Our Picks

5. JOHN PRINE

[CONCERT] Ragged beauty, sly humor and universal truths all find a home in John Prine's songs. The gravelly-voiced musician belongs in the top echelon of American singer-songwriters and counts many of his peers as fans. No less a figure than former U.S. poet laureate Ted Kooser hailed him as a "truly original writer, unequaled, and a genuine poet of the American people."

Friday at 8 p.m. DAR Constitution Hall, 18th and C streets NW. 202-628-4780. $48.50-$58.50.

-- Sunday Source staff

Critics' Choice

MARTIN PURYEAR

[EXHIBIT] The 46 sculptures of Martin Puryear require much more than a glance as you walk through the National Gallery of Art. They require contemplation and a leap of faith as you study the wire mesh, the tar, the pine, the cedar, the wagon wheels and the rattan to see what the artist envisioned.

-- Jacqueline Trescott

Closes today. National Gallery of Art, East and West buildings, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215. FREE

UNCOMMON BEAUTY

[EXHIBIT] Learn how beauty registers in the eyes of six beholders at an artists' talk that kicks off the Ellipse Arts Center's latest exhibition. Riffing -- and expanding -- on what it means to be good-looking, the six artists of "Uncommon Beauty" toy with received wisdom. Mary Coble's tough project, which explores sexual orientation, and Jason Horowitz's monumentally sized close-ups promise to be standouts.

-- Jessica Dawson

Artists' talk is Thursday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed by a reception. Exhibition runs through Dec. 13. Ellipse Arts Center, 4350 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington. 703-228-7710. FREE