THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
MUSEUMS The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design is opening two fashion-related exhibits this Thursday. “Fast Fashion/Slow Art” features 11 films, videos, and installations that delve into the waste and consumerism in today’s garment industry. A companion exhibit, “In Fashion: Selections from the GW Collection,” will show behind-the-scenes portraits of notable fashion icons such as Carolina Herrera and Neiman Marcus. “Fast Fashion/Slow Art”: Through December 15. “In Fashion”: Through October 27.
MUSIC Browse the artwork in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Luce Center while listening to the Columbian Caribbean music of La Marvela. The all-female local band formed out of a shared desire to honor Columbian music, blending it with social causes and providing safe spaces for all. Free, 5:30 PM.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
MUSEUMS Party after-hours at the new International Spy Museum at BYT’s “Mission Impossible: Party Protocol” event. In addition to the open exhibits (and open bar), enjoy an immersive scavenger hunt, a fake passport station, handwriting analysis, and music from DJs all night long. There will also be TED-style lightning talks from former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez and a live episode of the Spy Museum’s podcast SpyCast. $65-$80, 8:30 PM.
MEMORIAL The mural project Limestone of Lost Legacies memorializes five teenagers who lost their lives to gun violence in DC in 2017 and 2018. This mural, which will be unveiled and dedicated at the Fridge art gallery, will honor the young victims including Zaire Kelly, a Thurgood Marshall student who was killed by an attempted robber near his Brentwood home, and Jamahri Sydnor, a Woodrow Wilson High School graduate who was killed by a stray bullet in broad daylight. The project has been spearheaded by a student-led advocacy group called Pathways 2 Power. Free to attend, 5 PM.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
MUSEUMS The Sackler Gallery will highlight contemporary photography with its exhibit “My Iran: Six Women Photographers.” See the country through the eyes of these artists with their images of women’s changing role in Iranian society, including photos of women protesting in Tehran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Through February 9. Free.
BEER Richmond’s The Veil is known for its flavorful IPAs, but they’re not that easy to get outside of the brewery itself. The Bruery Store at Union Market is highlighting The Veil in this month’s mobile can pop-up shop. The store will have several Veil beers in cans for purchase, including three IPAs, two goses, a Very Berry Tastee (a sour with raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, strawberries), and a vanilla imperial stout called Hollow Place: Vanilla. You can swing by Union Market’s Dock 5 to try the Veil’s beers on draft as well; the tap list includes a number of their IPAs, two of their Tastee sours, and a few high ABV stouts (notably, the Curse of Satisfaction, a delicious coffee/cinnamon stout, is a collaboration with Tampa’s Angry Chair Brewing). Beer prices vary, 11 AM.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11
FOOD Celebrate plant-based cuisine at DC VegFest at Nationals Park. Sample foods and learn about a plant-based lifestyle from more than 120 vendors and exhibitors; there will also be talks and chef demonstrations. Hear from food activists, authors, and chefs alike to spark a conversation about the impact of our food choices on our health and the world around us. The first 1,000 attendees will receive a free tote bag with samples from the festival’s sponsors. Free to attend, 11 AM – 5:30 PM.
THEATER Signature Theatre’s 30th anniversary season starts with its 30th Stephen Sondheim production, Assassins. The 1990 musical (which won five Tony Awards in 2004, including Best Revival of a Musical) imagines nine would-be and successful presidential assassins who get together to goad each other into pulling the trigger in a dark vaudeville performance. Through September 29. $40-$110.
LAST CALL: Here’s what’s closing this weekend
“Forward Press: 21st Century Printmaking” closes 8/11 at American University Museum.
“Squire Broel” closes 8/11 at the American University Museum.
