THURSDAY, MARCH 2
DISCUSSION The Elson Lecture Series at the National Gallery of Art features contemporary artists whose work is represented in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Artist Matt Mullican, whose piece Untitled is at the NGA, will speak at the NGA’s East Building Auditorium. Mullican, part of the “Pictures Generation,” has even used his subconscious as material, creating art under hypnosis. Free, 3:30 PM.
SESQUICENTENNIAL Howard University is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its charter with a few private, invite-only events plus a fundraising Charter Day Dinner on Friday night at the Washington Hilton. In addition, the Park on 14th is hosting free networking celebrations on both Thursday and Friday nights. Free (with RSVP), 5 PM.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3
FILM Positive Force DC is presenting the DC premiere screening of Generation Revolution at St. Stephen’s in Columbia Heights. The documentary shows a new generation of black and brown activists who are working to change the social and political landscape in Great Britain, broadening the scope of police brutality and racism from a national issue to an international one. The screening will be followed by a Q&A panel with co-directors Cassie Quarless and Usayd Younis along with local activists. $10, 7 PM.
MUSIC Local music blog DC Music Download is celebrating its five-year anniversary with its Sounds of the City Fest at venues across DC this weekend. The festival’s first concert is Friday night at Tropicalia with rappers Ace Cosgrove and Ciscero alongside DJ Ayes Cold. The festival continues on Saturday with a record label expo at Songbyrd and a mainstage showcase at the Black Cat. $12, 8 PM.
DISCUSSION The National Geographic Museum is hosting a talk entitled “Beauty and the Bizarre.” The two speakers, photographer Anand Varma and scientist Rodrigo Medellín, will tell tales of bizarre happenings in the animal kingdom, such as the honeybee’s lifecycle and the linkage between the long-nosed bat and tequila. Medellín’s intense devotion to protecting bats has earned him the nickname the Bat Man of Mexico, and his work was featured in a BBC documentary of the same name. $25, 7:30 PM.
BOOKS Attorney Jerome F. Buting was the defense attorney for Steven Avery, subject of Netflix’s Making a Murderer. His new book, Illusion of Justice: Inside Making a Murderer and America’s Broken System, calls for reform to the American legal system. At his reading at Politics & Prose, Buting will be in conversation with Carrie Johnson, NPR’s justice correspondent. Free, 7 PM.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
MUSEUMS Later this year, the command module Columbia, known for carrying the Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon and back, will embark on a two-year national tour. In preparation, the Columbia is currently in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and the museum is hosting a day of behind-the-scenes events to explore the hangar, learn the history of the Apollo program, and see Apollo objects on display, such as Neil Armstrong’s helmet and gloves. Free ($15 for parking), 10 AM.
MUSIC The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet that was formed in 1973 and specializes in contemporary classical music. The program for the group’s show at Sixth & I includes two pieces from their “Fifty for the Future” program, which commissioned 50 new pieces (25 by women and 25 by men) aimed for the instruction and development of younger musicians. $40, 8 PM.
CIDER Drinky Events is hosting a Craft Cider and Cocktail Making Event at the Hill Center. Beer Historian Mike Stein from Lost Lagers will lead the discussion, and participants will make three cocktails from three ciders: Blue Bee’s HopSap Shandy Cider (VA), Potter’s Craft Cider (VA), and Anxo’s Heirloom Dry Cider (DC). $45, 3:30 PM
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
FILM The first film version of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play The Crucible was the 1957 Franco-German adaptation Les Sorcières de Salem. This adaptation, which is screening on Sunday afternoon at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Auditorium, features French actresses Simone Signoret and Mylène Demongeot and Italian-French actor Yves Montand plus a screenplay by existentialist playwright Jean-Paul Sartre. Free, 4 PM.
CELEBRATION The Persian New Year, or Nowruz, falls on March 21 this year, but the Sackler Gallery and Ripley Center are hosting their ninth annual celebration on Sunday. Activities include storytelling, calligraphy, live music, and food. Free, 11 AM.
PHOTOGRAPHY The Leica Store is holding a Coffee, Cameras, and Conversation workshop on Sunday afternoon about the process of editing down photographs. Attendees can bring up to five photos (digital or print) to be critiqued. Free, 1 PM.
