By Lavanya Ramanathan
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Zip down Wilson Boulevard near Arlington's Ballston section and you'll likely catch it out of the corner of your eye: the historic building that houses the Arlington Arts Center, wrapped in a 15-foot-tall, 300-foot-long banner of ghoulish faces, masses of them, mouths agape.
Rosemary Feit Covey, the locally based wood engraver behind the public art project -- dubbed the "0 Project" (Zero Project) -- likes it when passersby try to guess what it all means. The faces are yelling but making no sound at all, and viewers have to decide for themselves what injustice is causing their screams.
Many say it's the Holocaust. Kids seem to see zombies. Covey says there has even been one guess that it's the Buddhist monks in Burma. But that's the point. They're different for everyone who sees them, depending on when they see them.
The "0 Project," which officially opens with a bash tomorrow, was a year-long undertaking for Covey, who spent much of the time searching for the perfect material and process to transform the 5-by-15-foot drawing she created in 2005 into a banner that is supposed to hang outdoors till February. The work was ultimately printed on Tyvek, the material that looks like rice paper but is nearly impossible to tear, used in FedEx envelopes and as a weather-resistant barrier in home construction.
Guests are encouraged to wear black, like the people in the banner, for tomorrow's reception, which will feature a performance by BosmaDance and an opportunity for guests to wear masks of the faces themselves. (Down the road, look out for a Speaker's Corner from noon to 4 p.m. on Nov. 17, when the public is invited to talk about causes important to them.)
Free. 6-9 p.m. 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Call 703-248-6800, or for more details about the project, visit http://www.rosemarycovey.com/0.
Save the Date
THE SCENE: Fashion/Charity Brunch for the Cool Set Models will strut around in fall clothing from Pink November and Universal Gear, and guests can nosh on brunch foods and gulp mimosas when Bang hair salon throws its first charity fashion show Oct. 14 at the Capitol City Brewing Co. at Union Station. The money goes to Dress for Success, which provides disadvantaged women with professional clothing to wear as they launch careers. $40-$80 for general tickets; special packages, up to $151. Noon-3 p.m. 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Reservations required; call 202-737-2264.
LITERATURE: The New Yorker's Adam Gopnik The award-winning writer, who has mastered the art of relaying truths about city living, will focus on the golden age of Jewish comedy when he visits the DCJCC for a talk sponsored by the organization Nextbook. Seems he thinks the best years ended when Woody Allen was still young, and long before the likes of Jerry Seinfeld. $8; students and younger than 25, $6. Nov. 1. 6:30 p.m. DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Visit http://www.nextbook.org for tickets. For information, 202-777-3254.
CONCERT: Dinosaur Jr. All Over Again As one would hope for any once-great band planning its reunion, Dinosaur Jr., the snarling, late '80s and early '90s indie rock band, came back together two years ago after a more than decade-long break (members J. Mascis and Lou Barlow, two brusque personalities, didn't exactly see eye-to-eye) and managed to play incredibly intense, deeply satisfying shows. And now, as with most bands in their second acts, the reunion shows have become members' livelihood. After two shows here in the past two years, the band returns Nov. 27. $20. 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. 202-397-7328.
The District
Today
FILM: "Dark Matter" The Asian Pacific American Film Festival screens this feature film, a Sundance Alfred P. Sloan Prize winner that's loosely based on the 1991 shootings of five people on the University of Iowa campus by Chinese PhD student Gang Lu. "Dark Matter," which stars Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn and Liu Ye, follows an ambitious grad student from China whose fragile world unravels when his thesis is rejected. It's shown tonight as a means of fostering discussion about mental health issues in the Asian American community; a talk will follow the film. $10. 7:30 p.m. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. 202-452-7672 or http://www.apafilm.org.
TomorrowLITERATURE: Jenna Bush The presidential daughter is being seen in a whole new light as an author . . . and tween idol? After kicking off a book tour in Annapolis (of all places!), she visits Politics and Prose tomorrow to discuss and sign her book, "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope." Prepare for airport-worthy security measures. Free. 10:30 a.m. (security begins at 9). 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.
CONCERT: The All-Roads Film Festival: Balkan Beat Box The fourth annual National Geographic fest begins today with the movie "Super Amigos," but the festival, which brings with it 20 film screenings through Sunday, also features musical acts, including Balkan Beat Box, a hipster fusion act that blends electronica, Middle Eastern sounds and a touch of Gypsy (it was founded by former Gogol Bordello-ite Ori Kaplan). The free outdoor concert is at 9:30 p.m. tomorrow. Films, $7-$9; $45-$63 for a pass. National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. 202-857-7700 for tickets; for schedule, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/allroads.
EXHIBIT: John and Yoko, Lovey Doves Govinda Gallery's latest show, officially opening tomorrow, features Allan Tannenbaum's intimate shots capturing John Lennon and Yoko Ono while they were in New York just weeks before Lennon's 1980 shooting death. We know the Ono naysayers abound, but maybe there's something here that'll prove these two were soul mates as well as creative partners? Free. Noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Govinda Gallery, 1227 34th St. NW. 202-333-1180.
MarylandToday
ON STAGE: "Of Mice and Men" Olney Theatre's latest is John Steinbeck's Depression-era drama about Lennie, a simple-minded but strong man, and his companion, George, who looks after Lennie but can't save his charge from missteps. $25-$46; students through college age, $15. Tonight through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2, and Sunday at 7:30. Various times through Oct. 28. Olney Theatre, 2100 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. 301-924-3400.
TomorrowON STAGE: "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" It's a cabaret lover's dream: Patti LuPone, the Tony Award-winning actress with "Sweeney Todd" and "Gypsy" on her r¿sum¿, belting out songs from the roles she has always wanted (and a few from the roles she did land). Expect selections from "Hair," "Funny Girl" and "West Side Story" when she's at Strathmore tomorrow. $32-$56. 8 p.m. 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. 301-581-5100.
SaturdayEXHIBIT: "All Faiths Beautiful" This large show, at the American Visionary Art Museum, opens Saturday with more than 500 works (many by self-taught artists) focusing on the subject of faith, personal and meaningful expressions as well as offbeat ones (the museum notes that Baltimore is "the place where the Ouija Board was first patented" and "where Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair lived when she successfully fought to remove prayer from public schools"). The show also features a mini-display of postcards on secret beliefs, curated by PostSecret creator Frank Warren. And if you're in Baltimore tomorrow night, catch the preview party (7 p.m. $10; members, free). Exhibition, $12; seniors and students $8; ages 6 and younger free. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. Through Aug. 31, 2008. 800 Key Hwy., Baltimore. 410-244-1900.
Northern VirginiaToday
EXHIBIT: "In the Flesh" Target Gallery's latest show is a look at faces and figures, but the works aren't at all your typical studies. Instead, "edgy" is the word the gallery uses for the 25 works, chosen from nearly 600 submitted by artists across the country, because they reflect contemporary ideas and even whimsical takes on the idea of "figurative art." Free. Noon-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. Through Oct. 13. Target Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. 703-838-4565, Ext. 4.
TomorrowFESTIVALS: Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour This annual celebration at Mount Vernon is always packed (and often sold out). Bring a blanket to lay out, listen to the blues and sample wines from 16 state wineries over the weekend. You'll have to ditch the blanket to do it, but the estate also offers night tours of the mansion and George Washington's old wine cellar by candlelight, with plenty of details on the founding father's attempts to create a vineyard. $25. 6-9 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday (Saturday's tickets are sold out). 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., Alexandria. For tickets, call 202-397-7328. For information, call 703-780-2000.
SaturdayCLOSING: "Ah, Wilderness!" The American Century Theater's charming season opener is Eugene O'Neill's sole comedy, about a Connecticut family described as a fun-house mirror version of O'Neill's own, emphasis on the fun. The play closes Saturday. $23-$29. Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; also Saturday at 2:30. Gunston Arts Center, Theater 2, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. 703-553-8782.
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