Opens Thursday: Winter Work by Anice Hoachlander at ArtHub609
Anice Hoachlander; courtesy of the artist
Rhythm, light, and shadow: These are the three main motifs featured in fine art photographer Anice Hoachlander’s work. Hoachlander centers a wide variety of natural life and human creation in her art—from the geometry of modern architecture to the way Spanish Moss dances in the warm breeze of the Carolinas. Hoachlander has an eye for the naturally occurring patterns in both organic life and inorganic matter. The mystery beneath the surface of Mother Nature’s beauty allures and enamors Hoachlander, who takes inspiration from the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the natural world around her. For more than 30 years, her work as an architectural photographer in the D.C. area has focused on “macro capture and structural abstraction … in design concepts of the natural and built environment.” Passion drives her work, and it is evident in her art. With Winter Work, a new exhibit at ArtHub609, we get a chance to tee the world through Hoachlander’s eyes. The exhibition opens with an artist talk, light fare, and cocktails. For those looking for incentive to buy, 5 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Washington Architectural Foundation. Winter Work opening night starts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 10 at ArtHub609, 609 H St. NE. arthub609.com. Free. —Meg Richards
Friday Through Sunday: Atlanta Fine Print Art Fair
The Atlanta Fine Print Art Fair, whose second annual event amassed major attention and success this past August, is coming to D.C. The first U.S. print fair to showcase exclusively Black artists, the event pays homage to industry masters—legends in their own rights—while also giving a platform of exposure to new artists. Hosted by Black Art In America and taking place at Eaton Hotel, the three-day event is being put on in collaboration with the 2024 March on Washington Film Festival, which kicked off last Sunday and runs through Sunday. The first stop on the fair’s national tour will feature works by D.C.-area artists such as Percy Martin, Lou Stovall, Ed McCluney, James L. Wells, Sam Gilliam, and David Driskell. Additionally, contemporary print artists newer to the scene, including Jamaal Barber, Traci Mims, and Steve Prince, will be featured. While the prints vary greatly in style, emotion, and inspiration, many pieces carry similar themes, such as cultural commentaries on the African American experience, celebrating community, and most importantly, telling stories. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with artists directly through a scheduled art talk on Saturday at 2 p.m. The D.C. Edition of the Atlanta Fine Print Art Fair runs Oct. 11 through 13 at the Eaton Hotel, 1201 K St. NW. blackartinamerica.com. Free. —Meg Richards
Saturday: DCPL Chess Tournament at MLK Library
Ricardo630, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The first documented chess tournament was held in London in 1851, but the game’s history stretches back centuries prior. Most historians agree that an early version was developed in India, around the fifth or sixth century. After being filtered through the vibrant cultures of the Medieval Islamic world and Renaissance Europe, the game arrived at the London tournament in a form that would be familiar to Garry Kasparov or the AlphaZero AI. Washington, D.C., has its own thriving chess scene, and last summer, D.C. Public Library associate Dubian Ade decided to bring that scene together for a friendly competition at MLK branch. “I learned that there were chess clubs at the other branch libraries,” Ade tells City Paper. “They were all kind of doing their own thing. And my idea was, why don’t we all come together?” In 2023, 57 competitors took part in the tournament, resulting in big wins for representatives of the Cleveland Park Library, the Benning Road Library, and especially for the Parklands-Turner Library in Congress Heights. This year’s tournament, which is being held at MLK Library on National Chess Day, will feature divisions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players. Winners from each division will be honored as D.C. Public Library Chess Champions! There will also be tables manned by different chess organizations from throughout the community so attendees and competitors can find all the info they need to get involved in the local chess scene. Whether you’re an eager-eyed beginner or a salty ronin looking to humble last year’s champs, this is your chance to get involved with a community of gamer strategists who uphold a centuries-spanning tradition. The DCPL Chess Tournament starts at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. dclibrary.libnet.info. Free. —Will Lennon
Monday: Larry Wilmore at the Birchmere
Larry Wilmore. Credit: Peter Yang, Comedy Central
Next to hosting the Oscars, headlining the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is the most thankless job a stand-up comedian could take on. Larry Wilmore, who headlined the WHCD in 2016 during Barack Obama’s last year as president, forged head on during his 22 minute-long set taking out various news outlets including CNN (“I haven’t watched CNN in a long time. I used to watch it when it was a news network”), MSNBC (“Now stands for Missing a Significant Number of Black Correspondents”) and reporters (“Alleged journalist Don Lemon everybody!” In response, Lemon promptly flipped Wilmore the bird.) “You can’t really please anybody,” Wilmore tells City Paper of the WHCD gig. “If you please the people in the room, you’re probably not going to please the people at home. I did the opposite. I kind of pleased the people at home, but I did not please the people in the room.” But the Correspondents’ dinner is a mere blip in Wilmore’s career. His mile-long IMDB page is a staggering list of writing, acting, and producing credits along with a who’s who of collaborations including co-creating The PJs with Eddie Murphy, Insecure with Issa Rae, and Grown-ish with Kenya Barris. When Quinta Brunson, who appeared on Wilmore’s The Nightly Show, which ran on Comedy Central from 2015-16, won the 2022 Emmy for Best Writing for a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary, she gave Wilmore a shout out for “teaching me to write television as well as he did.” “It was so emotional,” admits Wilmore, as he mimes someone cartoon crying. “You don’t expect something like that to be emotional.” Now, Wilmore is returning to his stand-up roots, launching his An Evening with Larry Wilmore: Comedy, Magic and ‘Merica tour, which stops at the Birchmere on Oct. 14. But don’t expect any takedowns at this show. “It’s more of a fun magic show with some commentary in it,” says Wilmore, whose magic isn’t the illusion based pull a rabbit out of a hat kind, but more “mind twisting type of stuff.” “I was into magic when I was a kid,” says Wilmore. “So even when I write jokes, I’ve always written them where the punchline is almost like a magic trick—something you didn’t see coming that is like a surprise, but it makes sense too.” An Evening with Larry Wilmore: Comedy, Magic and ‘Merica starts at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. birchmere.com. $35.
And a few reminders from our Fall Arts Guide:
Tuesday: We the People of the United States … Establish Justice at Folger
The opening reading of Folger’s O.B. Hardison Poetry Series with Claudia Rankine and Muse Found in a Colonized Body author Yesenia Montill. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Folger Library, 201 E Capitol St. SE.
Tuesday: Larry June’s Howard Homecoming Concert at the Howard
Larry June; courtesy of Union Stage
Bay Area wordsmith Larry June brings his unrivaled energy and positive attitude to Howard University’s Homecoming festivities. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Howard, 620 T St. NW.
Wednesday: NMWA NIGHTS at the National Museum of Women in the Arts
There’s nothing more thrilling to me than an after-hours museum event—they indulge the childhood fantasies developed from reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, while also serving a speakeasy-esque element of drinking somewhere you’re normally not supposed to. Nobody does this better than NMWA Nights. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at NMWA, 1250 New York Ave. NW.
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