Here are some great free arts and culture events from CultureCapital.com! This site is a fantastic resource for free and ticketed events presented by nearly 300 Metro DC Arts Presenters. For quick way to find even more free arts and culture events try our "Free in DC" Inside Out feature, curated by the staff of CultureCapital.com.
TICKETPLACE.org is another great program where you can find discount tickets to performances throughout metro DC @TICKETPLACEDC on twitter and at TICKETPLACE.org
Thursday, September 10
Early Eve - "Art on 8th" Live Music & Artists Open Studios - Brookland
Art on 8th: Cheick Hamala Diabate
Note: Change from the originally scheduled Be in Brookland: Sahel
6:30pm
Live Contemporary West African Music and open artist studios on the Arts Walk at Monroe Street Market. The rain location for this event will be Artist Lounge at Monroe Street Market, 716 Monroe St NW.
Arts Plaza at Monroe Street Market
716 Monroe St NE
Metro: Brookland - CUA exit left and turn left when you exit to get to the Arts Walk
Evening - Art Opening at the Strathmore Mansion - Grosvenor, MD
Women Chefs: Artists in the Kitchen: Opening Reception
7:00pm
"It’s a tasting menu for the eyes when 21 visual artists blend their talents with 22 women chefs—and the results will amuse more than your bouche! The artists create portraits, the chefs offer cooking demos, and the true creative artistry of the kitchen gets served on a silver platter."
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike - Bethesda, MD - see map
Metro: Grosvenor, follow the walkway from the metro exit to the left, cross the street, go up the grassy hill, the Mansion is on the left across from the main Strathmore building.
See the special "Free in DC" Inside Out feature on CultureCapital.com for more free events!
Friday, September 11
Evening - Jazz Festival Kick-off Party - Rosslyn, VA
Troker - Rosslyn Jazz Festival Kick-off Party
6:00pm - 9:00pm
RSVP Recommended
Presented by the Arlington Cultural Affairs. Troker, headlinging the night's event, made waves in 2014 at both SXSW and WOMEX - becoming the first band in history to play two consecutive years at the West Holts Stage at the legendary Glastonbury Festival in England. Morphing from jazz to rock, Troker's groove is charged with an explosive energy that international magazine All About Jazz described as “noisy, chaotic, sprawling, messy, all together wonderful". Now they are performing atop D.C. Metro's tallest building to kickoff the 25th Anniversary of Rosslyn's Jazz Festival. Warming up for the fusion jazz/funk band is DJ G-Flux, an electronic, sample-based cumbia artist from Mexico City. For the past 10 years DJ G-Flux has been recording and performing right here in D.C.
1812 N. Moore St, 33rd Floor - Arlington, VA
Metro: Rosslyn
Early Evening - Art Opening at The Arts Club - Farragut West - Foggy Bottom
September Art Exhibition: Opening Reception
6:30pm
Held in the Arts Club of Washington's historic Monroe and MacFeely galleries, the September 2015 exhibit features artworks by Kate McConnell, Wayne Paige, and Sydney Xunnian Zhang. The Arts Club will also present photographs by Buzz Covington in the Spilsbury Gallery, a cooperative gallery for club members.
Arts Club of Washington
2017 I St NW
Metro: Farragut West or Foggy Bottom
Evening - Outdoor Dance Performance - Brookland - CUA
Be in Brookland: DC Casineros
6:30pm
Presented by Dance Place. Interactive dance with the DC Casineros on the plaza outside of Busboys & Poets Brookland
Plaza outside of Busboys and Poets
625 Monroe St NE
Metro: Brookland - CUA, exit to the left, turn left, make a right on Monroe and walk one block
See the special "Free in DC" Inside Out feature on CultureCapital.com for more free events!
Saturday, September 12
All Day - Free Admission to the Kreeger - in NW
The Kreeger Museum Open House
10:00am - 4:00pm
Free admission to the museum
see full schedule online here
"Join us for this free family event as we celebrate art, music and nature. Outdoor art activities for children, artist talks in the Sculpture Garden, live jazz and more." You can also purchase food and beer from food trucks and a local brewery.
Kreeger Museum
2401 Foxhall Rd, NW
Note: Best reached by car, lyft, uber, taxi there since there really isn't a metro or bus that gets you that close, though you are welcome to check metro trip-planner for some possible options.
Daytime - Final Day to see this Exhibit - Brentwood, MD
Patented Ingenuity: The Art of African American Inventors
on view through Saturday, September 12
10:00am - 5:00pm
The Art of African American Inventions features the art of patent drawings. These works are a part of the museum's collection of 600+ patent documents donated by author and former Primary Patent Examiner Patricia Carter Sluby. The purposes of these patents are diverse and varied, leading viewers to think critically about the function and design of everyday objects. Gallery Hours: Tuesday -Friday: 10:00am-5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am-5:00pm
Note: It's also the day of the Early Keeper's event for kids 3-7 at the Mall at Prince Georges – Center Court 3500 East West Hwy Hyattsville, MD. Read more here and click here to register.
Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center
4519 Rhode Island Ave - North Brentwood, MD
Metro: See metro trip-planner for best bus access from metro
Afternoon - Family-Friendly Festival - Anacostia
48th Anniversary Celebrating Family Community Festival
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Read more here
It’s a fun day for the entire family with activities taking place both outside on the grassy picnic area and inside the museum. Enjoy live music, food vendors, and art activities. Including GoGo musicians Junkyard Band, Broesler School Irish Step Dancers, Pan Lara Steel Drummers, Panamanian dance troupe Panama Danzas y Ritmos and civil war re-enactors from the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment B setting up camp on the grassy picnic area. There is no need to register for this program. Just show up and have fun! Free transportation to the festival from the metro!
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE
Metro: Anacostia. The museum will run free shuttle service on a continuous loop starting at 11:45am and ending at 4:15pm. The bus will meet in the Shannon Place circle (located directly across the street from the Metro and will also pick up in front of the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd., SE and The Big Chair, 2120 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue., SE.
Afternoon - Mobile-Making Workshop at Atlas - H St NE
Mobile-Making Workshops
1:00pm
"Join us in creating an installation of over 50 mobiles for the DC Community! Hundreds of participants of all ages will come together to create a grand work of art, a powerful, visual symbol for community, balance, and connection in our H Street neighborhood and beyond! Help design, paint, and balance pieces for mobiles with kinetic artist and performer Kevin Reese of SchoolSculptures. See your creation in the final mobiles to be unveiled at the H Street Festival on September 19! Each workshop lasts 90 minutes. Workshops are best for people ages 8 and up!"
Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St, NE
Metro: Gallery Pl - Chinatown and take the X2 bus along H St from 7th St, NW to the stop closest to 13th & H St, NE or you can take a short taxi, uber or lyft from Union Station.
Afternoon - Art Tour at the Strathmore Mansion - Grosvenor, MD
Curator's Tour at the Strathmore Mansion
1:00pm
Adults enjoy a guided tour of the current collection, delving into technique and history of the artists and works.
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike - Bethesda, MD - see map
Metro: Grosvenor, follow the walkway from the metro exit to the left, cross the street, go up the grassy hill, the Mansion is on the left across from the main Strathmore building.
Daytime - Outdoor Jazz Festival - Rosslyn, VA
25th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival at Gateway Park
1:00pm - 7:00pm
Presented by the Arlington Cultural Affairs. For 25 years, thousands of people have come out to enjoy renowned jazz artists from around the world. This year's event features four unique acts, including: Funk/Afrobeat ensemble The Funk Ark, internationally acclaimed Sonny Knight & The Lakers, Ethiopian pop music inspired Debo Band, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Learn more here.
Gateway Park
1300 Lee Highway - Arlington, VA
Metro: Rosslyn and walk two blocks $5 parking is also available at 1911 N. Ft. Myer. Dr. and street parking by meter.
Afternoon - Art Lecture at the NGA E Bldg - Archives
Diamonstein-Spielvogel Lecture Series: Carrie Mae Weems
2:00pm
"For more than thirty years Carrie Mae Weems has made provocative, socially motivated art that examines issues of race, gender, and class inequality. Often producing serial or installation pieces, her conceptually layered work employs a variety of materials including photographs, text, fabric, sound, digital images, and most recently, video. By referencing past traditions—often through storytelling—Weems sheds light on those who have been left out of the historical record, aspiring to create a more multidimensional picture of the human condition."
National Gallery of Art
East Building
4th & Constitution Ave NW
Metro: Archives
Late Afternoon - Ar Opening at NoVa Community College - Alexandria, VA
Artifact: Selected Works of J.T. Kirkland and John James Anderson: Opening Reception
4:00pm
On view Friday, September 11 - Sunday, October 25
J.T. Kirkland and John James Anderson are two artists who address the nature of painting as object in their work. The two person show "Artifact" showcases selected works that play with how non-objective elements can create tangible space and also the notion of the past history of work. Is it painting or sculpture or perhaps both?
Fisher Art Gallery - Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall
at NoVa Community College
3001 North Beauregard St - Alexandria, VA
Metro: See metro trip-planner for best bus access from metro
Early Evening - Art Opening - Brentwood, MD
Opening Reception: Ellen Cornett, The Art of the Tale
5:00pm
"More than 5,000 votes came in to Project America’s Next Top Master Artist, selecting a champion and awarding a solo exhibition to Cheverly-based artist Ellen Cornett. Celebrate with us and share in the results of connecting artists directly with audiences. Ellen's drawings and paintings are inspired by the comic humor and serious, sometimes tragic undertone of certain poems, short stories and fairy tales. She strives to make something intriguing and meaningful from well-recognized sources, manipulating characters into odd vignettes of conflict, misunderstanding, and relationships gone awry."
Brentwood Arts Exchangeat the Gateway Arts Center
3901 Rhode Island Ave - Brentwood, MD
Metro: Rhode Island Ave or West Hyattsville and take a bus, or see the uber and lyft promos below.
From the Red Line: Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Station (Red Line): Take the 83 bus to 39th Street, and you arrive at the Gateway Arts Center. The T18 and 86 buses will get you as far as 37th Street
See the "Free in DC" Inside Out page on CultureCapital.com for more free events and exhibits on view and visit TICKETPLACE for half-price tickets to performances in the DC metro area! You can also Follow CultureCapital.com on facebook and @TICKETPLACEDC on twitter.
Sunday, September 13
All Day - Performances and Art at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria - King St - VA
A Day of Art and Light at the Torpedo Factory Art Center
11:00am - 5:00pm
Light at Play comes to the Torpedo Factory Art Center for an afternoon celebration of art, music, dance, and light. Be sure to check out the Light at Play dance performance at 4:00pm. Jane Franklin Dance performs with a large radiance orb, a large geodesic globe that flashes and dances with color in response to music and motion, exploring geodesic geometry. You can also enjoy performances from the Francis C. Hammond Middle School Orchestra, The Alexandria Singers, The Dance Studio at Hollin Hall, cellist John Kaboff, and the St. Petersburg Duo, an ensemble of The Washington Balalaika Society.
Torpedo Factory Art Center
by the Waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, VA
105 N Union St - Alexandria, VA
Metro: King St and take the free trolley from the metro to the waterfront
Lunchtime - Outdoor Bluegrass Concert at the NGA Sculpture Garden - Archives
Concert: Kruger Brothers
12:00pm & 1:00pm
Bluegrass Music
National Gallery of Art, Sculpture Garden
7th & Constitution Ave NW
Metro: Archives
Afternoon - Literary Readings at The Writer's Center - Bethesda, MD
Open Door Reading: Michelle Brafman and Dylan Landis
2:00pm
Novelist Michelle Brafman reads from Washing the Dead. She is joined by Dylan Landis, author of Rainey Royal.
The Writer's Center
4508 Walsh St - Bethesda, MD
Metro: Bethesda
Afternoon - Photographer Lecture & Book Signing at the NGA East Building - Archives
Lecture and Book Signing: Archive of Lamentations
2:00pm
On view through September 13, 2015, The Memory of Time explores the work of 26 contemporary artists who investigate the richness and complexity of photography’s relationship to time, memory, and history. For more than 20 years, photographer Deborah Luster has been engaged in an ongoing investigation of violence and its consequences. In this lecture held on the exhibition’s closing day, Luster will discuss the evolution of her work from One Big Self: Prisoners of Louisiana and Tooth for an Eye: A Chorography of Violence in Orleans Parish, as well as her current project at Louisiana’s Angola Prison. A book signing follows.
National Gallery of Art
East Building Auditorium
4th & Constitution Ave NW
Metro: Archives
Late Afternoon - Film Screening at the NGA East Building - Archives
Film Series: Titanus Presents: A Family Chronicle of Italian Cinema Two Women
4:00pm
(La ciociara, Vittorio De Sica, 1960, 100 minutes) Adapted from a novel by Alberto Moravia, Two Women is based on the lives of actual Marocchinate. Fleeing to her native South from Rome and the Allied bombing, Sophia Loren and her daughter Eleonora Brown find friendship with the local intellectual Jean-Paul Belmondo, but soon discover which is worse—the retreating Germans or the advancing Allies (Moroccan Goumiers). In a complex role originally meant for Anna Magnani, the twenty-six-year-old Loren became the first Oscar winner in a foreign-language film.
National Gallery of Art
4th & Constitution Ave NW
East Building Auditorium
Metro: Archives
Early Evening - Festival of Inner Peace - Music, Dance, and more at Lisner - Foggy Bottom
PAZ - Festival of Inner Peace
5:00pm
Free, RSVP Required
"Sahaja Yoga Meditation brings you the Festival of Inner Peace, where music and art lead to meditation and our spiritual journey begins. The Festival of Inner Peace is a multi-city tour of world class musicians, dancers and artists who utilize uplifting, soothing and life affirming music and art to connect us to our inner selves."
GW Lisner Auditorium
730 21st Street, NW
Metro: Foggy Bottom or take the Circulator bus or any of the 30 line buses to the stop closest to 21st & Pennsylvania and walk a block or two.
Early Evening - Step Afrika! Dance Performance at Joy of Motion - Friendship Heights
Step Xplosion! with Step Afrika! at Joy of Motion Friendship Heights
6:00pm
Free, RSVP encouraged
Step Afrika! brings the energy and excitement of stepping to your community with the dynamic artists of Step Afrika!, special guest DJ Beauty and the Beatz, and lots of audience participation.
Joy of Motion Dance Center - Friendship Heights
5207 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Metro: Friendship Heights
See the "Free in DC" Inside Out page on CultureCapital.com for more free events and exhibits on view and visit TICKETPLACE for half-price tickets to performances in the DC metro area! You can also Follow CultureCapital.com on facebook and @TICKETPLACEDC on twitter.
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