Here are some great free arts and culture events sent to us by
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, May 21
Evening - Special Oratory Festival at Ford's Theatre - Metro Center or Gallery Pl - Chinatown
Stand Up: Be Heard Oratory Festival
7:00pm
In after-school residencies, Ford's Theatre teaching artists use oratory to help students build speech, writing and leadership skills. In year-long after-school programs, students learn skills for self-expression using the words of Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and others to learn the tools of rhetoric and oratory. As they progress, students write and deliver their own speeches. They perform on the Ford’s Theatre stage and take trips to hear oratory in action. Read more
here.
Ford's Theatre
511 10th St NW
Metro: Metro Center
Evening - Behind the Scenes of Boardwalk Empire - Archives
Boardwalk Empire: Behind the Scenes of the HBO Series
7:00pm
Inspired by Nelson Johnson’s New York Times best-selling book, HBO re-created the realism and texture of Prohibition-era Atlantic City in the hit series
Boardwalk Empire. With video clips and behind-the-scenes stories, Terence Winter leads a discussion of the show’s creation. Panelists include Gretchen Mol, the actress who played Gillian Darmody; Edward McGinty, Jr., the actor who portrayed Ward Boss Boyd and research adviser for the show; Lesley Robson-Foster, visual effects supervisor; Nelson Johnson, author of
Boardwalk Empire; and others. A book signing will follow the program.
National Archives
between 7th & 9th on Constitution Ave, NW
Metro: Archives - Navy Memorial
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.
Friday, May 22
Lunchtime - Screening of PBS Series on Prohibition, at The Archives - Archives
Prohibition: A Nation of Scofflaws (Film Screening)
12:00pm
Episode two of the 2011 PBS series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick addresses how the enforcement of Prohibition was inconsistent and caused unintended consequences, including making criminals of a large portion of the population. (110 minutes.)
National Archives
between 7th & 9th on Constitution Ave, NW
Metro: Archives - Navy Memorial
Saturday, May 23
Afternoon - Film Screening at the Smithsonian Anacostia - Anacostia
Film: The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011; 96 min)
2:00pm
RSVP Required, call 202.633.4844 or register
online here
This award-winning Sundance documentary is a fascinating look at the American Black Power movement between 1967 and 1975 from the perspective of a Swedish film crew. The film contains journalistic footage never seen on U.S. TV plus intriguing interviews and sound bytes from civil rights notables Stokely Carmichael, Melvin Van Peebles, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis and others. Film intersperses archival footage with contributing commentary from contemporary voices such as Erykah Badu, Kathleen Cleaver, Talib Kweli, Sonia Sanchez, Kenny Gamble, and others. Q&A with a museum educator follows the screening.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE (
map)
Metro: Anacostia and take the W2 bus, see
metro trip-planner for bus access from metro
Afternoon - Art Opening at NoVa Community College - Alexandria, VA
2:00pm
Brian Williams creates abstract, otherworldly landscape oil paintings on aluminum. While the paintings evoke dunes or seascapes with varying naturalistic elements, the work disrupts our idea of our relationships to natural settings. The title of his solo exhibit “The Lonely Drone” calls to mind an imaginary view from a drone flying over a dream landscape
at NoVa Community College
3001 North Beauregard St - Alexandria, VA
Metro: See
metro trip-planner for best bus access from metro. Driving? Parking available in the Beauregard Garage $2 per hour.
Evening - Chamber Music Concert at NoVa Community College - Alexandria, VA
7:30pm
It is well know that Johannes Brahms played a big part in the international fame that befell Antonin Dvorák after he submitted his work for the Austrian State Stipendium. But it is much lesser known that Brahms was “visibly overcome by the mastery and talent of this unknown individual.” This tremendous pairing in friendship is analogous when pairing their music and their inventive, beautiful melodies that were seemingly endless.
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. Driving? Parking available in the Beauregard Garage $2 per hour.
Sunday, May 24
Daytime - "Rolling Thunder" Biker Ride - by Memorials
Rolling Thunder - Annual Demonstration Run
12:00pm
The Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run is an annual ride and gathering that first started in 1988. Riders from around the nation, and even around the world rally in the Pentagon parking lots and begin the run through the streets of D.C. Afterward, it is an opportunity to meet old and new friends, pay respect at the memorials and participate in the Memorial Day events. Bikes leave the North Pentagon parking lot to begin their run through the Mall area. After the run, police will direct riders to West Potomac Park, where they will pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters.
Metro: Foggy Bottom and walk down to the Mall or just look/ listen for the bikes in VA by the Pentagon or in DC by the memorials
Afternoon - Illustrated Author Talk on the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, at NMWA - Metro Center
Literary Event: American Artists of the Gilded Age
2:00pm
Through this illustrated talk, author Mary Tonetti Dorra brings the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition to life and shares the compelling story of artist Mary Lawrence, Dorra’s grandmother, the only woman allowed to exhibit a sculpture outside the Women’s Building. Dorra will discuss American artists of the Gilded Age and reveal a portrait of the era illuminated in her historical novel,
Demeter’s Choice: A Portrait of My Grandmother as a Young Artist.National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Ave, NW
Metro: Metro Center, use the 13th St exit and up two blocks to NY Ave or take one of many
buses that go to 13th & H St NW
Afternoon - Curator Talk about the formation of Barry Farm - Anacostiaa
Curator Talk: Alcione Amos
2:00pm - 4:00pm
RSVP Required, call 202.633.4844 or register
online here
Exhibition curator Alcione Amos talks about the formation of historic Berry Farm in conjunction with the exhibition
How the Civil War Changed Washington. On display at the program will be an enlarged map of Historic Barry Farm from 1867 and items that were dug during archeological research at the Howard Road area where the Metro Station was built in the 1980s.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
1901 Fort Place, SE (
map)
Metro: Anacostia and take the W2 bus, see
metro trip-planner for bus access from metro
Evening - Free Concert with the Marine Band at Wolf Trap followed by Fireworks at Wolf Trap - Spring Hill, VA
now much more accessible by Metro and short taxi or uber ride
2015 Summer Blast Off!: The President's Own United States Marine Band with Fireworks!
8:00pm
"The President's Own" United States Marine Band will launch Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts' summer season with a program of concert band favorites. A fireworks display will follow the concert!
Metro: Spring Hill, on the new Silver line.Wolf Trap is a bit over 2 miles from the station, You can walk or bike from the metro on lovely trails or you can take #480 bus from the metro. You can also easily take a taxi or uber there from the metro. See
uber promo below for $20 off your first ride.
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182
Evening - Concert by the Capital
National Memorial Day Concert on the U.S. Capitol West Lawn
8:00pm - 9:30pm, Gates open at 5:00pm
Laurence Fishburne, Laura Benanti, Esai Morales, and Jason Dolley join an All-Star Line-Up for the
PBS National Memorial Day Concert honoring our American Heroes, live from the U.S. Capitol, featuring a special performance of the National Anthem by American Idol Season 14 Winner Nick Fradiani. Note: No alcohol permitted. Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
E. Capitol St. and First St NW
US Capitol, West Lawn
Note: The public will not be admitted to the West Lawn of the Capitol beginning at 5:00pm. Checkpoints will be set up for search of bags and parcels. Guests will be required to enter through a metal detector. The gates are located at the Southwest corner of the Capitol grounds. More details can be found on the U.S. Capitol Police's
website in the Press Room. Driving? The best place to park near the Capitol Building is at
Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE. There are more than 2,000 public parking spaces.
Metro: Capitol South or Union Station
See
"Free in DC" Inside Out page for more events + connect with
CultureCapital.com on facebook
Monday, May 25
Morning - Ceremony and Commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery - VA
National Memorial Day Observance at
Arlington National Cemetery
11:00am, Attendees are encouraged to be at the Tomb of the Unknowns or seated in the amphitheater by 9:30am
see complete details online
here
The U.S. Army Military District of Washington will conduct a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to be followed by an observance program hosted by the Department of Defense in Arlington’s Memorial Amphitheater. A prelude by the United States Marine Band will begin in the amphitheater at 10:30 a.m. Both the wreath-laying ceremony and the observance program are free and open to the general public. No tickets are needed to attend these events. Space is limited to standing room only for the wreath-laying ceremony and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the amphitheater.
Metro: Arlington Cemetery
Afternoon - Parade on The Mall
National Memorial Day Parade 2015
along Constitution Ave between 7th and 17th St
2:00pm
From the American Revolution up to present day conflicts,
the Parade commemorates the American spirit and the sacrifices of those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who serve so we can live in the Land of the Free. The parade includes floats, high school marching bands, veterans, service members, local and national celebrities, service organizations and clubs, and much more! See complete details on the official website
here..
along Constitution Ave between 7th and 17th St
Metro: Federal Triangle, Smithsonian or Archives
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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