Things to Do

Culture Vulture

A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.

Tuesday, September 22
Pedal your bikes to DC’s downtown for the Car Free Day Street Celebration. The radio station 100.3 will broadcast music all day, and there’ll be a series of free green-awareness workshops, performances, pedicab rides, segway test drives, bike-repair seminars, and dance demonstrations. At the intersection of Seventh and F streets, Northwest. 11 to 3. For the day’s complete schedule of events, click here.

Wednesday, September 23
Support local design, media, and culinary students at the Art Institute of Washington’s Graduate Portfolio Show. More than 60 students, whose disciplines range from fashion, graphic, and interior design to audio production, showcase their work from noon to 3 today at the National Building Museum (401 F St., NW). For those who come hungry, culinary students will demonstrate their skills in a free tasting. E-mail krobertson@aii.edu to RSVP.

Thursday, September 24
Who doesn’t love The Jungle Book? CityDance puts its own spin on the classic Rudyard Kipling story with a live interactive performance of Mowgli and his animal crew tonight in the National Zoo’s Visitor Center auditorium.  6 to 8.

Friday, September 25
American Art Museum curator Kate Bonansinga will moderate a roundtable discussion with artists Christyl Boger, Mark Newport, Mary Van Cline, and Sunkoo Yuh on their current exhibit, Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009. They’ll discuss their methodologies—which includes incorporating theatrics into traditional mediums such as ceramics, glass, and fiber—and favorite works in the McEvoy Auditorium starting at 6.

Saturday, September 26
George C. Stoney documentaries take over the National Gallery of Art today starting at 2:30. Catch A Reunion of All My Babies, which tracks down people delivered by the same southern midwife; the model as muse in Flesh in Ecstasy; and the story behind “The Man of Aran” in How the Myth Was Made.

Learn Turkish dance, get a henna tattoo, and play classic lawn games at Takoma Park’s first-ever Play Day. Events go from 11 to 1 at Heffner Park (42 Oswego Ave.), and families are encouraged to attend. From 10 to noon, kids can explore fire, trash, dump trucks, and other public vehicles.

Sunday, September 27
The Washington Ballet Studio (3515 Wisconsin Ave., NW) is hosting its open house. This family-friendly event features arts and crafts, open-to-the-public dance rehearsals, and the opportunity to peruse the company’s unique Sugar Plum Shoppe. 1 to 5. Call 202-362-3606 for more information.

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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.