Fine Reasons to Stay (or Play) Indoors

Fine Reasons to Stay (or Play) Indoors

Summer ushers in a ton of once-a-year events (Folklife Festival, Screen on the Green, outdoor concerts . . . ), but after the initial excitement of being outdoors wears off, many "summer outings" emerge as pretty mind-numbing, not to mention homogenous. How many times can "Bee Movie" play outdoors in one region in one summer? Ugh. You'd be surprised.

So now would be the time to catch some last glimpses of highbrow culture; before you give yourself over to Nats games and wine festivals, anyway.

Closing Monday is the "Color as Field" survey of American painting from 1950 to 1975. The show, which opened in February, covers abstract art's Color Field movement, which focused on thinned paint poured, painted and spread to soak into unprimed canvases to create a simple wash of color. This show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum explores not just those known for working in this manner; you can also see works by Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and a slew of others. (Note: If you can't make it, no worries. In July, the museum will make something of an addendum to the show with a summer exhibit, "Local Color: Washington Painting at Mid-Century," featuring the work of such local color field painters as Sam Gilliam and Gene Davis.) Free. 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Monday. Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.

What could be less summery and more polarizing than ruminating about the vast changes of the 1960s, all things French and the birth of cool? At the AFI Silver, you can indulge in a tribute to the French new-wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard (which, with more than a dozen films, actually lasts much of the summer). First up is "Breathless," Godard's jaunt through Paris of the 1960s, with iconic pixie Jean Seberg as a cool and detached American girlfriend to a man on the lam. $9.75, seniors and students $8.50, age 12 and younger $6.75. Tonight at 7:30, tomorrow at 7:15 p.m., Monday at 9:15 p.m. Series through July 3. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720.

And down the road, Olsson's bookstore brings in "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk for a reading, interview and Q&A (brainy, right?) about his latest book, "Snuff" -- as always, an exploration of grimy lives and delusional people. This one is about a porn queen vying to break a record by bedding 600 men in one go, on film; among the men waiting for her to arrive are the story's narrators, one of whom thinks he's her child, another who thinks he's the father. The event is at the Avalon Theatre on June 3. $30 (includes a pre-signed copy of the book. Sorry, the event is a package deal, so tickets aren't available without purchase of the book). 8 p.m. 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. Get tickets online at http://www.olssons.com through June 2, but you can also get them at the door or Olsson's stores.

-- Lavanya Ramanathan

The District

Today

CONCERT Black Moth Super Rainbow Maybe it's that our musical tastes are devolving further and further into the realm of the inaccessible, but we find something really likable and happy about this new psych band, which clings to all the stereotypes about old psych bands (their songs and albums have titles with words such as "dandelion" and they use a lot of organ) while still sounding fresh. The band is at the Rock & Roll Hotel tonight. $15. 9:30 p.m. Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625.

EXHIBIT "The Apotheosis of Kali" Anne Benolken's show in the DC Arts Center's small upstairs gallery features photographs of the artist's mixed-media boxes (as well as a couple of the boxes themselves), funny but telling narratives that feature the powerful Hindu goddess Kali facing a major existential crisis (she turns to self-help books). Free. Wednesday-Sundays 2-7 p.m. Through June 8. DCAC, 2438 18th St. NW. 202-462-7833.

Tomorrow

FOR FAMILIES Hidden Treasures (and Songs) of Afghanistan Although Afghanistan has become a prominent player in American foreign policy, its culture is not often at the forefront of political discourse. The National Gallery of Art hopes to highlight the country's long and rich history with a new exhibit, "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures From the National Museum, Kabul." Artifacts from between 2000 B.C. and A.D. 200 attest to Afghanistan's importance as a crossroads of ancient trade routes known as the Silk Road, with pieces ranging from Mesopotamian gold bowls to bronze sculpture from Greece. Tomorrow, the exhibit opens with an event; Washington-area Afghan American children will perform songs from an Afghan songbook and will be accompanied by traditional Afghan musicians, all under the direction of composer Vaheed Kaacemy. Free. 4 p.m. Exhibition runs through Sept. 7. National Gallery of Art East Building Auditorium, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Tuesday

LITERATURE Carl Hiaasen Is the kicky Florida-based columnist and author (who, by the way, has no fewer than 20 books under his belt) as tell-it-like-it-is in person? Decide for yourself. He visits Politics and Prose on Tuesday to talk about his latest, "The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport," an account of his tenuous attempt to try golf . . . again. 7 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

Maryland

Today

CONCERT "La Boheme" In honor of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, the local company Bel Cantanti Opera tackles his masterpiece "La Boheme," about a group of young artists who are lovers and friends in 19th-century Paris. $35; students, $25. Today at 3 p.m., tomorrow at 6, May 31 at 7:30 p.m., June 1 at 3. Randolph Road Theater, 4010 Randolph Rd., Silver Spring. 301-438-8682 or http://www.belcantanti.com.

Tuesday

CONCERT Duran Duran Simon LeBon and company have hit 30 years together, give or take a few (and the departure of Andy Taylor). They're still making recordings and are currently touring to mark the release of last year's "Red Carpet Massacre" (on which they tapped the talent of red-carpet regular Justin Timberlake). But it's the '80s that remain inextricably linked to these guys. Your chance to relive them comes when Duran Duran arrives at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Tuesday. $40-$125. Gates at 6:30 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 202-397-7328.

Northern Virginia

Today

FOR FAMILIES Annual Delaplane Strawberry Festival Certainly, the highlight here is the (hopefully) sweet, juicy berries -- whether you're watching other people eat them to excess in the national strawberry-eating championship (that's at 1 p.m. today; and yes, there is an amateur contest, too) or partaking of the strawberry pies for sale. The annual family affair, hosted by Emmanuel Episcopal Church, includes a petting zoo, a 5K run/walk and live performances. Today and tomorrow. $20 per car, $10 per motorcycle at the gate. 10 a.m-5 p.m. Sky Meadows State Park, 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane. 540-364-2772 or http://www.delaplanestrawberryfestival.com.

FOR FAMILIES Hunt Country Stable Tour If the Kentucky Derby and Preakness have piqued your interest in the ponies, this weekend tour through Virginia's hunt country is for you. The self-guided car tour of Middleburg-area farms includes stops where thoroughbreds are being raised and others where show horses inhabit the stables. In all, about 10 farms are open, and if you go today, you can end the day watching a real polo match. Proceeds benefit Trinity Episcopal Church and its outreach. Adults, $25; children 12 and younger, free. Today and tomorrow, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Start at the church, 9108 John S. Mosby Hwy., Upperville. For details visit http://www.middleburgonline.com/stabletour or call 540-592-3711.

CONCERT Who's Next in the Attack of the British Singers? Whispery and girlish British singer Kate Walsh -- who, unlike Amy Winehouse and Kate Nash, doesn't let a cockney accent creep into her music at all -- is following the ladies right into the spotlight. But she couldn't be more different; her music sounds more like something you'd hear at Starbucks on a rainy day than at a bar on Friday night. Walsh (no relation to the "Grey's Anatomy"/"Private Practice" star) is at Iota Club and Cafe tonight on a bill sponsored by indie record chain Amoeba Music. $15. 9 p.m. 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-522-8340.

Wednesday

CONCERT Ben Folds The smart-alecky rock singer with a piano and a very cynical way of looking at the world (or at least when he's making music) is at Wolf Trap on Wednesday night. $38; lawn, $28. 8 p.m. Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna. 877-965-3872.

Save the date

FESTIVALS Celebrate Fairfax! This festival is the equivalent of the Fairfax County fair, this year with an oddly punk edge. That's because OK Go (they of the treadmills) and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (piano bar favorites behind "I Love Rock & Roll") headline this year's event, set for June 6-8. In all, 25 acres will fill with carnival rides; musical acts; vendors of cotton candy, funnel cake and all other foods okay to consume only in the confines of a fair or fair-like situation; and about 80,000 people. Adult tickets range from $7.50 in advance for admission to the fair and concerts to $24 in advance for admission with all-day carnival rides; youth tickets, for ages 3 to 10, are $5-$21; date and family packages available for $39-$99. At the gate, tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids, with $18 for carnival rides. 6 p.m.-midnight June 6, 10 a.m.-midnight June 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 8. (OK Go performs June 6 at 8 p.m., Joan Jett on June 7 at 8 p.m.) Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy., Fairfax. For details and tickets, visit http://www.celebratefairfax.org or call 703-324-3247.

FOR FAMILIES Jacob Lawrence Family Festival In conjunction with the 25th Museum Walk Weekend, the Phillips Collection is set to celebrate its show of Lawrence's 60-panel set of paintings chronicling the migration of Southern African Americans to the North with an afternoon festival featuring dance performances of Joy of Motion's DanceFusion Jazz Project, performances of 1940s jazz, tours of the exhibition and films about Jacob Lawrence. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 7, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. June 8. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. http://www.phillipscollection.org/lawrence. 202-387-2151.