Finding Their Place

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Saturday, April 26, 2008

We were hardly expecting to arrive at "Personal Landscapes: Contemporary Art From Israel," an exhibition that opened this month at American University Museum, and find . . . landscapes.

No doubt, there are political images in the small collection of photos and sculpture marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

But for the most part, it was not the sort of politics we were sure we'd see. Tal Shochat photographs tree after beautiful tree, including one orange tree, bearing fruit against a cheery pink background. We learn it is one symbol of an entire orchard thriving despite neglect; orchard clearance is the political matter here.

Orit Siman Tov photographs "rescue excavations" -- seemingly impromptu dig sites that spring up wherever major construction is about to occur to determine whether the construction would destroy archaeological findings. The artist, in the course of chronicling these temporary sites, found something distinctly "Israeli" about them, in the way they require the cooperation of everyone from architects to antiquities authorities to regular people who come in contact with the spaces.

The works in "Personal Landscapes" are slick, clean, glossy; amusing, even. Like a tourist, the viewer knows that what he or she experiences here must be a superficial view of a nation. The curators set out only to represent modern Israel only the way its artists would do so. And that has its rewards. Who here has ever thought about Israel's development issues? Who expected cheery, crayon-bright homes and olive trees, stately and without a hint of divisiveness? If only.

"Personal Landscapes: Contemporary Art From Israel" is showing with the exhibitions "Willem de Looper," "Photos From the Prague Quadrennial 2007" and "William Christenberry: Site/Possession." Free. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through May 18. Katzen Arts Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-885-2787.

Save the Date

EXHIBIT: Artomatic Returns Every time Artomatic springs back up again, it's in a new spot, so those of you who liked the office building location in Crystal City, it's time to get over it. This year, the five-week, nonjuried art and music event will be in NoMa -- that nebulous Northeast Washington neighborhood that is located between the New York Avenue Metro Station and North Capitol Street and extending south to Massachusetts Avenue near Union Station. As always, Artomatic is likely to be quite the surreal party spot, with drinks served on site, music performances and late hours (it'll be open till 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays). Free. May 9-June 15, Capitol Plaza I, First and M streets NE (hint: Parking could be tough, try using Metro). For a full schedule of events and details, visit http://www.artomatic.org.

CONCERT: Thievery Corporation Washington's incredibly popular electronica outfit -- which can sell out any venue around here in a pinch -- was supposed to perform at last weekend's highly touted Earth Day festival on the Mall. But Mother Nature cheated the patient crowd, dumping rain on everyone and forcing the cancellation of the show before Thievery even hit the stage. If you were really looking forward to it, you could always buy tickets for the duo's latest Merriweather Post Pavilion show on June 28, featuring baritone Brazilian Seu Jorge, as well as Ladytron, Federico Aubele and TV on the Radio (the tour is dubbed, fittingly, the Outernational Music Tour). May we suggest getting tickets under the pavilion? $45; lawn, $30. Gates at 4 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 202-397-7328.

CONCERT: Speaking of Missing: Punch Brothers Nickel Creek fans still smarting over the announcement that the group is no more might find solace in Punch Brothers, a band (with banjo, fiddle and guitar) featuring Nickel Creek mandolinist Chris Thile, with Thile's four-movement suite chronicling divorce, "The Blind Leaving the Blind." (It's on the record "Punch.") The band hits the Birchmere on May 23. $22.50. 7:30 p.m. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. 202-397-7328.

The District

Today

CONCERT: A Peek at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival The kick-off installment of this annual series is tonight's concert celebrating both the U Street tradition and anniversary of the Duke's April 29, 1899, birth. On the packed bill: the Jam on U All-Stars featuring Bobby Felder, Nasar Abadey and Antonio Parker; the DC Bass Choir; and many, many others. At the show, organizers will also announce the lineup for the festival, which is set for October. $20. 8 p.m. (but it's general admission, so for a good seat get there early). Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. 202-397-7328, or save fees at the box office, 202-328-6000.

EXHIBIT: "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" For the thousands of you who got to see Chris Rock at DAR over the weekend or on Monday, if you arrived early enough you would have caught the amazing slide show that preceded the performance, full of images of artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat and other artists who explore the African American experience. One standout: painter Kehinde Wiley, whose work portrays African American men with hip-hop style as if they were figures from classical paintings. If they caught your eye, you're in luck. You can see the real thing at the National Portrait Gallery, where some of his paintings are in the small show "Recognize!" Free. 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Oct. 26. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.

FOR FAMILIES: "1, 2, 3 . . . Léon" Filmfest DC hosts two family-friendly screenings this weekend, featuring five short movies from France -- dubbed into English that your 3-year-old can understand. Take the whole brood, because the 45-minute program is free. 2 p.m. today and 1 p.m. tomorrow. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-234-3456 or http://www.filmfestdc.org.

Tomorrow

THE SCENE: Shakespeare's Birthday If you've never been to the lovely space that is the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill, the occasion of the 444th birthday of the Bard would be a fine time. The afternoon festival (an annual tradition at the Folger) features jugglers and costumed jesters, music, activities such as making ivy garlands, and the once-a-year opening of the Folger's reading rooms to the public. Free. Noon-4 p.m. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. 202-544-7077.

Maryland

Today

CONCERT: Candlelight Concerts This music series in Columbia brings back the Pavel Haas Quartet to perform at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center. If you haven't heard of the group, you're not the only one; the Prague-based string quartet, formed in 2002, is still growing an audience here. But of its performance last weekend at the Library of Congress, Style's critic Robert Battey wrote, "This is one of the most polished and musically exciting young string quartets in the world today," adding that the group's performance was "simply stunning." Catch them tonight. $12-$29 (ages 17 and younger, one ticket free with paying adult). 7:30 p.m. Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., Columbia. 443-367-3122.

FILM: "2001: A Space Odyessy" At the AFI this week, you can catch Stanley Kubrick's famed 1968 film and consider it something of a tribute to the legacy of Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote the movie with Kubrick and whose visions of space travel have influenced new fields of study (Clarke died last month). The film is screened at the AFI in honor of its 40th anniversary this year. $9.75; seniors and students, $8.50. 1:20, 4:10, 7:10 and 10:10 p.m. today, various times through May 1. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720.

Northern Virginia

Today

THE SCENE: Great Grapes! Vino -- 100 kinds, provided by folks from wineries across Virginia -- will flow at this second annual festival at Reston Town Center today and tomorrow. Also on tap: food, cooking demonstrations, wine seminars and even a grape stomp (today at 2:30 p.m.). $25 (includes samples, souvenir glass and seminars); two-day ticket, $30. Get tickets at the gate. Noon-6 p.m. both days. 11811 Freedom Dr., Reston. 800-830-3976.

THE SCENE: Up for a Little Blood Sport? Tonight at the Patriot Center is the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Invasion, a "mixed martial arts" event. For those of you who have been in a cave, MMA, as it's known, is a competitive sport (deriving from wrestling, boxing and martial arts) that's exploded in popularity. Tonight, the fights even take place in cages. $28.50-$128.50. 7 p.m. Patriot Center, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. 202-397-7328.

Wednesday

FILM: International Jewish Film Festival The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia kicks off its festival next week at the community center, Arlington's Rosslyn Spectrum, and Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax. Highlights: Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Spectrum, see "I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal," a Nicole Kidman-narrated doc about the famed "Nazi hunter" who survived a concentration camp and made it his life's work to find fugitive Nazis and bring them to trial (or see the film at Cinema Arts on May 1 at 7:30 p.m.). Catch "Bad Faith," a comedy about an expectant couple who suddenly must deal with the fact that one of them is Jewish and the other Muslim, on May 3 at Cinema Arts and May 10 at the Spectrum. Each screening: $3.50-$9.50; opening and closing screenings (with receptions), $25. Various locations through May 15. For schedule and details, visit http://www.jccnv.org.