1. Have you been to the Hirshhorn lately? The exhibition Laurie Anderson: The Weather, which opened there in late September, is fantastic. The collection of multimedia works includes beautiful abstract paintings, captivating stories, interesting photography, original instruments, spoken word video sculptures, and much more. Most striking of them all is an entire black and white gallery hand painted by Anderson with sketches, quotes, poems, and passages — and you’ll want to examine all of them.
I’d recommend the exhibit for tween ages and up, though younger children could definitely tag along — there are visual elements that would appeal to them, too. (Plus, art can always be presented to them as something that was in someone’s imagination that they have made real… that is what I did, anyway, when my kids were younger and we encountered art that was over their heads.)
The exhibit is running through July 2022, and, of course, the rest of the museum is always great to explore, too. The Hirshhorn is currently open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 5:30pm. Admission is free.
2. There are still some appointments available for virtual sessions with renowned silhouette portrait artist Karl Johnson on November 12 & 13. Just in time for the holiday season, the sweet cut outs make for great gifts!
3. Mayor Bowser and Lyft just announced that to help ease travel disruptions caused by reduced Metrorail service, all DC residents can get a free 30-day membership to Capital Bikeshare. Follow the link for instructions on getting your membership. (And fingers crossed Metro issues will be fixed soon.)
4. I have been obsessed lately with The Rewatchables, a podcast that analyzes movies that are very, well, rewatchable. If you love to discuss films, especially from the 80s and 90s (though they cover flicks beyond that), you will really enjoy this show. Even though it has been around for awhile, I only first learned about the podcast recently here, and I was hooked after my first episode. It not only resonates with the movie lover in me, it really speaks to my Gen X sensibilities. Favorite episodes so far have been The Talented Mr. Ripley, Reality Bites, What About Bob?, and St. Elmo’s Fire. Can’t wait to listen to the latest: Halloween.
5. Jason Sudeikis as The Devil on SNL. 😂
Bonus: There have been some additions to the round-up of Halloween events, so check out all the Wicked Fun Ways to Celebrate Halloween Around DC again to make sure you don’t miss anything good!
