Celebrate the Arts at Area Festivals

Friday, September 11, 2009

Penn Quarter is hosting an event this weekend called Arts on Foot, which probably works better as a name than what you'll find there: music, theater, dance, film and food ... on foot.

But don't mistake the annual gathering of visual and culinary stimuli for a simple tent event; on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the area around Seventh and F streets adopts an atmosphere that's equal parts hands-on art gallery and food festival.

Start with the festival's open-air art market between Seventh and Ninth streets. Browse works by more than 100 artists in such media as ceramics, glass and jewelry.

Then fan out around the neighborhood as businesses throughout the area open their doors to visitors with special programming.

Of note: Landmark's E Street Cinema (555 11th St. NW) will show a 90-minute selection of films from the DC Shorts film festival starting at 11 a.m.; Woolly Mammoth Theatre (614 D St. NW) is offering backstage tours every 30 minutes starting at 11:30 a.m.; and the National Archives (Eighth and F streets NW) is holding an all-day scavenger hunt.

And did we mention the food? The menu at Arts on Foot is impressive: Starting at just $1, sample food from some of the city's finest restaurants, including Agraria Farmers & Fishers, the Source, Cafe Atlantico, Rasika and Zaytinya. After you eat, watch distinguished chefs, including Ryan Moore from Jose Andres's exclusive six-seat microfood restaurant minibar, explain how they incorporate art into their cuisine.

Wash it all down with a selection of wines from around the world, including a large selection of wines from Argentina. Wine seminars, starting at 12:30 p.m., offer advice on such topics as choosing the best sauvignon blanc and finding the best American wines from places other than California.

Admission to the event, which will go on rain or shine, is free; some activities, such as wine seminars, require a separate admission. For the complete schedule (and believe us, it's packed), call 202-638-3232 or visit http://www.artsonfoot.org.

-- Alex Baldinger