Northwest DC).
• DC entertainers Benny and Jasmine Burton host Young, Black and Funny at Union Stage (Thurs, $20+, Wharf).
• View replays of Oscar-nominated films at ShowPlace ICON Theatre ahead of the awards show (Thurs, March 7, $15, Tysons).
• Six original plays will be written, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours. Watch the show at Imagination Stage to see how the stories come together (Sat, $18, Bethesda).

Music and concerts:

• Pianist Beatrice Rana plays classical melodies at Kennedy Center (Mon, $40+, Kennedy Center).
• Listen to east African tunes performed by BCMC at Rhizome (Mon, $20+, Northwest DC).
• Avant-garde pop artist Tkay Maidza makes a tour stop in DC (Tues, $22+, Howard Theatre).
• Madi Diaz brings The Weird Faith Tour to The Atlantis (Tues, $50, Shaw).
• Local DJs are spinning hip-hop mixes at Kennedy Center for the Vibes & Vinyl Party and Jam Session (Thurs, $45, Kennedy Center).
• Mexican artist BRATTY rocks a Leap Day concert at Songbyrd (Thurs, $18+, Northeast DC).
• Hear the DakhaBrakha quartet sing Ukrainian folk music at Strathmore (Fri, $28+, Bethesda).
• Hockey Dad rock duo performs at Songbyrd (Fri, $27, Union Market).
• Pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu with violinist Josef Špaček, and cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin make up the Trio Zimbalist. Their in-person show at The Phillips Collection is sold out, but you can watch the livestream (Sun, $15, Dupont).
• Washington Master Chorale presents their season operatic finale in A Bel Canto Salon (Sun, $40+, virtual, Northwest DC).

Bites and beverages:

• Neptune Room turns four this week. You can celebrate the Brightwood Park bar with food, baked goods, and a Chinese street market (Wed, free, Brightwood Park).
• Spend Leap Day at a storytelling cocktail hour (Thurs, $15, Capitol Hill).
• Raise a glass to the 90th anniversary of prohibition ending in DC at a Heurich House tour and tasting (Fri, $35, Dupont).

Get Involved:

Things to do with kids:

• Children’s book series Elephant & Piggie comes to life on stage in the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company new production (closes March 17, $17+, Frederick).
• Celebrate Women’s History Month with the National Gallery of Art. The weekend fun day includes kid-friendly short films, face painting, and a curated selection of books for youngsters to enjoy (Sat, free, National Gallery of Art).

Plan ahead:

• The Embassy Chef Challenge is back next week. Get a ticket to try dishes from international embassy chefs as they battle it out in a cooking competition (March 7, $150, Union Station).
• Cherry blossom season is on the horizon, which means the annual Pink Tie Party is back (March 15, $250, Union Station).

If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.

Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.